Not able to Finish Games

[SegaAges]

This is about those games where you thought you were doing good, and you got far in it, but can't go back unless you restart it. You could have to restart because you saved in a bad place, or the game has so much stuff to do (like special moves and stuff), that you would practically have to go back and restart just to get a feel for the game again.

I got reminded of this from another thread and just wondered if anybody else is like this.

The game I can't go back to: Blue Stinger.

Here is the reason:
I was playing the game, and was at some point where there was a fire coming, but there was a save point there while I was running from the fire. I thought, "Gee, if I am running from this fire, I better save it now so that in case I die, I will be partially through running away from this fire." What I did not know what that I took too long to save it, so right when I load the save, the fire engulfs me and I die. I even tried using my Gameshark, but apparently none of the god mode gameshark stuff works, because I still die.

Going back to the game means to start over, which really sucks. This is a game I have not touched in over 2 years because I know that it will suck to go back through and get that far.

Anybody else have a situation in a game like that (Soul Reaver is one with my roommate).

[jcalder8]

Tomb Raider: Legend

I'm about 50% through the game but I pushed a switch at the wrong time and then I saved so I can't kill a boss. I was enjoying the game but I don't want to have to play all the way through the game again.

[calthaer]

The dumbest part about console games - especially non-western ones - is that they almost never have any sort of "quest log." There's no record of what you've done, specifically.

So if you're playing Zelda OoT, and want to run around and get all the pieces of heart, but you have three left to get - and you put the game down and haven't been keeping a notebook / checklist or something describing where you found all the ones you have...you're going to be checking all locations for all potential heart pieces and playing all those stupid minigames all over again.

If it's an RPG with numerous side-quests, you're screwed. You'll have to look up an FAQ to even begin to piece together where you are in the game, and even then, there are probably a lot of things you just won't be able to figure out.

That kind of crap is annoying.

[Yukio]

The dumbest part about console games - especially non-western ones - is that they almost never have any sort of "quest log." There's no record of what you've done, specifically.



Imagine this with multiple cartridges or multiple disks ...


If it's an RPG with numerous side-quests, you're screwed. You'll have to look up an FAQ to even begin to piece together where you are in the game, and even then, there are probably a lot of things you just won't be able to figure out.

That kind of crap is annoying.

This seems a lot of fun ... At least it is what some persons believe when "it ONLY" involved other characters/persons !!!

[MrSparkle]

im usually "playing" through like 10-15 rpgs at any given time sometimes one gets put down for a few months or years thats primetime for a restart haha. i find this is the biggest pitfall of having a large collection of games, i always play something different.

[retro junkie]

I find this problem with RPGs. I start a game and get into it then the reality of "normal everyday life" interupts. By the time I get back to it, I really need to restart just to remember what the story is all about and how to deal with the gameplay.
Number 2 problem with RPGs is, I see and purchase another RPG that looks good and get into it making me forget the "other one" that I had going on. Rinse, Repeat.

Most recent problem was I had a memory card to die on me, loosing several RPG saves, one of them being FFXII. uugh!

And yes, having a big collection of games becomes a problem when wanting to restart one. Which one to choose first?
Two games that I did manage to get through, uninterupted, and glad I did was FFIX and Ico.

[Lady Jaye]

This happened to me last year while playing X-Men Legends. I made a bad save (my characters were weak and near enemies) and basically I had to restart the game from the beginning.

Doesn't really happen to me with RPGs. Sure I'm a bit lost at first if it's been a while, but I usually end up figuring out what I was up to... or I just start the game over because it's been too long.

[Arcade_Ness]

It happened to me when my Saturn battery died on me, in return I lost my saves. Which means I would have to start over my game of Magic Knight Rayearth. It's rather annoying to redo everything >.<

[jennatar]

If the game's title starts with the words "Final Fantasy Tactics," you can bet it's a game I played for hours upon hours, then stopped short. :(

[Steven]

I find this problem with RPGs. I start a game and get into it then the reality of "normal everyday life" interupts. By the time I get back to it, I really need to restart just to remember what the story is all about and how to deal with the gameplay.


This is why I keep a gaming journal and highly recommend others do, too. ESPECIALLY for RPGs. I started Brandish (SNES) some time in '06, got through probably 15% of the game, but then never played it again til a year later or so. Thanks to my writing important notes about the game plot and play, I was able to pick it up rather quickly when I resumed playing. Then I got hooked on it, and finished it pretty much uninterrupted. It sat in my SNES until I delivered the final blow. It was one of the most satisfying solo gaming experiences I had in a long time.

Keeping an RPG journal is highly recommended.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I'm stuck in Zelda Ocarina of Time. In the Water Temple, I'm supposed to have some sort of key but I can't find it. I spent two days looking for it, and I think I know where it is,but I have to lower the water level and ther's no way to do it anymore. Augh. :\

[megasdkirby]

I don't have the patience anymore to deal with new, complex RPG's. For some reason, I like more simple RPG's. Something I can complete faster.

[fpbrush]

Good idea about the journal Steven, though I don't know what exactly I would write down? Do you have a structure you follow?

For me, it's probably the classic, FFVII. Started going down the crater w/o enough leveling up and my party gets slaughtered after the 1st or 2nd enemy encounter. It's something I would like to finish someday...but I haven't touched it in about 4 years :/ so I don't know if it will ever happen sadly.

[eskobar]

It happened to me once in ALUDRA ...

I saved the game in a normal place and had nothing to cure myself ... i did not know that after crossing a door i had to fight one of the final bosses :S

I restarted the game and finished it, but i kept that game save and still could not beat that monster :S

[Steven]

Good idea about the journal Steven, though I don't know what exactly I would write down? Do you have a structure you follow?


I usually play RPGs 1 hour at a time, minimum. I'm pretty good at keeping track in my mind of what happens in that play, so I don't need to stop every 15 minutes to jot something down. I basically play the whole session (say 90 minutes) then at the end after saving, I immediately jot down my latest game playing experience. I first list the date and time I played this latest session. Then I jot down basically the most interesting/important info I discovered on this latest playthrough. Important items I might have secured, any bosses defeated, interesting bits of dialogue/funky characters I encountered, etc.

It doesn't have to be super detailed. But just noting down a few lines of notable gameplay is worth it, then when you look back on it years from now, it's kinda cool. You have a gaming journal/log basically, and you go "Wow, it's been 2 years since I beat Game X..."

If you want to be even more ambitious, write down personal life stuff happening at that time too, just a quick note, so when you gloss over you go "Wow, I was dating that girl Tiffany when I was playing Game X" or "Wow, I can't believe I used to like her when I was playing this game".... might sound corny to some, but it's a historical archive, and I personally love that.


EDIT: I have an article on my site about keeping a game journal that's more detailed than this post, so feel free to check it out


http://www.rvgfanatic.com/7443/78601.html


http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_290201/IMG_3597.JPG

[kewlrabbit]

Slightly different, but about two years ago I was playing through Jade Empire and really enjoying it. I had just (I don't know where the SPOILER button is, so SPOILER!) gotten past the part where the area you start in is attacked and lit on fire, and went to the second city. I took a few steps out, and it freezes on me. My xbox was acting up at the time, so i just swore and reloaded. It froze again. I shut it off and booted it back up, took a few steps, and it froze again. I tried about twenty times with the same result, and tried about 30 times the next day to no avail. A few months ago I try it again for the hell of it, and it did it again. I was quite pissed over that one.

[josekortez]

Yeah, I always have at least 3 save slots on my memory card when I play most modern games just because I don't want to get stuck. I've gone back to Persona 3 several times, but I never got stuck for that reason, and I'm doing the same thing with Yakuza 2 right now.

[Pantechnicon]

Several years go back my brother-in-law (16 at the time) was visiting us and had created a save file in a really bad spot on my copy of Nobunaga's Ambition for the Game Boy. The only two daimyos left were he (as Nobunaga) and Tokugawa, who was an ally and had a better fief than my brother-in-law. No matter how he managed his turn, when play passed to Tokugawa the AI would break the alliance, invade his fief and decimate his forces. Absolute non-winner, and I must have watched the poor kid try two or three dozen different things to at least trigger a random event rather than an attack. No such luck.

To this day, every now and then when I talk to him on the phone I'll joke by telling him that Lord Tokugawa sends his regards.

[Sotenga]

Several years go back my brother-in-law (16 at the time) was visiting us and had created a save file in a really bad spot on my copy of Nobunaga's Ambition for the Game Boy. The only two daimyos left were he (as Nobunaga) and Tokugawa, who was an ally and had a better fief than my brother-in-law. No matter how he managed his turn, when play passed to Tokugawa the AI would break the alliance, invade his fief and decimate his forces. Absolute non-winner, and I must have watched the poor kid try two or three dozen different things to at least trigger a random event rather than an attack. No such luck.

To this day, every now and then when I talk to him on the phone I'll joke by telling him that Lord Tokugawa sends his regards.

That's absolutely hilarious... well, the phone bit anyway. That which you mentioned above? Total screw-overness. :X

This happened to me in Final Fantasy VI, where I was really into the game and got far into it... then my interest waned as I went desperately hunting for a hyper-rare item: The Economizer, reducing the cast of ALL magic to 1 MP, dropped only by a Brachiosaur as the rare drop. The dinosaur ain't all that common either, so I failed to find it after many tries, and I drifted away from the game for about six months or so. When I got back into it, and I DID get the Economizer, it made the game too easy in conjunction with the Gem Box, where I had Terra cast Ultima twice per round for only 2 MP. So, after it all, I probably would have been better off ignoring the item in the first place. *Kefka laugh*

Also, I got past the obligatory "sad song" in Ouendan 2, but didn't go on to beat the rest afterwards. It's been a month now, so I should probably re-do the entire list. >_<

[MrSparkle]

I'm stuck in Zelda Ocarina of Time. In the Water Temple, I'm supposed to have some sort of key but I can't find it. I spent two days looking for it, and I think I know where it is,but I have to lower the water level and ther's no way to do it anymore. Augh. :\

its in the central tower under the block that raises with the water. I know the key your talking about haha. let me know if i got it right that would rock.

[fpbrush]

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/7443/78601.html

http://www.rvgfanatic.com/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_290201/IMG_3597.JPG

Very nice, Steven! I can definitely see how journaling with some games would be quite helpful (though I don't think I could do it with many, so time consuming!). I think it would definitely make the experience more..intimate, if that's the right word, haha.

What I want to do more though, after reading your article, is detail log all my collection purchases. Oh how I wish I did that with my DC collection! But that's another thread.... ;)

[darkslime]

This happened to me with persona 3 fes a couple months ago. I got about 50 hours in and have no idea what I'm supposed to do next and didn't level up high enough to kill all of the stuff.

[otaku]

Shenmue is the one game like this I did finish but it took me over a year to eventually finish. Well worth it and very rewarding in the end. Now I want more. Lots of games I have trouble finishing though. Right now I need to sit down and finish neverwinter nights 2 and a few other pc games I have. and my copy of beggar prince on my genesis

[Deadpixels]

This is why I keep a gaming journal and highly recommend others do, too. ESPECIALLY for RPGs. I started Brandish (SNES) some time in '06, got through probably 15% of the game, but then never played it again til a year later or so. Thanks to my writing important notes about the game plot and play, I was able to pick it up rather quickly when I resumed playing. Then I got hooked on it, and finished it pretty much uninterrupted. It sat in my SNES until I delivered the final blow. It was one of the most satisfying solo gaming experiences I had in a long time.

Keeping an RPG journal is highly recommended.

Great idea Steve, I really need to take your advice and start working on a gaming journal. There are far too many games I've fallen out of simply because I forget just what the hell is going on. Though this year I'll have to say I've actually started busting out the pen and paper again, like when I finally wrapped up Fear Effect and Persona 3.

[CDiablo]

Funny enough this happened to me in 2 Resident Evil games.
Code Veronica: theres a point where you leave the 1st siland and move to a second area before you move to the ice cave that is the end of the game. In the second area there is a giant worm that you can run by and not kill, then finish the second area. 1/2 way through the third area you need a key that is in the belly of the worm in the 2nd area....which you cant go back to.

RE 0: At the start of the second disk you go into a chapel. I saved inside the chapel with very little health. Once you come out of the save room a boss battle starts and immediatley kills me. Hoo-ray!

[Deadpixels]

Funny enough this happened to me in 2 Resident Evil games.
Code Veronica: theres a point where you leave the 1st siland and move to a second area before you move to the ice cave that is the end of the game. In the second area there is a giant worm that you can run by and not kill, then finish the second area. 1/2 way through the third area you need a key that is in the belly of the worm in the 2nd area....which you cant go back to.

RE 0: At the start of the second disk you go into a chapel. I saved inside the chapel with very little health. Once you come out of the save room a boss battle starts and immediatley kills me. Hoo-ray!

Funny you mention Code Veronica and RE0, both of those titles have me in similarly unfortunate situations.

In Code Veronica I simply reached Alexia with too little ammo to actually finish the fight. I'm typically a pretty stubborn gamer who rarely creates multiple save slots. Needless to say I've left myself stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to beating CV.

In RE0 I finally managed to make my way out of the academy proper and into some strange castle looking area loaded with birds and these gorilla looking hunters. Unfortunately my health is next to none and my ammo is pretty much at a bare minimum.

It's a damn shame, because I really do love both games. Sadly enough if I beat them it's going to end up being a long time from now.

[SpaceHarrier]

I also got stuck in Resident Evil Code Veronica, but mostly due to poor item management. In other words, I have 200+ bolts, no crossbow an army of zombies and banders between me and the next thing I gotta collect, and to fight - I have a ...knife.

I gotta be careful, I have a launch day copy of Zelda: Twilight Princess... You know, the one with that glitch where if you save before the cannon the guy disappears and you are screwed. I am a savewhore so I really must be careful and read ahead so I know exactly when that event comes up.

[HYB]

FFIX, that game screwed me so hard because I lacked the attention span/english skills. I got it a little after it's release (too bad mom bought a pirated cart for the price of a new one at the store when she was in estonia) and I was pretty much hooked. Oeilvert got me totally fucked, since I probably wasn't paying enough attention to the dialogue before that/skipped it by accident. I actually had a party consisting of Zidane, Eiko, Garnet and Quina, which means I was totally screwed since you can't use magic/summon. I put off playing the game for years and then actually restarted it. It's my favorite FF game but Oeilvert had me livid even when I got there again, this time with a proper party.

[SegaAges]

I totally did this with Spore recently. Yeah, I found out that it is bad to your place near the middle of the galaxy (which also is the first save you can select).

The grox are so f'ing annoying, and once you start up with them you are done, they will keep coming until you take them out (which is literally impossible) or you are taken out.

I thought I would take them out because they were annoying me, but lucky me, it is not possible, and since I only have 5 planets, I am in trouble (5 right now because they took out 2 already).

I seriously think Will Wright needs to f'ing play against the Grox.

It is funny though, because I played my 1st race like humans, and it only has 1 planet left, and I am afraid to go back, because everybody hates me (fight anything that does not bow down to me while throwing my money around).

I restarted and I am still getting my ass handed to me, which I don't understand, because it is on easy and I have more technology than everybody else, but I somehow don't have enough planets, and not enough money either. I determined that to completely build up a planet with colonies and stuff in the colonies, it costs about 750,000-1mil to do it, and I make about 1mil an hour (average), which means that it takes about 1 hour to build up a planet, but after about 20 minutes, I am fighting the Grox and then spending 100-500k to fix stuff up from their hits.

Yeah, trying to manage that on 1 planet, not possible