Have you ever shelved a game because you never died, or reached a difficult point?

[Emperor Megas]

I put this in the Modern Gaming section of the forum because I don't remember this being much an issue with older games, and because it happened to me recently with a modern game, Genji: Dawn of the Samurai, but it's a general question. It doesn't really matter if it's happened with a modern or older game.

Like I said, I was playing Genji: Dawn of the Samuai recently, and I started seeing things unfolding in the story that lead me to believe that it was about to conclude soon. I'd also gone through several boss battles in the hours I'd played it without so much as even a scratch from any of them. This made me shelf the game for a few days because I completely lost interest. I couldn't believe that all I had to do was use Benkei (or whatever the 7' monk's name is) and simply tap the triangle button to eliminate EVERY CLUSTER OF ENEMIES IN THE ENTIRE GAME, WITH ONE BUTTON PRESS.

Even bosses didn't stand a chance against the guy. I also noticed that the two playable characters shared the same experience points as well, so when you level up a character though experience, you level up both. There's a secondary level system that uses collected chips which allow you to upgrade character stats independently, but still.

Am I alone here, or do any of you lose interest and shelf a game if you totally fly through it with minimal effort?

[Cobra Commander]

Not if I was that close to the end. I'd just stick around for awhile just to see the ending.
If I could tell at the intro that the game was as simple as pressing the same button over and over, then yeah, I'd dump it quickly.

[skaar]

I played Avatar on 360 for about 15 seconds, but that was for a different reason.

I'm trying to remember the name of the game that came out recently.... witch character, no clothes, over the top DMC type gameplay.... that I got bored with fast.

[Johnny_Rock]

I've done this with a number of RPGs. I got about 5 hours into Final Fantasy 8 and just couldn't get into the story or care about the characters and I found the combat tedious.

I'm usually pretty forgiving of repetitive or unchallenging gameplay if I find the story or characters engaging.

[crazyjackcsa]

Never beat a game because it was to repetitive or easy? Nope.

[Emperor Megas]

I'm usually pretty forgiving of repetitive or unchallenging gameplay if I find the story or characters engaging.

I feel this way was well. My biggest issue is with simple or easy games that don't grab me with a great story, or atmosphere. There are several games that I love which don't really challenge me much at all, but everything else about them draws me in.

[Aussie2B]

No, and usually the people who complain about games being bad solely because they're too easy are complete hypocrites. Just about everyone has at least one game that they love in spite of a low difficulty. Look at Super Mario World, Symphony of the Night, Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, etc. All highly acclaimed yet all very easy. I've been seeing this kind of stuff a lot lately with Solatorobo. A lot of critics and players are tearing into it because it's very easy, but personally I couldn't care less about the lack of difficulty. It's an amazing game that I absolutely love to play, so I'm not even thinking about the lack of challenge at all when I assess it. It's inconsequential. I will complain about a lack of difficulty in certain other games, but if I don't like those games, it's because of a lack of OTHER traits that could outweigh the low difficulty and other flaws.

[Emperor Megas]

No, and usually the people who complain about games being bad solely because they're too easy are complete hypocrites. Just about everyone has at least one game that they love in spite of a low difficulty. Look at Super Mario World, Symphony of the Night, Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VII, etc. All highly acclaimed yet all very easy. I've been seeing this kind of stuff a lot lately with Solatorobo. A lot of critics and players are tearing into it because it's very easy, but personally I couldn't care less about the lack of difficulty. It's an amazing game that I absolutely love to play, so I'm not even thinking about the lack of challenge at all when I assess it. It's inconsequential. I will complain about a lack of difficulty in certain other games, but if I don't like those games, it's because of a lack of OTHER traits that could outweigh the low difficulty and other flaws.

Why do you feel most who complain about games solely because they're too easy are complete hypocrites? Just because there are easy games which are highly praised (and while it's all subjective, those games you listed aren't exactly considered easy across the board), it doesn't mean that they don't find more in the more popular titles that make them enjoyable, or exceptional. Most games aren't exception in any way after all, so when a game that's already average in every other category is easy/simple, there's little there to hold the your interest.

[kupomogli]

While I've beaten the game, I don't think I died more than a couple times my first and only time playing Super Princess Peach. I don't mind an easy game, but not only was Super Princess Peach incredibly easy, it was also incredibly boring. I hated the game.

I can't think of any games that were too easy that I quite playing because of that reason though. The Dynasty Warriors games would be the closest. The games themselves are too easy, but it wasn't the fact that they were too easy, it was that they were so monotonous and boring being the reason that I quit.

Another game which the difficulty was one of the reasons. Kingdom of Paradise for the PSP. Graphics are great(for an early PSP game,) and it's got a unique combat style, similar to God Hand where you can switch between styles to change your combo. However each combo was one long string of square button presses like Dynasty Warriors. The game was also ridiculously easy. So how easy it was combined with how repetitive is why I quit the game.

[Lerxstnj]

The only one I can think of for this topic is Laser Blast for the 2600.

[Aussie2B]

Why do you feel most who complain about games solely because they're too easy are complete hypocrites? Just because there are easy games which are highly praised (and while it's all subjective, those games you listed aren't exactly considered easy across the board), it doesn't mean that they don't find more in the more popular titles that make them enjoyable, or exceptional. Most games aren't exception in any way after all, so when a game that's already average in every other category is easy/simple, there's little there to hold the your interest.

That's why they're being hypocritical. They're not being honest about the true reasons as to why they dislike a game. Some gamers, I guess on ego trips to show how "hardcore" they are, talk as if they only like games that offer a good challenge, but they never apply those standards equally across the board. They'll lambast one title solely for being too easy, yet they're love another game that's every bit as easy. Clearly the lack of difficulty isn't the deciding factor here. They need to accept that the real difference is that one game was entertaining and one wasn't, and that would hold true regardless of the difficulty level.

[Emperor Megas]

The only one I can think of for this topic is Laser Blast for the 2600.

No kidding! That was the FIRST game I'd played where this was an issue. It was just so freaking monotonous, easy, and boring, and it never, ever changed.

[Leo_A]

Too bad, too, since Laser Blast was a well programmed game with a lot of potential.

Throw some variety into it along with a higher difficulty level that climbs quicker and goes beyond the manageable level that the original plateaus out on after a few minutes, and it would've been a winner.

Instead, it's repetitive and can be played for as long as your stamina holds out.

[Baloo]

Not sure if these two examples exactly fit the topic, but I'll give it a shot:

I personally lost interest in Super Mario Galaxy because it was just too long. After a while I got tired of the same old damn fetch quest gameplay.

I also tried to play through Zelda II twice, and TWICE the save on my NES cart got deleted at the 4th Dungeon. Needless to say, I just haven't had the willpower to give the game another crack yet, though I'll probably get back to it in a few months now that I have a new cart.

[Gameguy]

The Tick for the Genesis. I didn't really get bored with the game but I was playing it for so long I just turned it off. It's really a long game. I just haven't got around to playing it again, it is an easy game but it's also fun.

[dgdgagdae]

I played Avatar on 360 for about 15 seconds, but that was for a different reason.

I'm trying to remember the name of the game that came out recently.... witch character, no clothes, over the top DMC type gameplay.... that I got bored with fast.

That'd be Bayonetta. You stopped playing it because it's too easy? It's the main game that I'm working through now, and I die a lot. Maybe I'm just not very good at this kind of game. I've never played the DMC games, and I generally think the Japanese are weird. But I'm having fun with Bayonetta.

[YoshiM]

It's rare that I shelve a game because it was either too easy or too hard. In this gen I haven't done that at all except in cases of pure disinterest.

Halo: Reach is one victim-I played up until I get to the Covenant ship early on (not spoiling it for those that are playing it). Game felt so overdone, I didn't feel anything for a part of the story that was supposed to invoke emotion. Demon's Souls just doesn't grab me for some reason-I'll play it for a bit but then I'll pack it away. Burnout Paradise is another off-and-on title. I haven't even really begun to play the Sly Cooper compilation as I just got the feeling of "been there, done that".

[goatdan]

No, and usually the people who complain about games being bad solely because they're too easy are complete hypocrites. Just about everyone has at least one game that they love in spite of a low difficulty. Look at Super Mario World, ...

Got to toss in my two cents here... at least with the Mario series, what I think makes them so great (at least the 2D ones) is that while the difficulty isn't very high, the fact is that you can come up with new challenges for tons of the levels that make them significantly more difficult. Sure, I can play "through" SMB3 by picking it up, warping my way to the last levels and cruising through them in under two hours, but most of the time when I'm playing that game, I'm trying to unlock the white mushroom houses, find the special suits and use them to get to different bonuses and stuff like that, which definitely makes the game a heck of a lot more challenging.

I'd argue that a game that is easy is less like that, and more like a game whose difficulty makes it seem like you are never really in trouble. Couple that with a game that has a boring storyline, and I think it's a recipe for a disaster. A lot of modern games, I play on the easiest setting because I'm playing them for story, not challenge. Which means that if the storyline sucks, the instant the gameplay feels boring, I'm done with the game.

A *LOT* of games I have started fall into that category. The last one I remember was I think Gauntlet Dark Resurrection -- or whatever the last Gauntlet game was on the Xbox. I was hoping it played like Dark Legacy, and instead one hour in I had completed nearly half the game, and hadn't felt like it had challenged me at all. I immediately pulled it out and sold it. I have no time to waste on games that aren't fun, even if they are supposed to be part of one of my favorite game series.

[exit]

Not sure if this counts, but I remember renting Claymates, spent God knows how long playing, got to what I thought was the end and then got shot from a rocket onto another planet and saw no end in sight.. After that, I just shut the game off and said enough was enough, that game was excruciatingly long to not have some kind of password or save system.

Also, I was never able to get back into Nocturne because I forgot what spells did what and the weaknesses of all the demons, the game was just too complicated to jump right back into after a long period of time.

[kedawa]

I gave up on Dawn of Sorrow because of the stupid seals.
The bosses were a joke compared to drawing those damned things.