Play To The End or Play For 100% Complete?

[Cmosfm]

Ok, poll time, when you're playing a game do you just get to the end of the story, beat the last boss, and stop playing...or do you play to collect everything and get 100% complete?

I know there could be a "depends on the game" option, but I'm sure everyone would pick that...but this is more of an attitude you have before you even start playing. What do you go into the game thinking...The End or 100%? I personally used to be a 100% person, but with less time on my hands and more games to play I'm more of a The End person now.

[Ed Oscuro]

It really does depend on the game. For some reason I'm still playing Wind Waker...darn the Nintendo Gallery, the descriptions are so fun to read...and I find it nice to be able to go through the whole game without any strategy guide.

Metroid Prime? I got to the platforming bit right before the final boss and essentially quit. Bah. I've got to play it again sometime, but that one can wait.

[nesman85]

i usually just play to the end. every once in a while i'll find a game that kicks so much ass that i'll beat it 100%, like eternal darkness, i beat it all 3 times just to see the ending. i think that's the last new game that i enjoyed enough to beat 100%.

[Sotenga]

If it's possible, I'd attempt to go for 100%. I have a few times in the past... a proud achievement of mine is obtaining EVERYTHING in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Every area of both castles, all enemies, and every single friggin' item possible.* This proves that I either love Castlevania too much or have an overload of time to blow. Either way, that's not healthy.

*: Okay, not every item... the only exceptions are all the valuable gems. Then again, the only purpose they exist is to be sold, so let's just say I have everything, m'kay?

Then there are some games that I still haven't absolutely conquered... Maximo, for example. Whew... be a long time until I get 100% on the spiritual successor to one of the most difficult video game trilogies EVER.

[Querjek]

Well, sorry, but no straight answer from me...

For instance, I beat Kingdom Hearts (practically) 100%. Why? I have to wait for the sequel. That, and I love the innovative battle system/

I haven't finished yet, but I will only play Final Fantasy X to the end. Why? It's so damn long, the battles get boring after awhile, and I then will have to get FFX-2.

[Kejoriv]

Play to the end.

[Cmosfm]

I know lots of people want to say depends on the game...which is true. But this is more of an overall thing I'm talking about. Say you have 10 games waiting to play...9 of them you start up and just know that your only going to play to the end. Then you have FFX-2...and your a FF nut so you plan on playing it 100% complete. And one of the other 9 games rocks...so you play it 100% complete.

But all in all....9 out of 10 games you planned on playing only until the end, so you'd be a "To The End" person. or vice versa for 100% people

[Dr. Morbis]

I voted to the end because I'm against scavenger hunt gaming.

[calthaer]

First time through: play to the end.
Second time through: 100%. If the game sucks, then I either won't finish it at all or I won't play it a second time.

I'm not a real fan of scavenger-hunt gaming, either. Putting the best weapons in some tiny chest hidden behind something in a small town that's going to be destroyed right after you go through it is just plain dumb. I like games that reward you for looking around without showing you a big "76% YOU ARE LACKING FOOL! R U NOT L33T ENUFF?!?!?!" every time you go to load up your save game file.

[WiseSalesman]

I used to be a 100%-er, but with the amount of time involved and obligations in life these days, I'm now a to-the-end-er. Like Sotenga, I have 214% or whatever the hell it is in SOTN, but, as much as I loved BG+E, I'll never go back to find the rest of the pearls I missed.

[Ze_ro]

I really wish I had the time to go for 100% in each of my games... but there's just not enough time. Even with no life, there's just too many great games to get 100% in ALL of them. The only games that I make it a point to 100% are the Tony Hawk games.

Not to mention that in almost every game, there are one or two things in the game that are so frustrating to get that it really makes me question whether it's worth the time to get them. I beat Mario Sunshine, and I really liked it... but trying to get all those red coins in the sewer-lillypad level will REALLY be a pain in the ass if I go back to 100% the game.

--Zero

[GamecubeFreek]

Beating games 100% gives me a great sense of accomplishment. Most of the time, I feel bothered if I know there is more that I can get from my game. Some of my proudest achievements in gaming come from getting 100% (for instance, Maximo). Im sure that a little later in life I will become a play to the end guy, but untill I run short on gaming time, I will continue to master my games!

[Brisco]

To me, it's playing to the end. I don't finish games too often anymore, so it's nice just to get the ending screen/cinema.

[Ze_ro]

As a followup question... for those of you who go the 100% route, do you do it entirely on your own? Or do you use FAQ's to get that far?

I try to get 100% on my own when at all possible, but I very often get frustrated and go to the FAQ to find stuff I couldn't find on my own (How on earth you're supposed to find half of the DSS cards in Circle of the Moon without someone telling you is beyond me... I'm not that good at video games that I'm going to sit there and keep killing the same Trick Candle over and over again for an hour to see if it gives me a card or not)

--Zero

[Keir]

With the exception of Wario Ware, which I am attempting to complete 100%, I'm a play to the end kind of guy. But then, I don't play many of these new-fangled games with there hidden secrets and unlockables and crap. Playing to the end (if there is an end) is playing to 100%.

[Oobgarm]

I'll ususally play through a game once just to finish it. If I really enjoyed it, I'll go back for a 100% complete. Like Eternal Darkness.

Although, if it looks like I'm at a high complete %, or if things are coming easily, I'll go for the complete first time out. Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is one such game that I 100 percented first time through.

I'm like Brisco, though--it's tough anymore for me to see a game all the way through to the end.

[Nature Boy]

I actually make an effort to be as thorough as possible. But for the most part I'm concerned only with finishing the game - if I don't get to 100% I don't really care.

[MarioAllStar2600]

I usually dont finish my games. I like to play them untill I get bored, btu some games I play to finish. I love multiplayer.

[kainemaxwell]

I play to the end, 100% if game keeps my intrest enough with extras, etc.

[Hamsnibit]

Well, I use to play till 100% on everything, but Final Fantasy 7 started ruining that for me. They started putting too much in the games to do. I got all the way to the end and never beat it because I didn't complete every side quest. I still try to get 100% on some stuff, but RPGs have just ruined that for me and now I'm turned off to the Final Fantasy series. I still love a good RPG but I usually just beat it and go to something else now.