Gaming Steve: Question of the Week: What Game Do You Resolve to Finally Finish in 2008?

December 31, 2007

Question of the Week: What Game Do You Resolve to Finally Finish in 2008?

Pong baby ... one day I'll finish this game...

With 2007 about to end in just a few hours I started to go through my New Year's Resolutions. Oh sure, I got the "regulars" in there – lose weight, get in shape, blah, blah, blah – but the ones that I really spend some time thinking about and actually try to keep are my "gaming resolutions." You know what I'm talking about, which games do you "absolutely resolve to finally finish next year?"

Which brings me to this week's question, "What game do you resolve to finally finish in 2008?"

We gamers are a strange bunch. We complain all the time that there aren't enough new games to play and we're always on the lookout for the "next best thing". But yet I don't know a single gamer who doesn't have a stack of games waist high that they still haven't finished.

Oh yes, one day they'll finish every single game on that stack!

For myself my stack has gotten so large that I just start gaming off which are around 10 years old (I'm looking at you Ogre Battle 64!). But I've been so good this year when it comes to finishing games (personally I love that most games are now 5-10 hours long!) that I plan on actually finishing a few off my stack.

Right after I get through a few of the holiday games I still have lying around I plan on finally finishing up Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (I freaking loved the first one, I need to finish this one), Folklore (I need to slough through this one over a long weekend), and Rogue Galaxy (I just love this game, but it's so damn long!).

Of course I still need to finish up a few "ancients", such as Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonshard (go ahead and laugh but it's actually a fun game, and I love D&D), Clive Barker's Undying (I hate it when I wait so long to finish up a FPS that their "cutting edge graphics" turn into "cell phone game graphics"), Star Trek: Elite Force II (yes, I'm aware that Star Trek is off the air, but it was still on when I first got this game ... I just need to finish this before the movie comes out!), and way too many more to mention.

Oh why Great Gaming God In The Sky do you temp me with so many games! I vow never to buy a new game again until I finish the ones that I already have! I really do!!!

Yeah, that should last until the 3rd week of January when Advance Wars: Days of Ruin comes out for the DS.

Oh crap, there's another game I never finished...

So what about you, game(s) do you resolve to finally finish in 2008?

Posted by Gaming Steve at 9:30 PM | Comments (23) | Posted to Poll |

Comments

Let's see... Final Fantasy XII, Devil May Cry 3 (almost beat it), Suikoden V, and Rogue Galaxy.

Those are just a few I've played and stopped for some reason. I almost beat DMC3 but the last boss fight frustrated me so much, I had to quit before I killed somebody.
Suikoden V feels so slow paced, but it's more like Suikoden I and II than III or IV. That's why I enjoyed it. I quit because I had to go back to work last year if I remember right... and I probably don't.
Final Fantasy XII I thought I'd take a break from because I'd been playing it a lot at the time. I stopped at some sort of ice boss that kept kicking my ass.
Rogue Galaxy is pretty fun but there's simply something wrong with it. I can't put my finger on it. It's mostly good, but throughout I can't shake this feeling that something is seriously lacking.

Yeah, I'll work on those.
In fact, I'll pop Final Fantasy XII in tomorrow most likely, seeing as I've been so horribly bored lately.

Also, I still have a used copy of God of War sitting in my shelf with the store's plastic wrap on it.
I'll crack that open tonight I guess.
And hell, I even have a brand new Beautiful Katamari there too, in the factory shrink wrap and everything.

I have some catching up to do.

PS - Would you guys hate me if I told you I saw a used copy of Psychonauts in the store (CD only) but I passed on it because it's not what I was after at the time?
'cause if you would, then that never happened. :S

Posted by Gauphastus at December 31, 2007 10:15 PM

I have a list a mile long especially for console this gen. Lets see Crackdown, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Oblivion, Metriod Prime 3, Mass Effect and a few others but the all time game that I have been putting off finally finishing that is number 1 on the list the game I occasionally pick up do just a little bit more before I forget about it again for another year and a bit is. Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of time.

That game has been unbeaten forever, ever since I originally got stuck in the Water Temple I have been putting it off. I have since beaten that temple but I never got around to finishing that game I just play a little bit every few years.

Posted by Cobra at December 31, 2007 10:23 PM

I want to finally play Psychonauts. The game that so many gamers (though in reality so few people) consider one of the best games ever continued to elude my time. Most likley during the inevitable Summer gaming drought I resolve to play through this game, though with all the people singing it's praises, I'm almost worried it can't possibly match the hype.

Posted by Clayton A. at January 1, 2008 12:05 AM

I hate to say it, but maybe one day I'll finish Bioshock. I love it, it's a great game, but it's pretty long. Moving into full-time work, I kind of like short games.

Also, I am up to the final stretch of Final Fantasy III on DS. Maybe I'll finish it. It'd be nice to finish one FF game in my life. :-)

Also on my mental list: Half Life 2: Ep 1 and 2, Psychonauts, Destroy All Humans, The Warriors (PS2), Guild Wars Prophesies main missions, and many more.

Posted by Greg at January 1, 2008 1:46 AM

Let's see here. I'm planning on finishing the NIS games I have lying about. That includes the post-game maps, too.
Also, your reference to Ogre Battle 64 just reminded me: I need to finish Ogre Battle SNES.
Oh, also, Final Fantasies 7 through 10. I know not having finished them is heresy in some circles, but I think I'll take my time.

Posted by Dixie at January 1, 2008 1:48 AM

I've been a WoW subscriber for 4 months now and only got to level 25 :(

Also, Metroid Prime 3 needs playing.

Posted by Chris Conlon at January 1, 2008 3:54 AM

Oh man, I have a few games on my pile of shame. Even though I absolutely love The Orange Box I haven't had time to finish episode 1 or 2 yet. I've been playing the hell out of TF2 and Portal and I played through HL2 again just to experience it all at once. I also really, really need to finish Twilight Princess too. I should really finish Super Mario Galaxy too. Again, I love these games but other stuff gets in the way.

Posted by robotplague at January 1, 2008 4:58 AM

Heh - I just finished Star Trek Elite Force 2 a few months ago! Undying is another one of those that I've played a large way through several times before getting distracted. Perhaps in 2008.

The one that I absolutely PROMISE to finally put to rest is the original North American Fire Emblem GBA release. I've played this game since 2003 and loved it when I played it. In fact, I've played it in three different CONTINENTS (North America, South America, and Europe). I'm about 5 missions from the end...it's time.

Posted by T-BirD at January 1, 2008 5:58 AM

Lets see.

I haven't finished "Psychonauts". And "Half Life 2".
And I bought "Command and Conquer the First decade", a while ago, so I want to finish all the games in that.
And (if they count) I really want to finish the Chzo Mythos, but I could never get past the last bit of 7 Days.

I don't stand a chance.

Posted by Peson21 at January 1, 2008 7:25 AM

i never knew there was so many people like me, i am a nightmare for getting games and then getting so far and thinking right i dont want to finish this game yet, so it go's on the stand and i never do get around to playing it again..so before the biggys come out this year (mgs4, gta, haze, battlefield bad company and so on) im going to finish what i have and then i can trade them in when there worth somthing.. ive just done half life 2 now i must do episode 1 and 2, then cod 4, assassins creed,resistance f.o.m,uncharted drakes fortune and timeshift. anyway happy new year to you all and happy gaming for the whole year to come..

Posted by slysi at January 1, 2008 9:18 AM

Funny, I was thinking of this very same question today. The game I want to finish is KOTOR. I started it well over a year ago and I'm about half way through. I know there is a story twist in there but I haven't made it there yet.

Posted by LadyM at January 1, 2008 1:05 PM

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will be great to finish. When last we left our hero, he was escorting a wagon home safely. However, I hate escort missions.

Psychonauts, too, as Raz has just discovered the answer to "Who Is The Milkman?"

And finally, getting Samus to pull all three levers to lower the shield in Metroid Prime Corruption would be great, too.

Posted by Robb at January 1, 2008 3:53 PM

Hmmm, let's see...

Jet Force Gemini
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
F-ZERO GX
Paper Mario
Paper Mario 2: TTYD
Super Metriod
Metriod Prime
Metriod Prime 2 (haven't even touched it)
Mario Strikers: Charged
Guitar Hero III
Super Mario Galaxy (2nd play through)
Nexus: Jupiter Incident
Guild Wars: Eye of the North
Half-Life (had a bug near the end of the game >.<)
Opposing Force
Yoshi's Island DS
Mario Kart DS
Geometry Wars: Galaxies
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Posted by Eligecos at January 1, 2008 7:40 PM

I finish most every game I start,
but there are some I haven't gotten around to beating yet,
Zelda:Twilight princess, -Wii
Super Mario Galaxy, -Wii
Just Cause, -360

and some games I never finished and will have to start over from the beginning

FFX -PS2
Overlord -I got to the end on my pc, but reformatted it, so i have to restart on the 360
Pirates of the Caribbean -PC

Posted by Clayface at January 1, 2008 10:10 PM

I usually finish all of my games, one at a time, so the pile of shame isn't that big.
Still, I resolve to finish a couple of more recent games I haven't had time to play or finish ... yet.

Psychonauts (I only played the very enjoyable demo)
Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts (MP distracted me from finishing the SP campaign)
World in Conflict (CoH MP is responsible for this...)

That lag in my "gaming schedule" has been caused (as always) by massive RPGs, that take all my free time: NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer (finished it) & The Witcher (still playing).

Posted by Baal_Sagoth at January 2, 2008 6:55 AM

I got about three-quarters through Neverwinter 2, and then got sidetracked on other games and never finished it, even though I REALLY like the game. So I guess if I had to pick one, that's it.

Also, not sure you can ever call an MMO "finished" but I do want to finally get a WoW character all the way to 70.

Posted by Pfellah at January 2, 2008 10:56 AM

Maybe we should have a separate question on games we intend to crack-open from previous years. Part of the problem is that I have to literally examine my collection to remember what I forgot!

Posted by Robb at January 2, 2008 11:36 AM

For me, most games I played this year on home consoles I finished. However, the same can't be said for games on my DS. The primary culprit is most definitely Final Fantasy III - progress has been slow but steady since I bought it back in July but this game is sooooo long! Hopefully, I'm in the final stages now.

Another title would be Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Again, I think I'm at an advanced stage but I need to put in some time to put it over the line.

Posted by Azalia at January 2, 2008 1:05 PM

I am currently working my way through Blue Dragon. I tend to get distracted easily, and with less and less free time for gaming, I wouldn't be surprised if I don't manage even just that this year.

But my stack of games keeps growing, and it doesn't help when I add a new RPG to the pile.
My list to date:
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XII
Rouge Galaxy
The Godfather (Xbox 360 version)
Dead Rising
Lost Planet
Lego Star Wars II
Enchanted Arms
The Outfit...

The list goes on :(
I am starting to agree that games are simply too long.
Oh, but I can at least say that I beat Psychonauts!

Posted by fidgetwidget at January 2, 2008 6:39 PM

Baldur's Gate 1, 2 and Fallout 2.

Posted by Laurence at January 3, 2008 9:44 AM

PC game Beyond Divinity from Larian Studios - I've been working on it off and on for 3 years.

Posted by Karen at January 3, 2008 3:01 PM

Gah! Reading those comments reminded me that I haven't finished Lego Star Wars 2 either (I've done episodes 4/5 but not 6).

Others near the top of my want-to-finish list are Okami, BioShock, HL2 (Developer Commentary mode), NOLF2, and Jade Empire (Closed Fist; already done Open Palm). There's also several games I've already bought and want to start playing but am resisting until I've pruned the incomplete list down a bit. And uncountably many that I'm fairly sure I won't get back to since I've lost interest in them (at least for now).

I haven't yet figured out which category FFXII falls into -- I did start playing that a little bit (with the understanding that I didn't want to commit too much time to it, since my pile was already quite large), and I do think I should give it a bit more of a chance, but I'm not convinced that it's really my genre after all.

Posted by Miral at January 4, 2008 1:56 AM

Sorry for the double-post, but I meant to also say: at least I've finally finished Psychonauts (yesterday!). I bought the PS2 version a couple of years ago but only got as far as the tank boss. (I suck at boss battles.) But following last week's podcast, I repurchased it on Steam and got all the way to the end (level 100, too). In fact I started playing it on New Years Day, so I guess it was a kind of resolution ;)

Posted by Miral at January 4, 2008 2:03 AM