Games you haven't finished

[Andrew]

In contrast to the other thread...what are some games you have played but haven't finished? And by played, I mean you own it or have owned it and played it fairly extensively, but never actually finished it. I'm guessing we all have a few noteworthy ones.

My list:

• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2). I'm not too far away from the ending, I think I've got a couple of businesses to take over and then just a few storyline missions left. I'm stuck at the moment there, I can't remember the mission I'm up to but basically I fail it a few times, get frustrated and put the game aside for a while.
  
  
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2). I've actually never made it past the first area of San Andreas. It's a great game though I hate having to keep track of territory. Again there's a mission that's always caused me some grief and it's repeatedly been put aside in frustration. I expect I'll go back to it in the not too distant future though, I've got the PC version as well (same deal with Vice City) so if anyone wants to share a save file...
  
  
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PS2). Stuck on the mission where you meet up with Lance, the one that starts out as a rail shooter then you're back on foot for a shootout surrounded by gangsters. And everything's going well until Lance runs out and gets gunned down. Sometimes by you. Ugh.
  
  
• Super Mario Bros (the original, NES). Have played it a lot, but have never actually gotten up to World 8 and defeated the final/real Bowser.
  
  
• Super Mario Bros 2 (NES). I don't know if I ever played this one past World 4 or so. I wasn't as big a fan of SMB2, SMB3 is definitely my favourite from that era.
  
  
• Mario 64 (N64). When it came to the 64, I got into the Zelda games more than I did Mario 64, though I don't disagree that it was a great game.
  
  
• Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360). Haven't touched this one in a while, as I've said in the GTA IV thread I just didn't get into it as much as I hoped I would. At some point I'll pick it up again but I'll probably go back to one of the last gen GTAs before that. I can't remember which mission I'm up to but I'm not very far along in the game.
  
  
• Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360). Picked this one up cheap last year and I do like it, but I have to agree with the common assertion that it's repetitive and that's what's holding me back from getting any further in it. It's also what's holding me back from picking up Assassin's Creed II.
  
  
• GTA 2 (PC). I didn't really care for GTA 2, at least not single player mode. I had a lot of fun playing some network multiplayer games with friends in high school computer classes but never got very far in the main game.
  
  
• skate. (Xbox 360). I'm not into skateboarding but the demo was pretty fun. I probably should've just stuck to that.
  
  
• Various Simpsons games, including Bart vs The Space Mutants, Bart vs The World, The Simpsons Hit & Run and The Simpsons Game (NES, PS2, Xbox 360). The NES games are brutally Nintendo Hard (to quote TV Tropes) and as much as I love them, the Angry Video Game Nerd was spot on with his critique about the controls. I've gotten up to the third level of Space Mutants and the third world of...World. From memory, I got up to the Apu stage on Hit & Run and I didn't get far into The Simpsons Game before I got kind of bored with it.
  
  
• Street Rods II (PC). This is one of my all-time favourite games but I was never able to win the Mulholland Drive race, thus I was never able to challenge The King and truly finish the game. I've played the game all the way through the three months of Summer but as I said, I haven't truly beaten the game. Still had lots of fun with it though.
  
  
• A Boy and his Blob (NES). Another Nintendo Hard game, for me at least. I've gotten into the underground caves, started collecting the treasure and...yeah. Could be completed with patience and a walkthrough to speed up the trickier parts.
  
  
• Castlevania III (NES). I'd say I've been able to get about halfway through the game, but the Castlevania games on the NES were notoriously hard for two reasons, as the AVGN has pointed out: there are some difficult jumps and when you get hit you fly back, often into a pit of instant death. Great game, but one I've always ended up putting aside.
  
  
• Kabuki Quantum Figher (NES). Yet another NES game where I've just run out of patience/become bored. It's actually a pretty good game though.
  
  
• The original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: Link's Adventure (NES). I really should, though.
  
  
• Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos (PC). Good game, with a walkthrough I got a fair way through it but never through to the end.

That's about all I can think of at the moment but as with my other list, I'm sure others will come to mind.

[el badman]

I make it a point finishing anything that I start, expect if it really sucks too much. The only one I can think of right now would be Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (the end boss was just too damn hard to beat).

[Lean]

Well uh, here's mine:

• GTA San Andreas, Vice City, III (PC) - Yes I suck. I wasn't able to finish San Andreas because of that filthy plane missions. Vice City I believe, I got myself finished on all the main story missions. GTA III was just something I didn't finish and I don't remember why.
  
• The Witcher (PC) - Because I my PC reformatted. Windows got fucked up real bad and wasn't able to recover the save game files even in console and on Safe Mode. I think I'm already in Chapter III on this.
  
• Risen (PC) - Same as above.
  
• Just Cause 2 (PC) - I left one faction mission because it's another filthy plane mission. Also, I hate races on sandbox games.
  
• Hitman: Blood Money (PC) - I was stuck in the Whitehouse mission, and I felt that the overall infiltration part is so tedious.
  
• Banjo Kazooie (Nintendo 64) - I was able to play the first part, but the later levels got me confused since they are all connected to each other.
  
• Solomon's Club (Gameboy) - The puzzles in the last world were too hard for me (well during my years playing the game actually, that's like 15 years ago).
  
• Rockman 4 (which system was it?) - I hate spikes.
  
• Final Fantasy VIII (PSX) - My disc hangs everytime Griever (2nd to the last boss) appears. I remember stocking up a lot of Aura magic (hit it to 100) from the Seifer boss fight to use it on Ultimecia at the end. But
  
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (NES - Correct me if I'm wrong) - I hate the water level.
  
• Star Wars: Republic Commando (PC) - I hate the level design on Kashyyyk. One narrow bridge, two Super Battle Droid dispensers and an infinite number of Super Battle Droids just isn't my thing.
  
• Baldur's Gate II (PC) - The ambience of the Underworld got the best of me.
  
• Neverwinter Nights II (PC) - Stupid bugs do not see the plot items in my inventory for me to go forward.
  
• Super Mario Bros. (NES) - Because my mother would always say "turn that thing off."
  
• Doom 3 (PC) - I was stuck at the first level with almost no ammo.

That's about it for now.

I make it a point finishing anything that I start, expect if it really sucks too much. The only one I can think of right now would be Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (the end boss was just too damn hard to beat).

Well there's a beacon that shoots some kind of beam to Desann (the boss) if you Force-Push the smaller pillars above him. Just make sure that he's under the beacon.

And always use the fast stance. The game has your Force powers maxed out during that time so the Saber Defense thing shouldn't be a problem. Moving around Desann would help position yourself: crouch, then hit forward and click (or attack) while releasing the crouch button to have Kyle perform the sliding-lunge attack that deals a fair amount of damage.

Works for me a lot, especially in multiplayer duels.

[Oznogrd]

Alright next list havent beaten (barring game genies/huge cheats)

Sonic the Hedeghog 2-Mecha Sonic and that final robotnik with no rings. Kills me every time. Used 40 lives on it once. Fuck that ending
SMB2-Without game Genie, this games damn near impossible. But toad gets all the bitches!
SMB3-My favorite game of all time but i've never gotten to the end, always get frustrated in world 8, even with Cheats
GTA: San Andreas-Get stuck at some point in San Fierro driving a monster truck
Mercenaries 2-similar to other sandbox games, this game gets ridiculous and frustrating.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3-always get stuck
Kiss Psycho Circus-Just wasnt a very good game, didnt have patience to beat it.
Earthworm Jim-Cant beat it without cheat mode A+L, B, B, A, A+Right, B, B, A
Aladdin (genesis)-cant beat the escape from cave of wonders level without cheats (start, a, b, b, a, a, b, b,a) or something like that
Mario 64-never had the patience to get through all of it
Super Mario World-another one i just cant get that far in
All Final Fantasy games/Square Enix RPGs-Great games, but i never have the patience to finish them.
God of War 1, God of War 2

[Lean]

I forgot to add Fallout 2 and the original Baldur's Gate. And Fallout 3, too, if you count Broken Steel.

[Murat]

NBA 2K7, I'm still trying to fill The Crib.
And NBA 07, when I was finishing the Life v2, I needed to format my memory card (fuck you PES 2010)... now I restart it

All are in PS2...

[Lamrock]

Good thread. I have a lot of these.
Half-Life | Stuck on this part where I have to defend some scientist and jump into some vortex of sorts
Fallout 2 | I killed one too many characters and now I'm fucked
GTA San Andreas | Stuck on the mission in San Fierro where you plant bombs on some boat
Gran Turismo 3 & 4 | Can't be bothered to do the top-tier (long) race series
God of War 2 | Just beat the first game after 5 years a couple months ago, and I got halfway through this one before getting bored. I'll finish it before I get a PS3 though
skate. | I'm a hardcore Tony Hawk fan but I picked up a used copy of this anyway. Couldn't get into it.

And a lot more. Probably 80% of my game collection

[el badman]

Now I remember those two as well: Hitman 2, and Star Wars Republic Commando. The first one because it was buggy on my PC I think, and the 2nd one because it annoyed me to death at some point.

[shadowgrin]

You guys suck.

Mine:
Legend of Zelda (NES) - someone stepped on the case and it got shattered. The worse part is it's colored gold, how could they not notice it on the floor.
Zelda a Link to the Past (SNES) - forgot about it because of another game.
Half-Life - same as reason Zelda (snes). I also tried playing the expansions (different POV of the characters involved) at the same time when I got around to playing the original again, still didn't finish it. I think in the original I'm teleported to a planet where I need to kick sone huge alien arse.
Star Wars Jedi Knight (PC) - same reason as Zelda Link to the Past.
Far Cry (PC) - still haven't got around to finishing it. In the part where I'm in the same building as the lead bad guy and I have to find him. The first room full of those soldiers is friggin' hard, no hiding spot to avoid them rounds of bullets.
Thief 2 (PC) - my old dinosaur box died out. Still have the CD, will try to finish it with a dinosaur laptop.
Alice (PC) - same reason as Thief 2.
Grim Fandango (PC) - same reason as Thief 2.
Curse of Monkey Island (PC)- favorite game but still haven't finished it. CD gave up because of scratches. Ended up in the Big Whoop part.
Doom (PC) - it was pre-installed in my old fossil box. Deleted when drive got formatted and I when I had no knowledge of backups then.
Earthworm Jim 2 (Genesis) - Experimentation by removing the cartridge without turning the power off and then inserting another cartridge. EW2 cartridge never ran again but the experiment produced some funky sounds (EW2 bits of background music combined with the music from inserted cartridge like SF2).
Strider (Genesis) - hard.
Sheep (PC) - got bored with it.
Dungeon Siege (PC) - same as above.
Battletoads (NES) - hardass shite. Got stuck in that level where you use some sort of unicycle.
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (PC) - friend didn't return the disc.

That's all I can remember for now.

[Andrew]

SMB3-My favorite game of all time but i've never gotten to the end, always get frustrated in world 8, even with Cheats

I know the feeling. When I finished it, I played through a few worlds to stock up on items, notably a few P-Wings. I think you absolutely need them unless you're a Mario God, because there some levels that you just want to fly right over. Similarly, Level 2 of World 8 you can just swim right under, if you're careful and keep to the right of the screen (and don't let up on the jump button). So long as you've got a star you can just sprint through the first bit of Bowser's castle. Took me a few tries but finished it many, many years after I first picked it up (and as I said, on the Mario All-Stars version).

And yes, easier said than done.

Curse of Monkey Island (PC)- favorite game but still haven't finished it. CD gave up because of scratches. Ended up in the Big Whoop part.

That's pretty close to the end. CD repair kit.

[shadowgrin]

Nah, just bought a new one some years ago when it was being sold for less than a $1 under the "EA Classics" tag (NBA Live 99 was also under that tag, Fatoine FTW ).
I burned an extra copy to use and just to be sure. In my second time playing it I stopped after their pirate ship got wrecked. Haven't got around to finishing it again and it's still there in the cabinet. It's been like almost a year now since I played it.

[Andrew]

Seems like you're overdue for another playthrough.

[Axel The Great]

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2)- Could not get past Shao Kahn's executioner in Konquest. Also need to open more unlockables.
Pokemon: Sapphire (GBA)
Pokemon Diamond (DS)- I think Pokemon games aren't hard to finish, they just take way too fucking long.
FIFA 07 (PS2 and PSP)- Yeah, newer games took me away from this game on both systems.
FIFA 08 (PS2)- Same case as FIFA 07
NBA Live 10 (PS3)- Still haven't unlocked all the trophies
FIFA 10 (PS3)- Same as Live 10
FIFA World Cup 2010: South Africa (PS3)- There's some challenges to complete.
The Hustle (PSP)- This is a pool game. I like the gameplay, it's just there's way too much loading in between player turns that makes this game impossible to finish.
Midnight Club: LA Remix (PSP)- I could not get past this one race, so I just put it aside.

Just off the top of my head. Might add more later.

[rise]

I don't remember what games I've never finished because I probably forgot that I have them.

[hova-]

- Jagged Alliance 2 + Addon: It's funny that I have never managed to complete this game because I played it for a very long long time. But it's kinda hard when you get further south and the enemies have those murder weapons. Might pick it up anytime soon.

- Max Payne: Played it this winter and might have to bring it to an end after my exams. The story is great but the game got quite difficult.

- Half-Life: Never managed to get really far despite it being a great game.

- I might put some NBAs into this because I almost never manage to complete a whole season when playing dynasty mode. The problem is that I like to play all 82 games and it just takes too much time.

- GTA I: Wow, this game is really difficult. The latter cities are great looking, but I never got into the missions.

- Commandos I + II: I really loved Commandos. The whole WW2 scenario and this innovative game concept caught me. Still I never managed to get through both games.

[benji]

GTA 1 is one of the only ones in the series I actually finished. Along with III and Vice City.

[Lean]

- Max Payne: Played it this winter and might have to bring it to an end after my exams. The story is great but the game got quite difficult.

Reminds me of the hordes of sub-machine gun-wielding elites near the end.

[Andrew]

- GTA I: Wow, this game is really difficult. The latter cities are great looking, but I never got into the missions.

The original can be tricky if you mess up on a few missions, which makes it kind of difficult to reach the target score since there's no opportunity for a second attempt. The lack of a save feature combined with a finite amount of lives and one-hit deaths also ramp up the difficulty a bit but I reckon it's easier after playing GTA III onwards.

[hova-]

Well I guess I was a bit too young, too. I played the game back in 97/98 if I remember correctly which leaves me at being 11 at that time. Although I was a real SNES pro back in those days. Maybe I just wasn't as comfortable with the PC.

[Andrew]

Might be worth checking out again if you're in the mood for some retro gaming then. Rockstar has made both GTA and GTA 2 available as freeware downloads...or they had at one point, I'm not sure if they're still available.

[shadowgrin]

They are still available!

http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/

So is Command & Conquer 1 & 2 and Red Alert!

http://www.commandandconquer.com/classic/

[Andrew]

There you go. No excuse not to give it another try.

[hova-]

Downloaded both. The fact that you can't save does not make GTA I a good game for me right now with exams up ahead. But I will definitely give it a try after my tests.

[Andrew]

I'd say that's fair enough. Now that I've talked it up as being easy once you've played GTA III onwards, I should probably give it another go sometime, see if that still holds true.