Topic: Unfinished Business: What Games Have You Abandoned?

Abandoned and Unfinished Games.

I began thinking about this topic lately when I was browsing my enormous digital library and seeing all the vestiges of my gaming life for the last several years. I also saw a couple other users regrettably discussing their abandoned games on another thread. I thought we had a thread to memorialize and pay homage to our retired unfinished games, but I couldn’t find it. We have the I’m giving up on...” thread which focuses on games we just couldn’t ever gel with, but I’d like to hear about games that people regret leaving behind and about those they may want to go back and finish.

I, for one, have a group of games that I started, played a fair amount of, and for one reason or another, abandoned. I’m referring to the group of games I think I actually liked at one time and in a perfect world would have finished, but got pulled away by the forces of the universe; not those that were cast aside due to dislike.

I was wondering if anyone else had a similar collection of video game orphans that you feel you should have completed.

Perhaps we can encourage one another to return to some games that need to be revisited for some closure.

I have divided my abandoned games into 3 categories below by my own system, feel free to borrow it if you like.
The categories:

1) Graveyard Games = dead and buried, will never try to play again. No chance of a breath of life in the future, even though I liked the game at the time, it’s just not worth the effort to go back to it.

2) The Walking Dead / Zombified Games = they’re dead, but not really dead; still a semblance of life; they haven’t been played in a long time, but there’s a chance to play them - however I’ll have to start over at the beginning because it’s been so long and I’ve forgotten all the controls and where I was in the story.

3) On Life Support = they are alive, just barely; I haven’t pulled the plug yet. I can jump in and complete them if I put my mind to it and just take a few minutes to reacquaint myself with the game controls and story.

Which unfinished games in your library are in the Graveyard, which are the Zombified Walking Dead, and/or which are on Life Support?

— — — — — — — — —

My orphanage is a depressing lot. They would go as follows:

Graveyard:
Puppeteer
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Undertale

Zombified:
Dark Souls
No Man’s Sky
Dragon Age Inquisition

On Life Support:
Witcher 3
Persona 5
Trails of Cold Steel
Batman Arkham Knight
Yakuza 0
Gravity Rush 2
The Council

And just like the rationing of supplies during a pandemic, I think the games on life support are the ones to devote the limited time resources to try and save. But first I gotta finish Death Stranding.

@Th3solution Oh dear, this is unfortunately exactly my problem, I just can’t finish games.

Graveyard
Life is Strange (I refuse to ever play the final chapter, let’s not ruin my enjoyment of the game)

Zombified
Breath of the Wild (I sorta liked it but can’t really be arsed in all honesty)
TWEWY Final Remix (Played the original to death but the controls bum me out on TV and it’s just not the same in handheld)
Danganronpa (Played the first chapter a couple of years ago and never went back)

Life Support
Hollow Knight
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Fire Emblem Echoes
Dragon Quest VII (Good but insanely long-winded)
Death Stranding (Love it but got sidetracked by other games)
Final Fantasy VII Remake (Honestly who even knows why I’m not finishing it, I really should)
Tokyo Xanadu (Decent but tropey and I kinda got sidetracked by AAA games with a bit more oomph)
Horizon: Zero Dawn (Open World Fatigue got me on this one. Burned hard)
Assassin’s Creed Origins (Had to delete due to storage issues on moving console)
Resident Evil
Witcher 3 Blood and Wine (Poured 120 hours into the rest of the game, I’m taking a break)
Sekiro (Not a huge fan but I’ll finish it out of sheer determination)
Devil May Cry V (Loved the others but finding V an absolute nightmare, pun intended)

I usually stick to one or at last, two games and play till I finish them.
Though I have unfinished ones too, especially when it comes to very long RPG games, like Dragon Age Inquisition, where the time I put to reach the part where I am now is twice the time for a fairly lengthy game, and I think I've reached about 25%of it! So I usually take a break to play other games and come back to the original one later.
Also, there are lots of little games I haven't finished too!

FF7 Remake right now, chapter 18. It could really go both ways. I guess I have to though.

And Neverwinter Nights. It’s alluded me for 20 years but I will complete you.

@nessisonett Thank the maker that someone else has my same problem! 😅
Of your list, I can definitely encourage you on HZD and Danganronpa. AC Origins is fine and I’m sure you saw my post when I recently finally completed it, but if you had to try to make it through ‘open world fatigue’ then HZD has a more fulfilling conclusion, imo. I had a similar problem and went back to it after a year hiatus and thoroughly enjoyed it on a second attempt. The story is actually quite good and the combat encounters continue to evolve and feel fresh even late game. I’m sure you’ve read a million HZD impressions though so I won’t belabor it, only to say you and I seem to have a similar weakness of easy distractibility and I was able to quite enjoy going back and finishing Horizon. What helped me was starting to use all the different combat tools. I was just using the bow and staff and only when I really got into using traps, bombs, ropecasters, etc. did I feel like the game really hit its stride.

As for Danganronpa, well, it’s quite niche, but if your ever burned out on the usual AAA output, it’s a fantastically weird experience.

@happypooya Yeah, I think one of the common characteristics of my abandoned games is they tend to be really long ones. Those are so easy to leave for a while and then never come back to. Dragon Age Inquisition is a perfect example and I really like that game but it’s been so long I’ll probably never finish.

@kyleforrester87 Apparently FF7R has some kind of crazy ending. I’ve been diligent to avoid spoilers so I’m not sure, but maybe that can serve as motivation to see it through. 😄

@Th3solution yeah exactly I’d like to experience it before I’m fully spoiled (I have an idea) plus I do want to keep up with the series and it’ll be difficult to get into the next instalments if I haven’t finished this one.. and I really don’t want to leave it for so long that a full replay becomes a requirement!

@stuzster RDR2 is a tough one. I’m sure you’ve read all the polarizing accounts of the game, but it’s unfortunate that the first section in the snowy mountains is such a slog because I think many people did the same as you and gave up on it. It’s a game I cherish my experience with, but find a hard time fully recommending if someone got tired of it. It takes a certain mood to enjoy. I will say that after that first part it really picks up and became more enjoyable to me, then it dragged again at the end (mostly the epilogue actually). It’s a wonderfully designed world and I think that’s the other part (outside the story) that impresses me to this day.

@Th3solution I didn’t mind how slow RDR2 was, i just hated how scripted the missions felt, with no room for error and too many shooting galleries. It was at its best when you were just roaming around finding stuff.

I've said it on here before but I don't tend to have much of a backlog (although sales do sometimes give me a short queue of games) and I almost always finish games before moving on.

However...

Tropico 6 is currently on furlough as I was in the middle of it when FF7R dropped. I thought about trying to finish it first but wanted to get on FF as soon as I could.

Most games I don't finish are PS+ freebies so Hitman I enjoyed for a bit but wasn't overly digging it and I felt a bit overwhelmed by all the ways of completing levels. Onrush served a purpose of filling a gap after completing a Yakuza game and going on holiday, and it wasn't my sort of thing.

The only other game on my list is the Oddworld remake which I gave a quick go but never finished but I still intend on going back to it.

@stuzster levelling up in botw?

It's not very often I don't finish a game I start but this my unfinished business.

GRAVEYARD

FF XV - I played a good 20 odd hours but just had no desire to continue with it. The combat never felt satisfying, traversing the world by car was rigid and uninteresting and despite being a Prince it's apparently my calling to do repetitive tasks over and over for people. Not trying to hate on it but it wasn't for me.
ASTERIX & OBELIX XXL3 - just reached a level that I found ridiculously frustrating to the point of turning it off and can't see me trying it again. Got it in a sale as I was nostalgic for the books.

ZOMBIFIED

Rebel Cops
Nier Automata - both reached points where I'll probably have to start again if there is any chance of progress but not sure the desire to do so is there.
Dead Rising 2
Dying Light - these 2 were both brought as games to play co-op with friends but the window of both playing is long gone and unlikely to go back unless other options dry up.

LIFE SUPPORT

MGS 5 - gameplay was solid and think I might get back around to finishing. I think something more appealing came out and it got put in the backlog with other stuff constantly bumping it down the queue.
Mutant Year Zero - another difficulty spike section not sure I can get past but it was early in and I may just restart on easy. Just made me want to play X-Com 2 again so did that instead. I'm sure I'll get to it.

other than I've dabbled with a few ps+ games without finishing but I don't really count them.

It's rare for me to abandon a game, but lately I have done it with Bayonetta 2 and Persona 1. They're both games where I really enjoyed the first couple of hours, but then never played any more than that. This was mainly due to being more eager to play other games at the time, and being busy with real life.

I do want to go back and play them though. For Persona 1, that'll be a good game to play once I'm done with Danganronpa 2, or maybe this bank holiday weekend if there's time. I'm in no rush with Bayonetta 2, but it would be neat to restart it towards the end of the year since the game begins with some festive shopping.

Shadow of the Colossus, I believe @Th3solution 's criteria would dictate that it falls into The Walking Dead category, as there is a chance I may go back to it, however slim.

Graveyard:

• RXN-Raijin (Switch) - An arcade style shmup. I like these games, but I suck at them, so every once in awhile I'll buy one thinking this'll finally be "the one", play it for a bit then give up once it gets too hard. This is the latest casualty.

Zombified:

• None. I always prefer to start back up where I left off, no matter how long it's been.

Life Support:

• Blade Strangers (Switch) - An extra purchase that I got with Christmas money, it got sidelined due to my next scheduled purchase, and I just haven't went back. Cleared story mode with about half the fighters.
• the Last Labyrinth (PSVR) - I got a few of the multiple endings, but some of the later puzzles can get really difficult (and you have to replay certain puzzles in the process of getting alternate endings), so I put it down.
• SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (Switch) - Same boat as Blade Strangers, except I've only cleared story mode with one pair, as I find the final boss to be ridiculously tough.

@Draco_V_Ecliptic That’s one I’d put in that category too. I liked what I played and need to go back as I loved the original but it’s not the sort of game that meshes well with ADHD when I have other games that provide instant gratification. Back on PS2 it was more effort to go and grab another disk so I was more likely to be patient.

@Th3solution I don't tend to have any games that are Zombified as I can usually pick up games relatively quickly regardless of how long I've been away from them, and I hardly ever restart a game from the beginning again.

Graveyard Games -
DOOM 2016
Nioh
Bloodborne DLC and main game
Bioshock 2
Cities: Skylines
Shenmue 3
Rad
Dragon Quest XI
Subnautica
Need for Speed: Payback
Jurassic World Evolution

On Life Support -
Darks Souls 3 DLC
Soma
The Witcher 3 DLC
Spider-man DLC
Batman Arkham Knight DLC
The Division 2
Twin Breaker
Bloodstained
Wolfenstein 2
The Messenger
Wonderboy: The Dragons Trap
DMC

There is loads more, but I think that is enough for now lol.

Wait...why is Final Fantasy XIII-2 in your graveyard? Just curious, since I rather liked that one. Not sure if you were playing them all in order, but the sequel Lighting Returns was amazing, IMHO. Notably, I think it's the only JRPG I've ever played where I didn't fall asleep at one point (dang grinding!).

Of all the unfinished games I have, I don't think I'd ever NOT want to pick them back up or start over. But there is one exception, called Deep Black Reloaded that made me so angry I wish I'd had a physical copy to snap in half. Started as a neat little underwater/amphibious cover shooter, but basically, they made the final boss impossible to beat on the hard difficulty, which is a huge slap in the face and waste of my time. Basically, the boss was on a 5 minute timer, had a huge amount of health, wasn't on screen for most of the time (making the first two points impossible on their own), was flying, was surrounded by respawning flying enemies that could kill you in seconds if you didn't take them out instantly, you have to use a turret, and you have no cover whatsoever. When I asked the developer about it, they said to use a cheat. Just...wow.

Anyway, that's the only game I never finished and never intend to. I could've restarted it on the normal difficulty and completed it, but not after what I went through!

Edit: I think I'll add Bodycount to the list too. Another game that just got too hard at the end (on the hardest difficulty), but in a way that's so unfair and infuriating it makes playing God of War 3 or a Call of Duty campaign on the hardest difficulty seem like a picnic. Fun game otherwise...it had the peeking/aiming of the new Wolfenstein games before those games had it, and that was pretty amazing at the time (to lean over at a really weird angle and shoot someone through an awkward hole in your cover).

@JohnnyShoulder I thought I would see the Shenmue games show up on people’s list at some point. Those seem like they have a high drop rate. Never have played any of them myself.

@Th3solution True, Shenmue is fascinating to outsiders but they’re usually actually looking for Yakuza. I love em but they’re basically real life, with the boredom, humour and quirkiness you’d experience in a single shift in retail.