# Computer games you liked, or even loved, but never completed. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098 "2005-03-31T19:26:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/21 "2005-03-31T22:13:16Z")
Deus Ex. It’s a really good game, but I got tired of running around Shanghai not knowing where I was supposed to go, and just stopped playing it. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/22 "2005-03-31T22:15:38Z")
> [@Chance the Gardener](#): > > I’m not sure if this one _can_ be finished, but I wouldn’t mind getting a couple rolls of quarters and some like-minded friends on a machine and destroying America! If you play it long enough, you get to smash Montreal and Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/23 "2005-03-31T22:22:25Z")
A couple have mentioned Grim Fandango. I loved that game and _did_ finish it. Can’t remember how it went though. It’s the last great game of that type I ever played. We need more. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/24 "2005-03-31T22:33:07Z")
PC: Nethack and all the others in its genre that I’ve played. Possibly Morrowind, not sure if I’ll ever finish it. Commodore 64: there’s so many! Brian Bloodaxe, Underwolrde, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Strike Fleet, some Gauntlet-style dungeon game from Electronic Arts which featured a construction-set program on side two (can’t remember the title)… ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/25 "2005-03-31T22:53:05Z")
Never got around to finishing **Doom III** but I blame my system for that. It was too dang choppy (yes, I had the graphics turned down). I never managed to finish **Zelda: A Link to the Past** either (for GBA). Oh yeah, the original **Thief** I never finished. I’d really like to get the new one and try again though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hiebram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5fc32e/32.png) [@hiebram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hiebram)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/26 "2005-03-31T23:01:08Z")
**Star Ocean: The Second Story** for PSX. I’d always start it and then my bro would take his 'station to school. Now that I have it, I still haven’t finished the stupid game. Also, **FFIX**. I was on the fourth disk, and somebody saved over my game. Pissed me off enough I never started a new game. I don’t think I finished any of the campaigns in **Age of Empires II**. Got to the last scenarios of quite a few, but never finished a single one. Hiebram ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/27 "2005-03-31T23:15:20Z")
I never finished _Planescape: Torment_, although I came very close. Never beat the main story line for any of the GTA games. In _San Andreas_, I never even got out of the starting city. Never finished _Knights of the Old Republic_. Got to the big plot twist, thought, “Oh, that’s neat!” and never played it again. Plenty more where that came from, once I can think of them. ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/28 "2005-03-31T23:46:58Z")
I never finished _Mist 3_. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/29 "2005-03-31T23:57:59Z")
The only video game that I was get all the way through was Dragon’s Lair. I always wanted to see if there was an end to the old Intellivision “Pitfall” game. ---
**Author:** ![Iacob\_Matthew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Iacob\_Matthew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iacob_Matthew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/30 "2005-04-01T00:25:45Z")
For the SegaCD: _Darkwizard_- There’s this one battle where you need one particular summon spell for- I know where it is, have all the items (4 or 5 times), and I just can’t trigger her appearance. So, while I can usually nuke everything from a day’s march, I can’t progress. Legend of Zelda, OoT- just stopped playing. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/31 "2005-04-01T00:30:32Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Here’s an obscure one: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure for Atari Lynx. I never could get myself to Texas, I could get as far as Europe and back to Rome but there was always a “Bogus Time Paradox” blocking me. You didn’t miss much. The boys went back to San Dimas and had a jam with the princess babes. Da end. ---
**Author:** ![bclouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@bclouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bclouse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/32 "2005-04-01T01:16:40Z")
I’m one of those that it’s easier to count the ones I’ve finished than ones I haven’t. But some of my favorite ones I never made it through are: **Wing Commander I & II** - Loved the games but never made it through. **Final Fantasy 7** - Just too darn long. **Banjo & Kazooie** - Made it to the very end, I mean the _very_ end but I couldn’t get past the final confrontation with the witch. **Warcraft 3** - Again, made it to the very end but couldn’t win the last battle. Poo. ☹ **Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time** - I don’t know how many times I started this game but for one reason or another, I never got through it. **Super Mario 64** - Great game, but just couldn’t finish it. **Civilization** and **Railroad Tycoon** - played different versions of both games but never made it through any of them. And just to make myself feel better, the ones I did finish: **Halo** **Knights of the Old Repbulic** **Return to Castle Wolfenstein** and **Call of Duty** I bought an Xbox about a year ago and I said, “By gum, I’m goin’ to get my money’s worth this time!” So I worked my way through these but had to stop because work got too busy. Maybe during the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/33 "2005-04-01T01:17:23Z")
I am really, relaly bad about actually finishing games, whether I like them or not. Often, I’ll get stuck somewhere and give up. Sometimes I go back later, sometimes not. I have yet to ever actually finish a Final Fantasy game, for example. I love them all, and I’m really, really close to the end on 9 (have the gamesave still, but the game isn’t mine), but I’ve yet to actually finish one, and I’ve played every number up to X (Well, X-2 but I don’t like that one much) and both Tactics. Other games: **Golden Sun 2 Neverwinter Nights**–On the second chapter **Pokemon Yellow** (Shut up. I think it was just boring since I’d already finished Red twice) **Aidyn Chronicles** –Actually never got far. Rented it once but couldn’t save the game, finally got a copy and a save cartidge, but our TV sucks and I can’t see a thing **MagiNation Bahamut Lagoon Star Ocean** (The original) **Chrono Trigger Chrono Cross Secret of Mana & Seiken Densetsu 3 Hey You, Pikachu** (I repeat, shut up. I swear the thing can’t decipher my accent) Some of these I may go back and finish someday, some I doubt I’ll ever bother with again. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/34 "2005-04-01T01:39:20Z")
There are people who actually have time to finish games? I’d have an easier time naming games that I _have_ finished; I can only think of 4 or 5 at the moment. Hell, I’ve _worked_ on games that I’ve never played all the way through. The ones that I really liked, but never finished: _Half-Life_: got to a point where my only save game had me with 5 health and pinned down in front of a turret that would kill me instantly. I tried recently to play through it again, after finishing HL2, but it’s just too ugly now, and doesn’t run well on my machine. _Space Channel 5_: Granted, it’s not anything more than a flashy version of Simon, but it gets 1000 style points. I got to the second-to-last level (after unlocking Space Michael Jackson) and completely lost interest. _Freedom Force_: Still love the style, but hate the game (I keep buying RTS games, but am terrible at them and don’t really enjoy them). I only got about four levels in. Bought the sequel anyway, only got through a single level before I lost interest. _Baldur’s Gate_ (PC): Got to the next-to-the-last chapter, never bothered to finish it. I started the sequel, and that ruined the ending anyway. _No One Lives Forever_: Got about halfway through, became annoyed at the clumsily implemented stealth missions, gave up. _Advance Wars_: Spent about an hour on the very last mission before I got slaughtered, never tried it again. _Seaman_: Drained the tank, he turned into an amphibian, I went on vacation for a week, forgot to set the clock back, he died of starvation. _Halo_: I reckon I got about halfway through, something else came up and I didn’t touch my Xbox again until Halo 2 came out. _Crimson Skies_: Either version. The PC version was so cool but pissed me off on the gyrocopter level; the Xbox version I still intend to finish someday. _X-Wing_, and _TIE Fighter_: Both great games, but I suck at flight simulators and didn’t have the patience to finish either. > [@AHunter3](#): > > • The Uninvited. I know there’s a hidden tunnel somewhere in the maze but I’ve never figured out how to get into it; a locked room in the mansion I’ve never gotten into; never caught the naughty little goblin-creature with the key, either (which might pertain to the beforementioned locked room). Man, I loved that game. I did finally finish it with the help of my roommate, and at the risk of spoiling it for you, I’ll say that it was more than a little anticlimactic. IIRC, though, they flash up a certificate saying that you won, so you can print it out and presumably frame it. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/35 "2005-04-01T01:46:59Z")
The Monkey Island that was around about a decade ago. I got all three tshirts and then didn’t know what else to do. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/36 "2005-04-01T02:00:08Z")
_Hacker_. I never did beat the little bugger. I have it with an emulator, but I still get stuck in exactly the same places. I think it’s impossible. The only walkthroughs available for it on the Net are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/37 "2005-04-01T03:22:19Z")
Final Fantasy X-2. No real reason. I’m just about to go to the area where the final boss is. I think I wanted to level up and then I got really bored after fighting for like 20 hours. Chaos Bleeds. The zoo level kicked my ass and I hate games that kick my ass. They aren’t fun, just stupid and frustrating, so I quit. My husband hasn’t finished Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2, and I think he’s still working on Kingdom Hearts and a handful of other games I don’t remember. I told him he couldn’t buy more until he actually finishes _one_, just one, of the others. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/38 "2005-04-01T03:56:43Z")
**Marathon** I got stuck in this one area and then my Mac died. **Neverwinter Nights** I got to a certain point and had my PC crash and burn and I had to do a reinstall so I lost my saved game. So I started over and after a while the computer died again, that time permanently. My laptop can’t handle it so I can’t play it now. It makes me a little nervous about installing it on a new computer, perhaps it’s jinxed? ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/39 "2005-04-01T04:40:27Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Final Fantasy X-2. No real reason. I’m just about to go to the area where the final boss is. I think I wanted to level up and then I got really bored after fighting for like 20 hours. > > Chaos Bleeds. The zoo level kicked my ass and I hate games that kick my ass. They aren’t fun, just stupid and frustrating, so I quit. > > My husband hasn’t finished Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy X-2, and I think he’s still working on Kingdom Hearts and a handful of other games I don’t remember. I told him he couldn’t buy more until he actually finishes _one_, just one, of the others. You’re not missing much on the ending with X-2. Though, aparently if I had completed more of the game I would have had a different ending. I didn’t care enough about the game to try it over. Ride the Shoopuff!!! Anyway, this list brings back a lot of memories. One game I remember distinctly _not_ beating is X-COM 2 (I think it was 2… the one under water). I played it for a while but the dificulty curve was too much; it just got impossible. I liked it up until it was ridiculously hard. Also, to go back even farther, Kings Quest III and IV. III in particular was hella tough. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098/40 "2005-04-01T04:50:22Z")
The first thing that came to mind was **Ultima V** on the Apple IIe. I defeated all three Shadowlords, collected all the artifacts I needed, and all that was left was to rescue Lord British himself, but I could never figure out how to get to him. I found him trapped in the underworld in some sort of crystal but I couldn’t reach him, there was a barrier in the way. I could have gotten to him from the other side, but I never found a path that led there. Then there are games that are somewhat open ended. Take **Gran Turismo** , for example. After I won the F1 championship series, what fun was it to go back and race in the Volkswagen Lupo Cup? Or any of the **Grand Theft Auto** games, where I finished the main storyline but not all of the little side missions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-games-you-liked-or-even-loved-but-never-completed/297098.md?page=3)