What SERIES do you really need to finish (or start)?

I've got a problem. I like having all the parts of a series. I like the idea of playing all the parts of a series. But I'm really bad at actually following through and playing all the parts of a series.

Sometimes, I get through the first game or two of a series and lose steam, leaving the later games sadly unplayed, because obviously I picked them up in a sale at some point, because I'm a completionist. Sometimes, I always intended to get around to them, but haven't yet. In the worst case, the sheer number of games involved gets intimidating, and I keep putting off starting indefinitely.

This week, I wanted to spend some time with RPGs. I've got Wasteland 2 unplayed. I've only put about 5-10 hours into the first Dragon Age and Witcher games. I actually finished Mass Effect 1 and 2, and made it 15 hours into 3, then stopped. I decided to actually finish 3, started up, and realized I had no idea what I was doing when I last played it two years ago. Guess I'll figure it out.

So which series have you been putting off finishing or starting. How come you stopped? If a series gets long, do you ever decide to skip over older entries to get to the newer ones? Does it make you more or less likely to start or continue if the games have a strong story? And how do you handle series where games 1 and 3 are great, but 2 is regarded as being pretty crappy? Suck it up and play 2, or just skip over it?

Still need to go back and finish Dragon Age 2 and Witcher 2.

...always seem to get distracted by shiny.

Halo.

I played 1 and half way through 2 on the XBox. I then have EVERYTING released up to Halo 4, still unplayed (yes, even the CE Halo remaster, so an unplayed version of the one I did play, effectively negating that initial completion.)

I still haven't played AssBros, yet.

I want to finish Mass Effect, Witcher, Assassins Creed and Dragon Age series, some of these are likely to happen some may not.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Halo.

I played 1 and half way through 2 on the XBox. I then have EVERYTING released up to Halo 4, still unplayed (yes, even the CE Halo remaster, so an unplayed version of the one I did play, effectively negating that initial completion.)

Oh yeah, these. I think the only Halo games I've finished were ODST and Reach. I've never finished a numbered version. I keep thinking I should, then I try, and remember I despise aiming with a controller. If they put them out on PC, I'd be all over them.

Dead Space

I've dabbled in 1 and 2, I own all three and really enjoy them when I play.

Every single one of these series so far are sitting in my pile...

I guess I need to add in Gears of War as well, and the Persona and SMT RPGs

Is it cheating to list all the FF games as well, what about...

I love RPGs, and have since Ultima IV, but I have some sort of gaming ADD, and it's difficult for me to pick up a story again after a long break.

Ultima: Own all. Finished IV and IX (you heard me). Played V, VI, VII.

Fallout: Own all. Finished 1. Unifinished 2. Played 30 minutes of 3, haven't even tried NV.

Elder scrolls: Own all, finished none. At least for Skyrim I waited until it was on sale.

Mass Effect: Own all, finished 1, haven't touched 2 or 3.

Baldur's Gate: Own all, finished 1.

Finished Might and Magic X. Also own bits of the rest of the M&M series, Bard's Tale, Dragon Age, and Witchers Series, none of which I have finished.

Latest game that I probably won't finish: Wasteland 2.

The three series that I have in my pile that have not been started are Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls and the Tales games. Too many other new and shiny things have distracted me. And children--they have cut down my gaming time in the past few years.

Glad to see I have some in common with everybody.

I started the Mass Effect series over a year ago, finished 1 last year, finished 2 this year, can't bring myself to sit down and finish 3. Part of the problem is that I don't have all the DLC and I don't want to miss out on any plot-lines being wrapped up, but they cost so dang much on Origin.

I played an hour of Dragon Age: Origins two years ago and don't want to start that until Mass Effect is wrapped up, but now that the Inquisition reviews are out I'm itching to get it going.

I want to play Baldur's Gate II again, haven't touched it in 10 years, but the completionist in me wants to play the first game...

I'm working my way through the Final Fantasy series, at least the main numbered non-MMO entries. FF8 is next on my plate, probably after the holidays.

FF XIII: I got to the point where you finally have everything unlocked and can go where you want on the world and got distracted before finishing the story.
Witcher: I beat the first one and own the second, but haven't even started it.
Dead Rising: I beat the first one, and started the second one, but got distracted midway through. I also have Case West to start.
Dark Souls: I got a little bit past where you can start warping between certain campfires, then got distracted.
Mass Effect: I beat one and its DLC. I beat 2, but haven't started 3 yet because I'd like to redo 2 with all of its DLC first.
Dragon Age: I've beated Origins and 2, but I'd like to go back and finish off the DLC for both (I've done some of it Origins, but not all, and none for 2) before starting Inquisition.
Fable: I beat the original on PC, and have started 3 on the 360, but I didn't get far before deciding I wanted to play through 2 before continuing with 3.
Assassin's Creed: I've started the first one, and got quite a ways into it before I got distracted by another game. I've got 2 as well, but haven't done anything with it or any of the subsequent ones.

Uncharted. Was working my way through #1 and had to have unexpected surgery. Got back and then my PS3 died so had to save up for another one. I think I'll blast through it over the Thanksgiving weekend so I can FINALLY get Beeporama his guide back!

Thief.

Haven't yet finished TDP and TDS, and never actually started TMA.

Mainly a lot of old PS2 JRPGs that I've been told to play.
Shin stuff
Front Mission
Wild Arms
Xenogears
Yakuza

Witcher for me as well.

I started DA but it didn't really grab me in the first couple of hours.

There's tons of games that I've never finished but still greatly enjoyed my time with them(I'm looking at you all the far crys). So I don't really feel the need to return to finish them just for the sake of doing so.

Now series to start? I've got a couple of those.

Arc The Lad
Age of Wonders
Baldur's Gate (I played 2 for like 10 minutes at a friends house once, don't remember anything about it, also doesn't count dark alliance since I loved those games)
Crash Bandicoot (Playstation Underground demos don't count, right?)
Earthbound
Golden Sun
Growlanser
Inazuma Eleven
Valkyrie Profile ( Played the first one for a bit on my PSP but never came close to finishing. Wish they would put it on PSN)
Viewtiful Joe

I like this topic, it gave me a chance to go through a list of franchises and realize I have played a hell of a lot of games.

Is it bad I can't really think of any? I play too many games.

If I had to make a stretch, I'm a huge Final Fantasy fan but I haven't beaten 2, 3 5 or the X sequels yet. Not sure I want to after playing XIII-2.

I guess deep down I really do want to finish Baldurs Gate 2, but it seems really intimidating several hours in and I kind of had decided I wasn't ever going to finish it.

To everyone who hasn't played the Witcher 2 yet: what are you thinking? Go play it right now.

Well everything I suppose, I rarely finish games let alone series. The only one I can think of though is metal gear. I've had the first three forever and never got past the elevator in the first game.

b12n11w00t wrote:

There's tons of games that I've never finished but still greatly enjoyed my time with them(I'm looking at you all the far crys). So I don't really feel the need to return to finish them just for the sake of doing so.

Now series to start? I've got a couple of those.

Arc The Lad
Age of Wonders
Baldur's Gate (I played 2 for like 10 minutes at a friends house once, don't remember anything about it, also doesn't count dark alliance since I loved those games)
Crash Bandicoot (Playstation Underground demos don't count, right?)
Earthbound
Golden Sun
Growlanser
Inazuma Eleven
Valkyrie Profile ( Played the first one for a bit on my PSP but never came close to finishing. Wish they would put it on PSN)
Viewtiful Joe

I like this topic, it gave me a chance to go through a list of franchises and realize I have played a hell of a lot of games.

Arc the Lad 2 is amazing. Arc is short and basic and then you play 2 and it was a mind blowing on how they just ramp everything up. The rest are really good choices too.

Tomb Raider
Final Fantasy XIII (only played 2 hours? of #1)
Xenosaga
Half-Life

Gravey wrote:

Thief.

Haven't yet finished TDP and TDS, and never actually started TMA.

What...? You, Gravey, haven't finished any of them? I'm shocked, honestly. TDP gets so wonderfully weird toward the end. And TMA is just a delight from start to finish.

I haven't finished either Witcher game despite really loving the gameplay and lore. Not sure why, I guess when it comes to gaming I get easily distracted and can't finish what I

I've actually never finished a Thief game either, despite owning the original trilogy in both physical and digital versions. And I really like stealth games.

Oh yeah, the Baldur's Gate series and some of those other isometric RPGs like Planescape: Torment are ones that I haven't gotten to yet. I tend to group all those together in my mind. I have Baldur's Gate and PS:T sitting in my GOG library but I just never get around to them. I have a feeling I'll play the enhanced editions when I finally do, and it'll probably take long enough to get there that there will be an enhanced edition of Planescape by then.

I have never played any game in the following series'

Assassins Creed
Baldur's Gate
Call of Duty
Dead rising
Demon/Dark Souls
Age (excluding the PS3 demo of Origins)
Halo
Jak and Daxter
Mass Effect (excluding the PS3 demo of ME2)
Metal Gear/Metal Gear Solid (not even on the NES)
Pokemon
Thief
Tomb Raider
(aside from store demos)
Ultima
The Witcher

It probably belongs in the Confessions thread, but I'm not particularly interested in most of them, which is why I never played them. I would read reviews and forum threads and there always seemed to be some aspect that turned me right off, be it thematic (don't care for the story), mechanical (don't care for the gameplay type) or stability (don't care for the bugs).

On the plus side, what an awesome industry that I can skip almost every major franchise for ten years and still have more games than I have time to play!

Somebody might be able to convince me to try The Witcher, a Souls game or a Thief game, (or Baldur's Gate since we're in the subject) but the rest of them don't hold much curiosity for me.

I've only played through one Ultima game, Ultima 8.

Ducks

I still have to finish :
- Mass Effect: only did the 1st, but since the trilogy is supposed to be released on PS4 & Xbone, I'll wait
- Dead Space: liked 1st & 2nd, still have to start 3rd
- Lost Planet: same as above
- Gears of War: did 1st & 2nd, spent a crazy amount of time in MP, have the last 2 campaigns to play
- FarCry: spent so much time exploring the 1st one, still have to finish the other 3 (!)
- Same with Prince of Persia series...
- Elder Scrolls: 285hrs in Oblivion & counting... No comment
- Metal Gear: got all the games gifted by Konami after helping them, finished only the 1st
- Star Ocean: did the 2nd, absolutely loved it, try 4th, crazy scenario, awesome combat, put back on top of pile of shame
- Dragon Age: late bloomer, got all 3 games, now at 37hrs after playing the 1st one for 2 weeks.
This one I'll finish it for sure. We absolutely love it at home

RolandofGilead wrote:

Tomb Raider
Final Fantasy XIII (only played 2 hours? of #1)
Xenosaga
Half-Life

Oh Xenosaga, I totally forgot about it. I was enjoying the first game but had to return it to the person I borrowed it from at about 10 hours in. Since I never finished or bought it I didn't continue the series, would love to go back through them all.

mrwynd wrote:

I've never played through an Ultima game.

Ducks

FTFY!

Running Man wrote:
Gravey wrote:

Thief.

Haven't yet finished TDP and TDS, and never actually started TMA.

What...? You, Gravey, haven't finished any of them? I'm shocked, honestly. TDP gets so wonderfully weird toward the end. And TMA is just a delight from start to finish.

Well, here's the dealio. You don't have to finish the story to appreciate a Thief game. It's all about the mechanics, and those are pretty much on full display from the word go. Later levels put them more and more to the test, but honestly, after just playing Lord Bafford's Manor, TDP became my favourite game ever.

It's a bit criminal that I haven't cracked any of the three copies of TMA I own—but I will! Once I finally finish TDP. The good news is that 15+ years on, I still have plenty of original Thief to enjoy for the first time, without debasing myself with the reboot.

To answer the OP's other questions, when I first played TDP in 2001-2002, the first level was so sublime that going into a mountain seemed like a step backward. I didn't finally play Cragscleft Prison for another half decade. Then I stalled in the massive Thieves Guild, but I'll resume that save some day.

I never bought TMA back in the day. I never bought anything in those days, and my friend's CD-R was flaking and wouldn't install. Do wish I owned a trapezoidal box now.

I started TDS when it came out on PC, switched to Mac and restarted on Xbox, Xbox died and restarted on 360, own it again for PC and will restart again, after TDP and TMA.

They're definitely games that I hit on at the appropriate time in my life, in terms of free time. But they'll always be there, on my list to finish.