I’m a completionist.
Now, I’m not the obsessed kind of completionist; you know, the kind that needs to clear every single blip on the massive open-world map. But I do feel compelled to at least beat each game I buy. Even games that I generally dislike, I still force myself to push through until the end in the hopes that maybe there will be some redeeming factor by the game’s conclusion (there usually isn’t). That being said, there are a handful of titles that I just simply never got around to beating. Whether it be from difficulty-induced frustration, a lack of interest, whatever- here are six games that I just couldn’t bring myself to finish.
1.) Prince of Persia
“Huh? The metal claw? Oh, no, I just wear it to look mysterious.”
I still don’t understand people’s fascination with this game. The cell-shaded visuals looked ‘meh,’ the story was predictable, and the gameplay was the textbook definition of repetitive. I was okay with death being manifested in that female sidekick character, but I lost it when I realized there were like three bad guys in the whole game- three bad guys that had the same strategy to them across each level. The game world was pretty cool, I’ll admit, and the platforming was still entertaining, but that wasn’t enough to keep me engaged enough to finish this let-down of a reboot.
2.) Dead Rising 2
“One can never be too comfortable when mutilating the undead, that’s what I always say!”
I loved the first Dead Rising. I poured hours into it, obtaining all but one of the game’s various endings (I wasn’t about to spend the effort saving all 50 survivors). When Dead Rising 2 came out, I was pumped! More zombies, new weapons and vehicles, weapon crafting, a new hero; hell, I didn’t even mind having to track down the painfully hard-to-find Zombrex every 24 hours. Which is why, to this day, I’m disappointed in myself for reaching the final boss and never finishing it. It’s not that it’s too difficult, it’s just too annoying. I remember figuring out the final boss’ attack patterns and realizing the strategy I would have to use to take him down, then deciding, “You know what? I’m good.”
3.) Super Meat Boy
Nick Grave, you’re a freak.
On the flip side, this game was just simply too difficult for me. Now, if you know me, you know I’m a proud person. Especially when it comes to video games. I don’t like being beaten by human competitors, and I sure as shit hate being bested by the damn computer! Which is why it’s with a heavy heart and a knot in my throat that I woefully admit, Super Meat Boy was just too difficult. I’m sure if I dedicated myself to it, I’d be able to finish the final stage, but there’s just too much Scorpio in me, and I don’t have the money to be replacing controllers.
4.) Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
“Alright ye salty dogs, we be on the hunt for artifacts made by the gods- ooo look! A new shanty!”
I’ve played plenty of Assassin’s Creed, and frankly, I don’t really know why. This series is just chock full of pointless, shallow content that only serves to distract you from a plot that’s as convoluted as it is slow-moving. I’ve beaten the first three core games, and I had a lot of fun sailing the high seas in the search for ships to plunder, but after about 30 hours I just couldn’t go on. *Spoiler alert* This series died with Desmond in my opinion, and the gameplay just hasn’t evolved enough to warrant my return to the Animus.
5.) Resident Evil 5
“I’ve about had it up to here with your tiki wiki mumbo jumbo.”
Admittedly, this is the only Resident Evil game I’ve played. Despite fan dissatisfaction, I really enjoyed it! That is until I got to the part where you’re in some swamp-like setting, getting attacked by a bunch of assholes in tiki masks. I literally put every single bullet I had into them, and neither of the two went down. I ended up running around the super-small island, waiting for some handgun ammo to spawn, only to then turn, unload the clip into their tiki-faces, then turn back around and repeat. I did this for about 20 minutes before finally being killed. Better I stop here then fight on to the inane finale with zombies wielding rocket launchers.
6.) Kingdom Hearts
“I stared deep into the abyss, and as the abyss stared back into me, I said ‘Fuck it.'”
*Cue hate mail and death threats* Easily the most egregious on my list, I literally reached the final level of the original Kingdom Hearts. I really enjoyed this game; the gameplay was fun, the story was unique and engrossing, and it’s truly one of the most iconic game series of all time. But once I reached the beginning of the end, my quota was just sort of… full. I had experienced all the Kingdom Hearts that I wanted to, and pushing along any farther would have just dulled an already awesome experience. Maybe I’ll go back to the series one day, but honestly, probably not. I don’t know why, but Sora and his Disney compatriots’ journey is one that I’d rather leave unfinished.
We all have a backlog of games to sift through and complete, but are there any games that you’ve picked up, put down, and never bothered to finish? Any particular entries that you see sitting in your collection, pleading with you to play it like the forgotten toy on the top shelf? Let me know in the comments below!