How obsessive compulsive are you with games?

johnny_ultimate

(with apologies to anyone who may actually have OCD)

Collectibles are still a significant way to add "value" to games for many developers. Achievements and Trophies mean many will devote much more time with games. Online rankings and leaderboards are yet another method of trying to get players to devote as much time as possible with a particular game. But do you really care about getting 100%?

Personally, I don't think collectibles add too much to games. They can be done well - such as Alan Wake, where the collectible book pages actually reinforce the narrative. They can be done badly too - also in Alan Wake, with random coffee thermoses adding very little to the experience (actually, possibly ultimately detrimental!), or Assassin's Creed 2, where hundreds of 'feathers' isn't for me a particularly convincing reason to spend another ten or so hours with the (rather good) game.

Achievement / trophies can be a way to spend more time and explore games fully, although there are very few games that I have ever bothered trying to 100% in that way. In something like Bayonetta, I found the achievements were a fun way to explore the combat system in greater depth. But for the most part, without going into the fundamental futility of trophies, I usually have very little interest in spending the time to get a 1000 gamerscore.

Even in something like Super Mario Galaxy 2 - a great game, with fun collectibles that are easily collected with a wave of the Wiimote, and ultimately unlock more levels - the motivation to 100% isn't really there anymore. Maybe in time, but having to get every star twice isn't for me!

So, have you gotta catch 'em all?

The_D_Man

Not too bothered with trophies but thinking Ive missed items always gives me pangs of guilt. For example, in MGS peace walker I had to get every ration, schematic everything, I cant bear the thought of going through the rest of a game and missing something, no matter how frivolous it may be. Bayonetta was a nightmare cos of this! Good game though.

Sabre0001

Not in any way it seems. Often, once a game is done, it's done! Don't need all the achievements and the logo in my Completed Games to tell me it's done.

rizzla

Very compulsive.

Got all the collectibles in Crackdown 2 925/925. And all the stuff in the Saboteur, think that was over 1000. Mainly do it while listening to podcasts.

Crackdown is a good use of collectibles though as they improve your skills, but 925 is overkill.

Retr0gamer

I used to beat all of my games on all difficulty levels to 100% completion however not anymore and I know the point were I stopped. I was trying to beat DMC on Dante must Die mode and realised that with the amount of money I had from working now and the amount of games I was buying if I continued this way I was never going to get to play all my games. So now I just beat a game and move on. If it's a game like Mario Galaxy where not beating the game 100% will mean missing out on significant portions of gameplay and entire levels then I have no problem beating the game. However if it's an optional boss that requires hours of grinding and levelling up or collecting every used condom on the streets of liberty city to unlock a useless trinket then it can fuck right off. As for achievements I find them a waste of time and never bother with them and find it ruins the suspension of disbelief when the achievement unlocked appears on screen. Trophies I give even less of a **** about.

RolandIRL

the only game where i got all the acheivements was Oblivion but only cos quests contributed to it, but i wouldn't go around looking for every quest to do in Oblivion, just so i could say "i've completed every quest. i'm brilliant but that's cos i've no life"
couldn't be arsed looking for collectibles, detracts for the main point of the game. unless you get something substanial from collecting (like new weapons/powerups as in Ninja Gaiden Black for all the Scarabs handed in), i just wouldn't have the time to do it.

you just end up getting frustrated, really. bit pointless imo.

Kersmash

I love getting trophies, and i've always loved trying to get a game 100%, even since I was younger. I don't always do it, but if I really like a game I will go that extra mile to try.

eddhorse

I go through phases of looking for trophies etc but as long as i clear the game im a happy camper, like resi 5 for instance, cant beat the last boss, have him at the last island part but seem to run out of bullets in my panic !

johnmcdnl

depends on the game tbh...

fallout 3 - great game - disaster if you want your platinum trophy for the PS3.. having to reach lvl 8 lvl 16 lvl 24 etc etc or something similar as a good character for one trophy.. neutral for the next trophy and bad for the last set of trophies...

i know you could go to lvl 7 and make a save and then replay the save and get the trophy - but this is far too much effort to get 100%...

on the other hand games with mission structures like COD that allow missions to be replayed individually on different difficulties which in turn allows all trophies to be unlocked tend to keep me coming back for more to attempt to get the platinum...

the motivation to find all "collectables" in game then is a refection of my mood about whether I'm trying to get the platinum in the game or not

GTR63

Mass Effect 2 for definite,I read every article I can find about it.Had over a Dozen saves from the 1st, Bought the Official Strategy Guides & any merchandise I could find,which wasn't much.Some games just suck you in whereas others like Alan Wake for me didn't.The Pages & Coffee Flasks in particular were absolutely pointless. Clever Achievements add better value to games.

L31mr0d

I thought this was going to be about another form of gaming OCD

Like in an FPS, I make it a point to break open every crate. I'll also have to shoot every NPC, even if just a few times. Games like CoD make it particularly difficult as they lock out your gun from firing directly at them. I figured out though that if you aim just left of their head with an automatic weapon, fire, then immediately strafe right, that you'll get them with a few rounds. This works for most games where they try and stop you from firing at NPC's.

Also, my kit is always a scoped rifle and uzi's (or the best submachine guns available). Even if I find a rocket launcher, auto-shotty... etc, I know I'm going to get to a point where I need the range of the rifle, or the fire power/range balance of the semi-autos, so I don't give them up.

I also refuse to be led by the game if it's optional. In most sandbox games I won't start the first mission until I've explored most of the sandbox world first.

K.O.Kiki

In a strange way, the only reason I even got into trying for 100% completion rates in games was due to the internet SHOWING me how to get everything.

And the problem then was that, by reading the guides, I'd already know what secrets lay ahead -- and once I realised that (YEARS later!), I stopped trying so hard.
Hence why I recently restarted Persona 4 and didn't decide to pursue all the girls (Chie is perfect anyway).

The only exceptions to my don't-bother-100% policy are Secret of Mana (but that's because I found out about the "hidden" weapon orbs by sheer luck) and Donkey Kong Country series (only way to truly beat the game).

Retr0gamer

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Hence why I recently restarted Persona 4 and didn't decide to pursue all the girls (Chie is perfect anyway).

She really grew on me as well and ended up as the first social link I maxed out.

Zapp Brannigan

As long as I finish a game I'm happy. I've only 100%'d one game on the 360 (Fight Night R3, but only because there's 5 achievements)

johnny_ultimate

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Hence why I recently restarted Persona 4 and didn't decide to pursue all the girls (Chie is perfect anyway).

Pfft, Yukiko is clearly ftw :pac:

Retr0gamer

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Pfft, Yukiko is clearly ftw :pac:

Ah I'd say Chie is far gamey-er :P

Rissette and Ai though, rawr as Teddy would say.

K.O.Kiki

Just to elaborate on why Chie is clearly superior:

THOSE BICYCLE SHORTS

SeantheMan

Only on certain games really.

The likes of FF7 or FF8, having to get characters to Lvl100 and beat the Ultimate Bosses.

Batman was probably the last one, trying to get all riddlers puzzles

Not really an achievement whore, but I'd do anything for an extra Hat in Team Fortress 2 :P