Talkin’ Stuff: What Games Have You Started and Regret Never Finishing?

We’ve all abandoned a game before, be it on purpose or otherwise. Sometimes the game in question is so bad that we shelve it in favor of playing something that doesn’t make us want to rip off our skin and hang it in the neighbor’s closet. Other times, life gets in the way.

I cannot tell you the number of RPGs I’ve left unfinished because I had to either break away for a review, work, or took a vacation, and ended up abandoning them because I had no idea what was going on whenever I returned. It’s a staggering amount, I promise.

Final Fantasy XIII immediately comes to mind. After finishing up the excellent remaster of Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age on PS4 — which was my first time completing the offline MMO-like — I was motivated to jump into the most polarizing entry in the series for the second time. I had borrowed a friend’s Xbox 360 copy shortly after the game launched in 2009, but didn’t manage to finish the multi-disc-spanning adventure before he wanted it back. Now I was determined to fire up my own PS3 copy and finally see it through.

Only, I didn’t.

2017 was notoriously stacked with hot new game releases and I predictably buckled under the pressure. I made it to the open-world of chapter 11, roughly 42 hours in, but got sidetracked with the likes of Yakuza 0, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and the 115-hour masterpiece that was Persona 5. I just never found the time to go back and now that I’m nearly a year removed I feel as if I need to either abandon hope altogether or suck it up and start over yet again.

For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed what I played. I seriously doubt I’ll go back to the game unless the entire XIII trilogy is ported to current-gen consoles.

Persona 4 Golden is the definitive version of one of the single greatest RPGs of all time and I picked it up way back when I got my sexy blue Vita a few years ago. I’ve sank roughly 80 hours into the game since then, but having played the original version on PS2 back in the day I’m always pretty relaxed about putting it on hold in favor of playing something else.

It’s been three. fucking. years.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a fantastic game, spanning 100+ hours of open-world high fantasy, dangerous monsters, and delicious sensuality. After spending 150 hours with Geralt and his wonderful hair, flying the flag of Team Triss, and accepting the final story quest… I stopped. I was playing alongside my girlfriend and I’m not sure if we just weren’t prepared to say goodbye or what, but Geralt still awaits my return years after the game’s release.

I did pick up the Complete Edition on PS4 last year and fully intend on starting over at some point. We never got around to either of the two DLC chapters, so the motivation is definitely there.

What about you, folks? Have anything in your pile of shame that you started and regret abandoning?