Poll Results - How much of a game do you finish?

Wow, guys.  I hadn't realized how long it's been since my last post and poll.  Sorry about that.  Some things in life got in the way.  Hopefully I'll do better from now on.  If not, you can harass me about it.

How much of a game do you finish?

I play out everything 100% = 1 vote

I play to get to the end credits, nothing more = 2 votes

I play until I can't beat a boss/challenge = 1 votes

I play as long as I like the game = 3 votes

It's sad to say that I don't think I voted in my own poll when it was open.  I added my vote now (and a friend's who missed the deadline).

I play out everything 100%
I wish I could say that.  I try to play out everything 100% but sometimes things don't work out that way.  Take Chromehounds for example.  I would have loved to have gotten some of those team achievements/awards but there were always squads online boosting for them so you wouldn't stand a chance unless you boosted too.  With that game you would have to devote 24 hours a day for several days just to make it worth it and even then you might not be the overall winning squad or get the special weapon to come out so you could defeat it.  There were too many achievements and/or aspects of the game that were contingent on what everybody else was doing in the game.  You could have worked all night to set the world up just like you (and your squad) wanted it, only to find out that the Japanese fanboys (and there are lot of them) messed everything up while you were sleeping.  This is one game that was nearly impossible to get all the achievements unless you totally devoted your life to the game and who has that kind of time for a commitment?

I play to get to the end credits, nothing more
If a game has "collectibles" or specific things you need to do in game to get achievements or different ends to the story I'm all up for doing that.  I plunk down good money for games and DLC that if the developer put something into the game specifically for me to play then I'm going to play it.  It just might take me a long time to play it all.  I recently restarted Final Fantasy VII for the last time and another friend restarted as well.  He made a list of all the things he hasn't done or is not going to try to do and I was wondering why.  Why go through the whole experience of a game (especially one that is/can be very long) and not do everything there is to do in the game?  Unless you're planing on setting a world record for the fastest play-through what's the point.  Yes, the shortest lines between two places (start screen and end credits) is a straight line but a game (especially one as good as FFVII) should be savored and enjoyed.  At least that's how I feel.  Now, I don't have a problem playing to the end credits so you can concentrate on the story and then going back to do all the hoopla that's extra.  But to get to the end credits without having experienced the game, and having no desire to play it again to experience those extras, doesn't seem right to me.  I've had several friends tell me that's how they play the game and I just don't get it.

I play until I can't beat a boss/challenge
This was my vote.  I should have also included "until I get bored, or have to go to bed, or have to go to work, or have to whatever" and that would sum up my whole playing experience.  I play a game until I have to stop for whatever reason.  It just might be that I have to go to bed.  By the time I get back to a time where I can play again I might be in the mood for something else.  Yesterday was a cutesy platformer . . . today I might need to blow someone's head off.  And because I've got so many games to choose from it might be awhile before I get back to that cutesy platformer (or shooter).  That's why I have a hard time finishing games.  I  play what my mood inspires me to play.  I am working on focusing on a game or two (or three or four) and working on playing just those.  I've managed to finish Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 even though I haven't played any of the other CoD games.  Now, I'm working on Borderlands and Gears of War on insane and Gears of War 3 on insane.  Gyromancer is the arcade game I throw in there if I'm not interested in shooters.

I play as long as I like the game
I usually know rather quickly if I"m going to like or dislike a game.  There are a few games that I've bought that I've turned back in.  Siphen Filter (or something or other) for the PS, Grand Theft Auto (I can't remember which one) for the PS2 and Ghost Recon for Xbox 360 are all games that I didn't make it through the first 30 minutes of game play before I decided it wasn't for me.  Unfortunately when I sold them back I lost money.  That's why I really like the game demos I can get on Xbox Live.  There are a few that I played and I was glad that I didn't waste any money on.  There's also been others that I've picked up because of the game demo.  Getting halfway through a game and then deciding I don't like it and would rather not have if just isn't me.  By that point I've already invested a lot of time into the game and I want to see my investment pay off.  So even if I don't like it by then I would still play it to get to the end and (hopefully) get my money's worth.  I've been lucky (or maybe careful) because I haven't just gone out and gotten every new games that comes out.  I've picked and chosen my games carefully.  I've done my research and played my demos.  When I started playing video games I didn't have a lot of extra money to spend on them so I had to be choosy.  Now, many years later I think it's payed off.  I don't consider any games that I've purchased to be a waste of my money or time.  I've enjoyed every one of them even if I haven't played them very long.  There are games that I want to get so I can play with my friends but I know that's the only reason why I would get those games and for me it's not worth it.

So, there you have it.  I promise to be more on the ball from now on and post more.  And like I said, feel free to harass me if I'm not.