StaceyPowers

@m76 was discussing frustration at games where at the end it feels like one's efforts were all for nothing. How does everyone here feel about such games? I think for me it would depend on the specifics whether it bothered me or not.

What for you have been the most devastating consequences of in-game choices? For me, the worst might still be losing Markarth to the Stormcloaks in Skyrim first playthrough because I wouldn’t pick a side.

I can’t think of a game I’ve played with romance or marriage options that didn’t ultimately force me to pick one person or nobody. Anyone else find games to be overly monogamous?

What do you think are the causes of completionist behaviours in gaming? @Shagger mentioned pride and accomplishment in another thread, and for myself, it is a mix of curiosity and OCD. Anyone have other theories?

For me it's just OCD =D

I ran through a whole mission in Mass Effect II last night only for it to kill me in a cutscene with no warning because I didn’t kill all the geth, and I was furious. Who else hates being killed in a cutscene?

@m76 was complaining in another thread about the changes in Anders in Dragon Age II, which are common complaints, as many people feel his development seemed unnatural. What do you think are some of the best and worst character development arcs in games, and why?

I bet btw that the ending of Dragon Age II drove you crazy, unless you happened to agree with Anders' decision.

Skyrim's ending actually makes me anxious, because I feel like no matter what side you choose in the civil war, the Aldmeri Dominion is likely going to take over.

I didn't think the twist was really a "twist" though; it just was the story. This was a story about a guy who did a lot of shitty things, tried to worm his way out of responsibility through fundamentalist conversion, and found that doing that only made it worse. Booker didn't know what was going on at all until the end of the game. He was as confused as the player (more so, in my case, since I was pretty sure I knew what was up). I felt the structure of this story was parallel to that of Spec Ops: The Line, which also makes no sense until you get to the end and find out what the player character has really been up to. And in that story, Walker also didn't know. Both of these characters were soldiers with PTSD, but their memory suppression happened via different means.

You have a lot of control in BioShock though, and can completely alter the ending of the game (and you can win). With BioShock Infinite, I actually guessed at the "twist" the first time Comstock talked to Booker. And if not for the twist, the entire game wouldn't make a lot of sense, being as there would be no other explanation for why Columbia is Booker's own personal hell that is utterly specific to his life story. The journey didn't feel pointless to me at all, but a battle through that hell for redemption.

Despite being generally “completionist” about this type of thing, I will probably leave a fair few of those little random side quests in DA: Inquisition unfinished. Did anyone actually do them all?

I think I will set up my PS5 vertically, as this allows me to actually have a spot for it in my tiny home. What about you?

What in-game organizations do you detest that are not necessarily cast as the villain? For me, it is the Chantry in Dragon Age.

Wow, this did not happen to me. And I hate the Chantry. Do you recall what happened?

I can’t stand the changes to the layout of the PlayStation Store, and it really confused/irked me that PS3 content can now only be bought/viewed from PS3. Anyone else annoyed?

With Microsoft now owning Bethesda, how likely do you think it is that the next Elder Scrolls game will be exclusive to Xbox/PC?

What series do you like but haven’t played the oldest games in? Like for me, I haven’t played anything prior to Fallout 3 or ES: Oblivion.

What are some examples of significant content you missed on your entire first playthrough of a game? For example, I somehow failed to ever meet Fenris in DA II, and didn’t know he existed till later.

I adore Leliana =D Somehow I managed to never meet Fenris in DA II. I totally missed him. So weird.

Example?

What’s the worst thing you ever did to someone in a game (that you’ll admit to)? For me, it was selling out one of my friends to another regarding stolen resources. I promptly quit the game after that and seriously re-evaluated my priorities.

As someone who has had some awfully dramatic and stupid experiences in MMOs (especially when they led to OOC situations), I don’t even know where to start with this one. So I’ll just ask the rest of you, what is the worst thing anyone ever did to you in an MMO?

So many of my favorite games have tragic endings, I almost expect them by default. What are some games with happy endings?

If you play games with romantic themes, what are the most rewarding romances you have played through? For me, it was Hawke and Anders in Dragon Age II, though I was weird and was okay with Anders’ decision.