I have this problem as a gamer. A problem that I think I share with many other gamers. I have a habit of buying a game, playing it for a short time, and never finishing it. Sometimes it's because I hit a difficulty wall that turns me off of the game. Sometimes something new and shiny comes along that pulls my attention away. Sometimes I buy 12 new games during a Steam sale, and by the time I beat one of them, some new game has come out that makes me forget about the other 11. For whatever reason, I seem to end up with a pile of games which I have only partially played, or haven't even touched. So I decided that 2013 was going to be the year that I actually started finishing my games.
As of this writing, I've completed 9 games. It seems to be one of those things that once you start, you get even more motivated to continue. To help me out with my goal, I started using a website called howlongtobeat.com. The primary function of the site, as you can probably guess by the name, is keeping track of how long it takes to beat a game broken down by play style (i.e., main story only, main story + side quests, 100% completion, etc.). But a quite useful feature allows members of the site to keep a list of their backlogged and completed games (you can create other categories as well). Sorting by average duration is a great way to find a short game you can finish quickly if you're not sure what to play next. This also helps build up your completed list, giving you more motivation to keep it up.
The first game I completed in 2013 was Far Cry 3.
What I played:
- Platform: PC
- System specs: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.2GHz, GeForce GTX 260, 4 GB RAM
- What I played: Single player campaign, plus numerous side quests
- Play time: 46 hours
- Rating: 8/10
What I liked:
Graphics & Sound
The game looks and runs great, even on my middling PC. I credit this to the fact that the game had to be optimized to run and look great on the 7 year-old Xbox 360 and 6 year-old PS3. The main characters in the game look and sound great as well. Each one having a very unique look and personality, with strong voice acting.
Flexible Combat
I also enjoyed the freedom to approach combat a few different ways, and the fact that you could change your tactics at any time. If you want to be sneaky, and pick guys off with a bow, then just buy a bow and stay out of sight. Want to snipe guys from half a mile away? Just grab a sniper rifle, and find a good vantage point. Want to rush in with a heavy machine gun, and mow people down? Do it! Want to be able to do all of these things? No problem! You can carry up to 4 different weapons, so you can change your tactics on the fly.
Dreams & Hallucinations
There are several moments in the game in which you are dreaming or experiencing some sort of hallucination, and I found these to be quite awesome. I don't want to talk about these too much to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that it's quite interesting to see the reality around you bent, shifted, and twisted right before your eyes. These sequences also allow for some encounters that otherwise wouldn't seem to fit the realistic setting of the game.
What I didn't like:
Repetitive Side Quests
The hunting and assassination side quests got old really fast. Once I finished upgrading my gear with the unique animal hides you get from hunting quests, I stopped doing these missions.
Collectibles
There are several collectible items in Far Cry 3, such as relics. And by "several" I mean fucking hundreds! I started trying to collect them all, but when I realized after several hours of gameplay that I had only collected maybe 15 of the 300 or so relics, I said "ain't nobody got time fo dat."
Big, Beautiful, but Shallow World
Far Cry 3 presents you with this huge, lush island speckled with World War 2 bunkers, ancient temples, winding caverns, and sunken ships. Then it proceeds to fill this amazing world with.... nothing. Other than relics and "loot". And by "loot" I mean an unusable icon that appears in your bag with a random dollar value. After playing games like Skyrim, Far Cry 3's island felt so empty.
Images from Ubisoft
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