[General Discussion] One. Hundred. Percent.

Who strives for this goal? Not necessarily the number, as I know some games such as Castlevania tally up totals that bypass 1/1, but the ideal of completeness, when you know and feel that you've milked the game for all it's worth, and that there is no further challenge remaining.

To be honest, I never really consciously tried to max out a title until I picked up Elite Beat Agents. Once I finished normal, I had to go through hard, then hard rock, then easy. Afterwards I began the task of hitting each song's S rank (which I'm still working on). Now I'm trying to get the "bad" ending for each level as well. Yeah, EBA owns my soul.

So what games do you not consider finished until they're finished? Are there any titles you're proud (or ashamed) to say you know inside and out?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

For me, the Metroid games have always been like that. Except for the first one, because... well, that was damn hard.

Though, after completing a 100% game, I like to challenge the games and do a lowest-possible-completion% game as well, just to see if I can pull it off.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The only games I ever went on to finish 100% were Super Mario World, Jak & Daxter and (in this case 102%) Donkey Kong Country 2. The last few levels, especially the parrot race, drove me up the wall.

My Metroid Prime item rate is 98% right now, I can't find that one missile pickup ._.

I'm a compulsive collector by heart, I try to get everything as I go along, as I usually don't plan on replaying a game multiple times. I have so many games queued up, I figure I finish one, I move on, so I might as well experience the best ending and the most extras as I can.

Hidden plot points and characters, relevant details in RPGs are the type I try to see on my first (only) playthrough, but I'm not the type who wants the super hard to find but ultimately useless item just for the sake of doing a 100% game. I am a compulsive collector, but my collecting is focused on relevant stuff.

Actual item hogging only happens in games were 100% actually gives you something (Metroid games, compared to something like FF7 where item finding makes no difference in the end). It's wonderful that games can afford this kind of replay value for the compulsive and determined, but most of the time it's not for me.

How ya doing, buddy?

It depends on the game. Any Zelda game is an example where I strive for completeness, because at no stage does the perfectionism outweigh my enjoyment of the game. It's fun galloping around Hyrule field for long periods of time of not really achieving much besides occasionally adding another heart piece or gold bug to my collection. Just being in Hyrule itself without doing anything, just moving from one place to another, is an enjoyment itself, so having these little aims along the way give me an excuse to do that.

A recent example where I just thought fuck that at the thought of 100% completion is Metroid Prime. Because of the way it's structured, certain places are inaccessable until you get certain items - it's kind of like Zelda in that respect, but where Zelda suceeds and Prime fails is that the Zelda world is like a huge open playground where it's just a joy to move through (I'm repeating myself), whereas Metroid Prime is much more linear A to B to C affair, and it was a chore to get from one place to the next at certain times. I was bored by the mere idea of going back to all those out of the way places and scouring for all those spots which I couldn't access the first time, just for the sake of a nice 100% on the stats screen.

So I'll reiterate my core point, perfectionism is fine as long as it never starts to outweigh my enjoyment of the game. Because at the point, why bother?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

It really depends on how much the game holds my interest. If the replay value isn't there, I probably won't bother. But it depends on the actual game's genre.

For example, an RPG with New Game+ is more likely to see me come back to it, as opposed to an RPG which doesn't. But an RPG that doesn't, and has more interest than one that does, I'll probably either go through it slower or take my time to enjoy the different aspects of things.

Alundra was one of these games. I didn't really progress through the game all that fast, but in the end I got there. It reminded me of Landstalker, which I love, and I didn't want it to end. Most of the time if I was stuck, I'd just wander around until I found my way. It made exploring more meaningful.

Funny enough I never did try Alundra 2, but the videos and reviews don't make it look too good.

I was speaking idiomatically.

There are very few games that I feel compelled to fully complete. The only game in recent memory that qualifies for that would be Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando. It was the first R&C game I played, and for some reason I got hooked on it. Even when I thought I had everything (all the skill points, platinum bolts, upgraded weapons, etc.) I found out I had missed the Box Breaker on the first level. So I went back and got that, and now I don't think there's anything left in the game I haven't done.

Some games don't really have a specific "completion" goal or overarcing additoinal challenge, but I do remember that I had played through Dino Crisis 2 to death. I probably beat it 7 or 8 times (most of which in hard mode)...why, I honestly don't know, for some reason it was just really enjoyable to me. Although since it isn't a particularly long game that isn't as big of a deal as it may seem, but I still decided to keep playing through it and trying out all the different weapons and items I could. I think you could also unlock dinosaurs to use in the battle mode, not sure if I did actually get all of them.

Generally I don't try to complete everything in a game unless there's a good reason to. I did finish all the side missions in Gun, but the game was fairly short to begin with so I almost felt compelled to do them just so that I could elongate the playtime as much as I could. Come to think of it even with side missions the game wasn't very long...but oh well, still enjoyable. I also can't think of any RPG I've done 100% of everything in since they usually have such a ridiculous amount of sidemissions, save possibly for Panzer Dragoon Saga since it didn't really have many aside from getting all the D-unit parts.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I have always been an avid Tomb Raider fan and know every single one of the games inside-and-out. Every secret, every trick, I've mastered every single one of those games. I'll always be a major fan of the series.

This topic brings back the memories of the first Halo. I've beaten that game on all of the difficulties. Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary. No other FPS (No, Halo 2 sucked) has ever drawn me into it like that. I went through and beat each mode and then went through each mode again using only the weak weapons (ie: Plasma Pistol). Lots of beat-downs, lot's of deaths.

And my pet project right now is this piece of shit right here. I can't seem to get past level 77 but I just won't feel right unless I can top the developers score (90).

FELIPE NO

I have yet to complete a 100% RPG game because it gets SO DAMN BORING especially when you're out to collect all the items and have enough copies of each weapon so that you can equip all of them and have one left over. And as with many others, your money simply cannot take that much punishment and you find yourself killing the same enemies OVER and OVER again. Leveling up to 100 can also be a pain in the ass if enemy levels stay constant as no enemy is above level 70 usually, so the 71-99/100? That takes forever. I've never had the patience to do it. I always set out to do it, but I never finish it. I also end up reading a FAQ about how to 100% the game, and that gets VERY BORING as well. It sucks all the fun out of games.

Final Fantasy V is my current project and the game I was attempting to 100%. I need to get 9 of each single handed weapon and 5 of each two handed weapon and pieces of armor per each town I visit. If you count up the money you need for that, it well exceeds 2,000,000. And with each battle yielding a maximum of 2,500, yeah it'll take you in the realm of 100 battles to get that much money. Not to mention leveling up the jobs of each character, which, the fastest way to do it is to keep all your characters in the same class, which, let's face it, takes out the main purpose of having character classes. And especially with the higher level classes, it takes like 500ABP for one class level up, and I distinctly remember X-Magic taking 999ABP. The most you can ever get per battle is 10ABP, and those are bosses.

Anyways, I'm done with my rant.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

The only RPGs I got 100% with were Final Fantasy VII and X. I gave up on XII because I did one stupid, arbitrary, and minor thing wrong that screwed my chances of getting it forever, and I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't checked out a guide afterwards.

I strive for 100% in my Castlevania, Zelda, and Metroid games, because more often than not, it's usually fun to try and go for it. Other games I've gotten it for would be all 3 Donkey Kong Country games, and Super Mario World.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Usually I like to fully complete games that I consider a good 8 out of 10 or higher. If I consider the game a 7.9 or lower I don't think its excellent enough to complete 100%.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I only try to get 100% on titles that either:

A. Have a new game+ mode that lets you play the game again with whatever you had in your first playthrough. The latest game like this I'm working on is Tales of the Abyss, which is packed with 2nd-game only and things you can miss.

B Has an ungodly amount of things to get/finish that can be earned (or has a small amount of stuff that you'll miss). FFXII falls into this category, though the Zodiac Spear and Genji gear nudge it out a bit.

C Games that reward you for reaching certain completion goals, items obtained, gameplay statistics. R&C games are like this. There's a reason why I've 100% all of them.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

If I'm still having fun, I'll push for one hundred percent. Sometimes I'll go through something tedious for one hundred percent, but I can only go so far. I wasn't about to do some of the absurd things in FFX for example like play Blitzball for hours on end or challenge every imaginary monster in that silly Monster Arena. But getting one hundred percent in a game like Banjo Kazooie is a blast. I've done that with quite a few of my favorite platformers and adventure games. (DKC2, SM64, Metroid Prime, Super Metroid; Zelda OOT I did everything but I don't think I got every Golden Skulltula - GTA3 I did practically everything except get every hidden package) Also a few FPS games. (Timesplitters 1 & 2, Goldeneye; Perfect Dark I completed all the multiplayer challenges by myself, but I never did all of the target range nor unlocked every cheat - not that I didn't try hard and acquire some specific ones I wanted) The only RPGs I've played over often enough to shoot for any sort of ultimate completion are of course my favorites. Chrono Trigger (got every rock, baby; though I only recently discovered a while back that Magus had an ultimate weapon beyond the Starscythe), Final Fantasy VI (taught everyone every magic), Earthbound (yes, I get the Sword of Kings everytime no matter how long it takes - never did get that Broken Antenna though since the guide misled you on it; now I now that the smiling orb guy in the Tenda Village dungeon drops it...), Super Mario RPG (Sheep Attack ftw, lol), and Final Fantasy Tactics (who doesn't love catching rare weapons?). I also got every spell to level 8:99 and every character to level 99 in Secret of Mana and picked up some nice rare armors. That game was my first full-fledged RPG experience though. (Willow was technically my first RPG) It taught me the value of gameplay even in an RPG. ^_^

Originally Posted by Kolba

It depends on the game. Any Zelda game is an example where I strive for completeness, because at no stage does the perfectionism outweigh my enjoyment of the game. It's fun galloping around Hyrule field for long periods of time of not really achieving much besides occasionally adding another heart piece or gold bug to my collection. Just being in Hyrule itself without doing anything, just moving from one place to another, is an enjoyment itself, so having these little aims along the way give me an excuse to do that.

Except for Majora's Mask. The 3-day mechanic made it a pain to have to redo certain things in order to gain access to a particular area again. Anyways, I don't think I've ever had that much fun just getting across a Zelda overworld/hub. That's for bigger Zelda fans than I, I suppose.

Originally Posted by Kolba

A recent example where I just thought fuck that at the thought of 100% completion is Metroid Prime. Because of the way it's structured, certain places are inaccessable until you get certain items - it's kind of like Zelda in that respect, but where Zelda suceeds and Prime fails is that the Zelda world is like a huge open playground where it's just a joy to move through (I'm repeating myself), whereas Metroid Prime is much more linear A to B to C affair, and it was a chore to get from one place to the next at certain times. I was bored by the mere idea of going back to all those out of the way places and scouring for all those spots which I couldn't access the first time, just for the sake of a nice 100% on the stats screen.

Metroid Prime isn't as bad as you say, because later on there are often alternate entrances into various areas, so that sometimes you can go from A to D. I had no problem with going for 100% in that game. However, it's probably not as easy to get where you want as in Super Metroid, since the space jump in SM makes it a breeze to get anywhere.

I've always liked Metroid more than Zelda though. Probably because the various areas in Zelda sometimes feel like intervals between dungeons (especially Wind Waker with all that sailing) whereas in Metroid the whole world is one big interconnected area for exploration. Plus the fact that there are enemies who go about their business makes the world feel more real. In Zelda, every enemy is there to assault you the moment they see you. OOT is the only Zelda game I consider great on the level of Super Metroid and Metroid Prime. I haven't played TP yet though.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I don't 100% everything all the time, but I do sometimes. For RPGs, I'd usually just complete the game, get the best equipment, and do all the sidequests, but I wouldn't go for "maxing out" stats and things. The game's I usually 100% are adventure games, like Crash Bandicoot or Kirby or something (and some RPGs as well) that actually have a percent gauge as to how much you've completed. I'd check a guide to see if you can get over 100% too and go ahead and accomplish that as well. With other games, like fighters and racers or music, I'm satisfied with just unlocking everything. I may try to get a better score, but it doesn't become a priority or obsession too, though I usually get around to it anyway.

Using EBA as an example, I don't think I'm gonna check out every ending, but I've gone back to S a few songs; but I'm not gonna stress over not getting an S on everything. I feel I'm done with it anyway.

I was speaking idiomatically.

only one stands out in mind for me, the one game I finished with 100% completed, the old NES Castlevania 2

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Originally Posted by Balcony Heckler

only one stands out in mind for me, the one game I finished with 100% completed, the old NES Castlevania 2

Wow...Wait....you mean Simon's Quest?

Anyways, it also depends on what counts as a 100% game. Because this is very ambiguous for titles under Final Fantasy. Some games really don't have a 100% per se (ala Diablo 2), and some are just personal goals (e.g. Triple Stars in EVERYTHING for Mario Kart DS).

FELIPE NO

Depends on the game really. I'll go for 100% if I think the game deserves a 100% completion. I'm currently working on Okami, but in the past I've completed all Jak games to 100%, all Ratchet and Clank games to 100%, Zelda; Ocarina of Time, Chrono Trigger 6x over, and Final Fantasy 7, though it really has no tracker with which to gauge your progress. Oh well. All of Dark Cloud 2's cities were up to 100%, and I collected all the items and whatnot so technically I finished it to 100% as well.

Oh yeah, Fable on the PC is another one I'm working on, but it's a bit more difficult. I've already gone through being 100% good, now I'm going for 100% evil. Plan to do the same with Jade Empire for the PC if it's any good.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Most recently, I've finished Yoshi's Island DS with 100's on every level. I've heard that there was a secret ending available for beating the game with a perfect score, and I wanted to see the new ending (there isn't ).

I usually try to complete a game to earn any extra rewards that the game has to offer. I'm more interested in storyline rewards rather than ones that affect gameplay, though. Gameplay rewards such as an invincibility cheat, the strongest weapon in the game, etc. are typically useless after the game is completed. However, bragging rights are a decent consolation if the game doesn't really have anything but was difficult to complete at 100%.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Solis

I also can't think of any RPG I've done 100% of everything in since they usually have such a ridiculous amount of sidemissions, save possibly for Panzer Dragoon Saga since it didn't really have many aside from getting all the D-unit parts.

There's also the attaining of an 'EXCELLENT!!' ranking against every enemy in the game, and the collection of all of the games literature. These two things were enjoyable and worth striving for, because (1) the battle system was so amazing, so it was fun to have every movement and action down to perfection, and (2) each piece of literature expounded on the unique panzer world and backstory.

Originally Posted by Megavolt

Metroid Prime isn't as bad as you say, because later on there are often alternate entrances into various areas, so that sometimes you can go from A to D. I had no problem with going for 100% in that game. However, it's probably not as easy to get where you want as in Super Metroid, since the space jump in SM makes it a breeze to get anywhere.

But the alternate paths are few and far between, and the places I had to travel and retravel through could still be quite boring. Respawning enemies pissed me off a great deal also. I know the Zelda overworld is full of respawning enemies too, but it's a lot easier to ignore them and avoid confrontation.

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I've always liked Metroid more than Zelda though. Probably because the various areas in Zelda sometimes feel like intervals between dungeons (especially Wind Waker with all that sailing) whereas in Metroid the whole world is one big interconnected area for exploration.

This is where we differ. The Zelda overworld is just as important a part of the game for me as the dungeons. In fact it's often the dungeons I find to be the intervals - nevertheless extremely fun ones that I look forward to*. I agree with you on the Wind Waker point: that was one exception to my Zelda rule that I could have mentioned, because the overworld in that game was incredibly monotonous and tedious, and didn't provide the same sense of range, scope or wonder as other Zelda overworlds.

*As testament to this, I'm 25 hours into TP, and I've only done 2 dungeons. They're kind of taking a back seat at the moment, as I'm enjoying roaming about the overworld so much. I think you'd like TP by the way, it's very OOT reminiscent).

Quote:

...Majora's Mask. The 3-day mechanic made it a pain to have to redo certain things in order to gain access to a particular area again.

I know this is a common complaint, but I either never felt this was a problem, or I just allowed it to balance itself out in my head because of the plus points that also came with such a unique system. The main point of the 3-day mechanic role is - as well as offering a much commented-on uniquely dark and foreboding atmosphere for a Zelda game - to bring into play the games massive township related sidequest system, which I had a lot more fun playing around with than the dungeones of that game. It's probably why I have a lot of love for MM - because my view of the Zelda games isn't dungeon-centric like yours and a lot of other peoples.

How ya doing, buddy?

I really can't stand not getting 100%.

If I can't replay a game or level that I've already beaten, "freely", if I know that I haven't collected everything. I'll try to collect everything on the first time through the game. Then, I give myself the privilege of going through the game carefree.

Then again, there are some games that have everything so bad that I won't even attempt. Something like Shadow the Hedgehog. The controls are a mess. I usually only attempt getting 100% on games that are near-perfect (as in, controls not whack and where I won't die due to glitches in that game).

Since I get pissy about losing the game, I won't attempt a 100% on a piss poor game where I'll actually die because of a glitch in the game or bad controls trying to get that last medallion.

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Originally Posted by Kolba

Respawning enemies pissed me off a great deal also. I know the Zelda overworld is full of respawning enemies too, but it's a lot easier to ignore them and avoid confrontation.

I do remember being truly annoyed with the Chozo Ghosts. Makes me wish you could get the X-ray visor sooner.

Originally Posted by Kolba

This is where we differ. The Zelda overworld is just as important a part of the game for me as the dungeons. In fact it's often the dungeons I find to be the intervals - nevertheless extremely fun ones that I look forward to*.

Maybe so. Riding Epona is fun but I didn't find Hyrule field to be particularly memorable in itself. What I always look forward to is the puzzle solving of the dungeons as well as the opportunity to gain new items and upgrade my stats.

Originally Posted by Kolba

*As testament to this, I'm 25 hours into TP, and I've only done 2 dungeons. They're kind of taking a back seat at the moment, as I'm enjoying roaming about the overworld so much. I think you'd like TP by the way, it's very OOT reminiscent).

Sounds good. I need to play TP.

Originally Posted by Kolba

I know this is a common complaint, but I either never felt this was a problem, or I just allowed it to balance itself out in my head because of the plus points that also came with such a unique system. The main point of the 3-day mechanic role is - as well as offering a much commented-on uniquely dark and foreboding atmosphere for a Zelda game - to bring into play the games massive township related sidequest system, which I had a lot more fun playing around with than the dungeones of that game. It's probably why I have a lot of love for MM - because my view of the Zelda games isn't dungeon-centric like yours and a lot of other peoples.

It just doesn't appeal to me, I guess. I understand the idea of having things happen at specific times, but having to reset to the first day just irks me, especially since you have to do that to save your game. Having to redo certain things and pick up some of the quest-related items again and again just rubs me the wrong way.

I wouldn't pass it off as stemming from a dungeon-centric view though. One of the things that I like about OOT is how cinematic everything is. The epic feel and contextual variety makes a lot of the non-dungeon areas worthwhile. That's why I like it more than Alttp, even though some people would argue that that one has better dungeons. Everything you did in OOT felt like a unique event whereas in Alttp it was more like okay, you rescued the girl in the crystal, now move on to the next. Alttp had various fortune tellers and one town, but a lot of that stuff didn't stand out much, except for whacking chickens. At least that's how I felt about it. In OOT, you remember the cemetary race, the sneaking around in Gerudo Valley, the scope of Lake Hylia. That's another thing I didn't care for in MM. A lot of the stuff seemed to be recycled from OOT. Not because it belonged in the world of MM but simply because it had been a functional gameplay element of OOT. The forest maze concept was reused for no good reason. Then there's a cemetary chase of sorts that the Deku King's aide forces you to go through for a mask. I've no doubt that there are more, but I lost interest in the game after completing the first dungeon. The so-called darker story didn't appeal to me much either. Skull Kid just seemed to be another emo angsty tragic villain. I'll take Ganondorf's evil ambition over that anime-inspired whining anyday.

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Originally Posted by Megavolt

I wouldn't pass it off as stemming from a dungeon-centric view though. One of the things that I like about OOT is how cinematic everything is. The epic feel and contextual variety makes a lot of the non-dungeon areas worthwhile. That's why I like it more than Alttp, even though some people would argue that that one has better dungeons. Everything you did in OOT felt like a unique event whereas in Alttp it was more like okay, you rescued the girl in the crystal, now move on to the next. Alttp had various fortune tellers and one town, but a lot of that stuff didn't stand out much, except for whacking chickens. At least that's how I felt about it. In OOT, you remember the cemetary race, the sneaking around in Gerudo Valley, the scope of Lake Hylia. That's another thing I didn't care for in MM. A lot of the stuff seemed to be recycled from OOT. Not because it belonged in the world of MM but simply because it had been a functional gameplay element of OOT. The forest maze concept was reused for no good reason. Then there's a cemetary chase of sorts that the Deku King's aide forces you to go through for a mask. I've no doubt that there are more, but I lost interest in the game after completing the first dungeon. The so-called darker story didn't appeal to me much either. Skull Kid just seemed to be another emo angsty tragic villain. I'll take Ganondorf's evil ambition over that anime-inspired whining anyday.

If not totally dungeon centric, I still think you're concentrating on the wrong parts of the game. The dark story of the game isn't the one about the Skull Kid, that's missing the point, he's just a plot device. The dark story is the one about the towns people playing out the last 3 days of their lives over and over again. Throughout several timelines you get to know more and more about the lives of those people, and with what you know you can make their lives slightly better, to the backdrop of the imminent end of the world. It's these lives you become embroiled in that give you the reason to make sure the end of the world doesn't happen. Skull kid is unimportant.

A story within a story that I remember was one of trying to reunite a woman with the lover she lost. Over the course of 2 days I managed well. They each found each other thanks to my aid, and exchanged letters. But there was still one final problem to be solved. One final reunion between the two was supposed to take place on the final night. They'd at least be together at the end of the world. It didn't happen. I failed. Time was up. I remember being in an inn room as the final seconds were ticking away. The twilight shone into the room, and the background music in these final moments had peaked to become tense and uncomfortable. Everything I'd done for the people still hadn't been enough, it was all to be undone. They'd gotten to know me as I aided them. The next time I'd speak to them they wouldn't recognise me. It was a poignant moment, and more cinematic than any of those scripted events from Ocarina of Time, which would always be there, the same on every playthrough. Yes, I buy into the cinematic in my games too, and Majoras Mask has it in spades, you just need to be looking in the right places.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I nearly always go for 100%. It's both a blessing and a curse.

Well, unless it's a game I don't feel like finishing or just confounds me, incidentally.

This is why I like arcade-ie games like Rampage, incidentally. Reaching 100% is a simpler task!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I usually don't go for 100%, as I don't care that much. I'm more about the challenge in games than going for completeness. Games like Metroid, where you can try to get 100% within a time limit, which adds some fun challenge to the game, I'll go for. Or, for games like Yoshi's Island where getting perfect scores unlocks new stuff, I'll do it. But just doing it to do it... no. I'm more likely to start a game and go for as low a percent as possible than I am to go for as high of one as possible.

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While waiting for the Wii, I tried to get all A-rankings in Sonic Adventure 2 (or at least all emblems). I didn't even get close. Now I bought the game for GameCube, so I should give it a second try on my Wii someday.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I think the only game I have even come close to 100% was Gran Turismo 3 and I got to a total of 88.3%. Then my brother accidentally deleted my saved file and I got as high as 23% and gave up.... So many hours burned...

Since then, I rarely try to aim for 100%. I just have a good time with the games instead.

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