Ben-DutkaYeah, using the word "addictive" to describe a game probably isn't a good idea these days, especially after the media scourge that has descended upon the industry after the Sandy Hook tragedy.
But let's not take the term in its most literal sense, shall we? Of course, what I mean to ask is- "What's the last game you played that you simply couldn't stop playing?" The question just doesn't work as a headline, you know?
Anyway, while there are plenty of great games out there, I would only label a select few as "addictive." These are the titles that you just keep playing and playing and playing , and time sorta ceases to exist. As fantastic as some productions are, I'm usually aware of how much time I'm dumping into a particular game. Every now and then, however, I come across a game that demands my attention and makes the clock disappear.
I think the most recent is Bioshock Infinite , which continues to entrance me with its unbelievable atmosphere, story, pacing and gameplay. Everything about it just makes me want to keep playing. I think other games that have qualified this generation have been Red Dead Redemption , Grand Theft Auto IV (yeah, sorry, I loved that game), Heavy Rain , Joe Danger , all the Uncharted s, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , Lost Odyssey , Alan Wake , Portal 2 , Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds , and all the Assassin's Creed s (with the exception of Revelations ).
So how about you?
Tomb Raider and Persona 3 Portable. 2 amazing games!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Yep, probably over 700 hours on this and still wanting more dlc. Ya know, food,water,shelter,Skyrim,everyday essentials.
700!!! Holy crap dude. That's gotta be 3 years worth of combined video game hours for me.
+1 I thought my +/-350 were bad
Last edited by broox9 on 4/11/2013 6:25:37 PM
Gran Turismo 5 and Arkham City.
the exact two games i was thinking of, GT5 and Arkham city
Bioshock Infinite is addicting, I can't wait for the DLC actually.
There are few games that won't let me leave so that is something that really grabs my attention. Skyrim and Fallout 3 definitely, Bioshock 1 as well.
But I think the pull was actually the strongest in inFamous, I just kept on telling myself "One more mission!" inFamous 2 was great but I didn't have much trouble tying off a gaming session and leaving more for later.
Yeah, the inFamous games should be on my list, too.
Current addictions are Dishonored, Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, and MLB: The Show.
Past addictions include all of the Uncharteds, all of the MLB the Shows, and from the Gamecube days, Resident Evil 4.
Lifelong addiction(showing my age) easily is Ms.Pacman. I've been playing her for 30 years, and I'm sure will be playing for 30 more.
Hmmm not a lot this generation, I have to say. I put 100 hours into Skyrim in a decently short amount of time. Never even finished the main story before I was done with it, you know …once it stopped working.
Other than that, maybe the first Borderlands? Quite sure I put more hours into that game, playing with friends and solo, than I did with any other game this generation.
I'm sorry to say I haven't had an addictive game this generation yet. Yakuza 2 on Playstation 2 was the most addictive game i've played,I've put more than 100 hours into Yakuza 2.
Bioshock, BFBC2 MP, COD 3 MP, just to name a few.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 4/10/2013 11:06:53 PM
I enjoy a lot of games but very few keep my attention so well than I can sit and play them on hours on end.
Some this generation that I could do that with are
Uncharted series
MGS4
Skyrim , Oblivion, Fallout series
Tomb raider
I was addicted to AC2 for a while. I played through it four or five times. I played through GTAIV even more times. But Fallout 3 pulled me in more than any game since FFVII. I must have spent over a thousand hours playing it over and over again, and when I realized how close I was to getting the platinum trophy I played even more.
Well, not many games have made me feel this way on the PS3.
Honestly the most addictive game I have played this generation was Civilization 5 on PC. It's one of those games that has you saying "Just one more turn" then you stay on for another 3 hours.
But on consoles I would say, in order: Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, Metal Gear Rising.
I am totally right there with you!
In terms of can't stop playing it – any kind of RTS game. So for me right now it's Sim City (as it was with past iterations). I also got Civilization Revolutions on PS3 too a few years ago. With both games it was "just a few more things to check and do and I'm off to bed", next thing I know it's 3 am!
I sometimes don't even start playing Sim City just because I know that I can't just play it for an hour. No matter how much I like other genres or games, I have no problem playing other games for only one hour at a time.
I know I'm probably going to get hate for this, but Fire Emblem Awakening.
The Ninja Gaiden games are easily the highest on my list. I've played the first two games about a dozen times each, literally. NG3 Razor's Edge is really turning out to be quite awesome so it will get several play throughs as well.
Other than that, fighters like DOA, VF, and Tekken have dominated all other categories this gen.
Other big ones include the Mass Effects 1 and 2, the Batman games, Half-Life 2, Halo 3, Gran Turismo 5, Motorstorm, Infamous games, Fallout 3, Double Dragon Neon, the first AC, Ratchet CiT, GoW games….
That's about all that come to mind now. i'm sure there's more.
The most addictive game Ive played in a while is Borderlands 2. Ive played through the game twice and now about to enter the ultimate vault hunter mode (third playthrough). Im actually surprised Skyrim isnt the one im most addicted too. After Oblivion I was sure the next Elder Scrolls would be keeping me entertained for months, which it did. Maybe I was expecting years.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 4/11/2013 12:04:16 AM
As I age, I'm sort of losing interest in certain areas in gaming. I noticed myself that I simply cannot play a single player experience without quitting after a few minutes (as is the case with Assassin's Creed Revelations) or taking me an extremely long time to complete a single player experience. When I was younger, it wouldn't take me more than 3 days to complete a game. Now, it escalated to the point where I start a game and don't even finish it. I used to play my games, enjoy the gameplay and run gaming marathon sessions. As of lately, I will get bored very quickly in almost every game I play. There are a few titles that can suck up two-three hours of my life at the moment, FIFA 2013, GTA IV, and BATTLEFIELD 3. I can, for the most part, boot up one of these three titles and play a good session. I've tried to fix this problem, but have had no luck. I believe that the problem lies in the platinums and the overwhelming amount of games releasing monthly. At first, platinums where an addiction, then they became a chore. They became a chore because of the competitive feel you get for unlocking trophies, you want to be able to compare your trophies with any random user and be able to say, "I've got more trophies than you do", or "I've get better platinums than you do". This led me to become a trophy whore for a good chunk of my gaming years. I can't buy a game without thinking about trophies, they are part of the game now in a bad way. Instead of playing the game my way, I end up following the path that trophies lead me through, witch in turn doesn't allow me to play the game my way, my pace, my choices. Somehow I have to start to not GAF about these trophies, one way or another. As far as the many games releasing monthly, it happens to all of us. We have a backlog, we try to finish this current game so we can move on to the next, but no, you were too slow and the next big games release witch you want to play immediately, so the next game you were going to play goes in to the "need to play" list. Cooperative games such as Resident Evil 6 I can play with a buddy for far more time than I can Assassin's Creed Revelations. It might be the fact that experiencing the experience with a buddy at the same time can help me keep my attention span to the game longer. But to be honest, before entering the online world, I was playing pure single players games stretching as far back as Nintendo 64 in the late 90's. To answer the question at hand, the game I was addicted to an helped me remember those times when I was able to play single player games like I used to is Halo 4. I loved everything about Halo 4, from the graphics to the gameplay. I finished the game in legendary in two days in about ten hours total, something I hadn't done since a long time. Then for the next few days I played Multiplayer, till the god-like Halo hardcore veterans started showing up in my multiplayer lobbies witch I was simply no match for. After Halo, I've tried dwindling my backlog, especially now, before the Ps4 releases and this problem becomes even bigger. Had to get this information out there, hopefully it helps?
Last edited by Killa Tequilla on 4/11/2013 12:40:13 AM
Yeah. It is a true fact. I used to always find it to put down the controller when I played most games as a youngen. Now I can easily put a game down without even thinking about it. I got dead space 3 at launch and havnt played it once because MGR came out not long after, and I had platinums to get.
But Killa…. dear god man, paragraphs!
Yeah man, sounds like a trophy addiction is taking the fun out of gaming for you.
At 30, life has taken over my video gaming time. But it hasn't touched my desire to play, nor the enjoyment I get from time I do get to play.
I sure hope you didn't skip any great games like Valkyria Chronicles because they don't have trophies. If so, then VC would be a great place to start on the path back to gaming nirvana.
I hope you get your groove back man.
Long Live Play!
FTL. Game of the year 2012 for me, I'd recommend it to anyone.
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/faster_than_light
The *last* game I found addictive… Hmm.
The most recent game must have been Mass Effect 3 I think. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was also pretty darn addictive. Yeah those are the two most recent ones.
(I've not started on Infinite yet. I fully expect that to be utterly addictive. In fact I take it for granted.)
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/11/2013 3:57:16 AM
PERSONA 4: GOLDEN and Valkyria Chronicles 2
Dayyym I have to be careful with those buggers :/
the souls games. Just wow
Oh well the last game that comes to my game is Xenoblade. Is it an addicting game or was I addicted because I just enjoyed the game so much. Either way I'd play 7 hour sessions at points with ease. The game had plenty to see and do, I didn't do absolutely everything thing but I did complete the main sidequest of the game and about half of the others running into 100 hours at least. It was a return to the classic JRPG experience this generation needed.
Another game would be Metal Gear Online, I loved that game and have yet to find a game that is so broad online. I get bored of just shooting people and objectives. MGO let you ram into people with boxes, push people of high buildings, hide around a corner and dance as a distraction – the possibilities where endless with the well integrated MGS4 mechanics and what MGO had to offer. I hope MGS5 brings it back.
Then if anything else this gen, it has been for trophies. I don't claim to be the best on the site, but after so many trophies it does loose it's appeal, I just make sure I platinum every Final Fantasy & Metal Gear as they're my favourite series'.
I agree with Killa's comment. Platinum trophies have affected my enjoyment of single player games. I didnt enjoy darksiders 2 as much as I thought I would because I worked for the plat the whole time.
I have to learn to not start on trophies until the second playthrough.
I was hooked on Killzone 2's multiplayer for the longest time and Just Cause 2 because of the almost endless things to do.
omg kz2 multiplayer was the bomb. so set apart from the rest
Mario 64 and Mario cart
most recent?
do HD remakes count?
then the R&C HD collection, i can spend hundreds of hours playing that game, especially finding all the sewer crystals!
most addictive ps3 game though again has to go to R&C again, ACIT is one of THE best games released this gen!
o, and JC2 such a addictive, fun, humorous game!
then id go AC2 and infamous.
thats about it.
and thats the sad part, we have had SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many great games, but so so few are actually FUN enough for you to want to finish them again and again and again and again and again!
i absolutely LOVED heavy rain, but its not a game i could play over and over and over again it just gets boring!
same goes for bioshock infinite, tomb raider, max payne 3, all the R* games for that fact.
there brilliant games, but once there finished there finished thats it.
in fact i got so bored of RDR, i cant be bothered finishing it!
For me it was Batman Arkham City. It's just about the perfect example of how to design a game; how to make you feel like Batman through gameplay. A good example of this is when I was fighting Mr.Freeze. Those who have played it, you'll know you have to use different strategies each time you attack. And in doing this, I was at his last bar of health, and I was out of ideas. And I thought "What would Batman do?", and "Well, he'd use his gadgets", and I found a way.
Ofcourse, it's a beautiful game, even though the cutscenes sometimes look a little muddy to me, and the characters do look a little stiff outside of those cutscenes. There's a beautiful attention to detail (perhaps out of respect to the brand), and it makes for a great experiance, even an addicting one.
My only gripes are that sometimes, story points are sorta thrown in your face without any proper preparation or foreshadow. And because of this the story ultimately comes across as a bit…uh, not sure of the word, but it made me feel a bit empty and confused starting from about 2/3 of the way in until the end. Perhaps it was the pacing rather than the story itself, but either way it's how I felt.
I think I had other problems with the game as well as the story, and they all add up. So ultimately I wouldn't consider this one of the 'elite' games, but despite that I still think it's a perfect example of how to make a game.
I would have to say…. Demon's Souls. Literally it was like your soul was inside the game >_>
XCOM: Enemy Unknown. I had not been that addicted to a game in years.
The games I had a hard time putting down this generation have been, The Elders Scrolls Oblivion/Skyrim, Fallout 3, Dragon Age Origins, Battlefield Bad Company 2 multiplier, Killzone One/Two multiplayer, Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls.
honestly,
Skyrim and Age of Empires II: Age of Kings HD Remaster… lol I know old as heck but I LOVE AGE OF EMPIRES!!!
Hitman HD Trilogy. Awesome set of games. Very addicting playing through certain levels a million times a million different ways.
Dark Souls.
I have never embraced RPGs–never once played a FF game–but DS hooked me from the opening.
I don't want to think how many hours I've put in.
Dota 2 and Guild Wars 2 come to mind as the most recent games that I was addicted too for long periods of time.
I did get totally addicted to Ni No Kuni earlier this year though. I played the game for 8 hours on launch day…so yeah there is that.
Batman Arkham City (Platinum & 100% completion) – Easily 100hrs or more.
Just Cause 2 – 120hrs, loved every minute of it.
Uncharted 2 – Played the single player 3 times and put 11 days in the multiplayer.
Last edited by Kokushi on 4/11/2013 12:38:58 PM
hm, bit of a cheat but the Mass Effect trilogy. I just keep playing them over and over.
Next to that I'd say Skyrim. roughly 3 hours and I keep going back to it.
Dear me… I meant 300 hours in Skyrim. (facepalm)
Currently Defiance has me addicted to the point in which I am not doing anything else with my free time.
Portal 2 was/is terrible for late nights. The hours just slip away and next thing I know I have to get up for work in 3 hours. I have a huge backlog and very little time to put into video games, and yet Portal 2 somehow manages to keep bringing me back. Quantum Conundrum had a similar effect (for obvious reasons). But Portal 2 is just pure gaming gold.
Of course, there's Journey. I must have played through it over a dozen times by now. It's the perfect game to wind down and escape from reality with. Long stressful day at work? Journey time!
The Assassins Creed games always keep me reeled in hard, but after finishing them I haven't gone back to any of them…
Unfortunately I still haven't played many of the other games people are listing here. Though several are on my shelf, still in plastic even, waiting for their chance. I have both Batman games, RDR, Uncharted 1-3, Infamous 2, the Ratchet and Clank games, and Assassins Creed 3 that I still need to play… Yeesh.
I forget who said this recently but I'm going to echo their statement that my hobby seems to have shifted from playing games to buying games…
I just got Ni No Kuni from the $40 Amazon sale and I'm having trouble putting it down.
White Knight Chronicles (1 & 2). They have accounted for more than 2000 gaming hours in about 3 years which is an astonishing amount of time. One thing about WKC that I and my guild members/friends that play/played WKC agree on is that the game itself is not the addictive element, it's the people. We enjoy the game, but if it was solo play, we'd all be done with it long ago. We come back for the people. Of course we all enjoy the game as well, but the social aspects of it are more attractive than the game itself.
Burnout Paradise before that got over 1000 hours of my life, and once again it was more the social aspect, than the game. Although Burnout Paradise itself is a truly awesome game.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 4/11/2013 4:27:45 PM
Final Fantasy XII, did a combined 800 hours. Killzone 3 Multiplayer, the only FPS game in which I really invested time in. Harvest Moon on the psx/psp. Dragon Quest VIII, GTA San Andreas, Borderlands 2, Persona 4/golden. Fallout 3
I'm finding it's the games that take the longest to play, keep me coming back. Either to continue a run through or to start a new one.
I can't think of any games with an ending reachable in less than 10 hours that I ever wanted to go back to. They just don't draw me in and make me want to experience it again.
What, no mention of Team Fortress 2? Alright then, I'll be the elephant in the room.
My choice is Team Fortress 2.
I've invested over 1,300 hours in TF2 alone since 2008. Absolutely love that game.
Last edited by wiiplay on 4/12/2013 9:37:51 AM