The Problem with Missable Items | The Obsessive Gamer

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

If you enjoy this video, give it a like and maybe also comment to support us with the algorithm. Also should be noted for people who are still relatively new to the channel that this is part of the "informative-comedy" subseries that I do every so often which stands seperately from "Cut Content" and "Gaming History". Whereby those two are serious documentries, while this is more a fun informative video in contrast. You can rest assure that Gaming History and Cut Content would stand as serious series as planned. And If you wish to support the channel, join as a channel member :) kzbin.info/door/_pIxrVI5ZOSM3cpVQvECFwjoin

[@d18p]

I believe you don't like auto-save function too, just like me 🥰

[@Infindox]

The most annoying ones to me are - When an rpg puts loot on either a boss or a hard to kill type of enemy and you are expected to either steal it or hope it drops and reset until it does. - Putting an item behind the most annoying stipulation that a normal player wouldn't try and that you have to play the game differently to even get (speedrunning IX to get a sword you can't even really use) - You have to do a minigame correctly or answer a question correctly, and if you mess up you get no other chance.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

The limited steal is what annoys me most. I almost NEVER care about stealing and will only do it if its a resource I learn later when i'm playing the game leisurely that I need to make something.

[@EarthboundX]

That sword in FFIX is just crazy, have to get to the end of the game in under 12 hours or so? I'm not even sure 1 percent of all players have done that.

[@anjingbabi4468]

The evil part about excalibur 2 is that it forces you to skip the whole game except the final boss. I've tried the legit way of getting it using emulator. Gave up on the 4 hour of gameplay (took me like 25+ hours to reach that point).

[@JaidynReiman]

IMO stealing should only be to get powerful items for free or earlier than you'd normally get them.

[@UnholyBahamut]

Missable items should be illegal in RPGs. I don't mind replaying a game that is 10-20 hours long, but replaying a game that takes 60-100 hours to complete because of a missable item is infuriating.

[@Crit-Multiplier]

you're insane. 😅

[@dancarter5775]

It depends on how it's missable honestly. There's a lot of RPGs that have choices, where you can only get one or the other. Which is fine for storytelling and role. But arbitrary ones are weird.

[@TheBlackSeraph]

@@dancarter5775 No, I'd rather have genuinely missable items. Exploration is a key part of RPGs so missing an ultra powerful one-of-a-kind uber weapon is annoying but not a deal breaker. Rare & powerful items should have limitations. Having to choose between Ragnarok the Sword and Ragnarok the Summon in FF6 or having your Odin summon replaced with Gilgamesh if you got him before the end of disc 3 in FF8 are much more frustrating.

[@dancarter5775]

@@TheBlackSeraph see, I feel like the choice makes it that much more meaningful. It could be convenience, a surprise, something works better for your build, etc. The choice making it missable adds depth to the gameplay when done properly.

[@malapertfourohfour2112]

Boohoo baby

[@YujiNanaya]

>Problem with missable items >Obsessive Gamer Sir, seems like I found the real problem! (All in good fun, keep up the good work.)

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

kek. Thanks bro.

[@BAIGAMING]

4:55 Final Fantasy X-2 is hilarious because just the act of skipping certain cutscenes will make you lose out on 100%. So if you realized you messed up with a quest and wanted to reload and then skip the cutscene to get through it faster, you missed out on 100%!

[@rafaynoman1180]

What's worse is that the game doesn't even tell you what you missed. So even if you go back to play the game in NG+ you wont know what you're missing.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Hidden stuff is fine if the option always is there to go back and get them. I hate the hidden items where if you dont get them at the time, they are gone forever.

[@GatorOne-in7hk]

Not exactly items, but Wind Waker has a critical problem with the Nintendo Gallery, as there are a number of characters that are permanently missable, forcing you to beat the game again and do New Game Plus to have another chance of getting them, the worst offender being a Rito named Kogoli who randomly disappears around the time you get access to the Earth and Wind Temples. Took me forever to finish the gallery because of that crap. 🤦‍♂

[@raulbotelho8038]

Yeah. Wind Waker is more demanding than Metroid Prime haha

[@pokedude720]

And a weird case with Knuckle where he doesn't appear until you get all 5 Tingle Statues using the Tingle Tuner Problem us, if you get every other Figure before him, then you can get his picture but never get his figure as the guy will call his collection complete

[@DKQuagmire]

You can completely miss the Silver Arrows in the legend of Zelda the Minish Cap. The side quest is only available until you visit the cloud area where the final temple in the game is located. If you didn't do the side quest throughout the entire game, before going to the cloud area, the NPC your meant to talk to, is straight up dead! No Silver Arrows for you!

[@TheBlackSeraph]

Final Fantasy V's bestiary is the same. During the escape from the burning castle section, the final fight is against a bunch of soldiers. If you kill the head soldier too quickly (which you're tempted to because of the time limit), he won't transform and you've missed out on your chance to add his entry to the bestiary.

[@agiar2000]

I was trying to "100%" Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster recently, and I decided that, rather than make sure that I collected EVERY SINGLE "lore" and "rage" technique, I would be satisfied with just collecting 100% of the achievements, which only require obtaining 20 of the 24 lores and 50 of the 253 rages. For anyone who does not know about the rage system in Final Fantasy VI, a rage technique is a way for one particular character, Gau, to adopt the status and attacks of a given enemy type. Gau can only learn the rage for a given enemy type by encountering that enemy in a particular region, the Veldt, and the Veldt produces encounters from a list that includes almost every enemy you have beaten so far in the game. This means that, if you are looking for a very specific rage technique in the late game, you could be grinding away on the Veldt for many, many hours waiting for the right one of the hundreds of possible enemies to appear. Now, I am trying to "100%" Final Fantasy VII on Steam. Thanks to a good set of guides, I have not missed out on any of the achievements or unique items. One of my "Enemy Skill" materia is missing the "Trine" technique, which is no longer obtainable at my point in the game, but the other three Enemy Skill materia have Trine, so that is fine by me. I am currently grinding in the endgame area to master all of my materia to prepare for the Emerald Weapon fight, the easier of the two superbosses that are available at the very end of the game. All I still need to do to get all achievements is to master a few more pieces of materia that I have, beat those two superbosses, max out my money at 99,999,999 gil (which looks like it will take a TON of grinding after everything else is done), and finally wrap things up by completing the game, itself.

[@DanielisAwesome52]

Final Fantasy VII Remake has the best way to fix this without losing old school RPG charm, Chapter Select lets you replay whole sections of the game after you beat it. Its better than just new game plus as well because you can go to specific sequences and play them differently. Getting all three outfits as Cloud in the Wall Market section (and Tifa and Aerith) was super easy. Rebirth has it too which is good cause I got the wrong date in the Golden Saucer and almost want to redo the whole game cause of it (Aerith naturally has more sidequests than other characters so I guess you have to actively ignore her and content to get Tifa on the Ferris Wheel)

[@jedimasterpickle3]

I lucked out a bit. I got Aerith on my initial Gold Saucer visit but somehow lucked into Tifa for the second. But yeah the side quests are hugely skewed towards Aerith

[@CaptainClark23]

Man, I was just talking to a friend about Metroid’s missable scans last week! Well done with this vid. I really enjoyed this more relaxed approach. You also did well to really nail the delivery of those punchlines. Cheers! 👊

[@BR-jw7pm]

Couldn’t agree more. When I played FFIX years ago, there was a locked door with a treasure chest behind it in one of the earliest villages. Couldn’t unlock it ALL game. Turns out it could ONLY be opened during mid-way when you’re NOWHERE near it… Also the OG Psychonauts has a point of no return where you can’t return to the physical world and thus if you didn’t finish the scavenger hunt or buy all the items, too bad…

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Imagine trying to go back all the way to unlock that WHILE still trying to get the Excalibur 2 lol Does Psychonauts at least warn you of the point of no return?

[@BR-jw7pm]

@@TheObsessiveGamer I didn’t remember one, just that the game tells you AFTER you activate it (though I may be misremembering; was 1.5 years ago)

[@bobafett4265]

Actually the 1st Psychonauts actually gives you an extra save when you reach the point of no return, so you can load that extra save leave the area and do a clean up run if you so wanted to, there is still some missable events with a bunch of the NPCs in the Hub areas where it adds extra sub plots to them to showing more of their background. Still though it is more achievable for 100% than some Final Fantasy titles.

[@BirdieSenpai]

The first missable item that ever affected me in a game was the second Deku stick upgrade in Ocarina of Time. It was mistakenly programmed to the same completion slot as Biggoron's Sword, if I remember correctly.

[@elio7610]

Yeah but that was just a mistake. Zelda games almost never have any missable items AFAIK.

[@DKQuagmire]

Windwakers figurine collection, has a tun of missable photo opportunities. Including Knuckle who only appears when you collect all the golden tingle statues from using the tingle tuner. Minish Cap also has missable Silver Arrows if you chose not to save an old man's life. If you refuse to help, forget, or not know about this quest, and return towards the end of the game, he'll be dead, so you get nothing. Very obscure one this.

[@CaptainErn]

Still using game faqs in 2024. Know your roots.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@CaptainErn I do and I use it as well :P

[@CaptainErn]

@@TheObsessiveGamer yeah I’m saying the kids need to know the roots. Getting every ending on Star Fox is a different experience when you have to leave the room to use mom’s computer with the dial up connection! I enjoy this video format. Good stuff

[@prof.laytonfan764]

I’m playing through Castlevania Portrait of Ruin for the first time and locked myself out of 3 quests because I accidentally sold the items required for them. So yeah that’s annoying.

[@Schwarzorn]

Metroid Prime's problem isn't just with that one enemy; there are more missable scans. It took 12-year-old me nine playthrus in a row to 100% the game, always only missing one. :/

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

oh indeed as I know bosses for example are missable. The problem is that it is expected with bosses but not with what should be a common enemy like the Ice Shriek Bats, which is why that was brought to attention

[@Schwarzorn]

@@TheObsessiveGamer Oh, okay. :) I forgot about the bosses, tho. I remember now that there were some that were tricky... As in, you had to scan them at multiple times during the fight, or different parts of them, or sometimes they didn't even seem to be new, like the wasps and hive. And the space frigate too of course.

[@GamerXDaringDoX]

The one thing that i find more infuriating than missable items is save points in Metroidvania titles that are beyond a point of no return, more so in cases where you aren't warned about it before going past said point. Super Metroid has one in Tourian that is located somewhere between the 2 save points in that area. Once you use that 2nd save point, all itsms you had yet to obtain are now missed and you also can no longer backtrack without glitching the game.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Which is pretty crazy in itself as Metroidvania's normally are pretty good with this due to their free form exploration. Castlevania despite the one example I gave doesn't have that otherwise either I think?

[@GamerXDaringDoX]

@@TheObsessiveGamer i don't remember any instances off the top of my head of back tracking blocks in Castlevania games, but i found a strange bug in Symphony of the Night that causes an enemy found in the clock tower to never be able to shed its armor to become a Vandal Sword. This enemy has 2 drops, 1 of them is also dropped by another enemy in the inverted castle. Getting this particular drop early though is really nice as it is one of the most powerful weapons on the game. I never figured out the cause of this bug, but my save file on the Xbox360 version has it and i can't complete the enemy index drop table cause of it.

[@lpfan4491]

That is something that Metroid Fusion got right that Super Metroid got wrong. It also has a point of no return where the game pushes you in the direction of the final boss, but it actually unlocks all the optional paths again as a bonus for beating the game, so nothing is actually missed.(Though the SM 100% are much more fun and painless than the MF 100%)

[@DonkeyOfDestiny]

​@@GamerXDaringDoXfancy meeting you here. Anyway it was a bug that was fixed in a patch, I dont think it had any way to avoid it prepatch. I know you dont have a 360 anymore so if you have your save backed up on the cloud, you can borrow my series x to get the kill.

[@BR-jw7pm]

4:11 you know it’s bad if The Obsessive Gamer drops an f-bomb 😮

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

That and...sometimes for comedy in these "informative-comedy" videos lol

[@elio7610]

I am not sure if all games should be designed with completionists in mind but i don't see why they shouldn't be. I don't think i have ever felt like the gameplay experience was improved by stuff being missable. I mostly just don't want games to waste the players time, making stuff missable means that players may need to restart the entire game again to get another chance at something, which just seems like bad design. It does vary on specific cases, it is not fair to blanket state that all games should be a specific way but design choices should generally be thought out and serve a purpose or at least not be detrimental to player enjoyment for no reason. Missable items are often a frustration for players and often just make games less fun.

[@JaidynReiman]

I do agree that games shouldn't be designed around fringe playstyles, games are designed to be played in certain ways and usually fringe playstyles (like completionists) are for those players who desire an extra challenge. Missable items in the past was mostly just about not wanting to have certain story restrictions, and probably weren't thought about overly too much. But then there's ludicrous things like the Excalibur II which honestly just shouldn't exist. Most modern games tend not to have missables anymore from what I have seen. Very rarely have I seen games that have, for example, missable side quests. And usually if there are missable side quests, the game makes it clear that its a timed quest.

[@Kinda_ANastyDude]

I still use Game FAQs, I am currently using it for my platinum trophy run on Persona 3 Reload. Game FAQs is the GOAT!

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

GameFAQs is still GOAT indeed. Nothing else still can replace the quality that fans put into making them

[@CaptainJonjovi]

Haha, this guy reminds me of Gideon Graves. Instant like and sub.

[@lpfan4491]

A few years ago, I actually found the idea of missables(items, bosses, endings) interessting because it encourages replays and rewards both looking in every corner and research outside of the game(either by way of talking with people or looking it up online). However, now I realize that it is the worst way to do all that and am just glad that many games have shifted gears to making these things opt-in rather than missable. If I beat the game and still want to clean up the rest, I usually can. Even if it is by way of NG+ in some of these games, which is kinda annoying...but well, ya know, still better than having to actually restart the entire thing from 0.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Yeah I am glad modern games have remedied the issue quite a bit. I like the FF7 Remake approach of chapter select especially for this.

[@MacUser2-il2cx]

RPGs are loaded with missable items! One in particular I gotta point out is in Final Fantasy 6. There's a place you can go to in the world of ruin by going underwater where you can upgrade one of your espers and it's permanent. It allows any character equipped with it to learn magic they otherwise wouldn't be able to.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

FF6 feels weirdly notorious for these missables. Only with FF9 and 10-2 out doing it

[@KeterHirameki]

As a completionist who plays without walkthroughs I completely agree, those are the bane of my existence.

[@TMek42]

Grandia 1, many items are missable due to how you can't backtrack after certain plot points. But most egregiously 'Mana Eggs' can be skipped. Mana Eggs are used to unlock magic on each character, there are around 18(?) eggs and you can spend 10-14 of them to max out. To add insult to injury, in the final area of the game certain mobs drop Mana Eggs, but at that point there is no shop to spend them at.

[@Vulpas]

That's the most spiteful game design I've ever seen lol

[@JoLiKMC]

Here's a fun one. Online-only achievements. Co-op mods, versus modes, et cetera. If you don't have the Internet or those games don't have online servers anymore, those are *permanently gone.* Also, download-only games. Gone. Forever. But, that's an entirely different video. (:

[@MrEvilbyte]

I don't care about missable items much. Except when those missable items end up making the game way easier.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Missing an Ultimate Weapon as such really hurts lol

[@deathstinger13]

Zoids Legacy has three true missables and something that's not traditionally missable but still is. There are two pieces of equipment(admitedly not useful in endgame, nor anything special) that are only available in the Past area you briefly visit in the first third of the game. Just buy them from the equipment store, so at least it's not that big an issue, but stilll irritiating. The next missible is the real problem; the Gravity Storm deck command. it can only be obtained in a very narrow time frame right after a boss fight and a bunch of cutscenes when you spawn into a tavern where Dr.Laon is sitting. you HAVE to talk to him then to get the command or it's lost forever. The last thing that's effectively a missable is your Organoid Pulse's level. You get Pulse fairly early in, but not right at the start. Think a couple towns into the game. And he gains a level whenever the main character Zeru does. Not a problem, right? WRONG. he starts at Level One, and gains an extra level soon after when he gains the ZOS ability. So if Zeru is anywhere higher than level 2 when you get Pulse, he will always lag behind in levels, AND will never reach the level cap no matter how much you grind. And playing casually, you'll always be at least lv3. So you need to jump through hoops to avoid letting Zeru gain more than one level. An additional prblem with Pulse's leveling is that he has four different 'colors' he can be, which adjust his stat growths. And iirc, you don't have access to all four colors when you first get him, so you can't have him level 'pure' in at least one color. Doubly so if you actualy want a good moveset, since three of the four colors's skill gains end in him getting a pretty terrible ability that removes your ability to control your main character in battle while using Pulse's ability to boost your Zoid. It IS kinda fun to try and minmax to get a good moveset though, if you have a guide; dealing with sub-par skill orders and sometimes weird color-value gains to try to get only the skills you want, all while not leveling too much in the wrong colors. Personally, would have put the ability to have any of the four colors by the time you get the ZOS ability, as well as had that event where you gain it put Pulse equal to Zeru's level. Also keep Dr.Laon somewhere in the game world so you can always go back for Gravity Storm, or have an alternate way to get it, maybe in the game's Challenge Mode

[@deathstinger13]

do have to say though, missibles in shorter games or games with NG+ aren't so bad. Or chapter select; chapter select is best.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Yeah in a modern age where NG+ and chapter select are more common I don't mind them as much. It's why FF7 Remake series has been nice in that regard as it lets you jump anywhere

[@deathstinger13]

@@TheObsessiveGamer definitely think NG+ at minimum, if not Chapter Select should be standard for any narritive-heavy game over a few hours in length. So every RPG. Still a bit upset FFXIII doesn't have an NG+, especially since so many of the areas you can never return to, and by extent so much of the game's environments can never be seen and music never heard without starting from scratch. Not to mention all the items being inherantly missable. This one gets why you can't return to many narritively, but chapter select or NG+ would solve that issue. Plus it'd let you grind for that post-game insanity in a less repetitive(though probably longer) manner

[@GODZILLA2915]

Missable items is one of my pet peeves in games, just like multiple ending in long games. My first experience was Final Fantasy 8, which I downloaded for PSP. Wait, what do you mean ‘insert disc 2?’ What do you mean those past bosses also had GF on them? What do you mean the towns are closed off for good during the final dungeon?! But yeah, like you said, have fun. Unless the final boss is ridiculously hard.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Tbh the multiple endings in a long game is what irks me most. I basically just use a guide for the best ending nowadays as to not replay them multiple times now

[@Gary_P2]

Great video, you got a new fan here!

[@martinwoodrome6588]

Thanks for the reminder that xenoblade x is still collecting dust on my backlog shelf!

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Yeah I was reminded by this video too when making it haha

[@GrosvnerMcaffrey]

Wait you played that game?

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

In my current ff5 save, I endeavoured to steal/aquire 9 of most 1 handed weapons and 5 of most 2 handed weapons (excluding weapons that only occur once). Stealing dragon lances from the 6 jura avis enemies was a pain. Acquiring all magic is now a standard thing every playthrough. Using the exit trick is something I do every time.

[@ドリフト180X]

Final Fantasy X-2 seems like it was just designed to sell strategy guides. That entire game is missables. Villager asked a question and you answered wrong? Bye bye 100% run. There is no way anyone has 100% that game without a guide.

[@TryJapan]

Missable objects are the Bain of my existence, but ff9 is just cruel 😂Love this format by the way!

[@Max.Paprika]

The one that frustrated me the most was Cave Story, where you have to refuse to pick up certain weapons and power-ups or you won't be able to obtain later, better items. Clever on the developer's part, but not as fun for players.

[@lpfan4491]

And all that for a worse written ending. I personally just ignore it.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

oof it's FF12 syndrome but worse.

[@DKQuagmire]

I can remember on my very first playthrough of the legend of Zelda the Minish Cap on GBA, I wanted to 100% the game! I got all the kin stone quests. 100% the annoying figurine side quest for the final heart piece. Only to find out from a random game FAQ walkthrough, that the Silver Arrows were in the game. When I tried to do the quest. The NPC wasn't there. What you were supposed to do, was to help cure an old man of his illness by using the gust jar to suck up the evil spirit possessing him, before you explore the cloud area of the game. If you didn't do this. He straight up dies! If you got rid of the spirit and come back later, he gives you the Silver Arrows. Hiw was i supposed to know all this as a teenager!

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Literally just soft locked myself out of a side quest in Portrait of Ruin... All due to a required sword that appears in a single location, and which zero enemies. I sold it, and am now locked out of the side quest unless I start a whole new game. Reward for the quest? A better sword.

[@mandagirl02]

for me one of the worst offenders of Missables is the Legend of Heroes series, while i like the games I always want to get max BP, AP etc, because the rewards are usually some of the best items in the game so whenever i play though those games I have gamefaqs open do i don't miss anything lol :) FF9 though, I just don't worry about excalibur 2, it's not that much stronger than Steiner's Ragnarok and all the abilites you learn other swords can learn it :)

[@thend4427]

I hated missable items especially in ff7 and 9...at least 9 has a no encounters and max level cheats built in so its easy to get it now

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

FF7 at least no time counter for its missable items lol

[@RedHatGuyYT]

this has to be one of the most entitled first-world problems i've ever heard of

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

I mean most gaming problems are lol

[@magnumd-pad5138]

I've been saying for years that the solution to this is what they sort of did in FFIII. Just plop vendors in the end game who sell every item with the rare ones priced exceptionally high. No way to miss anything then. Just a bit harder to get it that way later on and beyond its usefulness...but handy for OCD people.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

This is a good solution and done in an age where this wasn't such a major thing we spoke about lol. Though would be hilarious to see a legendary item sold as a common store item then lol

[@RedHatGuyYT]

god, the misuse of the term 'ocd' has always bugged me and idk why

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@RedHatGuyYT no this is in line with what OCD means as this is an obsession over wanting to perfect the file.

[@Xhalonick]

I love this channel!!!

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Thank you! :)

[@GabrylMD]

My only beef with missable items is if they look cool, or have unique effects. Simply being a stronger item doesn't really have much appeal. And going for 100% on a first playthrough isn't really an organic experience. Usually. There are some games where I think having a guide does help. Especially when the game lacks UI features or is too cryptic with what it expects. Games with big crafting/synthesis trees, or collection games that tie specific abilities to items. Which are among the games mentioned, such as FF or Castlevania. But I also feel there is an intent in design that can be derived from missing an item. And given enough headway, not every place needs to be one to return to. Because that would make all games play out the same way. and that's not as interesting. But in the vein of missable items, I feel superbosses also fall into a similar category. While not always missable, their presence as a reward is similar. In that they are NOT required to beat the game. But they can also have access to the most powerful items in the game. Which is redundant, since you just defeated the superboss to get said item. Or worse, you get nothing. An achievement is nice, but the paradox of wanting something good out of the superboss, while also thinking it would be dumb if they had something missable/strong is an idea I've been at odds with myself. I guess if the fight is enjoyable/entertaining, there is some value in it. Yet the nature of a superboss is to be more difficult than a regular one. So its hard to say. I usually reserve 100% for my subsequent playthroughs. And for games I have already done so, I do the opposite. Since I enjoy the experience of knowing where things are, and being efficient with routing. And just being in the general head-space of the devs.

[@GamerXDaringDoX]

Am i the only person who refuses to use or sell the last one of any type of treasures or consumables in games? Sitting on 1 max heal or revive item near death in battle and refuse to use it, or needs money and has the most valuable item that only exists to be sold for money but refuses to sell the only 1 left in my inventory for the money. Edited comment to fix a bad typo, learned that editing a comment will remove it's pinned heart status.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

I do this ALL the time lol except the final battle since there is usually no saving after a final battle anyways

[@jrobwhydidyoutubechangemyname]

This is me, and in stardew is gets to be a problem. I like to have five of every quality of every item haha

[@Holy_Light65]

Dlc that's you can miss if don't buy in time sucks too

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

this is a terrible trend. I'd also probably toss in the limited mystery gifts of Pokemon with it too.

[@Keblash]

This is the only reason ive put off starting the trails of cold steel games for over 6 months now...

[@Toshinegawa]

Star Ocean 2 - After the Tournament of Arms, if you go and talk to Gamgee, the old man blacksmith who made Dias's sword, he'll give you the Deadly Edge (Sharp Edge in PS1) sword. this sword isnt all that powerful. however, if you use customize it with 2 Mithrils you'll obtain the Aeterna sword. One of Claude's best weapon in the game, and at this point, game breaking. However, the sword is easily missable because normally, you would just move on to the next town after finishing current events

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Hilarious how it's always the weak weapons that are missable that end up becoming stuff of legends if one went out of their way there

[@JaidynReiman]

The Deadly Edge is actually not missable in SO2R. You can acquire it again later in the game from the Fun City Arena. It is missable in the original SO2 though of course and in Second Evolution. I assume you can't get it from Gamgee once you finish the events in Linga, because that's when all the NPC's are evacuated into the castle. You can probably get it as long as you do it before finishing the events of Linga. Due to certain events that happen throughout the game, there are some missable Private Actions even in SO2R. However, the game tells you exactly where to go whenever you have PA's as long as you check the world map frequently. The original games were absolutely awful at this, you had to basically revisit every single town in search of private actions unless you were following a guide. (I think getting Deadly Edge from Gamgee is a private action as well, but I don't quite remember exactly...)

[@Toshinegawa]

@JaidynReiman it's not, you just need to enter Gamgee's house after Claude wakes up after the tournament, but before you hand over the "rare/undiscovered" herb to Bowman

[@SeikiRikodou]

Castlevania: Lament of Innocence has a ton of miss-able stuff but I enjoyed looking for them because of how insanely well hidden they are. You will spend hours spending and whipping to discover there are more powerful shit to get. Aria of Sorrow's chaos ring was infuriating because of 2 things, the Sky fish and Tsuchinoko souls.

[@bobafett4265]

I recall grinding for the Sword of Kings in SNES Earthbound however there is a few other weapons you can grind for in a similar matter for the other party members. Trying to get those other weapons or gear after spending a lot of time on getting the Sword of Kings which wasn't bad it's just the others were a mess to obtain due to less exploits to take advantage of getting the wrong rare drop cause an enemy appeared in the spot where you didn't need him to be.

[@zinAab79]

All Items should be acquirable, missable items are a big problem, I think games should offer an early secret way to access some items for free, but if you miss them, they always should jump into into a secondary way to acquire, the most common being the game stores or some NPC that collects these items to sell them later.

[@redmage777]

How about an achievement for missing all of the missables?

[@JVision1]

Haha

[@henrydupuis5648]

Lmfao!😆😭

[@etherraichu]

You actually can 100% a play-through of 9. It is not easy. But you can do it, I've seen it happen. You just have to do everything perfectly. Interestingly, the most miserable parts were the minigames you can only do while you are controlling Vivi - the jump rope, racing the hippo kid, etc.

[@Xylarxcode]

12:53 Surprisingly, no. Every physical copy of a game I own has its storymode (or what passes for a reasonable amount of time if there is no storymode) completed. Now, my digital library on the other hand. I'd be surprised if I completed 10% of the games I own. I probably haven't even played half of them. They just kinda exist there and maybe I'll get around to playing them some day and maybe I won't. Some of them get picked up, eventually. Others have been gathering dust for years. Something about buying a physical copy makes me want to play it more than a digital one. I don't really buy many physical copies of games anymore, but when I do, I play and finish them. Digital ones, it really depends on the title and my mood.

[@megacaviagek]

Imagine all the missing things we have in real life every single day

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Real life Missable Items hurt even more. No guide even exists for it. Closest we got is a metal detector :P

[@Zimtlocke]

In case for Final Fantasy 12 original version - Zodiac Spear There is a second one to get so its NOT a missable item.

[@hearnet5643]

Mother 3's drop rates were worse... But one thing you could've mentioned is some games lock story/quests behind difficulty options, ie the true ending is only on Hard/the hardest difficulty. And on the trophies/achievements games which are online or have an online component are also impossible to get!

[@agiar2000]

Seriously, the way my mind works, you CANNOT tell me to just let these achievements or items go and play something I enjoy more. I don't know how your brain works with games, but I CAN'T do that. If I try to pick a game to play based on how I feel, I will leave some games that I generally enjoy aside, unfinished, and when I finally come back to them, I will have forgotten everything about what was going on, what I was doing, and even how to play. Also, I will be crippled by choice trying to think of what I _"WANT"_ to play, spending a whole hour scrolling through lists of games in my libraries without feeling drawn in by any of them. If I DO get really into something, I may end up playing it TOO MUCH and burning myself out on it, sending it to the heap of games I described earlier, the unfinished ones that I forget to play. No, for me, there is only one solution, the solution that I have found gives me the maximum enjoyment from my games, IS to treat it like a JOB. I NEED a strict, goal-oriented approach to these games to feel that satisfaction of accomplishment. I decide on a set of four or five games, and I play them in rotation for about an hour at a time before doing something else, moving on to the next game in the rotation. For each game, I decide on an ultimate goal, such as to simply complete the game, to complete it 100%, to get all achievements, or whatever makes sense to me for that game at that time. Then, whatever I might _FEEL LIKE_ playing, I have the next game in my rotation to play. It keeps each of those few games fresh in my mind as I play each one at least once every three or so days. It also keeps me making progress even on games that may have reached a somewhat tedious period. If there is a game that I have, at some point, found fascinating or really compelling, a game that I can still play, I feel *COMPELLED* to at least have it on my long list of games to play, games that will eventually make it to the rotation as I finish games that are already on the rotation. When I DO have a game on my current rotation, I feel compelled to make sure that I *_at least_* reach a normal ending, even if it's not the "ultimate" ending, or, if it is a special game that I have already beaten but am revisiting for some reason, like Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII are for me, then I feel compelled to 100% it in some way to really make my new completion of it special in some way.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Well it is as i've said, do it if you like it. Don't do it if you hate it. It's up to you entirely man lol

[@mkjazz3418]

This is why I usually use multiple save files

[@jazy921]

It's the timed missables that's the problem here. Regular missables can help with a game's replayability by a small amount but timed missables are just pure malice/evil. i remember the games i've dropped all because of their timed Steam achievements.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

timed missable are weird modern day problem. While we got ways to remedy it now, new ones have crept in.

[@Venemofthe888]

Not a item per say but a missable Mini Boss called Mirakle B in Pokemon Colosseum who is there from beating Miror B to before beating Evice. Hes a little pointless but a fun battle with his distorted Miror B Music

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

oooh didn't know about this. That's amazing. While yeah not really a point to him, it does sound like a fun bonus haha.

[@zackc5973]

As annoying as excallibur ii is to get, as an obsessive gamer, i've never felt inclined to get it. Main reason is it only teaches abilities that other weapons teach Steiner and feels like an easter egg so, I always pretend ragnaroc is his final weapon. The King of Jumprope item and Tetra Master cards are the real worst collectbles

[@Nightmareof94]

This is something i hated in cyberpunk but thankfully it was fixed with the phantom liberty add on as there’s a black market in dog town that sell’s missable weapon’s unfortunately no fix for missable cars

[@michaelfritz5816]

To be fair, you don't really need the ice arrows or the big goron sword, in O.o.T. Just fun to have.

[@SilentVinyl]

Alternative methods to get missable items would be great

[@marcovarius]

The remote bombs in Zelda: Minish Cap come to mind 😡

[@sebastien953]

As much as I curse at Excalibur II in FFIX and agree with the general sentiment here... Missable items in DMC? Whereas you can replay any level you have already beaten? Missable achievements? Whereas you do not need to complete them in a single run in the first place? I don't get what you mean by missable for those.

[@anjingbabi4468]

Bro, the excalibur 2 in the thumbnail lol. That is the most evil missable in the history of gaming IMO. Forcing you to skip basically 99% of the game.

[@Actual_Gabe]

Elden Ring is the most modern game that does it, and it's infuriating.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Yeah i've been seeing that lately. It's pretty nuts.

[@Actual_Gabe]

@@TheObsessiveGamer it's especially problematic with the DLC questlines.

[@DannysDome]

Should we not go for 100%, maybe. But it's still no reason or excuse to put in missable items to begin with! This is on the devs!

[@Lockirby2]

I only think missables are unreasonable if the game encourages you to get everything. For example, catching all 151 Pokemon, getting pictures of everything in Dark Cloud 2, etc. If the game encourages doing it, it should be fun for that target audience. But for something like an item in an RPG, I don't care in the slightest if it's missable or not. If one's definition of 100%ing a game is defined arbitrarily by themselves, then they shouldn't be too surprised if it's not a fun experience. I think expecting all items to be unmissable is limiting, and removes the potential for some neat easter eggs. I have no issue with the Excalibur II TBH.

[@elio7610]

@lockirby2 I can respect that argument but does it really improve the experience for anyone for items to be missable? I suppose sometimes i can respect the decision for an item to be missable but there should be some good reason behind the decision. Even if a game does not explicitly encourage you to collect everything, it is only natural that players will want to collect as much as they can. It is a lot less of an issue for shorter games but any game that is 12+ hours long is quite an investment so it sucks to get locked out of something when the only way to get another chance is to redo several hours of gameplay.

[@Lockirby2]

@@elio7610 I guess the Excalibur II is a good example. It encourages people to play the game in a way they might not think to if it didn't exist. That's a plus for a player like me, and I don't see a great alternative for games without an achievement system. I don't think most people would be as invested in just getting a message saying "congrats for beating the game quickly", and making a do-nothing item like a "Gold Star Badge" or something has the same problem for collectors. There are other cases too. Consider the case where the developers want the player to have something like a Ribbon available early on in a dungeon that can't be returned to for plot reasons while also rewarding people for exploration instead of showering them with shiny toys in an easily accessed shop at the end of the game. It's hard to satisfy all the design goals here without making the items missable, and I don't think the benefit is worth enough for the devs to jump through hoops to make things truly unmissable; I'd rather they put their effort into other things. I guess I just don't understand the mindset though. If I miss the Four Slots armour in FF7, I wouldn't notice or care. In fact, I'd sell it if I needed extra cash and it was obsolete TBH.

[@pizzweak580]

I don't like missable items that are a necessity to complete a game. If the item in question isn't required for completion, can be gained later on, or is a reward for a specific challenge, then I don't see the problem. Like the Excalber 2 in FF9, it's a challenge to get. It's not required for the games completion. Some games by their nature don't allow for you to get absolutely everything on one playthrough, and that's not an issue at all. Missable items are fine nor are bad game design, usually they are put in for players that either take their time to explore, are really perceptive or in most cases, found by complete chance. So it ends up being rewarding as those items are usually helpful when found. If these items were required to complete the game I could understand. But if it isn't required, then what's the problem? If anything, it just makes the game have more replay value, adding yet another rewarding thing for returning players who discovered it

[@Crit-Multiplier]

these ppl have some weird completionist perception. they think they are entitled to every item beeing always optainable because they want to complete these games without knowing all theyr ins and outs. ridiculous. no one cares if you got that one item in a video game but you.

[@JaidynReiman]

@@Crit-Multiplier I agree with this to an extent. Having missables can be good for replay value, but some missables have ridiculous restrictions. Plus, some missables are necessary for story purposes. Let's say for story purposes a city gets destroyed. Okay, so does that mean you can't have ANY side quests in that city at all? Especially if its available for quite some time? Sometimes the story mandates that missables be a thing. I do think games could be handled better to make it clearer you need to clear stuff out quickly (a lot of modern games do this). However, some missables are just... really, really stupid. Namely, Excalibur II. If a game encourages completion, though, having massive amounts of missables is in fact bad game design. IMO, if a game says 100% completion is a certain accomplishment, then getting that goal should not have missables. However, if the game does not consider an objective to be 100% completion, then anything beyond that point is completely arbitrary on the player considering something as "100% completion". However even then, some games have ludicrous 100% completion requirements. One such example is Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, because its really just 100% map completion. Of which Korok Seeds count towards that completion requirement... While they're not missable, its still ludicrous.

[@Crit-Multiplier]

@@JaidynReiman thats THE POINT. some things are rare because they are hard to get and others bc they are easy to loose. this is like saying i would like for every item to have the same rarity so i dont need to feel a huge accomplishment later on but rather a small one now. cmon bro

[@Nyghtwynd]

Yeah i had to reload my save when i realized the FOTNS trophy for staring at that girl. Luckily that was less than 30 minutes lost. Did everyone get the coke bottle in Live A Live?

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

And within 30 minutes you went all Silver Surfer on us there :P

[@Wolf-oc6tx]

I feel its reasonable if say its a reward for a(reasonble) side quest that has a generous window(think you can start long before a story event that renders it unavailable ) for completion , its available on every playthrough(no gacha/mmo style limited time events) and the player knows where the point of no return is ahead of time(and the cut off point exists for story reasons rather then just because). The locked out of item because you opened a few chests and speed run examples feels like they where being mean rather then maintaining story consistency and that is coming from someone who has never played Final Fantasy.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Yeah this i'm okay with as there is usually ALOT of huge warnings around it. Especially nowadays when games give you warnings of point of no returns

[@Wolf-oc6tx]

@@TheObsessiveGamer I am wanting to make indie games and when watch this video I felt uncomfortable with willing some of these devs were willing to deny the player nice things, this video feels like watching someone complain about the things that keep me from playing mmo's.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@Wolf-oc6tx TBF with MMOs, there are usually SOOO many things to do that there will be hardly a chance to get everything anyways lol I say this as an FF14 player

[@Wolf-oc6tx]

@@TheObsessiveGamer The problem with mmo's, gacha games and fortnight is the same, in order to enjoy the full experience ( as in enjoy every part that was meant for you)you have to be like Ainz(pouring all of your time and money into the game and using online friendships with other players as a substitute for irl friends and family) form launch to last day and then what, if Ainz wasn't a Isakai lead he would have had nothing to live for after the server shut down.

[@DrZalmat]

You should never play games like Baldurs Gate 3! There is no chance to 100% it in one playthrough simply because so many things are exclusive for certain playstyles, classes and similar

[@cyanryann64]

Bruh this is why for the most part i don't go for platinum achievement only time i platinum is for persona games

[@UrdnotWrex88]

What about games that tell you your completion rate but it's actually impossible to get 100% like Starfox Adventures that caps out at 99%

[@lpfan4491]

Appearently it does go to 100% when beating the Final Boss, but one cannot actually save afterwards. Stuff like that always infuriates me personally, it is so dumb.

[@edwinfox4625]

FF6 has one of the most infuriating for me personally. It gives you the choice of either the Raiden summon or Raiden sword, leaving the other item lost forever (I think). Also FFX-2 is just the worst! I love that game but it is just the worst, FFIX isn't much better either. Love these games but they are just cruel at times.

[@GarchompPlay]

4:33, nah, deslike for the free spoiler

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@GarchompPlay if you didn't know this after so long, well....okay lol

[@samejimamamimi9483]

Nikke mentioned 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Nikke needs more mentions :P

[@ZanteBlitz]

If this is a personal gripe than thats fine but don't frame it like its an actual mechanical issue. These where obviously done purposely, missable item are supposed to be a reward for exploring or a fun suprise for meeting the right conditions for obtaining them. There are many great games like Majoras mask that are iconic BECAUSE u cant do/have everything in one run. If ur attempting a 100% run on ur first try for an rpg than u might as well just play the game with an online guide next to u at that point

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Majora's Mask once again fits in with the whole "short game, short run" mechanic plus its not actually requiring ot redo the game as you don't go back to do the dungeons again as you already have all its required items. As mentioned the problem is the long 50 hr games

[@ZanteBlitz]

​@@TheObsessiveGamer I understand what ur saying but it's not like a secret item is going to halt ur progress, they're bonuses that makes everyone's playthrough feel unique because not everyone will find every item in one run. It honestly just goes back to the times b4 everyone was spoiled by the internet and u could brag to ur friends about having this super special thing that they couldn't obtain. If ur trying to 100% an RPG blind instead of just enjoying the experience then I feel like ur kinda setting yourself up for frustration.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@ZanteBlitz And I agree which is why I said in the video to "not give a fuck abut missable items" by the end lol The whole video wraps on the fact that you shouldn't do it if its not fun anymore.

[@PhilipMurphy8]

Items you can miss due to some stupid reasons is bad gaming design

[@Bardock7132]

No it’s not. It’s called rewarding players who take their time and have attention to detail. Or are more skilled than you.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

It's not about skill alot of the time though as there are like NO hints sometimes to these. Taking your time...sure but that would go on the line of being OCD about everything at that point where in a JRPG is ludicrous.

[@Key-Knight87]

@@Bardock7132 Even when taking your time there's no guarantee that players will come across said items. It's just terrible game design... 😂

[@elio7610]

@bardock7132 If it is something like defeating a boss without getting hit then sure but it is often something nonsensical and convoluted. Sometimes being too skilled can be the reason you miss an item or achievement as the requirement to get them could be something that you are normally supposed to avoid like falling down a pit that just happens to actually lead to a secret area. Being rewarded for getting to the end of a game fast is one thing but if the timer keeps counting during cutscenes then the game is basically punishing you for watching the cutscenes which just seems ridiculous.

[@RockyTSM]

Since when did you start showing your face and using profanity? I love it.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

I do this every so often for this sub-series I got called the "Informative-Comedy" lol Last video for that was early in the year so it's been a little while since people have seen me do this. Cut Content and Gaming History are serious though and wouldn't use these, but for this series, it's all out lol

[@Vulpas]

Based CCP 😂😂 I like missable items in theory, but it's often done badly. Not items per se, but recruiting Fire Emblem characters is often too hard, you basically need a guide to figure out how to get them.

[@raulbotelho8038]

Witcher 3 not in the list?

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@raulbotelho8038 just examples I could give. Wayyyy too many games to list if I did all of them

[@kickstartavalanche]

FUCKING GAMEFAQS

[@taylorusedtoxic]

Oh, so you wanted that Zodiak Spear in Final Fantasy 12? Well then you shouldn't have opened those random handful of chests then eh? Wasn't there also a missable item that was part of a set in Cyberpunk 2077 that made an achievement missable?

[@PurpleAlzir]

There was also another annoying method to get Zodiac Spear, 3% chance from a chest that had like a 5% spawn chance iirc

[@taylorusedtoxic]

@@PurpleAlzir Similar to Excalibur in that regard.

[@1ove1ess]

Yeah, one of the many absolute garbage mechanics plaguing most RPGs, and FF9 especially (which seems to literally collect garbage mechanics). Just imagine having to have the most horrendous experience of the game, just to comply with one if not the stupidest element of game design known to man: forcing people to rush through a story driven RPG to finish it under 12 hours. Miserable game.

[@CaptainErn]

Did you just block me from commenting? You misunderstood my joke. I was trying to compliment you.

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

@@CaptainErn huh? No. I don't block people so easily rofl people say some pretty bad shit and I usually don't lol plus you are commenting here so clearly you weren't. Did a comment just not come up or something? Try reposting it. Not sure why it didn't show up

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

Oh wait you are talking about the GameFAQs comment? I definitely didn't block you lol there was no offense on that and joined in on the joke by replying haha

[@CaptainErn]

@@TheObsessiveGamer I’m glad it was a misunderstanding. Been a fan for awhile and I like this type of variety 👍🏽

[@R4NK4Z]

Missable items taught me that its fine not to 100% something that has ridicioulus requirements to do so

[@TheObsessiveGamer]

That was me with 10-2 learning that lessen :P

[@BoxxyFan]

Sounds like a skill issue

[@jesusadrian759]

And that's why I downloaded the patch on R0mh@cking to change from 12 to 500 hours to get Excalibur 2, what's that about doing a pissed off speed run just for a damn sword? God bless the patches.