Why The Gaming Community Needs 'DNF'.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

What's a game you absolutely refuse to finish? No wrong answers. EDIT: I can't express how happy it makes me that this has been a safe space for people to openly share their DNF's without fear of capital G gamers getting upset.

[@kiv9880]

This will sound ridiculous but the the sims island game(castaways) from the nintendo DS... This game haunted my childhood, i dont know why they made it so hard to build a campfire but i could never get the timing just right. That game was my first DNF and rage quit i loved playing it but my sim would always die because it was too cold outside or mosquitos. I got to play with the console again because my sister got it repaired after 10 something years and guess what? I STILL CANT DO IT! At this point you win the sims 😅

[@SwannyTheMike]

Remember Me. I loved the concept of mixing action sequences and Ghost Trick-style puzzle solving, but lost all interest when I hit the point where the protagonist causes an entire district of Paris to flood, killing tons of people and she cares more about getting her memories back than even the slightest hint of remorse. If I was clearly playing as a villain protagonist, that'd be one thing, but the game clearly expects the player to see her as the hero. It amazes me that the same developer went on to make games with infinitely better writing like Life is Strange and Vampyr.

[@Da1FooGuy]

Elden ring. Just got bored

[@megancao5988]

Stellaris and Starfield

[@couldnt_find_good_name1464]

i dnf'ed morrowind and oblivion, just couldn't stand it anymore. liked skyrim a lot though

[@Nevergates]

DNF basically every "cinematic experience" depression simulator that gets rave reviews. If my left thumb isn't itching to push on that joystick, I put the game down

[@paddyod16]

dude i never knew what to call shit like the last of us but idgi? people never had anything sad happen in their whole life, or the opposite, and now they're addicted to it? why does anyone like that shit lmao

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I've actually been going back and forth about playing TLOU. I've seen so many lore videos and essays about the game I've seen a good chunk of it and the gameplay does not interest me at all. I mainly wanted to experience the story then the TV show came out lol. Must be a sign from the universe.

[@emiz7517]

@@ReptarusOnIceBeautiful, suspenseful, incredibly detailed and immaculately paced. That is why I beat it so many times. The show was good, but it did feel different. Didn’t play Part II.

[@hoviettrung1501]

I DNF Outer Wilds. Yeah, fight me

[@kalenics123]

You just described 95% of my steam library sadly.

[@KatonVsTwoooo]

I DNF'd the walking dead after season 9 and honestly enjoyed everything up to that point

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I'm not gonna make fun of anyone who made it further than me. I ended up watching recaps of the rest of the show and there were some parts that seemed really cool (the crew that dressed up as zombies, can't remember their name). But I think for me it started getting too action-y and Darylfever was in full swing. I loved the slower burn pace of the first couple seasons but I love more the drama of being in a setting like that as opposed to fighting factions and whatnot.

[@theholypopechodeii4367]

The funny thing is if you look at achievements or trophies, the average person does not finish games. It is very rare to see a game with a completion rate higher than 35%.

[@Phirestar]

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen To put it simply: one of the best examples of an open world game that would be _improved_ by removing the open world aspect. I say this as someone that loves open world experiences, and exploration, and having control and freedom over the way I play: the world is barren and doesn’t make me want to explore it.

[@Barney_rubble983]

Red dead redemption 2. I give it a good 10 hours and it was extremely boring. I know rhis is an unpopular opinion as I've been told i needed to out at least 50 hours in before i mede my decision. As a reader I've always used DNF with everything that bores me. My time is too valuable to me.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I was really into Giant Bomb when the game came out and that was one of the biggest debates and points of contention that the entire group had about the game. And yeah I 100% agree if someone tells me that it gets good after 50 hours then I am out. I completely understand that some things take a little time to ramp up, but come on.

[@RidiculousReviews-ii9ky]

I really regret finishing Alan wake 2. About every 2 hours I thought "I'm sure this should get better soon..." Boy was I wrong

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I love Alan wake 2 because of how weird it is. But with that said I haven't had any interest in finishing the game lately. It's another game that might just end up as something I watch lore videos about.

[@RidiculousReviews-ii9ky]

@@ReptarusOnIce the game looks great, graphics are an 11/10 but gameplay is a 1/10. There is barely any gameplay. It is actually a huge downgrade from AW1

[@knavenformed9436]

Even as an early-access player with nearly a hundred hours on first act of BG3 pre-launch it ended up as a DNF in Act 3 They dropped the plot so hard and some of the encounters were clearly rushed where you could just walk among enemies without combat if you approached situations from unintended angles.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I ended up setting it aside for Solasta because of the steam workshop support and custom campaigns. It's also more closer to the 5e rules proper so while the story isn't as engaging, you can have some fun with doing multiclass builds and things like that.

[@Nelo187]

I DNF this video :)

[@ReptarusOnIce]

Now you're getting it!

[@aliquida7132]

I DNF this repl

[@romariogee]

I have purchased plenty games. And only ever finished a dozen maybe in my 30 years of gaming. The best ones I finished multiple times (like 4 times RDR2). I just don't care about finishing it...if a game gave me 1h/1£ then I am happy. Oh and if I want to try a game I always look for high see's version...screw steam sales

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I not going to publicly advocate the high seas. But it is a frugal solution for those who don't have the means. 😉

[@aliquida7132]

Being a Studio Ghibli fan, I really was excited to buy Ni No Kuni... I didn't like it at all, I wanted to like it... I tried to like it, but it took me far too many hours before I let myself put it on the DNF shelf. But... after watching this, I'm going to make an actual "collection" in Steam for DNF games. I only have a couple, but seeing the folder will remind me that it is an option, and a better option than spending my spare time being annoyed.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I've heard that Ni No Kuni is like all style no substance, or a mote generous description of 'baby's first jrpg'. So no need to feel bad about that. We still have Ponyo.

[@DVictor23]

Dropping games on impulses that might be caused by you having something new to play is just being completely dominated by fast dopamine surges from starting something new. I advise against it, but to each their own. The argument "Your time is finite, so just never have a different experience" is something that I can't agree in the slightest. It's like being a very picky eater who just eats sausages and nothing more, you refuse to eat anything that doesn't smell like a sausage because you believe you won't like it, and when you finally try, the fact that it doesn't taste like a sausage makes you flinch and discard it without even chewing because you were expecting a sausage. But if you are someone who buy games on an impulse, just because the game is popular, then yes, by all means, drop every game you play, because you are not there for the game, you are there to participate in the online discourse.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

It's moreso about being able to walk away from something you're not enjoying without worry of being judged for it. It's not about a dopamine rush It's about making sure you spend your gaming time enjoying the game you're playing. Because my time is finite I make sure that I'm getting varied, diverse experiences, at this point in my life I maybe buy 3 or 4 games a year so if anything I'm a huge proponent of patient gaming and making sure you're going to enjoy a game before diving in. I get where you're coming from but the context is a little different.

[@grant5864]

I love the comparison you made to sunk cost fallacy. People forget that not only money is finite, but their time as well. My standout DNF is Outer Wilds. I can tell it's a well made game, it's just not my cup of tea. Everyone says to go into the game blind (which I did) so I didn't even know how big of a role "puzzles" were before I started. I've never been a fan of puzzle games and playing through The Outer Wilds just bored me to the point where I read all the spoilers after trying to force myself through it for several hours.

[@matthamende6359]

This reminds me, maybe a month ago, I was play Yakuza Like a Dragon, i've never played a yakuza game but everyone seems to rave about them and it was in the humble choice bundle that month, I was maybe 10 hours in and it was ok but not blowing my mind, I asked on a reddit thread "when does it start to get good" and instead of an actual answer someone chastised me for not starting at Yakuza 0 and playing all previous games, and basically told me that I wasn't enjoying it because I hadn't played the last 7-8 games in the series. I'm not sure it's full DNF yet, but it's pretty rare I go back to something after bouncing off it

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I've been playing the games on and off for over a decade and I've only finished a couple of them. Because each game is like 40 hours just doing ONLY MAIN QUEST I'd tell anyone interested to play 0 and if that grabs you, play kiwami (Remake of yakuza 1) AND IF YOURE STILL ON BOARD, watch a summary or cutscenes on KZbin then play like a dragon. There's to much good media to expect people to invest all that time.

[@brzt4256]

As someone who has actually played the previous games in the series, it's possible you just didn't like Like A Dragon because it's not as good as the previous games, especially in terms of the combat. Like Reptarus suggested, try 0 (the best game in the series) and if you hate it, at least you gave it a fair shot.

[@matthamende6359]

@@brzt4256 I'll keep an eye out for it on sale. I think part of my reasoning was I was curious and it just already happened to be in my library because of my humble choice subscription. I think I have Yakuza 4 as well also from humble choice. But I know what you mean franchises evolve over time people get into heated arguments over which Arkham game is best, etc.

[@kkf3677]

I got so much DNF games in my backlog. At that point decided to use cheats and mods to finish those games. I only use cheats and mods on offline single-player games. NOT online games. Another thing I do is play on EASY difficulty

[@tonkrogerio]

i've added a dropped list to steam a while back for this. anime list sites have a dropped list too. i'm a retro gamer too so retro games tend to be much faster so it's not as much of an issue but when games can range from like 10-200 hrs, it's a bit silly not to drop shit.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I had no idea it was common in the anime community. But I should have figured if I was aware of the One Pace episode list lol

[@Anubiszz512zz]

Here's my very personal issue with DNF. I've DNFd so few games in my time that I can actually recall the few. Horizon Zero Dawn (didn't speak to me and had that ubisoft design I really don't care for), Tears of the Kingdom (not a huge fan of open world games, and it felt practically identical to breath of the wild), KOTOR 2 (still meaning to get back to it), and dark souls... I chalked dark souls up to a game that just wasn't for me. But it pissed me off because the whole of the game felt like it was made for me. Loved the design, aesthetic, the combat, but it's difficulty was literally the stuff of legend and was painted to me as being much harder than it truly is. I dropped dark souls for 5 years. And when I finally made my return and decided I would beat at least the first game regardless of how I felt to give me an impression of the entire souls Bourne series I fell in love. I've since wondered what might have been in those five years if I grew a pair and finished the gargoyles and had my "I get it now" moment. Now not every game is dark souls level quality and will be such a missed masterpiece that speaks to me so deeply, but this experience has ingrained in me a drive to see as much of a game as possible. To give it it's due. I also vet the games I play much more heavily these days, and have spent the last 2 years or so trying to catch up on all the indie masterpieces I missed. So generally thus far I've had pretty little interest in setting a game down cause the caliber of these games has been so high. Maybe when I've burnt through the "primary" Backlog and move onto the less important secondary Backlog ill be more careful with my time, but so far I've had little reason to regret my time investment.

[@Anubiszz512zz]

I guess Diablo 4 was also DNFd... but that game was just bad. Still think I got tricked into buying that one. I am somewhat ashamed my vetting process didn't save me from Diablo 4, so many people raved about it at launch. I really should have just given it a month before buying and I would have seen the truth before shelling out 70 bucks that blizzard didn't deserve. Also devil May Cry got DNFd and it's given me a similar sensation to dark souls feeling like it should be something I enjoy. I plan to try it again someday.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I will say I almost gave up on elden ring until I respec'd into a glintstone build. Now I've fallen in love with the game. That "when it clicks" moment is something I learned by bashing my head against the wall playing monster hunter so I 100% get where you're coming for. And yeah I vet games more heavily and wait till a bundle or sale to pick it up. If I finish five games in a year I consider that hard work lol. Man getting old sucks lol

[@Anubiszz512zz]

@ReptarusOnIce Sad. I don't have kids yet, I've been trying to make every moment count as a result. My wife will only be deterred so long lol.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

Lol I'll just say that there is no perfect time to have a kid. But in hindsight, me having my kids younger is making my 30s pretty damn fun. They're getting old enough I don't have to group up with randoms in games like fortnite lol.

[@amysteriousviewer3772]

I agree with this. To me, there are levels to DNF. Not all DNFs are created equal. There is the DNF because I just fundamentally don't enjoy a game and consider it genuinely bad, there is DNF because the type of game is not for me but I realise it is well made and lastly there is a DNF where I enjoy the game but it's just not the right game for me at this point in time. Only the first option is a hard DNF where I don't even consider touching the game again but with the other two I may give it another chance at some point.

[@EnvyOmicron]

I DNF'd Hotline Miami 2 despite really enjoying the first game, because the level design in the sequel was consistently unfair and frustrating, and it eventually became so needlessly cruel, that I ended up spending over an hour on just a single level. I still beat the level, but that was my breaking point where I realized it wasn't worth it anymore and decided to drop the game entirely. I didn't regret that decision then, and I still don't regret it now.

[@palams7861]

I DNF’d Dark Souls 1 (and inadvertently the entire Souls Series). I have replayed and defeated the 1st boss many times, and haven’t got much further every time. What frustrates me is that I do not “get it”. The community seems to praise it in places that I maybe I experienced elsewhere in my gaming history

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I said this elsewhere but I gave up on elden ring until I respec'd to a glintstone built then the whole game clicked for me. I own all three DS games but never finished one. I'm not yet experienced enough to find a simple way to describe FROMSOFT design and philosophy but despite the hardcover facade the community gives it... It's a game that 100% encourages you to find stupid, funky bullshit in order to power through the game lol. Once I embraced the cheese I went from many lows to many peaks. You realize that the static nature of everything allows you to exploit all of it.

[@pjryan37]

i couldn't finish balder gate 3, i found the combat extremely boring, the story just didn't hook me at all, and i ended up rushing some of the sections and being really underleveled with no option to go back to earlier sections and level up a bit. at that point i had enough and dnf't. btw really good video i really enjoyed it

[@xmcxii]

I mostly agree but when I apply this to like PVP only games or MMORPGs I get a bit iffy for PVP games like esp a lot of fighting games, it gets way more fun the more time u put into it. Like there is no story to finish or anything like that, it's essentially a game u can play forever in concept if the game is complex enough to never be able to fully master. But in this sort of games I time and time again see people dislike like them at first for purely bc they (understandably) don't know enough or feel like they aren't good enough or just generally lacking understanding of the game that u can only get from putting a lot of hours into it. It's the prime example for me of a type of game where I feel like you might have to go against this DNF principal. But I understand how there is a decent argument that if u have to unlock the fun of the game through time, then maybe it isn't worth it. But things obviously aren't black or white, like you mention if the story is so good that it carries you through the so-called bad gameplay then it's sort of fine. Fighting games have something similar, but it's not story but rather visual appeal and things feeling cool that carries you and motivates you to be able to see more of it. Just some thoughts from another area of gaming.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

Ooohhhh, I didn't think about fighting games and more pvp focused games! That's a good point about the fact that you have to invest a bit more time into the mechanics and (unfortunately) the meta. I think for me personally, if I'm going to invest time to learn a fighting game it's going to be because I want to be a sweat and consider some serious ranked play. Maybe I'll try to get into evo one day like fd signafier lol.

[@Arcanelake98]

DNF: Evil Within (did not like combat and everything was sad gray beige) Remnant II (hated every single enemy design and boss) Horizon Zero Dawn (boring story and bad voice acting) AC Origins and Valhalla (I discovered I hate any AC game after Syndicate😂) I can’t think of any more, but there are many. And I have stopped caring about finishing games. You are 100% right. Why not play a game I love again instead of forcing myself through one I dislike?

[@ReptarusOnIce]

HZD is a game I feel like I should just watch from a distance lol. The world looks amazing but.nothing about the gameplay draws me in.

[@Arcanelake98]

@@ReptarusOnIce exactly. All the screenshots and gameplay I saw of HZD made me think it was going to be an awesome experience, but it turned out to be very Ubisoftesque. All frills and no knickers.

[@theholypopechodeii4367]

​@ReptarusOnIce The combat in HZD good, and the story is very very interesting. The open world doesn't have enough in it though. The sequel HFW has better gameplay in every way. Unfortunately the main story is really bad.

[@asgads]

i agree. i often test out indie and high profile games via game pass, geforce etc. it´s fun just to check them out for a bit. great games that are made for you will find you, even if long ( shadow of the erdtree and persona 3 reload where too short for me )

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I think that this approach really makes those longer games that you do end up playing all the way through worth the time that you invested. With both of those games that you mentioned probably being examples that I would personally give as well.

[@MlemilieTTV]

FF7 Remake and Elden Ring are probably my two big DNF titles, I just couldn't bring myself to finish them at all Oh, also Hogwarts Legacy (I DNF'd that and uninstalled it before the other two even)

[@silenthilll_]

Hell nah finish FF7 remake. Easily can be finished within 4 days and the story is the biggest attraction

[@stealthgyro]

Uh it's Duke Nukem: Forever

[@ReptarusOnIce]

Ahhh dammit you're right. BRB deleting the whole channel. 😋

[@bobsope4284]

You absolutely do need to finish DS1. DS2 and DS3 can be skipped if you have never played them.

[@roqueadeleon]

I give a game about 30mins tops if at that point I’m not enjoying it I stop maybe revisit it later but yeah basically I call that “Abandoned” as of now I’m just focused on one game and don’t really have anything planned to play next even though i have hundreds of games on steam

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I can respect that, I will say I do miss how an older games they gave you all the powers and stuff in the beginning so that way you had an idea of what you were building up towards. I hate it when action games have a deep or complex system involved in their gameplay but you spend the first 5 hours with like two combos or to spells.

[@amadeusfuzz4320]

im super into ARPGs and was hyped for Diablo 4. I beat the story but could not bear to grind the endgame, picking up indistinguishable trash loot thats only worth something if you gamble away one of its affixes. not worth it because the open world was boring. ill try it again next year maybe

[@Guancous]

You also don’t need to collect everything or get every achievement

[@6ch6ris6]

ffs don't preorder, don't buy special ultimate shit whatever editions don't buy microtransactions don't buy batlle passes

[@aaronwinter447]

I enjoyed Far Cry New Dawn and DNF'd Far Cry 5 after killing John and Faith. Never went north to whitetail mountains or Jacob. Fight me!

[@GhibliNova]

DNF originated in Formula 1 before WW2 😂

[@DnalorNibul]

Gravity Rush. The physics and stuff were cool but the reading and constant unimportant and uninteresting dialogue with usually pretty boring characters was too much for me. But most importantly, everything you do just felt inconsequential.

[@lifeisdead01]

Nier Automata. I'm sorry.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

That was the game I was thinking of when I said "26 endings" lol

[@zaboomba6635]

I am tempted to say you should just push through it, but then I’m doing the same thing that people do to me when I say I DNFed the Witcher 3 or FF7 remake

[@lifeisdead01]

@@zaboomba6635 I couldn't finish witcher 3 either lol. Beat ff7 remake though, I don't think you're missing much

[@nms0805]

I felt guilty for a while when I'd play a game for a few hours and it just didn't click with me, resulting in me dropping the game. The ones I don't regret dropping and moving on from were Sonic Mania and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. I really wanted to like both of these games, but Sonic Mania frustrated me to no end with sparse save points and annoying bosses. I hated having to keep replaying levels and starting over again. With OoT, this is the Zelda game that is so beloved and "timeless", but personally the plot wasn't driving me that hard and I think the design of the world of OoT has aged like shit imo. I progressed up to the Goron village and got confused on where I was supposed to go. I really disliked all of the backtracking and the game felt way too slow in its progress. I think Ocarina is one of the most overrated Zeldas ever. Now I can feel confident in dropping a game that I'm either not feeling or not clicking with.

[@radiobe4179]

Awesome song in the background! Is it from Cult of the Lamb or from Going Under?

[@ReptarusOnIce]

Yes it's from Cult of the Lamb!

[@leeellis47]

Lmao I am in the same boat as you with twd I loved it at first but it felt like a chore after a while

[@sondersensei1499]

thank you.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

You're welcome

[@megancao5988]

Great video!!!

[@SaltyCalhoun]

Gamers need higher standards

[@theholypopechodeii4367]

I did not finish FF16. Went on for way too long and the combat is not very good. The story really drags on after a while. I was still having fun when I dropped it (imo game is like a 7/10 overall but more like 5/10 at the last 3rd and 9/10 in the 1st 3rd). Problem was when I got to that point, armored core 6 came out so I played it instead and just never went back to FF16 cos AC6 was a 9/10 the whole experience.

[@Draconicrose]

What's the anime at 3:08? Looks interesting.

[@ReptarusOnIce]

Cyberpunk Edgerunners.

[@Draconicrose]

@@ReptarusOnIce Thank you! It was a good video btw, I fully agree. Letting go of the Must Finish mentality was the best thing I've done.

[@zerocalvin]

hmmm something tell me that, you make this video just to justified why you quite watching walking dead during season 3..

[@ReptarusOnIce]

I wasn't wrong, just early lol.

[@madspunky]

The problem is bad games (usually AAA) getting hyped. But games that are actually great, they should be completed. The notion that a great game might not be 'your thing' I find to be overstated. If one isn't moved by Outer Wilds, Disco Elysium, Guilty Gear, Deus Ex, Cruelty Squad, etc., I really believe they're missing a golden opportunity. The whole point of playing games is to enjoy them, and that requires effort. If you really want to respect your time, learn media literacy and get the most out of every time you pick up a game. Still have a lot of good points, so yeah, DNF all those overdrawn mediocre games!