I beat that game...?

Out of curiosity, at what point do you feel that you've beaten a game? Once you've played through to the end? Unlocked all of the secrets? The previous two and gotten all the high scores?

For myself, I've always played through a game to the end and have rarely played to unlock all secrets etc unless it was a game I completely adored (maybe 10-20 games in my life). I feel that once I've played through to the end and seen the story through that there's not a whole lot of need to go back and play through it again to see an alternate ending, get more costumes, etc. Am I the odd one out on this?

I'm very forgiving on this. In my book, if you see the credits (if the game has them) or beat the recognized last boss/challenge, you beat the game.

In a game like JSR, when I've unlocked all the characters (PUPPPYYY!!!) and got all the other hidden crap, then I say I've beaten it. Nay, I say I've owned it ;)

...

In a game like Jet Moto 2, when I go through all the tracks once on the circuit mode (Forgot the real name), then I give it the last middle finger, high kick my tv, and then fling the CD across the room because I hated that game....

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I have emotional problems thanks to trying to get through that game :(

When I finish it I finish, regardless of scores or secrets...scmups are the exception, sometimes, if they have credits and such but those are usually games I play again and again. I don't spend hours getting all the classes and secrets in FFT or DW7

Playing it to the ending is beating it.

IT often depends on the genere of the game. The average fighting game can be finished in a matter of hours (sometimes miniutes). Those are games that are all about replaying- and not neccessarily for unlocking new features either.

Action/Adventure/Platform games often take a more sizeable investment of time. Finishing those types of games is more of a closure. Hence, the game can be said to be "beaten" even if there are secrets to be found.

Unlocking all features and finding all secrets comes after you beat the game. That's called "completing" a game.

I'll talk about shooters, since I'm finding myself increasingly disinterested in anything else. (well except 2D platformers, 2D action and run n' gun)

The more you play, the better you get. I'm not at the point where I'm good enough to really "master" most of the shooters I play, but I imagine someday I'll slowly start putting some tallies on the wall. I'd say 1upping a shooter is the goal; 1up the loop and you're a god. So for now I'm just content to play and play and play. Someday I'll beat them.

Once, I've seen the ending and credits, I consider the game over and done with. All the extras and bonuses are just that; bonuses.

I'll play the living snot out of most anything, but for shooters I don't consider them 'beaten' until I can take them out on a single credit, as every good shooter is meant to be played.

When the credits roll the game's beaten.

Whether or not it's good decides if I continue playing.

Well, When I'm playing the game I'm trying to to get all the secrets and finish all the quests, unless it the game that I'm not really interested in, and just playing it to finish, and be done with it.

For example, in DMC I was exciting in playing all the extra hard modes, and getting the secrets. But in Fear Effect 2, I just wanted to finish the game as fast as I could.

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Originally posted by Despair

For example, in DMC I was exciting in playing all the extra hard modes, and getting the secrets. But in Fear Effect 2, I just wanted to finish the game as fast as I could.

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I find myself doing this all too much. There is about one game every year that I just fall in love with and fully complete the game. The rest of the year I am either playing that said game in that said quest or I am bitching and moaning about having a game like that to play. There are numerous games I wish I could get into like that or games I feel deserve the attention but just don't hook me and then I feel all bad and like a neglective parent...:(

A game is "beaten" when the credits roll.

A game is "completed" once you've seen everything the programmers put into it.

I've beaten many, but completed few - those games have to be worth it, whether through extras or because the game's just that frickin good.

I don't think games like sports games and shooters are ever completed. You can always do better.

Just like a movie, once those credits roll it's over.

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Originally posted by Mode7
I'll play the living snot out of most anything, but for shooters I don't consider them 'beaten' until I can take them out on a single credit, as every good shooter is meant to be played.

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Par usual, I'm in complete agreement with Mode7.

-Gon

I never get around to unlocking COMPLETELY everything in most games...

Sometimes it simply isn't worth it.

The more I keep reading the term "beat the game," the less and less sense it is making to me. Damn language.

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Originally posted by BioMechanic
[B]A game is "beaten" when the credits roll.

A game is "completed" once you've seen everything the programmers put into it.

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Exactly what I was going to type.

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Originally posted by Schlep
Out of curiosity, at what point do you feel that you've beaten a game?

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When it's lying on the ground and can't get up :p

God, I have so many games I need to complete just looming over my head... the bane of my existance are RPGs. I love 'em, but I just don't have the muthafookin time to beat them all, let alone try to "complete" them.

I like games with organized goals, such as a training mode (like in HOTD2 and Confidential Mission), or something to keep track of and TELL you when you have 100% and can put the damn thing away forever (like in most Nintendo games... SMW, Metroid 3, Super Punch Out!! (beat all the time attacks and EVERYTHING, yeah!)) I consider a game complete when all goals set by the designer have been accomplished. Like getting 100% in GTA3. Sure, you can go achieve goals that you set for yourself, like flying for a certain time or stealing a bulletproof vehicle, but I say screw that!

But that was the point I had... I hate the way RPGs are so... unorganized. Do I need to find every single type of item to complete it? Does that mean I have to keep 1 of each type of armor, weapon, etc.? Do I need every spell and whatnot for every character, and do I max them out to Lvl. 99? Lately, I've been playing through by myself (no guide, of course) once, and what I find I find. Then, if it's good enough, I play again with a guide, and get everything that the guide denotes. Like I said, it's love/hate with me and RPGs.

Back from the dead bump. :p

I wanted to reply to this as my opinion's done a complete 180 since I originally posted this thread. In Kingdom Hearts, for example, I'm at level 51 with Sora right now, and I could pretty much finish the game within the next couple hours. But, I've gotten all 99 dalmations, I want to level up so I can do the Hades cup, and then after that I want to level up to beat Sephiroth. And I absolutely must beat Sephiroth with the Ultima Keyblade. :D

I think at the time, my main reason for not playing through games this much was that 1) I was buying too many games (which I'm doing a bit of now, but these are gonna last me through college, hehe) and 2) I was just bored with games in general...not anymore. :D

Anyway, just an update on something insignificant, hehe. Maybe some more people would respond to the original question.

As many others have said, when the credits roll then the game is beaten. The point where I start feeling proud about how I played depends on the genre.

If I get the end I say I've beaten it, but I havent finished with it until it stops being fun.

For me it really depends on the game. Some games I play through to the credits. Others I want to unlock everything I can. Still others I play over and over again... Plus, with different genres there are different notions of beating the game.

It's kind of genre-specific for me. A few examples:

If it's a fighter or shooter, I won't say I've truly bested the game until I've really felt that I mastered it. Anyone can continue over and over and make their way through something eventually, but when you can really kick a game's ass, then that's something.

For action games, I play to receive the best ending. That means anything from beating it on the default level to beating it on 'ultra hard' or even beating it in X amount of hours, just for personal satisfaction, a few more lines of text or a new cinema.

For RPGs and most adventure games, once I'm through, I've pretty much seriously been through the bulk of the game. I'm fairly lucky when it comes to finding easter eggs and cool stuff, so I usually feel quite satisfied with saying I've beaten them.

Puzzle games are 'beat' when I make it through all of the available challenges.

It depends on the game, really. With Devil May Cry, I beat it and put it down. Maybe, one day if I'm really bored I'll go back and do hard mode and unlock everything, but probably not.

But with shooters I feel compelled to do every last thing - I unlocked everything in Mars Matrix, and if you know how that goes, you know how long that took - which is why I don't buy them very often.

But something with multiple endings can usually compel me to see them all. Which reminds me, I've got to go play Silent Hill 2 again...