Topic: HOW are you playing your games

Since people are constantly demanding more and more games, do you even finish the ones you own, and HOW do you finish them ?
Is a quick run through enough for you ? Are you doing some side objectives too ? Or do you even aim for 100% completion ?

I always aim for 100% completion, but I do it slowly. It took me over 4 months to entirely finish Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

I wonder about this a lot, too. I only own a Wii U and 3DS, and there are more games for each than I have time and money to play. Everybody complaining that the Wii U does not have enough games must be a retired sports star or something to have enough money and time to buy and play all the games that it does have.
But to answer the question, I'm still working on them. It goes slow because I'm usually busy with life and don't get to play that frequently. I usually just try to finish, and if I deem it fun enough to go back and try to do everything later, I will.

It varies by game for me. I'm going through a backlog right now and I notice I shy away from 100% completion most of the time. I DO want to get as much done as I can, but once side quests get tedious for me and I stop having fun, I tend to stop collecting everything. Like, in the Zelda games I do pretty much everything but the extra Pieces of Heart. But in a Mario game, I try to do everything (stars, gold flag poles, etc.)

Depends on what it is. Some games I'll blow right through in a week. Others, I'd rather take my time and nurse it like a fine glass of wine (ie. Zelda). I also like aiming to collect and discover as many goodies as I can. That also depends on the game though. Arkham City made me want to go back in and do everything as did Ocarina of Time. Some games, you don't even want to bother with them.
Some games I'll play halfway through the main mode, and then put it down and never come back. I got to the final sequence on Assassin's Creed 3 a couple months ago and I haven't finished it yet. Then I have games I haven't even played.

With more games comes more variety. Not everyone likes the same thing.

I try to only buy games that i wanna not only complete but also play again ...im very selective and i try to avoid buying games that i will want to sell later

I have been like 70 or 80% sucsessful in doing that i, i think

Sometimes i buy a lot of games in a short period of time, but some other times i will gladly pass a whole year without buying games if theres nothing that seems relevant

I just want a game or two that I know I'd be very interested in playing beyond Super Mario 3D World. That said, I've not had the motivation to start up Wind Waker HD yet and most of the Wii U titles I got last year aren't really pulling me in. 2013 was a bad year for my interest in their games overall though, and I have been trying to get back into some of those games. Working on Pokémon X right now, but I have had the urge to finish up Pikmin 3 as well. As far as how I complete the games, they've got to be really good to make me want to 100% them, otherwise it's just a standard completion. There's always the chance of me replaying a game, but most of that priority goes to Metroid titles and the Wii U has none.

I 100% the games I find fun & just play through others.

When I was a teen I always went for 100% completion and would play the snot out of the games I loved. Nowadays, I tend to go for end credits over completion because now I have too many games and not enough time to play them. It does give me an excuse to go back and play it later (I'm looking at you LCU, NFS:MW & SC:BL ). I think I take my time with them. I like to do sidequests/missions which is probably what turned me off ACIII, getting lost in all the extras and forgetting the main. Reached Sequence 7 and stopped. Platformers are a different story. I can get obsessive about completing them 100%.

I've never had the patience to 100% a game. The few times I have done it, the game has either been relatively small or I did it with my brother which made it more fun.

Usually, I play through the campaign, or story mode, and continue playing if the game holds my attention.

For games that go on after the story (Pokémon and other RPGs), I try to find other secrets and missions to prolong the experience after the story's over.

For games that simply end (Zelda, Resident Evil, and other games more akin to films), I beat the campaign and let the game rest for a while before considering a second playthrough or opening my save file to try and get certain collectables before beating the final mission once more.

For games that have other modes and features after the main story (Call of Duty, Mario, and the like) I play through the game and save the extra stuff for when I want to revisit the game or just want to play a game I know I enjoyed.

Games that don't have a story like NintendoLand, Super Street Fighter IV (arcade mode doesn't count), and such I play through usually with friends and try to familiarize myself with the single player experiences.

Since I have such a huge backlog, I usually just try to beat games rather than %100 them. If completing the game isn't too much of a chore though, I'll do it.

The story and trying to get most of the side quests are enough for me. I always go back and play the game on harder level as well. Like Halo I usually play it on Heroic by my self than meet up with some friends online to tackle legendary.

I always have the habit of completing my games 100% but here's the thing. I only complete those that offer me more levels not give any benefit. For example, I complete platform games 100% because they offer me more but in games like Zelda, I don't bother because they only give me benefit to make progress much easier.

But in rare cases like Mass Attack where I don't like completing stuff, I don't bother with those.

I dont even bother with easy or normal...i go straigh to the hardest dificult as i never know if i will have time and disposition to go back and play it again

That is a tricky one. When I was young (kid/teen), I used to 100% a game and replay it again, I guess that was mainly due to having more free time and no source of income to buy more games. Now I have a backlog of games and less time to play them. I can't even play story based games through to the end anymore; ex. a full year and I still haven't beat FE: Awakening.

Long story short, I 100% arcade like games like The Wonderful 101 and I'll be lucky to even get to the end of story based games like Batman: Arkham City due to restarts.

Depending on the game, I beat them but I may do more if the game is engaging. I seldom get 100% on any game as that usually requires to find hidden trinkets or beat an (almost) impossible level or boss. I got all fruit in Pikmin 3 but I never got the secret numbered files.

With Wonderful 101, I beat the game on easy and left it there. A few weeks later I picked up again and beat it on every difficulty above that one. Currently finishing the 101% Hard playthrough. I love how the different bottle caps net you new characters.

As you may imagine, my backlog is huge, so you will never hear me complaining about a lack of games.

depends on the game, I usually just play until I'm bored and only try to 100% games I don't want to lose my data by starting over(and I do start over my games, a lot) and I NEVER try to 100% ANY main series Pokémon game(I'm not into that Pokédex completing madness)

My OCD always kicks in when it comes to collecting things. If I play a title too long I will sometimes jump to another one I haven't 100% yet. Usually I'm jumping only between 2-3 titles though. Wind Waker has taken a lot of my time lately. Though I've collected everything except all the statues so its basically at 100%. Some things I don't mind skipping.

That being said. Is it me or did games use to reward you better then most today. Super Mario U did nothing special when I finished it 100%, Wind Waker doesn't even acknowledge when you 100% it. I remember being upset with Donkey Kong Country wii because you 200% it and get a few extra pictures as a reward. I use to love some of the older games when they would change the main screen or add something cool when you completed a goal.

This pretty much describes me, except its 2-3 games per system, and of course always practicing MK and SSB.

Thank you ALL for the huge amount of replys Also for keeping your cool and actually discussing, thanks for that.
I myself are a hame hopper, at least, my diminishing personal time made me into one. Its very rarely that a game grips me in a way, that i finish it without any distractions. The last one i can remember would be Star Ocean 4.
Other than that, i pretty much get every gae that interests me and i hop between all games that are not finished by daily taste basicly.
You might have guessed that this does not really lead to much completion
I tackle games depending on the WAY they can be finished:
Games like 3D World are ALWAYS in a state, in which they can be completed fully. That way, im making a regular run through all levels first, getting everything i can but not especially looking for anything. Next i will finish up the collectables (Stars, Stamps) and last but not least, a casual finish flag rum (getting missing gold flags and character flags)
RPGs offer a problem though for example: Since i rarely have the time to finish a game multiple time, especially not RPGs, i want to get as much as i can in one go or at least finish it up in a state, that makes it possible to complete it afterwards. Some games make it really easy, like Crono Triggers NG+ and overarching collection, some games are very finichy with it: This is where i would use spoiler free guides to inform me, if there is content that is permanently missable (example: vanishing Quests in Xenoblade). Tackling a game that way leaves me with a clear conscious that i can return anytime and be able to produce a 100% file, but it can also get quite frustrating in som erare cases.

But still, i have such a huge backlog, even in recent games that i am actually glad that the WiiU doesnt pump out interesting games twice a week. Over the years, i became a person who really wants to enjoy games instead of finishing them, seeing everything theyve got to offer, taking my time exploring every nook and cranny.