The one that got away...

[Dice]

Breath of Fire 4
I reached a jungle area during a vacation to Spain and then when I returned home I wanted to finish it but I got hooked on World of Warcraft(I already was mind you, I would only play that game except on those yearly 2 week vacations where I would always play a ps1 JRPG).

I was turned off the series after, what I consider to be, the worst ending in gaming history in BoF3. The final boss fight took me at least an hour of careful strategy during my summer vacation, and all I get is...that?

I swore off BoF after that, but apparently Bof4 is good? urrgh, maybe I'll have to get it. Maybe it's time for me to end my BoF boycott after...15-16 years.

IV has a great ending, and V/DQ has a predictable (and maybe all too happy) but suitable and beautiful ending.
Neither title really has much of an epilogue, but I'd argue that's a series much more about the journey than the destination.

[ultra7k]

Breath of Fire 4
I reached a jungle area during a vacation to Spain and then when I returned home I wanted to finish it but I got hooked on World of Warcraft(I already was mind you, I would only play that game except on those yearly 2 week vacations where I would always play a ps1 JRPG).

I was turned off the series after, what I consider to be, the worst ending in gaming history in BoF3. The final boss fight took me at least an hour of careful strategy during my summer vacation, and all I get is...that?

I swore off BoF after that, but apparently Bof4 is good? urrgh, maybe I'll have to get it. Maybe it's time for me to end my BoF boycott after...15-16 years.

IV has a great ending, and V/DQ has a predictable (and maybe all too happy) but suitable and beautiful ending.
Neither title really has much of an epilogue, but I'd argue that's a series much more about the journey than the destination.

No fair enough, I really enjoyed the journey of BoF 3, but I was just...so put off by the ending, I don't know why. I guess in retrospect I can appreciate it more than I did when I was 15 or 16, but still, it sort of stung to shell out $50-60 as a teenager to get that ending.

[Dice]

Breath of Fire 4
I reached a jungle area during a vacation to Spain and then when I returned home I wanted to finish it but I got hooked on World of Warcraft(I already was mind you, I would only play that game except on those yearly 2 week vacations where I would always play a ps1 JRPG).

I was turned off the series after, what I consider to be, the worst ending in gaming history in BoF3. The final boss fight took me at least an hour of careful strategy during my summer vacation, and all I get is...that?

I swore off BoF after that, but apparently Bof4 is good? urrgh, maybe I'll have to get it. Maybe it's time for me to end my BoF boycott after...15-16 years.

IV has a great ending, and V/DQ has a predictable (and maybe all too happy) but suitable and beautiful ending.
Neither title really has much of an epilogue, but I'd argue that's a series much more about the journey than the destination.

No fair enough, I really enjoyed the journey of BoF 3, but I was just...so put off by the ending, I don't know why. I guess in retrospect I can appreciate it more than I did when I was 15 or 16, but still, it sort of stung to shell out $50-60 as a teenager to get that ending.

Haha believe me, I'm not disagreeing with the thoughts on III.

[ultra7k]

Another couple games that get away from me are FFXII and DQVIII.

FFXII -  I always have great intentions, and I truly enjoy the game. I love chaining enemy drops for better ones, but something always seems to get in the way of me actually progressing the plot beyond the inital encounter with the demon wall. Actually, I think I just made it past it last time. I'm sort of holding out playing it because maybe it'll get an HD remake...

DQVIII - my last go at it I think I got the furthest I ever got. Made it just past the thorn castle, then like other things. Life happens, and I stop playing. I will beat this one day. This game fixed everything I didn't like about VII, but I just can't find the time, and I absolutely love the characters. Yangus is always worth a chuckle as is Trode.

I know my time will be limited after I get married in september, so I kind of need to find the time now to beat some of these games lest they fade away forever.

[Aeolus]

@Aeolus: You've got some weird reasons for quitting titles.  I think I get it...but I also don't.

Its mostly a volume thing. Honestly, that list isn't even really comprehensive of my total list of dropped or never even picked up yet titles. Also, I shouldn't have included Disgaea since I did get 'an ending' for the game, thus beating it in some capacity.

The thing is, that I do come back to titles to finish them every once in a while. Like, I came back to MMX7 to finish it and finally lay down the fact that I hadn't beaten EVERY game in the MMX series.

Its just that most of the time, I start games to get a taste of their gameplay mechanics since I've always had a desire to make my own game.

[Monsoon]

Xenogears.  I have a save in the final dungeon (a big, empty black/gray area navigable in your mechs) but gave up.  I sold my discs, too.  Not sure if/when I'll ever get back to it, since I've forgotten most of the game.  Except that the best party is Fei / Citan / [does not matter, because of Fei and Citan]. 

[Holykael1]

Breath of Fire 4
I reached a jungle area during a vacation to Spain and then when I returned home I wanted to finish it but I got hooked on World of Warcraft(I already was mind you, I would only play that game except on those yearly 2 week vacations where I would always play a ps1 JRPG).

I was turned off the series after, what I consider to be, the worst ending in gaming history in BoF3. The final boss fight took me at least an hour of careful strategy during my summer vacation, and all I get is...that?

I swore off BoF after that, but apparently Bof4 is good? urrgh, maybe I'll have to get it. Maybe it's time for me to end my BoF boycott after...15-16 years.

Was it because of it's brevity?

[ultra7k]

Breath of Fire 4
I reached a jungle area during a vacation to Spain and then when I returned home I wanted to finish it but I got hooked on World of Warcraft(I already was mind you, I would only play that game except on those yearly 2 week vacations where I would always play a ps1 JRPG).

I was turned off the series after, what I consider to be, the worst ending in gaming history in BoF3. The final boss fight took me at least an hour of careful strategy during my summer vacation, and all I get is...that?

I swore off BoF after that, but apparently Bof4 is good? urrgh, maybe I'll have to get it. Maybe it's time for me to end my BoF boycott after...15-16 years.

Was it because of it's brevity?

Nah I think I just expected so much more, what that might be I couldn't tell you, just not what I got. It just happened to be one of those games I loved right up until I saw the ending, then wanted nothing more to do with the game.

[Yggdrasil]

SMTIV: The SMT series is overrated. Full stop.

Some titles more than others I would say, but is all a matter of preference. The main SMT series for me has always been consistently entertaining and interesting than most JRPGs in the long run.

[Dincrest]

Xenogears.  I have a save in the final dungeon (a big, empty black/gray area navigable in your mechs) but gave up.  I sold my discs, too.  Not sure if/when I'll ever get back to it, since I've forgotten most of the game.  Except that the best party is Fei / Citan / [does not matter, because of Fei and Citan]. 

Pretty much the same.  I was completely burnt out on Xenogears by the time I was cleared to enter the final dungeon and I don't regret just calling it quits.  I think I'd put in about 70-75 hours.  Everyone bitched at me about it, but thanks to YouTube, I got to see the ending.  Honestly, though, I'd have been fine without it even.  Like, I was so burnt out that a lack of closure wouldn't have bothered me at all. 

[Ranadiel]

Despite my avatar, and my love for the title, I still haven't beaten Baten Kaitos Origins even though I think the game is fucking awesome.  I get so distracted by a particular sidequest (it's a crazy collect-a-thon with an awesome reward), but then school happens, or other work, then I forget my sidequest progress (I'm thinking it might not be worth it, I should just beat the damn thing).

You know I think this might be the only game that I can recall starting and not finishing eventually over several years. Although my reason for not finishing it is that I suck at the game (shared deck balancing throws me off) so I started skipping fights, and thus I am now too weak to beat the final boss (or at least I think I left on the Final Boss).

The trick is a smaller deck that never exceeds (iirc) 40 cards so the good stuff cycles more often (it's almost funny when the games extends your card capacity because it's not recommended or wise to pack more), minimize or avoid character-specific armour (only use that "small gear" that the whole party can use), and insert those chain cards so Milly can stick up specially attack levels.  If you can't combo, even high levelled characters are going to do shitty damage, and the game makes stacking combos a necessity. 

It is a really hard game though.  I love that about it, but it's *tough*.  Some bosses honestly take a bit of luck or deck tweaking, one of them is just an asshole recovering his high-HP subordinates

...I wrote like you're gonna play it again, I'm sorry I got excited.

I might because it does bug me, I just have to remember this tip whenever I get around to it. x_x

[OrsonFury]

I'm always sad when I hear people didn't finish Xenogears or Xenoblade Chronicles. They both were amazing games that I felt a personal connection to. Those games did everything right in terms of gameplay mechanics, character development, soundtrack, story, sidequests, etc. Thankfully, today there's YouTube to catch a game's ending if a gamer is tired, burnt out and just can't bring themselves to finish a game.

[Dincrest]

For me, it's no slight against the game.  It was a very memorable experience, but I was just burnt out.  It's like with food.  I love pizza.  It's my favorite food.  But if I eat it multiple times a day for a month straight, I get sick of it.  I don't want it any more. 

[Dice]

I'm always sad when I hear people didn't finish Xenogears or Xenoblade Chronicles. They both were amazing games that I felt a personal connection to. Those games did everything right in terms of gameplay mechanics, character development, soundtrack, story, sidequests, etc. Thankfully, today there's YouTube to catch a game's ending if a gamer is tired, burnt out and just can't bring themselves to finish a game.

I totally recommend the latter (I mean, your avatar...!!).  I bragged about the game enough, and it is long, but I found it an almost perfect game to me (the "personal 10/10").

Honest to god, the Wii U can tank for all I care so long as I see a new [good] Zelda (eat ass Skyward Sword) and Xenoblade 2 I'll think it was worth it (and yeah a few virtual or digital-only releases doesn't hurt).

[insertnamehere]

I really don't get all the love for Xenogears' characters, since it went with the Star Ocean tactic of so many characters that they start to detract from ones that're well developed.