OldBoy

meaning if you buy a new game, do you only play that until you complete it or can you pop in another in-between? or if you buy a few new games, do you switch off or play just one through to completion?

i have a slew of all these new games that i really want to play, but of course i am all wrapped up in Halo at the moment and feel if i deter i would want to get wrapped up in the other game.

if you do switch off, i would really like to know how. if you have a rational or if you just pop it in when you feel.

Corey31

Switch off, but mainly because of the type of games I normally play.

You can't really ever "be done" with a game like Rock Band, Guitar Hero or NHL. You could possibly get bored of them and put that certain music game on the shelf for 6 months but I have found eventually I will get a feeling to play a certain song and will pop in Guitar Hero 2 to play it.

The same could probably be said for games with online play.

To answer the question I think you were possibly meaning to ask though, I tend to only play 1 "campaign" game at a time. If I get stuck in a part and can't pass then I may switch off to a different game but most of the time I only play 1 story-driven game at a time.

JohnSlider

They're just video games. I play what I want, when I want, and you should too.

tonyc3742

I switch off but I'm usually playing varied game types, so it depends on what i'm in the mood for. When I first get a good game, I play the crap out of it, but then I slow down and intermix it with other games. I also don't like to start more than one game of a similar type at a time.
Right now I'm playing Dragon Age, Borderlands, New Super Mario Brothers, and need to get back to Red Faction. Rock Band, "party" games like Scene It, XBLA games like Shadow Complex and Magic, and arcade/classic comps like Namco and Genesis get random play as well.

xmiyux

Exactly.

I rarely finish a game and i prefer gaming with friends more than single player. Then some days i am feeling pissy and want to play alone. Just play what you want and if it bores you move on. Plus that lets you snag the low hanging achievement points.

dvdsteve2000

I (usually) rent games, so I kind of stay with a game for the 5 (or 10) days. I have certain games that are always thrown in. Rock Band 2, NHL10, and CoDMW2 (or WaW Zombies) are my 'anytime' games right now, and I may get back into Magic: The Gathering & Pac-man:CE for some filler time. If a game is good enough, I will stay with it until I either finish it or get sick of it. Batman: AA, Assassin's Creed (I), Dead Rising, and Dead Space were my last 'exclusive' games.

mhg83

I used to play a handful of games at one time. I'd eventually get overwhelmed and would just play one game at a time.

Now i play one rpg and while playing through said rpg, I'll play shorter games one at a time.

boredsilly

I usually just play one campaign game at a time, but that's just because I don't really play that many campaign games. I think you have a better chance at finishing games if you stick with one at a time, but when games can be 15 hours long, or better, I can see getting tired of a particular game and switching to something else.

That said, "finishing" a game is not any kind of accomplishment, so you should definitely move around if something isn't working for you.

TheMadMonk

Games that have a plot/definite beginning and end I usually play through one at a time, but I will abandon a game if it sucks. Kinda like watching a movie; I don't watch part of a movie, take it out, watch part of another, then finish the first one. If I'm involved in a story (either in a game, or a movie), I like it to be one at a time. I also listen to albums, not singles.

chuckd21

My new year's resolution was to actually start finishing games again, so other than playing a game of Madden or some Rock Band here and there, I'm picking one game and playing it through start to finish.

sniper308

One campaign game (at least 1 new to me campaign, might play something else at the same time that I've been through before) at a time generally, but mixed in with something else to change pace.

Currently playing Batman:AA for the first time through, but also playing back through original Halo for a change of pace. So basically, only really immersed in Batman, as I've played through Halo a number of times.

I don't generally play through 2 similar genres at the same time. Gets too confusing on button layout, etc. Also, don't like too may story lines going through my head at the same time, as I'm usually reading something Sci-Fi as well. Currently reading Halo Evolutions.

Giantrobo

I just recently started playing more than one game at a time. It's always fun hitting the wrong buttons for grenades or clicking the wrong stick to crouch when I switch games.

MrX

I can only play one at a time (excluding sports games and Rock Band). I would never finish games if I played more than one. I'm about 3/4 way through Brutal Legend, but I'm starting to get bored with it, and if I started another game right now I don't think I'd go back to it.

fumanstan

I try and play one at a time, not counting sports games or multiplayer games. It's too hard for me to switch between single player games i'm concentrating on.

MoviePage

I almost religiously stick with only one game at a time, until it's 100% complete (or as close as I'm ever going to get). If I "test drive" a new game I've bought and then go back to the one game I'm currently working on, I start the new game over when it's time for that one to be my focus. I don't like to lose my immersion/place in the story of the game I'm playing, in much the same way that I don't watch more than one movie at a time and split them up into multiple viewings.

Games that don't really have story progression, such as Rock Band, Scene It, etc., are of course an exception.

Drexl

It depends on the game. If it's something with a fairly linear progression like a shooter, I think you could come back, preferably if you saved at the beginning of a level. With an RPG, it would be difficult to remember what you were supposed to do next, where you stashed your stuff, etc.

pinata242

I try to play 1 game at a time for myself per system. Other games get thrown in for various reasons. Currently, my schedule is like this:

DS: Dragon Quest V (need to finish this so I can move on to other games!)

PS3: God of War (almost done, then GoW2 and GoW3 when it comes out)

360: Assassin's Creed II is next for me. Borderlands still is in rotation for co-op play as well as Rock Band 2 for any time I get the itch. I am also in the middle of an Insane run on Mass Effect that I started while waiting for other games).

lordwow

I would say I primarily play one game at a time and dabble in others. Right now, it's without a doubt MW2 multiplayer. I'd say about 75% of my gaming time is spent playing that. The rest is DA:O, CivIV, L4D2 and AC2 all of which I haven't delved that deeply into.

edstein

This. I like to stay focused on the single player story so I can remember whats going on. Multiplayer games on the other hand I can switch off anytime.

OldBoy

a lot of this makes sense.

i saw the "what you are playing" thread and wondered how so many could play so many at a time, but online probably makes it easier, but with campaign games gtk that one is usually the focus for most.

i know if i got into another and perhaps liked more or saw the refreshingness of another i wouldn't go back to the other for sometime.

perhaps i will just pop in some others just for quick bursts and give me things to look forward to after Halo, but finishing 1 might make me want to keep on keeping on with the series. who knows...still having a blast with the new toy.

kms_md

i may play different games on different platforms at the same time, but, when i start a game, i usually play it until i am finished with it (or as finished as i am going to get). i do not like juggling various control schemes across games.

dvdsteve2000

Scott, I hate to say this (but I feel like I have to)...I really hate your avatar.

FatTony

I always stick to one game at a time, not including Rock Band. I've found that if I try to switch off of one game to another, I will probably get sucked into the new one and never make it back to the old one. So, I just try to get my money's worth out of one game before I'll let myself move onto a new one.

dsa_shea

Lately I've been one gaming it. I picked up Assassins Creed 2 a few days after Christmas and played it alone until I Platinumed it. Now I am busting through The Saboteur and I have the main storyline completed and I'm at almost 85% of the Ambient Freeplay. After I Platinum this one I think I'll go back to playing a few different games. However, I do have the Darksiders waiting on me but I haven't been able to think about playing it with The Saboteur in the system.

OldBoy

one day i hope to merge with it and become complete.