[General Discussion] One. Hundred. Percent.

If I'm still having fun, I'll push for one hundred percent. Sometimes I'll go through something tedious for one hundred percent, but I can only go so far. I wasn't about to do some of the absurd things in FFX for example like play Blitzball for hours on end or challenge every imaginary monster in that silly Monster Arena. But getting one hundred percent in a game like Banjo Kazooie is a blast. I've done that with quite a few of my favorite platformers and adventure games. (DKC2, SM64, Metroid Prime, Super Metroid; Zelda OOT I did everything but I don't think I got every Golden Skulltula - GTA3 I did practically everything except get every hidden package) Also a few FPS games. (Timesplitters 1 & 2, Goldeneye; Perfect Dark I completed all the multiplayer challenges by myself, but I never did all of the target range nor unlocked every cheat - not that I didn't try hard and acquire some specific ones I wanted) The only RPGs I've played over often enough to shoot for any sort of ultimate completion are of course my favorites. Chrono Trigger (got every rock, baby; though I only recently discovered a while back that Magus had an ultimate weapon beyond the Starscythe), Final Fantasy VI (taught everyone every magic), Earthbound (yes, I get the Sword of Kings everytime no matter how long it takes - never did get that Broken Antenna though since the guide misled you on it; now I now that the smiling orb guy in the Tenda Village dungeon drops it...), Super Mario RPG (Sheep Attack ftw, lol), and Final Fantasy Tactics (who doesn't love catching rare weapons?). I also got every spell to level 8:99 and every character to level 99 in Secret of Mana and picked up some nice rare armors. That game was my first full-fledged RPG experience though. (Willow was technically my first RPG) It taught me the value of gameplay even in an RPG. ^_^

Originally Posted by Kolba

It depends on the game. Any Zelda game is an example where I strive for completeness, because at no stage does the perfectionism outweigh my enjoyment of the game. It's fun galloping around Hyrule field for long periods of time of not really achieving much besides occasionally adding another heart piece or gold bug to my collection. Just being in Hyrule itself without doing anything, just moving from one place to another, is an enjoyment itself, so having these little aims along the way give me an excuse to do that.

Except for Majora's Mask. The 3-day mechanic made it a pain to have to redo certain things in order to gain access to a particular area again. Anyways, I don't think I've ever had that much fun just getting across a Zelda overworld/hub. That's for bigger Zelda fans than I, I suppose.

Originally Posted by Kolba

A recent example where I just thought fuck that at the thought of 100% completion is Metroid Prime. Because of the way it's structured, certain places are inaccessable until you get certain items - it's kind of like Zelda in that respect, but where Zelda suceeds and Prime fails is that the Zelda world is like a huge open playground where it's just a joy to move through (I'm repeating myself), whereas Metroid Prime is much more linear A to B to C affair, and it was a chore to get from one place to the next at certain times. I was bored by the mere idea of going back to all those out of the way places and scouring for all those spots which I couldn't access the first time, just for the sake of a nice 100% on the stats screen.

Metroid Prime isn't as bad as you say, because later on there are often alternate entrances into various areas, so that sometimes you can go from A to D. I had no problem with going for 100% in that game. However, it's probably not as easy to get where you want as in Super Metroid, since the space jump in SM makes it a breeze to get anywhere.

I've always liked Metroid more than Zelda though. Probably because the various areas in Zelda sometimes feel like intervals between dungeons (especially Wind Waker with all that sailing) whereas in Metroid the whole world is one big interconnected area for exploration. Plus the fact that there are enemies who go about their business makes the world feel more real. In Zelda, every enemy is there to assault you the moment they see you. OOT is the only Zelda game I consider great on the level of Super Metroid and Metroid Prime. I haven't played TP yet though.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Kolba

Respawning enemies pissed me off a great deal also. I know the Zelda overworld is full of respawning enemies too, but it's a lot easier to ignore them and avoid confrontation.

I do remember being truly annoyed with the Chozo Ghosts. Makes me wish you could get the X-ray visor sooner.

Originally Posted by Kolba

This is where we differ. The Zelda overworld is just as important a part of the game for me as the dungeons. In fact it's often the dungeons I find to be the intervals - nevertheless extremely fun ones that I look forward to*.

Maybe so. Riding Epona is fun but I didn't find Hyrule field to be particularly memorable in itself. What I always look forward to is the puzzle solving of the dungeons as well as the opportunity to gain new items and upgrade my stats.

Originally Posted by Kolba

*As testament to this, I'm 25 hours into TP, and I've only done 2 dungeons. They're kind of taking a back seat at the moment, as I'm enjoying roaming about the overworld so much. I think you'd like TP by the way, it's very OOT reminiscent).

Sounds good. I need to play TP.

Originally Posted by Kolba

I know this is a common complaint, but I either never felt this was a problem, or I just allowed it to balance itself out in my head because of the plus points that also came with such a unique system. The main point of the 3-day mechanic role is - as well as offering a much commented-on uniquely dark and foreboding atmosphere for a Zelda game - to bring into play the games massive township related sidequest system, which I had a lot more fun playing around with than the dungeones of that game. It's probably why I have a lot of love for MM - because my view of the Zelda games isn't dungeon-centric like yours and a lot of other peoples.

It just doesn't appeal to me, I guess. I understand the idea of having things happen at specific times, but having to reset to the first day just irks me, especially since you have to do that to save your game. Having to redo certain things and pick up some of the quest-related items again and again just rubs me the wrong way.

I wouldn't pass it off as stemming from a dungeon-centric view though. One of the things that I like about OOT is how cinematic everything is. The epic feel and contextual variety makes a lot of the non-dungeon areas worthwhile. That's why I like it more than Alttp, even though some people would argue that that one has better dungeons. Everything you did in OOT felt like a unique event whereas in Alttp it was more like okay, you rescued the girl in the crystal, now move on to the next. Alttp had various fortune tellers and one town, but a lot of that stuff didn't stand out much, except for whacking chickens. At least that's how I felt about it. In OOT, you remember the cemetary race, the sneaking around in Gerudo Valley, the scope of Lake Hylia. That's another thing I didn't care for in MM. A lot of the stuff seemed to be recycled from OOT. Not because it belonged in the world of MM but simply because it had been a functional gameplay element of OOT. The forest maze concept was reused for no good reason. Then there's a cemetary chase of sorts that the Deku King's aide forces you to go through for a mask. I've no doubt that there are more, but I lost interest in the game after completing the first dungeon. The so-called darker story didn't appeal to me much either. Skull Kid just seemed to be another emo angsty tragic villain. I'll take Ganondorf's evil ambition over that anime-inspired whining anyday.

There's nowhere I can't reach.