[General Discussion] RPGs, a sprint or a marathon?

It really depends on the game. I used to make sure I finish everything I started regardless if I thought the story was weak or lame. Now I only finish what I actually enjoy, and as I said it depends on the game if I spend time leveling up or do sidequests. Examples would be Final Fantasy XII and Tales of Vesperia. I found FFXII to be rather bland and boring aside from the pretty cutscenes. The story was interesting enough but the battle and leveling up system just didn't do it for me. So I went through the game leveling only when I had to and staying focused mainly on the story. Tales of Vesperia was different, I actually played 1/3 through and then started over completly just because I thought I missed something. I spent hours just doing battles and leveling up my skills before advancing the story. To this day that is the only game that I achieved over 80% of the achievements. So for me it doesnt depend just on the story, but rather if the gameplay and interface are appealing to me.

Jam it back in, in the dark.