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Is it collectibles ruining games?

Here is my issue.

I am playing Assassins Creed IV right now, and this game has TONS of collectibles. My OCD wants me to get as many as I can on that island, but then i start feeling anxiety because Im not doing anything to progress myself further along in the main story.

I feel like when there are so many collectibles, it detracts from the main game simply because they are using that as a way to extend the games lifespan rather than putting more focus into the main quest line.

Also, not having a clear cut reward at the end of the collecting also sucks. Its hard to get behind doing something so monotonous if you have no idea what you are doing it for.
Dude, I feel the same. Damn AC4.
 
Why do you like getting collectibles in AC4? You realize they're almost all useless to the game right? Most of it is junk that gives a few hundred $ per chest or animus fragments that do literally nothing. The mayan fragments give a single lowly outfit and the letters and manuscripts do nothing of importance either. Pretty much the only ones that have any nice use are the song sheets.

I actually meant the
files hacked from the Abstergo PCs
. While I initially hunted down everything like a bloodhound as Edward, immediately upon entering a new town/island, I'm really not too bothered anymore. Love reading the meta
Abstergo mails
, though.
 
I always deliberately miss the first "collectible" item in the game just to get it out of my head, otherwise my "completionist" side will get to me, forcing me to collect everything, ending up consulting the guide and completely ruin my enjoyment of the game.

So yes I hate it, even if it is completely optional. ;/
 
I have never been a collector. Do any of you still have that Donkey Kong or Mario 64 save with all the bananas and stars? Has it ever been worth all the trouble?
 
Black flag is the 1st AC that I enjoy getting collectibles. The system they have in that game is the most addictive collectable scheme.

I completely agree. I don't usually collect anything, but I can't stop in AC4. I paid the $0.99 for collectible locations, and I've been having a blast grabbing them. I don't think I would have bothered if I didn't know where everything is. It's hard enough picking them up sometimes. I spend half the time just staring at the beautiful world on PS4.
 
I completely agree. I don't usually collect anything, but I can't stop in AC4. I paid the $0.99 for collectible locations, and I've been having a blast grabbing them. I don't think I would have bothered if I didn't know where everything is. It's hard enough picking them up sometimes. I spend half the time just staring at the beautiful world on PS4.

You paid money for a collectible finder when they're already all on the map once you arrive at a location or take one of the forts?
 
It has gone a bit overboard lately. I dislike the collectables in the giant worlds ie acreed series, infamous, gta. My OCD kicks in from time to time and I find myself collecting everything, most recently the last of us,the uncharted series, and bioshock infinite.
 
I only pick them up if there's meaningful gameplay to be had. Arbitrarily placed items is pointless outside of the rare occasions when they are cleverly hidden.

To give some recent examples, platforming challenges to grab the extras in 3D World, or puzzles involved in Between Worlds' Maimai hunting.

The way Xenoblade handled it was bad. I get that loot management and gear customization systems are things in RPGs, I just don't care for the plain gameplay involved in finding collectibles. Scale them down considerably, and make the process of finding them more interesting. Basically how Skyward Sword did it.
 
I completely agree. I don't usually collect anything, but I can't stop in AC4. I paid the $0.99 for collectible locations, and I've been having a blast grabbing them. I don't think I would have bothered if I didn't know where everything is. It's hard enough picking them up sometimes. I spend half the time just staring at the beautiful world on PS4.
You wasted $0.99. All collectables appear on the map anyway once you've synchronised viewpoints (in towns and villages) or taken over naval forts (in the uncharted area). The only collectables which don't appear on the map are buried chests but even with them you are given exact coordinates to the town/village they are located.
 
Collectibles that have meaning are almost always good. However, having collectibles for the sake of having collectibles isn't good. I love collectibles that add to the story, character development, or are challenging/fun to collect. If they just sit there and you have to travel around everywhere to grab them, I won't collect them.
 
I only pick them up if there's meaningful gameplay to be had. Arbitrarily placed items is pointless outside of the rare occasions when they are cleverly hidden.

To give some recent examples, platforming challenges to grab the extras in 3D World, or puzzles involved in Between Worlds' Maimai hunting.

The way Xenoblade handled it was bad. I get that loot management and gear customization systems are things in RPGs, I just don't care for the plain gameplay involved in finding collectibles. Scale them down considerably, and make the process of finding them more interesting. Basically how Skyward Sword did it.

I'm surprised that I haven't heard more complaining about collecting in 3DW and ALBW since green stars are required in 3DW to progress and Maimais are needed for weapon upgrades.
 
The only collectibles that bother me are the ones in inFamous. They usually don't bother me in most other games since they're so benign and usually optional and as such I generally just ignore them, but in inFamous they were clearly going for some sort of heart piece-type vibe, yet they were so scattered around the world I felt like I was collecting feathers or flags in an Assassin's Creed game or something. It just seems like a pain in the ass when it's something that actually affects the gameplay like that. At least in Zelda there aren't as many of them and they're hidden in some clever places.
 
I like collectibles in general, but only if the worlds they are placed in are designed and unique enough to make them interesting. I have never and probably will never 100% any collectible-heavy game, because that sounds miserable. I do love exploring shit, maybe more than anything else in video games, and little digital points strewn about make it all better. Extra points if they have story/lore or contribute to some kind of unique progression.
 
I'm surprised that I haven't heard more complaining about collecting in 3DW and ALBW since green stars are required in 3DW to progress and Maimais are needed for weapon upgrades.

I'm guessing because it's equally entertaining i.e. stimulating as the main game. A green star fulfills the same goal as the flag pole / yellow star at the end of a level -- it's how you get there that's interesting (the platforming, the puzzles, the challenges), not the object itself.

Asking why am I collecting green stars or Maimai's is the same as questioning why you're playing the game to begin with.
 
I'm guessing because it's equally entertaining i.e. stimulating as the main game. A green star fulfills the same goal as the flag pole / yellow star at the end of a level -- it's how you get there that's interesting (the platforming, the puzzles, the challenges), not the object itself.

Asking why am I collecting green stars or Maimai's is the same as questioning why you're playing the game to begin with.

Yeah, I actually find those pretty fun to collect. Blue coins in Sunshine is a completely different story, however.
 
I'm guessing because it's equally entertaining i.e. stimulating as the main game. A green star fulfills the same goal as the flag pole / yellow star at the end of a level -- it's how you get there that's interesting (the platforming, the puzzles, the challenges), not the object itself.

Asking why am I collecting green stars or Maimai's is the same as questioning why you're playing the game to begin with.

I loved it in both games (though it can hamper fast replays in 3DW) and I enjoy exploring maps in games and finding secrets in general. I'm just wondering if some people found it a hindrance/roadblock to completing levels and dungeons.
 
I can't stand games that rely on them. Rare back in the day used to rely on them and it often got out of hand, DK64 comes to mind. I think if you have one set of things to collect, that is fine but when you have more than that, it becomes a bit obnoxious.
 
I think it depends on how they are handled and how fun they make them to find.

For example, I love collecting the star coins/green stars in the Mario games, and the stamps in SM3DW. They are placed in ways that it takes some skill to grab and in some cases can be very difficult to pull off.

Also, finding the Riddler trophies in Arkham Asylum and City were one of my favorite things to do.

On the other hand, finding dog tags in Wolverine broke the flow of the game for me, and collecting anything in the open world spider-man games always seems like a chore and their are way too many of them.
 
i liked the nightvision goggles they did awhile back. usually the standard is an artbook and soundtrack. i like it if its worth it, something unique and functional.

edit. u mean fetchquests slash sidequests?
 
Pointless, stupid shit, another lame trend just like achievements. Yes, I know we can just ignore them, but I'm still annoyed when games have them over meaningful secrets (which they almost always do).
 
When you mentioned DmC I thought this was gonna be about the Collection category of the Score you get at the end of each mission, and how superfluous it is.
 
I believe the addition of achievements has made the need for collectible nonexistent.... It's just game designers haven't realized it yet. Personally nothing takes me out the game more than the need to search for collectibles to the point I no longer bother & just pick up what's n the way
 
I don't have a problem with it. As long as post-game they have some way to make it easier.

Take inFamous. The first game was tedious as hell to go get Blast Shards. You had to find a map and go through that way. inFamous 2 had an ability you could purchase after you beat the game that let you find them easier.

The Amazing Spider-Man, when you have 100 left you can see them on the map. (there's 700 or something comics)

That makes sense for the open world games.

For more linear things, I think most are fine as is. Though I loved that Uncharted: Golden Abyss had a cheap ($0.99 I believe) DLC for a 'map'. It didn't spell it out for you, but offered to make it easier for you and it did.

I've always liked getting collectibles in games. They just need to avoid making it tedious. Especially post game. In linear games, we shouldn't have to run through an entire lengthy chapter to get to one thing. If you do that, at least separate chapters into checkpoints to make it quicker.

And have an indicator. I seem to recall the DLC for Enslaved not showing the collectibles in the chapter select. :\ How do you know what you miss if you can't see what's there/what you got?
 
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