Most Addictive Game You've Ever Played?

[Vilge Duin]

Recently I went about upgrading my computer to have more ram and installed a new DVD drive, I've accumulated Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Beyond Good & Evil (those came in an Ubisoft action pack thing for $10), Knights of the Old Republic, Rollercoast Tycoon 3 Gold, Rome: Total War Gold, Warcraft III Battlechest (again), Star Wars: Empire At War and LotR: Battle for Middle-earth. Plus I still have the Sims 2 and The Punisher lying around.

Quite a load of games to get through (which I all got pretty cheap, except Empire at War). And so I got to thinking today... Why the hell can't I stop playing Knights of the Old Republic? I've clocked in over 30 some odd hours on that within the past week or so, without barely even touching the others. Something about this damn this is addictive. I can't help but just give myself "Oh just five minutes for some Pazaak, maybe kill a few Sith, nothing too big". Then a couple hours goes by. I haven't been addicted like this since I first played San Andreas (clocked in 72 hours in a week). It's the damn music and sound effects...

The two games I put the most hours into have to be Final Fantasy VI (old SNES cart), Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X and Chrono Trigger. I used to have a tradition where every summer when I was still in school I would play and beat FFVI in July and then Chrono Trigger in August. Final Fantasy VII I played through twice, but I'm not sure how many hours since both saves maxed out the timer. Final Fantasy X was just evil with that idiotic Blitzball that I would up having two saves going over 130+ hours. Didn't help that it was the only PS2 game I had for the first couple years I had one. Super Mario Brothers 3 and Mario World were very addictive back in the day.

So any games that just make you want to keep playing? Even if it means you ignore everything else.

Edited March 5, 2006 by Vilge Duin

[TheCrippler]

I did the same with both KOTOR games. Just couldn't stop playing.

Final Fantasy 7 also took up a lot of my time, as did manhunt.

[Scott McFly]

I'd say the Championship/Football Manager series, I think a lot of people have this problem. The whole experience is just so damn addictive it's hard to stop once you start. I'm actually afraid to start playing the game again now as I'll never get any of my uni coursework done, so I try to stick to games I can just dip in & out of.

[The Slickman]

Agreed FM / CM Series . Its handy when you go on a run of losing a few games because it annoys you so much you turn it off and can actually get other work done .

[TheArsenal]

Yup. Football Manager/Championship Manager.

Far too much time gets spent on that game....

[MDK]

Championship Manager 3 killed my social life when it came out.

[John Stones' Paint Trophy]

Football Manager 2006 is killing my social life at the moment.

And up to a few days ago, so was FF8. I haven't been out much recently thanks to those two games.

[GhostMachine]

PS2 games? Final Fantasy X, Xenosaga Episode I, MLB2k5 and Tekken Tag Tournament. The first day I got MLB2k5, I spent over 6 hours playing it (mostly in career mode or whatever its called - the one where you're the general manager and coach), only stopping to go use the bathroom or to get something to drink. I logged a lot of hours on FFX and Xenosaga I doing nothing but fighting to level the characters up and I was addicted to playing Blitzball in FFX. Tekken Tag, I had all the characters' endings unlocked in less than a week. (And that includes the extra endings that a couple of characters have) Xenosaga II and Tekken 4 I took my time with. I haven't played FFX-2 or Tekken 5 yet.

PC games, I'd have to say Master of Orion I and II (I logged more hours than I would care to remember on those - never did play III), and World of Warcraft if MMORPGs count.

If you have a PS2 (or PSone) and want games you'll end up spending a lot of time playing, get Legend of Dragoon and Final Fantasy Tactics. They're both Playstation games, but are (to borrow a phrase from a certain wrestler) that damn good. (I'm pissed there wasn't a Legend of Dragoon sequel)

[The Kraig]

Pokemon games. KOTOR games. The CM/FM games. EWR/TEW/booker games. Civilization games.

Basically anything RPG or strategy/simulation. I can really get into them. I spent almost the entire Easter holidays last year playing KOTORII. And I'd do it again this year if my disk would fucking work.

I've also clocked up 13+ days on my current FM game. As in, day = 24 hours. So 312 hours, at least. The game tells me to put FM in my CV now. Of course a large amount of that time was processing and such, and I tend to play games on my consoles or watch TV while it processes stuff.

[Colly]

I actually haven't played a Champ Man since 1997, such was its impact I needed to drop it entirely to get through school. I now fear letting it get its claws back into me, girlfriend and job would be right out the window.

[RebornInFlames]

Since I got my good computer back I haven't stopped playing WreSpi. A good 30+ hours in the last two days.

So that plus most RPG's. If I had to choose a single most addictive it would be Legend Of Zelda: OoT.

[figos]

KOTOR 1&2 and Pokemon Red

[Darloboy]

Football/Championship Manager

I dread to think how much of my life I've wasted playing those games in total.

[gunnar hendershow]

Football Manager has been consuming close to every evening since I got it.

I'm going to play it right now.

[supergrass]

I think the feature CM/FM introduced to tell you how long you'd been playing was one of the worst things for me. Doesn't stop me playing it any less, but it does makes me feel more guilty when I see how much time I'm racking up on those games.

I probably got hit worse with the 97 CM, I hate to think how much time I spent on that, I'm glad I don't know.

[Guest [ Tyler ]]

The Sims 2 series...too damn addicting...

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

All Championship Managers from the very first one (where you could buy Lineker from Grampus Eight) are far too addictive.

I limit myself to buying one every couple of years now.

As far as addictive goes:

Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 & 3

Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, SA

Pro Evolution Soccer 2, 3, 4

[Quom]

I'm up to 9 days in Perfect Dark multiplayer. It's probably been over 10 days when you add in the single player crap and the shooting range and what not.

[Liam]

The CM/FM series, and FF7

Seriously, no game can bring me the same joy as CM/FM does. Considering at the end of the day, it's just line after line of commentary, when you beat your rivals 3-2 with a 25 yard free-kick in the 92nd minute, other games just don't rival how good it feels.

Then the bottom of the table team comes to yours and beats you 3-0 the next week....

[CKN]

PC

NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2005

Eastside Hockey Manager

Total Pro Basketball 2005

Total College Basketball

PSP

Burnout Legends

Metal Gear Acid

X-Men Legends II

Lumines (don't own it but played at friends and played for so long battery almost ran out)

PS2

Soul Calibur 3

Kingdom Hearts

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (When it is released it will be here)

Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City and San Andreas