Gamasutra just posted up an interesting article which examines the game completion rates of the top 13 Xbox360 titles being played on XBL for 2008. Go ahead and check out the article for details, but the general idea is that the majority of people never finish the single player portion of the game in this day and age.

The data was tracked utilizing achievements, and broken down in two aspects:

% of players / % of achievements gained for a game
% of players / % completion of the game in itself

For those unfamiliar with how achievements work, here’s a basic summary. Developers integrate achievements which are objectives/milestones that the game will track and once unlocked, will add to your overall gamerscore. Some can be based off of optional objectives, such as “get 500 headshots with the pistol”, where upon shooting 500 people in the head with a pistol will result in your unlocked achievement, and a few points added to your overall gamerscore. You can very well finish a game, and never get 500 headshots, which is something that may be above and beyond the normal gameplay scope for some gamers. Other games on the 360 will contain achievements that will naturally unlock as you play, such as your standard “finish chapter x”, which upon clearing said chapter of the game will unlock.

Since Microsoft has access to the account of every gamer, they can easily track the progress of each gamer, how many achievements they’ve unlocked, their gamerscore, etc The article features data provided by Microsoft, which points out games like Call of Duty, that contain achievements for finishing the last chapter of the title. By aggregating achievement data from a source of about 14,000 gamers, they are able to develop a percentage of players who have made it to a certain point in the campaign. Long story short, if you never unlocked that “cleared the final chapter of the game”, then you obviously never finished the game, even if you nabbed that 500 headshots achievement.

Percent Completion of Achivements via Gamasutra

Keep in mind, the difference between completing a game from a achievement perspective, and from a storyline/campaign perspective. You can completely finish a game, but not get all of the achievements. The question they have poised, is why players never finish the storyline portion of a video game. There are hundreds of factors that can lead to a gamer not completely finishing a game, so there’s no right answer here, only hypothesis. I’ll take a stab at why I think people don’t finish a storyline.

I’ll base my theories on the games featured in study, which are: Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Gears of War, Fable 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Battlefield: Bad Company, GTA IV, Rainbow Six Vegas

Percent Completion of Campaign via Gamasutra

Based on the list of titles in this study, I would assume that the issue lies within the strong push for a multiplayer focus as opposed to the campaign. I honestly don’t think the difficulty in any of these titles is enough to stop a person from playing or finishing the campaign. The other factor for some of these may simply be boredom. Let’s examine on a title by title basis.

Call of Duty 4
I would attribute not finishing the campaign for this title to the multiplayer experience. All of the achievements for this game focused on the single player aspect of the game, and as  huge fan of this campaign, I played through and grabbed all 1,000 points available. I do however, have a decent amount of friends who never finished, let alone played the campaign and went straight to the multiplayer component. Let’s rule out boredom, because this game had anything but that as a factor, in my opinion.

Deciding Factor: Multiplayer

Halo 3
I would like to think that the majority of people playing Halo 3 didn’t actually play the first or second installments for the franchise. That being said, there could have been little incentive to play through and finish the campaign. Add in the fact that a newcomer to the Halo series would have a substantial level of trouble following the story here, and you’ve got yourself a formula for putting the campaign segment on the sidelines. Multiplayer for this title is pretty heavy as well.

Deciding Factor: Multiplayer (secondary – little incentive to finish the campaign)

Gears of War 2
The campaign for this guy was lackluster, but entertaining. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that boredom could have been a factor here, but I’ll chalk this one up to the multiplayer being the focus as well. I know a few folks that just weren’t interested in finishing the campaign.

Deciding Factor: Multiplayer

Gears of War
When Gears first came on the scene, the campaign was a breeze, and I blew through it over co-op. However, word on the street was that the multiplayer was so damn fun, that everyone should be playing that. I’d rule out boredom because it was a great new IP, and everyone I know enjoyed it for the most part.

Deciding Factor: Multiplayer

Fable 2
I never finished Fable, so I don’t know what to tell you for this one. I will say that quite a few people loved playing the campaign, however there is so much to do in the game, that many were enjoying their time in Albion, and before having the chance to finish it, they simply moved onto other games. In my biased opinion, I became bored pretty fast, and my game was also buggier than the sketchy caves in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Remember that part of the movie? Yeah…that’s a lot of bugs.

Deciding Factor: Time investment vs other games (possible boredom as a secondary factor)

Call of Duty: World at War
World at War was obviously riding the coat tails of Modern Warfare, and I would assume most people picked this up and went straight into the multiplayer. My cousin plays this all the time, but hasn’t made it 3 chapters into the campaign. Another guy on my friends list has 0 achievements unlocked for anything single player related. I never finished it because I simply wasn’t interested. However, that’s just my own perspective. That being said…

Deciding Factor: Multiplayer

Battlefield: Bad Company
Never played this, and never wanted to. From what I can tell in the press,  reviews, etc. the core focus of this game was in the multiplayer as well.

Deciding Factor: Multiplayer

GTA IV
This game I am putting in the same category as Fable. There is simply a ton to do, so it’s understandable that people won’t actually make it to the end. I think the surprise here is that it’s such a popular game, and with the amount of people playing, such a low percentage actually completed the game. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that I hated GTA IV. It bored me to death, and screw finishing the game, I didn’t make it past the first 4 driving missions before thinking it was a waste of time.

Deciding Factor: Too much to do, and boredom

Rainbow Six Vegas
I’m chalking this one straight up to being boring. This campaign sucked, and I was really looking forward to it. I spent most of my time in terrorist hunt. Multiplayer is fine and all, but I saw about 2 people on my friends list that even played this game. When they were playing, it was terrorist hunt as well.

Deciding Factor: Boring

————————————–

So there you have it folks. My opinion as to why people aren’t finishing these games. There was a time where I could only afford to invest in one game every other month or so. So please believe I finished everything I had. Case in point, if you hop over into my collection tab at the top, you’ll see a ton of Playstation games. Up until my acquisition of the Xbox 360, I finished every single game I ever owned. Take a look at a few of my more recent posts, and you’ll see that I have a huge backlog of games that I haven’t yet played, or never finished. I think the issue might be that quality of a game might factor into not finishing it, as does the sheer amount of games that make it out the door these days is insane. Sure, production value and all of those fantastic HD games are great, but the key component to gaming is having fun. If a game can’t keep you engaged enough to warrant finishing a title, then what’s the point of putting it out? If you’re going to take that route, and you still want people to play, then your multiplayer functionality is going to be your saving grace.

Any other ideas as to why people aren’t finishing current generation games? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

You may have heard of several negative opinions about online games as well as console games. Whether you play games on your computer or in any kind of console, both are sure to be addictive. You probably have heard of kids spending too much time in front of the computer at the expense of school and family responsibilities. You cannot deny the fact that whenever you start playing, you can’t get off your seat or take your eyes away from the monitor. You might even forget that your phone is ringing or someone outside is waiting for you to be done. But hey, playing online games is not all that bad.

Contrary to what most people perceive, games played either in Xbox or Play Station have some advantages to entertain kids and adults. Online games in general are fun. They have become one of the most convenient forms of entertainment today. When you purchase console for instance, you can buy it for as low as $200 with a few bundles of free games. These can easily be operated and played in your homes. These gaming consoles even make it possible to connect through the Internet so you can enjoy multiplayer games.

Internet or console games may either be an arcade type or a multiplayer. Among popular games are Prince of Persia, Command and Conquer, Warcraft II and many others. These games are believed to develop and improve players’ reasoning and thinking skills. Prince of Persia, for instance, is one classic example of an intellectual online game. Unlike other multiplayer games, Prince of Persia has a whole different approach in giving quality entertainment to its players. It presents interspersing intelligent puzzles, traps and paths, which the main character, the Prince of Persia, has to undertake to complete the mission.

Aside from being convenient, online games can also be a more economical way of entertaining yourself. There are a lot of sites that offer free download games including shooting games, war and arcade games. But whichever you prefer, games like Prince of Persia, can surely give you a mind-tickling entertainment.

Online games are still better alternatives to entertain youngsters and adults. This form of entertainment makes them think critically and logically. You need not splurge hundreds of dollars hanging out in bars or malls just to spend your idle time. You can do it in the comfort of your homes with your family through online gaming. You can even have quality time with your kids and loved ones by playing with them. If you want new and exciting games, you can easily have them by uploading free download games from various online gaming sites. You may choose arcades like the Prince of Persia, shooting games, multiplayer games like Warcraft, billiards, sports and many others. Playing these games has its benefits when it comes to improving your motor skills and can strengthen your family’s bond. Just don’t overdose yourself with playing and lose track of your other responsibilities.

Game Title: SWAT4

Platform: PC

Release Date: April 2005

SWAT4 provides an action-packed team based experience for any squad looking for some co-op fun.

Our pointman checks under the door with the optiwand and relays the scene on his screen to our other squad members and me; three people in the room – two targets and one hostage. My heart pounds as we face up to the door and I prep my flashbang for our “shock and awe” entry. I feel like I’m in NCIS.

Preparing to enter the action

SWAT 4 is a first person shooter in close-quarters that can be played in single player mode, controlling a team of four other bots; in co-op with up to four other players, or multiplayer for up to 16 players online. Unfortunately due to its age there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people playing it online these days. The aim is to round up the civilians and hostages and arrest the hostiles (rather than killing them), so controlling my trigger-happy mouse finger took a bit of patience and use of the non-lethal weapons such as the beanbag shotgun, pepper spray paintball gun or taser before graduating to the serious toys.

Before entering the situation you are briefed by the police despatch operator by radio and provided with a map of the location. At all times throughout the missions you are in touch with the base by radio, and required to report back each time an objective has been completed. You are graded on your performance at the end of the mission, with incomplete objectives or mishandled situations counting against your final score.

The gameplay holds something different for the average FPS player, with a lot more of a measured, tactical approach required to each situation. Any bravado will simply get you (and quite possibly your team members) killed. Communication is the key among your team members and this game is best enjoyed in multiplayer or co-op mode. Once the action is over however, there can be much wandering of hallways searching for required items before mission completion.

Assign weapons and equipment to squad members

Although it is an ageing game, the graphics do hold up well, if not a little slow. The soundtrack is perhaps a feature of the game, which manipulates your concentration and sets your adrenalin pumping the second the door is flung open.

SWAT4 provides an action-packed team based experience for any squad looking for some co-op fun. A variety of crime scenes and weapons allows for any number of situations consisting of tense hallway creeping moments to fast-paced shoot-outs. It’s something a little different to your average war-based FPS and will challenge your skills. Once you’ve played the first mission you’ll be going back for more.

Ratings Table

Controls – 8.5 – Logical and with everything in a finger’s reach of where it should be.

Visuals – 6.5 – Definitely an ageing game however the graphics did not detract from the atmosphere.

Sound – 7.0 – Simple music score but created tension and adrenalin when needed. Somewhat lacking in surround sound capabilities.

Gameplay – 8.0 – Culmination of controls, graphics, sound and co-op gameplay factors resulted in a somewhat realistic feeling of being in the simulated situations.

Replay Value – 9.0 – My squad will definitely be playing this game again. It’s particularly a great break between long gaming sessions or when you only have time for a short game.

Online Factor – 5.0 – Unfortunately due to its age, SWAT4 doesn’t have much in the way of online content at the moment. The best way to enjoy it is by way of a LAN.

Overall – 7.0 – A great LAN party game or squad favourite.

Free Online Flash Games On Vox.com

Similar to popular video games, there are free online flash games that involve multiple players from around the world. These games run the gamut from

adventure games where you are fighting aliens or dragons or alien invaders to military games where you are working with other players to protect your

territory. Also, you can play games like poker against other players from around the world. Multiple player games can be great because you can invite

friends to join you while you are playing or you can make new friends as you work together on various quests or play against each other.

Free Online Flash Games

I love that you can go to nick.com and there are tons of games my children can play …For FREE ! All the fun characters from their favorite Nickelodeon TV shows . Sponge Bob “Hot Sand Hustle”, iCarly iKick Butt, Tje Penguins of Madagascar operation: Ice Fish. There are all kinds of games for them (all three of my children) to play ; action games, adventure games,3d games, strategy games, and multiplayer games .

Last year, a little game called Unreal I was released, and it sported some

pretty spiffy graphics. You might L remember hearing about it. And cer­tainly everyone has heard of Star Trek, that venerable series of TV shows, movies, books, and lunchboxes. Now the two meet in Klingon Honor Guard, a first-person shooter set in the Star Trek universe and built on the Unreal engine. In the game, you’re an elite warrior training for induc­tion into the Klingon Honor Guard  until somebody tries to kill Gowron, the leader of the Klingon High Council. You’re thrust into active duty and sent off to capture the scum-bags responsible.

The demo for Klingon Honor Guard lets you try out a bit of the full version. If you’ve played first-person shooters, you already know the drill: journey through the levels, fight off the bad guys, and uncover the truth along the way. After you start the demo, you’ll come to a screen that gives you your objectives for this level. Essentially, you’re smuggled aboard a space station to capture an evildoer named  Thress. Press the Fire button (left mouse button) to enter the demo. If you want to access the options for the demo {control settings, audio and video modes, etc.) you’ll need to hit the ESC key.

As the demo begins, you find your¬self inside a cargo crate  turn around and grab the weapon behind you, then head out. You’ll be con¬fronted by a guard; take hi.n down Klin-gon-style. Head up to the upper level of the shipping area  and you’ll need to figure out the rest for your self, Klingon-boy.

Remember, Klin-gons do not accept failure   so if you screw up, don’t even think about returning home. Just go hide out in a bar somewhere on the other side of the galaxy. Maybe you can get a job mopping the floors on some Federation cargo ship.

When video games started popping up in the arcades, people every¬where were sure pinball b= going to die a slow death ttfie hands of computer tech¬*: cgy. Pinball would just fade i.’.ay quietly, until at some point in the future it would only to frighten small

if you don’t take out the Hash, the giant silver ball will

for you!” But that never I opened; pinball retained. It survives to this day

One reason pinball is still ound in the age of computers

the quality of games like Pro  Pinball: Big Race USA. This spiffy little game has cast various cities as tables, and we’ve got the killer demo. The kids still love to slap around the little silver ball, and who are we to try and deny them that joy?

The demo lets you try one table from the full game; it has a time limit, and it’ll also stop if your score gets high enough, but you’ll get a good idea of how Big Race USA works. After starting the demo, you’ll have two options select the icon on the right to configure the game options to your liking, or use the one on the left to jump directly to the flying-flipper action. The controls are pretty simple  the left and right shift keys control the left and right flippers, and the Enter key launches the ball. Since everyone knows the basics of pin¬ball, you should be able to take it from there. And, if you’re not familiar with the basics  if, for instance, you’ve been living under a damp sponge in a tavern in Estonia for the past 100 years  well, you’re in for a treat, cause pinball is fun.

Everyone’s favorite adventurer is back L on The CD! That’s right, Lara Croft  makes a return visit with the exciting !L demo for Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft. This time around, Lara’s in search of four artifacts that came to earth inside a meteorite. It’s your job to direct her through her jumping, swimming, lead slinging quest.

The demo lets you get Lara’s dainty feet wet and catch a glimpse of the gameplay contained in the full version. Start the demo and hit Enter twice to get straight to the fun. You’ll start off in a situation you’ll find very familiar if you played either of the first two Tomb Raider games: You’re standing at the edge of a cliff and you need to get to the bottom.

If you’re new to Lara’s world, take a gander at the Control Keys above. If you and Lara are already acquainted, you’ll be right at home; the only difference between this game and the others is the  addition of “save crystals,” which you must have in your inventory before you can save your game.

Slide down the cliff, taking care to avoid the spikes. Once you’re at the bottom, you’ll find yourself in the ruins of an ancient city. Explore the city, wade through some quicksand, and fight any animals that may cross your path.

Be sure to draw your weapons before entering any dark passages; you never know what baddies may be lurk¬ing inside, and you can’t take any chances. The full version of Tomb Raider III game boasts many more levels and several new locations.

One of the best known series in this so-called god-game genre is the Settlers series. And as you’ve proba¬bly guessed  Settlers III is the latest Installment in that series.

This demo lets you jump straight into the action or take your time and learn how to play the game properly with the tutorial. We recommend taking a trip through the tutorial before you go nuts with the whole god thing; on opening screen, just click on Tutorial.

You’ll soon find yourself gazing at the main game screen. Along the bottom you complete each task, click the little arrow to progress to the next lesson. The first thing you’ll be expected to do is create a lumber mill. On the left side of the screen, toward the top, is a menu with icons. Click the build icon, and you’ll get a listing of structures avail¬able to you. The lumber mill Is the building in the upper left-hand corner. Select it, then simply click where you want the building to be constructed, and your boys will go to work.

There’s also a combat element to Settlers III. If you find yourself in a situation where It’s necessary to crack some heads, left¬click with the mouse to select your military units. A sword will appear, and you’ll be able to send them off to die by clicking again. To scroll around the map, hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse.

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Growing up beating a game was a big deal. Completing Super Mario Bros., Castlevania or Metal Gear was like a badge of honor and you wanted everyone to know. Games have changed since then but somewhere in the back of my head I still keep a small running tally of what is going on. Halo, Gears, Call of Duty, Killzone 2, Resistance, etc… all have something in common, they are great multiplayer shooters that have a single player component. You can easily say I beat (or finished) Halo 3 because there is a campaign that you can play through but what about games like Shadowrun, Team Fortress 2 or the recently released Battlefield 1943? I am currently having a blast traversing the Pacific theater, taking over strategic points, killing people with my trusty SMG and crashing into trees whenever I try to fly a plane but the game got me thinking, how does one beat a game like Battlefield 1943?

Can you claim superiority over the title once you max out your rank, reach prestige, achieve some other arbitrary factor or is it something else entirely? For that matter is it even possible to claim you’ve beaten a multiplayer game?

With no endgame the lines of understanding are not only blurred but completely invisible. Where and when can one actually claim they beat a multiplayer game or has gaming moved past such tangible badges of honor?

And can you ever really beat WoW? (outside of quitting the addiction that is)

Cycling Manager 3 free download

Cycling Manager 3

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Cycling Manager 3 covers up to 10 World Cup races including the Tour de France, Giro, Vuelta, three 7-day stage races & five semi classics. Manage your teams (finance, strategy, fitness, and more) and race tactics. All new improved graphics represent different locations of the individual races of Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and more. Cycling Manager 3 also features mountain backdrops in the Alps and Pyrenees or the Arc de Triomphe in fine detail!