Spoiler Alert!
(The spoiler is there are no spoilers in this article.)
How do you feel about getting spoiled?
Are you the type who loses all motivation to buy/play a game if you learn of a cool plot twist in advance? Or maybe you simply don't care.
Personally, I fall somewhere in between those extremes, like I imagine most people do. I'd prefer to avoid getting spoiled on a game, as it would be a detriment to my overall enjoyment, but wouldn't ruin the experience as a whole. This reduction in "fun factor" is why I run into a bit of a conundrum when it comes to completionating games.
The problem is that being a completionist by definition means that the games take longer to get through, whether it's because you insist on earning all the trophies/achievements, or getting 100% completion, or beyond. Every completionist has unique criteria, so your mileage may vary. The extra time that is spent on games is rarely trivial, and in many situations we can expect to at least double the average gamer's play time. Some situations are even more extreme...
Not even the most extreme example, but a good one
Unspoiled vs. Efficiency
It ultimately boils down to a question of whether or not a completionist wants to save time and what sacrifices, if any, they are willing to make that could affect their enjoyment. From personal experience, there is no "best practice" solution to saving time in a game while completionating it, but there are several options that exist, each with varying degrees of success and failure:
Play games 2+ times
Description: Do a blind first playthrough, enjoy the game as intended while being as completionist as possible. Do a second playthrough (or if the game allows, load save file and revisit old content) consulting spoilers for content you couldn't find on playthrough#1.
Thoughts: This is the most common option that I go with, personally. The least spoilery of the techniques, but also generally the most time consuming. There's a danger here of finishing something you intend to completionate and putting it off, or worse yet leaving off the completionating indefinitely, especially in the case of difficult and/or terrible games.
Fantastic game I finished 5 years ago.... still haven't completionated it!
Consult a list of "missable" content prior to playing
Description: If you're fortunate, someone may have compiled a spoiler-free list of things/events in a game that could be missed during a playthrough that you can keep in mind as you progress.
Thoughts: I can say that one major benefit of doing this is that I've prevented a number of "second playthroughs" due to missing a single missable in a game many times. I've saved myself dozens of hours with this tactic. It's still a bit spoilery, so I rarely do it unless I feel comfortable with taking that chance, but the time savings can be a massive reward for your risk.
You can only choose one of two treasure spheres.... or can you?
Consult individual strategies for specific sections of the game
Description: Sometimes you just get stuck and need a hand. Not much different from a standard player looking up a walkthrough or guide, but more oriented towards completionism.
Thoughts: This one's a trap I used to fall for frequently as a completionist. During a playthrough, I'd see some out of reach collectible or powerup and go absolutely bonkers trying to acquire it to no avail. Frustrated, I'd research online and get spoilered by discovering that it was intended for you to reach later in the game once you'd picked up upgrade X. Probably the most aggravating thing in game design for me to encounter, personally.
Checking the achievement/trophy list (or in game list if it has one) ahead of time also falls in this category. Sometimes prepping for a poorly designed achievement before you reach a point of no return in a game can be a real time-saver as well. I could rant about how awful the "Take the Cannoli" trophy was for Grand Theft Auto Vice City, but the fewer swear words in my article, the better.
Great game, but a horrible tease at times
Spoil it all! Use a comprehensive walkthrough
Description: Speaks for itself. Don't worry about being spoiled and just play through the game knowing you won't miss a thing along the way (assuming you have a good walkthrough)
Thoughts: I've used this option once on a game I didn't think I would like for the sake of completionating it and crossing it off my list. Turns out the game wasn't as bad as I was led to believe and regretted not playing it "properly." Bleh.
I'm not telling you what game I completely spoiled for myself, but this wasn't it.
</Spoiler>
Obviously there are other methods that people may use, but these are the four that stand out from my personal experiences with spoilers and completionating games to date. There are several variants out there similar to the ones I've listed, not to mention other sources of info folks out there use that I haven't touched upon whatsoever like:
- Brady guides!
- Discussion/Review topics on sites like reddit + neogaf + IGN + <insert gaming site of preference!>
- Let's Plays, Longplays, Speed Runs
- etc...
So how do you go about optimizing your time while experiencing every last pixel of your games? Even if you're not a completionist, what are your thoughts on spoilers in general? Let's hear your thoughts.