Talk about games that have likable elements but aren't worth the effort to play to the fullest.

I was playing Wild Arms 3, doing this side quest to get an EX file key, which you need to unlock bonus features at the end of the game. Unfortunately the side quest wasn't following the walkthrough.

I had done everything right, yet I still couldn't get the key. It turns out I was supposed to beat one more boss at a specific location. I went to that location, and nothing happened. It turns out I was supposed to talk to some guy. I talked to some guy, still nothing happened. It turns out I was supposed to go to this battle arena and get the "sonar kit". I went to the battle arena, won the fight, but I didn't finish it fast enough, so I couldn't get the kit. That's when it occurs to me... this sucks.

The game isn't fun anymore. These side quests are a chore that I can live without. I've fallen into this kind of trap before with FF9. Back when I still liked Final Fantasy, I thought beating the Ultima Weapon (whatever it's called) would make that mediocre crap enjoyable. All I was doing was wasting my life leveling up. I had tricked myself into thinking that it was fun.

You think it's a good game because it has good music, nice game play, or an okay story. Then you realize you've spent 40-60 hours performing the most tedious of tasks. I thought it would be fun to replay Wild Arms 3 in the EX game with all the stuff I had from the previous file. Well it wouldn't, and even if it were, searching for the stupid EX keys, beating the telepath towers, entering the abyss dungeon, and solving the millennium puzzles could never be worth it.

What games have you played that aren't worth exploring completely and why aren't they?

Legend Of Zelda.

It's the same crap throughout the whole game,"COMPLETE THIS DUNGEON, COMPLETE THIS NEW DUNGEON AFTER THAT, USED WITH THE EXACT SAME TEXTURES AS THE LAST ONE" it annoys me.

Ever played Master Quest? Its exactly the same game as Ocarina of time, just it switched around some puzzles and added some more enemies in some rooms. Big Woop.

Many too many but some of them:
18 Wheeler
american chopper 1
Capcom Fighting Jam
Chu Chu Rocket!
Cold Fear
Conflict Zone
GTA Stories (both)
Jet Set Radio
Maken X
Plasma Sword
Resident Evil Survivor Series included Dead Aim.

And many many more....

1 player in FPS games

I'll second Jet Set Radio.
Metal Gear series too.

50 cent bulletproof

Dragon Warrior Series?

The original Contra for NES. By today's standards, Contra just isnt that fun to play anymore.

The original GTA and GTA 2. But because the current GTA games are some of the best games around do not save the original ones from being boring and a waste of my time.

Elder Scrolls: Arena. Some problem with the GTA games. Good luck trying to escape the first dungeon, If you manage to escape, good luck figuring out what to do.

gears of war. looks cool, but it just annoys the heck out of me.