Including DLC, micro transaction purchases, etc. If you got a game for free, please also list your non-infinite next best.
For me it’s Team Fortress 2. $100 total spent on hats and the Orange Box back in the day, 4200 hours plus of fun, meaning 2.3¢ AUD per hour. Initially I thought DotA2 would be my best but it turns out I’ve spent a lot more money in that game than I thought…
My worst is God of War: Ragnarok. Bought it full price for $95 AUD, only played 2 hours and hated it, meaning $47.50 AUD per hour.
What’s so good about Elite Dangerous? I hoped to enjoy it but bounced off pretty quickly.
Elite Dangerous is a game of grind. They have taken steps to reduce the grind in recent updates but it is still a grind fest.
For example, I took part in the Distant Worlds 2 expedition. I traveled across the galaxy and discovered worlds nobody else has ever seen. It was boring at times. It felt like a job at times. However, after months of grind, I was glad I did it. Distant Worlds 3 launched recently but I did not join. Once is enough.
I also earned enough rank to buy a Federal Corvette, and then sold it because I didn’t get along with it. That was also a grind but I am glad I did it.
Don’t get me started on unlocking engineers. Oh my God, that’s a whole new level of grind. They have made it a bit easier since I started playing but it still a lot of work.
I know I’m not selling the game well. Unless you enjoy the grind, it really isn’t something you would stick with. Doing anything is a slog and requires a bit of planning to execute. I must enjoy that or something.
Also, space. Who doesn’t love space?
I mean I love space, from sci-fi to more realistic. I played a lot of Kerbal Space Program. But I don’t love grinding. I did plenty of that in Warframe but only because the core loop and mechanics feel good and the unlockables are kinda fun. Absent that kind of engagement, no way. KSP requires planning maneuvers but at least there’s time warp and no threats except your own mistakes.
I bounced off Warframe because I found the main game play loop to be repetitive af. For the same reason I don’t stick with MMOs in general. I don’t like doing the same dungeons over and over again hoping for a loot drop.
Elite has more variety of activities each with their own grind. If I get bored of mining I can go shoot down some pirates for a bit. Get bored of shooting pirates, I can go explore something I have never seen. Mitterand Hollow is a standout. It’s a glitch in the game where a moon orbits a planet at an impossibly fast speed. You can’t really catch up to the moon to land on it, you have to get in front of it and wait for it to come to you. See, fun. LOL.