are games essentially useless once you have finished them?

[Zhukov]

Depends on the game. Depends on the person playing the game.

Yeah, kind of a cop-out answer, but still true.

As for what makes gives a game replayability... I don't really know. For me it's not just a case of whether or not I like the game. For example, take Amnesia: The Dark Descent. I love that game. I think it's brilliant. But I've only played it once and I'll probably never play it again. A lot of what made it so good depended on the player not knowing what was happening or what would happen next.

 

[ripdajacker]

The KOTOR series I have played through a few times, they have aged really well.

The same question can be asked about books, but as many have stated, if the story is good or the gameplay fun, then roll with it.

I've had a blast unlocking everything in The Force Unleashed even though the story is written by narcoleptic retards. The gameplay certainly can be entertaining.

One of the games I have played the most is the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy. Probably the best 3d platformers ever, sharing the 1st place with the Sands of Time trilogy.

Games can be played over and over again, it's just a shame the moral choice systems put in place to ensure precisely that sometimes suck.

 

[The_Yeti]

there is only two ways a game can ever have reason beyond completion, those are obviously replay-ability, and satisfactory - like dragonquest 8 for example, i loved the store, the game world, the art, and english dub voices, the loot, the after-story.(and jessica's sexy outfits!}
I might not always have the urge to play the game, but the memories make me smile.

 

[Slenn]

Well, the Touhou series has tons of replay value on them because they're aimed to have you play a lot of times before you can beat the final boss (if only because they are really hard). For me once I've beaten Remelia on Touhou 6, I'll probably move on to the next game all the while trying to beat Flandre Scarlet just for kicks. The game is fun, but it's really hard and I usually only play it once to twice a day.

 

[GraveeKing]

Finishing them 100%? Nearly always, although some games I can keep playing for a long time after, l4d/2 was one of them, TF2 another. Suikoden 2 has always been re-playable to me, just because of it's amazing story line and great variations in game-play throughout the game.
Otherwise, it usually depends on if they are/were co-op and if the gameplay was fun. I had pretty good amounts of fun in the first gears of war, replaying that over and over etc.

 

[WindKnight]

I've replayed certain games over and over just to enjoy the story or gamnmeplay again. it varies from game to game, but I've played plenty that I've enjoyed multiple replays of

 

[Wintermoot]

some are fun to dick around in with cheats.
or mods (for Example HL2 Smod)

 

[Something Amyss]

well to be fair I think multiplayer may be a large trend BUT there is still the demand for a rich single player exerpience, as there should be (because thats how we push the medium forward and all that)

I dont often re-read books, and I think this is the same thing with games, you could say that the amount of time/investment in a book/game makes you think "well why re-read when there ALWAYS a new experience wating for me?"

the only book Ive read over and over is Misery, by stephen king....shit that book is AWSOME!

There is a demand, but even great games with SP only frequently get docked for no Multiplayer. And while I'm of the opinion that scores don't really matter, I also strongly believe that reviewers tend to pander to the base rather than stating things objectively.

Most books really don't take me that much time to read. I'm not saying you're bad or wrong for thinking them an investment, but I don't tend to look at them that way. I also tend to like to sit down with a book and listen to music, so I'm already multitasking.

I do, however, love a new experience. but there's a lot to rediscover in an old book. and it's cheaper than buying a new one.

In the last year, on top of new content, I've re-read Eragon (Mostly to see if my ennui with the series is due to new content or if it was always that meh), the first four Hitchiker's guide books (Because they're the only ones I care for( and the first six Harry Potter books (Because they're Harry Potter). It's cool going back and seeing what you didn't see before.

 

[Saelune]

Its part preference. But I have replayed so many games so many times. I wonder how many characters I have made in Morrowind?

 

[BlackLurker]

Most of the time, I do just kinda gloss-over games I've finished, unless the game has some type of multiplayer, so friends and family can come over and we can mess around together. Multiplayer games have infinite replayablity to me. Single player, on the other hand... usually not so much...

 

[FalloutJack]

are games essentially useless once you have finished them?

No, they are not.

*Hits the gavel*

NEXT!

 

[LITE992]

I think a game has to have something either interesting or memorable for one to go back a play it again. Same thing goes with movies. Sure, you can replay to get the achievements or that high score to get the hidden unlockables. Sometimes I like to put a whole day aside to play the campaign of the Call of Duty games. Because they're that great.

 

[J-dog42]

I'm terrible with games, books and movies. Even if it is the best game ever I cannot play it again. That is I cannot play the story again. Games like Just Cause 2 and GTA I can muck around outside the story for ages, and I don't mind playing online multiplayer forever. But I can't do the story again.

I'm the same with everything. I got a book out from the library and started reading, but I only got a few pages in before I realised I had already read the book five years before. I just couldn't carry on. Despite that, I still love to buy books, they smell so nice.

 

[JUGGERNAUTBITCH]

could you read a book more than once? or watch a movie more than once. if the answere is yes why wouldn't you be able to play a game more than once.

 

[CAPTCHA]

Depends on the game I guess. Don't know how many times I've played Civ or Doom over the years, but then there are games like Amnesia and Portal which are kind of empty experiences after a run or two.

 

[shemoanscazrex3]

I rarely play a game twice. the only games I can remember are Metal Gear Solid which I've played on so many platforms again and again. Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater and CODMW I've played twice. Other than that unless the game is extremely fun and I enjoy the ride I won't consider it

 

[BrailleOperatic]

I'd rather replay most games after I've beaten them than re-read Game of Thrones or any of its sequels, and comparatively A Song of Ice and Fire has better composition than most games on the market. That's just my opinion though.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Replayability is nice to have, and it definitely adds value to a game, but I wouldn't say it's all that required for me (though I'll certainly admit I won't often pay full price for a game unless I know I'll either replay it a bunch or a single playthrough will last).

Some games really are best enjoyed just once, both in terms of gameplay mechanics and in terms of story.