I love it but I don't want to play it again.

[Piscian]

I'm always kinda mystified by how much folks like to replay through games. Generally once I've played through a game I'm done with it forever. I think the lone exception has been LOU and the Remakes of the Resident Evil games. Theres also a large chance Ill replay the android remake of FFVII.

One game I thought was pretty awesome and gone ignored by the mainstream games media and that I'll never play again is Singularity

I think pretty much nobody played that game sadly.

 

[Dalisclock]

I'm always kinda mystified by how much folks like to replay through games. Generally once I've played through a game I'm done with it forever. I think the lone exception has been LOU and the Remakes of the Resident Evil games. Theres also a large chance Ill replay the android remake of FFVII.

One game I thought was pretty awesome and gone ignored by the mainstream games media and that I'll never play again is Singularity

I think pretty much nobody played that game sadly.

I played it when it came out and I generally liked it but it didn't feel like it was something I'd ever want to play again. It has a cool concept but it doesn't really do enough with it to justify a replay once you see the twist. It also feels like Bioshock but less good, which is also a problem. To be fair, I haven't replayed bioshock either(though I keep telling myself I'm going to replay the entire series someday).

Kinda like how Crysis was fun once but I have no urge to ever replay it.

 

[Dalisclock]

To each their own, but I don't understand this mindset. There' so much to be gained from the experience of a first Souls run that makes subsequent runs very satisfactory, i.e.: knowing better; doing better, having the confidence to minimize armor and maximize damage, trying different tactics, going into boss fights that gave you fits the first time that bend to your knowledge the next time, etc. One playthrough of Dark Souls feels like only taking a bite of food at an all you can eat buffet! But if you're content you got "the gist" from a single playthrough and that was enough, cheers to you.

For me it's a couple of issues.

1.) Enormous backlog which makes it hard to say "I want to play this game over and over....and neglect the 1000+ other games I own and never touched". Backlogs are an entirely different topic so I''m not going to go much into them now, but suffice to to say, every minute I'm replaying one game I'm not playing something new(or new to me). Like I didn't play Zelda OoT until a few years ago when it was 20 years old. I still haven't played DOOM 2016 or GoW 2016 or Prey(the new one) or Silent Hill 2. I've owned all of those for years at this point.

The fact that a lot of games average 30+ hours makes it more difficult to keep up with new releases, let alone cleaning up backlogs. And more game is great if you really like that one game and want to live there as long as possible(RDR2 and KSP was like that for me) it's hell on playing through other games. The VG industry would literally have to crash so hard nothing(or at least nothing good) came out for like a decade for me to play every game in my backlog without repeating anything.

2.) Souls games are fucking hard and I tend to average 60-70+ hours to beat one(Sekiro might have been shorter due to lack of DLC) over the course of a month or two(Because I don't get that much time to play). That's essentially a marathon to do one playthrough and by the time I finish one, I'm exhausted and ready to play anything else for a while. So I tend to average a year or so between Souls games. To add that that, I didn't start playing souls until around the time Dark Souls 3 came out and since FROM has been putting one out pretty regularly, I've been playing catch up. I finished Dark Souls 3 a few months back and unless I decide to do a Demons Souls run(because I never got very far into Demons Souls for the PS3) I'm pretty much caught up until Elden Ring eventually (maybe) pops it's head out of the hole it's hiding in.

Hell, I've barely touched the Souls-like genre outside of FROM games. I started Salty Sanctuary a couple years back, got to the 3rd Lamb, got stuck, took a break and never really picked it back since.. I keep wondering if I am ever going to pick it back up, since I have Ashen waiting in the backlog as well.....

I'm not telling anyone else they're wrong for wanting to replay games, but most games for me are I felt like I've had my fill once I'm done, or in some cases(Looking at you Sassy Creed Odyssey) it overstays it's welcome so much due to length and filler I have no urge to ever touch it again because it took so fucking long the first time through. The rare times I replay games are either games I haven't played in a long time, or short games(Chrono Trigger can be beat in 15 hours, and then maybe a few more to NG+ for all the endings) or short games I haven't played in a long time.

 

[Piscian]

I played it when it came out and I generally liked it but it didn't feel like it was something I'd ever want to play again. It has a cool concept but it doesn't really do enough with it to justify a replay once you see the twist. It also feels like Bioshock but less good, which is also a problem. To be fair, I haven't replayed bioshock either(though I keep telling myself I'm going to replay the entire series someday).

Kinda like how Crysis was fun once but I have no urge to ever replay it.

I really want to replay Crisis now that I have a rig that can handle the 4K version, but I haven't played any of the other ones so I feel too guilty to replay it.

 

[Xprimentyl]

For me it's a couple of issues.

1.) Enormous backlog which makes it hard to say "I want to play this game over and over....and neglect the 1000+ other games I own and never touched". Backlogs are an entirely different topic so I''m not going to go much into them now, but suffice to to say, every minute I'm replaying one game I'm not playing something new(or new to me). Like I didn't play Zelda OoT until a few years ago when it was 20 years old. I still haven't played DOOM 2016 or GoW 2016 or Prey(the new one) or Silent Hill 2. I've owned all of those for years at this point.

The fact that a lot of games average 30+ hours makes it more difficult to keep up with new releases, let alone cleaning up backlogs. And more game is great if you really like that one game and want to live there as long as possible(RDR2 and KSP was like that for me) it's hell on playing through other games. The VG industry would literally have to crash so hard nothing(or at least nothing good) came out for like a decade for me to play every game in my backlog without repeating anything.

2.) Souls games are fucking hard and I tend to average 60-70+ hours to beat one(Sekiro might have been shorter due to lack of DLC) over the course of a month or two(Because I don't get that much time to play). That's essentially a marathon to do one playthrough and by the time I finish one, I'm exhausted and ready to play anything else for a while. So I tend to average a year or so between Souls games. To add that that, I didn't start playing souls until around the time Dark Souls 3 came out and since FROM has been putting one out pretty regularly, I've been playing catch up. I finished Dark Souls 3 a few months back and unless I decide to do a Demons Souls run(because I never got very far into Demons Souls for the PS3) I'm pretty much caught up until Elden Ring eventually (maybe) pops it's head out of the hole it's hiding in.

Hell, I've barely touched the Souls-like genre outside of FROM games. I started Salty Sanctuary a couple years back, got to the 3rd Lamb, got stuck, took a break and never really picked it back since.. I keep wondering if I am ever going to pick it back up, since I have Ashen waiting in the backlog as well.....

I'm not telling anyone else they're wrong for wanting to replay games, but most games for me are I felt like I've had my fill once I'm done, or in some cases(Looking at you Sassy Creed Odyssey) it overstays it's welcome so much due to length and filler I have no urge to ever touch it again because it took so fucking long the first time through. The rare times I replay games are either games I haven't played in a long time, or short games(Chrono Trigger can be beat in 15 hours, and then maybe a few more to NG+ for all the endings) or short games I haven't played in a long time.

I get it, but

1.) I'm not one of those who carries a huge backlog; I usually buy the game I want to play and complete it before starting anything else. If said game merits subsequent playthroughs and intrigues me enough, I'm content to run it back as necessary. With Souls game (well, only DS1 at this point,) conquering the beast was enough of a rush to make me want to try it again with experience under my belt and do it better, i.e.: beating personal bests or perhaps trying out a playstyle that I hadn't tried the first time just to get a feel for everything the initial playthrough showed me could be appreciated but went unexplored.

2.) Subsequent playthroughs don't typically take nearly as long as the first. It took me dozens of hours to beat DS1 my first time, but after "getting" it, the next run, I cut my playtime by over half, and subsequent runs by half of that. Not saying anyone "needs" to play games multiple times, but in some cases, one playthrough is a single menu selection from restaurant that offers hundreds of items; yeah, you ate there, but can you truly say you "know" it well enough to pass judgement on its overall value?

If you or anyone is content having completed the game, i.e.: beaten the last boss and saw credits roll, and that was enough, then I can't tell you to feel otherwise, but as someone who's played some games multiple times and had as many differing experiences, I can attest that sometimes, it's worth it. My INT build in DS1 was an eye opener; knocking out a third of a boss' health bar with a single cast was SO satisfying after struggling through a dozen deaths over the same boss with my melee builds. Was it overall vastly different? No, but knowing "how" to best the game after playing it enough times is in and of itself a feeling of accomplishment that made those additional playthroughs worth it.

 

[Dalisclock]

I really want to replay Crisis now that I have a rig that can handle the 4K version, but I haven't played any of the other ones so I feel too guilty to replay it.

Wait, there are PCs that can handle Crysis at full Performance?

Sorry, I remember that joke so well from back in the day. Moreso then the game itself.

 

[BrawlMan]

Comix Zone and anything by Sega Technical Institute. Their games are absurdly hard and even more challenging without save states.

GG Shinobi - I don't have the time for that stupid maze in the last level. Once I beaten again back in 2013, I felt no need to ever bother again.

Code of Princess EX - Not never again, but I don't see myself playing the Switch version for a long while. Despite the improved frame rate and re-balanced gameplay, they got rid of the awesome English dub for no reason in the PC and later Switch version. I am so glad I never sold the 3DS game. I know it's probably a game now that goes for absurd prices 2nd hand.

 

[Dalisclock]

I get it, but

1.) I'm not one of those who carries a huge backlog; I usually buy the game I want to play and complete it before starting anything else. If said game merits subsequent playthroughs and intrigues me enough, I'm content to run it back as necessary. With Souls game (well, only DS1 at this point,) conquering the beast was enough of a rush to make me want to try it again with experience under my belt and do it better, i.e.: beating personal bests or perhaps trying out a playstyle that I hadn't tried the first time just to get a feel for everything the initial playthrough showed me could be appreciated but went unexplored.

2.) Subsequent playthroughs don't typically take nearly as long as the first. It took me dozens of hours to beat DS1 my first time, but after "getting" it, the next run, I cut my playtime by over half, and subsequent runs by half of that. Not saying anyone "needs" to play games multiple times, but in some cases, one playthrough is a single menu selection from restaurant that offers hundreds of items; yeah, you ate there, but can you truly say you "know" it well enough to pass judgement on its overall value?

If you or anyone is content having completed the game, i.e.: beaten the last boss and saw credits roll, and that was enough, then I can't tell you to feel otherwise, but as someone who's played some games multiple times and had as many differing experiences, I can attest that sometimes, it's worth it. My INT build in DS1 was an eye opener; knocking out a third of a boss' health bar with a single cast was SO satisfying after struggling through a dozen deaths over the same boss with my melee builds. Was it overall vastly different? No, but knowing "how" to best the game after playing it enough times is in and of itself a feeling of accomplishment that made those additional playthroughs worth it.

I think it really depends on what you get out of the game. For me, a lot of games I feel like I've seen most if not all of the worthwhile content the first pass through, so unless I'm enamoured by the gameplay or something else, going back through doesn't feel like it's worth it, at least for a while. This is where Branching paths and such are nice where replaying in a different matter opens up new content, not just variations of the same content. Like for Souls, replaying again means traversing the areas I've already explored and stomped through over and over again, and beating all the bosses I've likely fought a dozen times each(some are one offs sure but others took me many more attempts). NG+ doesn't net you access to new bosses or content or areas or anything else unless you decided to skip stuff the first time around, and normally by the time I'm done, I'm DONE. Like I've grabbed all the things I want to grab, beat all the bosses I have the patience for, explored as much as I have stomach for, etc.

 

[Xprimentyl]

I think it really depends on what you get out of the game. For me, a lot of games I feel like I've seen most if not all of the worthwhile content the first pass through, so unless I'm enamoured by the gameplay or something else, going back through doesn't feel like it's worth it, at least for a while. This is where Branching paths and such are nice where replaying in a different matter opens up new content, not just variations of the same content. Like for Souls, replaying again means traversing the areas I've already explored and stomped through over and over again, and beating all the bosses I've likely fought a dozen times each(some are one offs sure but others took me many more attempts). NG+ doesn't net you access to new bosses or content or areas or anything else unless you decided to skip stuff the first time around, and normally by the time I'm done, I'm DONE. Like I've grabbed all the things I want to grab, beat all the bosses I have the patience for, explored as much as I have stomach for, etc.

Speaking to Dark Souls specifically, it's a game that demands so much to complete once and is shrouded in much ambiguity; going back with experience and knowledge is a separate and hence different/new experience. But I get it; if one time through, seeing all the bosses and reaching the end is enough for some, then so be it.

 

[BrawlMan]

I'm always kinda mystified by how much folks like to replay through games.

What's not to get? If a game has great replay value, pacing, and gameplay loop, of course people will play it again. Though I prefer shorter games. It's why people go back to certain old classics, that aged like fine wine.

The next example I have is not completely true. It's less I'll never play it again, and more I won't play it that often. Fight n Rage. It has great gameplay, and fun characters, but the problem is that this brawler drags on for too long in later levels. It has some really bad checkpoints. It's why I'm not as enthusiastic to go back to it as much. Because of Streets of Rage 4, I find it hard to pick up certain brawlers, because SOR4 has the best pacing. I will give Fight n Rage this, it does have a lot of bonus features. More than the majority of the retro throwback brawlers.

 

[happyninja42]

What's not to get? If a game has great replay value, pacing, and gameplay loop, of course people will play it again. Though I prefer shorter games. It's why people go back to certain old classics, that aged like fine wine.

I will say that very few games, aside from ones designed for multiple playthroughs, like roguelikes, are good enough for me to replay them. In fact, I usually consider the fact I DID replay something, a high mark on my personal scale of game quality. Sometimes it might be a chance to see different content, because you play a different character background, and the game has branching narrative based on multiple factors. Or just "Huh, I wonder if I can build a pacifist thief in Skyrim and have fun" *answer: Yes* kind of games, that allow you a lot of different styles of play.

But games that are identical in every way, no matter how many times you play them, those are far more rare for me, where I will replay them, simply because I enjoy the experience of playing them. They are out there, but they are definitely far less frequent.

 

[BrawlMan]

I will say that very few games, aside from ones designed for multiple playthroughs, like roguelikes, are good enough for me to replay them. In fact, I usually consider the fact I DID replay something, a high mark on my personal scale of game quality. Sometimes it might be a chance to see different content, because you play a different character background, and the game has branching narrative based on multiple factors. Or just "Huh, I wonder if I can build a pacifist thief in Skyrim and have fun" *answer: Yes* kind of games, that allow you a lot of different styles of play.

But games that are identical in every way, no matter how many times you play them, those are far more rare for me, where I will replay them, simply because I enjoy the experience of playing them. They are out there, but they are definitely far less frequent.

It's why I love certain games that are designed for multiple playthroughs in mind, or to play on higher difficulty levels. Especially when you're experimenting or trying new things with character kits and moves. I'm more or less the same as you are on what games are worth playing multiple times and what aren't.

 

[Xprimentyl]

But games that are identical in every way, no matter how many times you play them, those are far more rare for me, where I will replay them, simply because I enjoy the experience of playing them. They are out there, but they are definitely far less frequent.

Not to keep harping on it, but INSIDE was this for me. It broke me out of a gaming trance. I didn't buy a game for myself for YEARS after playing it. That single, extremely linear and short game was so captivating, I couldn't muster the enthusiasm for AAA "Generic Game 4" anymore. INSIDE grabbed me like the Joker in The Dark Knight and growled in me face: "LOOK AT ME!" I went back several times, just to take in the subtleties and nuance, experience the grace, pureness and intellectual stimulation time and time again for weeks, and anything else was just shit. I stumbled back into Dark Souls later that same year and found something "new" to pique my interest in gaming again, but to date, I've not dived into anything with little more interest than "maybe this won't be the worst complete waste of my time," coinciding nicely with a time the industry riding high on a "oh, this will be a complete waste of your time AND money" mindset.

Since 2016, I've completed exactly 2 games, Dark Souls 1 and 2, and am working on 3. Nothing else I've played has caught my interest as more than a cursory distraction as INSIDE set a bar so high for me, I'm not sure I'll ever get over it (until Playdead's next game which will be a console-seller for me, sight unseen; I don't care; I will spend $500 for next-gen hardware just to see what they do next.)

 

[happyninja42]

Not to keep harping on it, but INSIDE was this for me. It broke me out of a gaming trance. I didn't buy a game for myself for YEARS after playing it. That single, extremely linear and short game was so captivating, I couldn't muster the enthusiasm for AAA "Generic Game 4" anymore. INSIDE grabbed me like the Joker in The Dark Knight and growled in me face: "LOOK AT ME!" I went back several times, just to take in the subtleties and nuance, experience the grace, pureness and intellectual stimulation time and time again for weeks, and anything else was just shit. I stumbled back into Dark Souls later that same year and found something "new" to pique my interest in gaming again, but to date, I've not dived into anything with little more interest than "maybe this won't be the worst complete waste of my time," coinciding nicely with a time the industry riding high on a "oh, this will be a complete waste of your time AND money" mindset.

Since 2016, I've completed exactly 2 games, Dark Souls 1 and 2, and am working on 3. Nothing else I've played has caught my interest as more than a cursory distraction as INSIDE set a bar so high for me, I'm not sure I'll ever get over it (until Playdead's next game which will be a console-seller for me, sight unseen; I don't care; I will spend $500 for next-gen hardware just to see what they do next.)

Yeah, the most recent example of this for me, was Ghostrunner. Which I have gushed about ever since it's release. I just really loved that game. I appreciated the minimalist plot and mechanics, the way they structured everything, how much work they put INTO that minimalist plot and characters, giving them WAY more depth and nuance than I would normally expect, especially given how few lines of dialogue most of them have. The titular Ghostrunner is borderline Silent Protagonist, but when he speaks, it often has way more impact than you might expect, given the context. The soundtrack was just fucking delicious for me, and really synched with the feel of the game, almost turning it, at times, into something like Crypt of the Necrodancer. I actually ran around a few levels, trying to time various actions to the music, and it worked amusingly well...until I fucked up and died

So yeah, I get your love for INSIDE. Prior to Ghostrunner, it was Homeworld 1 and Cataclysm. Just, such perfect games for me personally, that I loved them to death. And would play them over and over, just to enjoy them again.

 

[Xprimentyl]

Yeah, the most recent example of this for me, was Ghostrunner. Which I have gushed about ever since it's release. I just really loved that game. I appreciated the minimalist plot and mechanics, the way they structured everything, how much work they put INTO that minimalist plot and characters, giving them WAY more depth and nuance than I would normally expect, especially given how few lines of dialogue most of them have. The titular Ghostrunner is borderline Silent Protagonist, but when he speaks, it often has way more impact than you might expect, given the context. The soundtrack was just fucking delicious for me, and really synched with the feel of the game, almost turning it, at times, into something like Crypt of the Necrodancer. I actually ran around a few levels, trying to time various actions to the music, and it worked amusingly well...until I fucked up and died

So yeah, I get your love for INSIDE. Prior to Ghostrunner, it was Homeworld 1 and Cataclysm. Just, such perfect games for me personally, that I loved them to death. And would play them over and over, just to enjoy them again.

Oh, the music and sound were massive parts of INSIDE's appeal for me. I actually reached out to Martin Stig Andersen (composer and sound designer) on Twitter to praise him for his work, and he replied with thanks. The sample below is from, by far, the most memorable level in the game. It's been my morning alarm for 5 years. It's hard to explain how, I dunno, important(?) this piece is outside of the immediate context of the game, but it is beyond fucking brilliant.The game is a complete mind-fuck up to this point, then they just drops this gorgeousness in your lap. It was the first time I felt like I didn't pay ENOUGH for a game; it's so clear this was a passion project as evidenced by their commitment to making each moment perfect. This is the one game I can say I honestly love. I enjoy lots of games, but this one, I love.

 

[wings012]

It used to be Metro 2033, cause of one really god awful segment where you had to escort a dude through a field of suicide bomb type enemies, with nests that spawn them. I hated it, it was utterly fucking terrible and took me way too many tries cause the guy you were escorting had no self preservation instinct. You were forced to just sprint ahead and completely devastate your ammo reserves. They fixed it in the Redux version, I can't remember exactly what they did to it but that was no longer an issue so I ended up enjoying Redux. I had replayed 2033/Last Light in preparation for Exodus before it came out.

I'll probably never replay any sandbox/RPG type game with too much faffing about and "progression" and "unlocks". I was more than happy to replay Sleeping Dogs some years back but I don't think I could do it again. I can't imagine myself replaying a Ubi game just to go through the same bollocks of clearing the camps, unlocking the thing, beating the challenges to unlock a better gun and all that bloody crap.

I tried giving Nier Automata a second spin some years after I played it for the first time but I really could not get back into it.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

The Witcher 3. I love its fantastical charm and the sheer variety at work here; even thinking that maybe, just maybe…if I had all the time in the world I could see myself starting another NG with mods or something. [/b]But[/b], it’s just so…fucking…huge that I’m still trying to string together the time to play through it once. It’s also incredibly dialog-heavy, which means if you really take the time to listen to the VA’ing vs just skipping through and reading subtitles, you’re spending arguably more time watching than playing. Which is something that even Kojima’s MGS4 can’t shake a stick at by a country mile.

It’s gameplay systems also are pretty much serviceable at best, which makes the actual playing part of it feel like a means to a greater end of everything it does better in between, vs merely enjoying the gameplay itself for what it is. I just finished a string of horse races for some quest, and it’s so awkward as the horse physics and animations makes it feel nearly weightless, and you’re constantly running out of stamina several times during a short race even with progressively winning better saddles. The opponents will never fall far behind though either even when you’re sprinting, and sometimes they just stop right beside you as if to run out of stamina in tandem too, or you can just block them while yours recharges a bit. It all feels insignificant and trivial.

At least the sword fighting and footwork is nimble enough to be fairly enjoyable though. Makes all the contracts more or less worth checking out.

 

[stroopwafel]

I play a ton of games but I rarely replay a game. It's actually a miracle if a I can see a game to the end(or rather, the credits). Primarly has to do with the length of most games which is simply too damn long. I don't want to feel like I'm wasting my time. The only games I regularly replay are the Resident Evil games(the good ones, espescially RE4 and Remake + RE2 Remake), Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3. No matter how many times I play them for some reason they stay fresh. Just immaculate, timeless design. Like a perfect game should be.

The Witcher 3. I love its fantastical charm and the sheer variety at work here; even thinking that maybe, just maybe…if I had all the time in the world I could see myself starting another NG with mods or something. [/b]But[/b], it’s just so…fucking…huge that I’m still trying to string together the time to play through it once. It’s also incredibly dialog-heavy, which means if you really take the time to listen to the VA’ing vs just skipping through and reading subtitles, you’re spending arguably more time watching than playing. Which is something that even Kojima’s MGS4 can’t shake a stick at by a country mile.

It’s gameplay systems also are pretty much serviceable at best, which makes the actual playing part of it feel like a means to a greater end of everything it does better in between, vs merely enjoying the gameplay itself for what it is. I just finished a string of horse races for some quest, and it’s so awkward as the horse physics and animations makes it feel nearly weightless, and you’re constantly running out of stamina several times during a short race even with progressively winning better saddles. The opponents will never fall far behind though either even when you’re sprinting, and sometimes they just stop right beside you as if to run out of stamina in tandem too, or you can just block them while yours recharges a bit. It all feels insignificant and trivial.

At least the sword fighting and footwork is nimble enough to be fairly enjoyable though. Makes all the contracts more or less worth checking out.

Good one. Replaying TW3 would be like re-reading a pile of giant tomes. No thank you.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Oh, the music and sound were massive parts of INSIDE's appeal for me. I actually reached out to Martin Stig Andersen (composer and sound designer) on Twitter to praise him for his work, and he replied with thanks. The sample below is from, by far, the most memorable level in the game. It's been my morning alarm for 5 years. It's hard to explain how, I dunno, important(?) this piece is outside of the immediate context of the game, but it is beyond fucking brilliant.The game is a complete mind-fuck up to this point, then they just drops this gorgeousness in your lap. It was the first time I felt like I didn't pay ENOUGH for a game; it's so clear this was a passion project as evidenced by their commitment to making each moment perfect. This is the one game I can say I honestly love. I enjoy lots of games, but this one, I love.

Have you seen this yet -

 

[Xprimentyl]

Have you seen this yet -

Yes, I have! Watched that several years ago. I was at a point of obsession with INSIDE and was soaking up anything I could find relative to it. I’ve watched no fewer than a dozen different playthroughs on YouTube just to glean some of the awe of a first playthrough from someone else vicariously. My favorite is below, ChristopherOdd. He had the exact same reaction I did at that point in the game. I had to stop and just say: “this is something different, something special.” It was the moment the game cemented itself as something [for me] beyond a game. I’ve never before or since been so captivated with something selling itself as “a game,” like a two ton diamond being sold as “something valuable.”