Ironically, Memory Ruins the Nostalgia Factor

[RagnarokHybrid]

I just got RE4 HD through the Playstation Network and, while it's still a game I loved, it's also one that I remember all too well. I now regret all those hours I spent playing through the game multiple times when I was... fifteen, maybe, because now I already know what to expect.

I guess the whole point of getting these games is to experience what we loved about them but part of what we loved was our emotional reactions to everything the game threw at us, right? After hours of playing through and becoming desensitized to everything survival-horror-y about the experience as a fifteen-year-old, I know that I'm not going to enjoy the game as much now. I already know to expect the Regenerador and U3 because those were the parts that really stuck out to me when I first played it. Now I'm going to be like, "Oh, wait, the Regenerador is going to come out from that freezer. I'd better stock up on incendiary grenades so I can beat it." I'd rather be unprepared and afraid out of my mind than super-prepared and tanking my way through because I remember every slightest nuance of the game.

All of this is not to say that I don't appreciate the HD re-release. If you haven't played it or if you have, this game is well worth your time. I just wish that, somehow, I could erase my memory of ever having played the game just to experience to its fullest.

Oh well, that's life. Anyone else ever feel this way? Which game did you replay?

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Yet to hit that point, nostalgia is still able to get me through even the hardest passages of Starfox. For the quest of glory and reliving my childhood! XD

 

[Randomologist]

I do think that some games jog your memory slightly better. This is especially true in linear games, though I did recently play the original Ratchet and Clank where I'd forgotten (for instance) Clanks' initial foray into Orxon, or how fucking awesome the Tesla claw was.

I think that your nostalgic experience with an old game also depends on how well the game has lasted over time. Even if you can remember certain bits of a game, if its still providing a fair challenge then I still find myself having fun. Then again I do forget quite a lot, so maybe I'm in a hazy world of my own here.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I'm actually replaying Resi 4, aswell (Gamecube version).

And honestly, because the initial euhporic shock of the first playthrough has fadded into memory, I can now experience it in a more clear minded state. Which in turn makes me notice things about the game that I hadn't before.