Great article, Andrew. I think it's kind of funny that you mentioned Smash Bros. 'cause I was actually going to ask you about your take on that exact game.
Anyway, I understand your feelings on the issue and even, to a certain extent, empathize with them. God knows I've tried to 100% the first two Mass Effects on multiple occasions, but just haven't been able to push myself through them.
Here's the thing you don't really address, though: although you're right about the fact that, for the most part, your repeat playthroughs won't have the same pull or feel as the first one did, I find that this effect tends to lessen the more time has gone on since your last run.
Case in point: I love the KotOR series. I've made several characters of various class, gender and alignment combinations. Each time, though, I tend to have a somewhat unique experience because I let months, sometimes years, elapse before I start a new character. And during these alternate playthroughs, I don't usually say to myself, "Well, I haven't made a sith character yet, so I might as well do that for completion's sake"; In fact, I tend to just play through as my mood permits.
Sometimes I say to myself that my character has this kind of personality and I should stick to choices that he or she would make (one of the few cases in which I find myself actually role playing in a video game). Other times I tend to play as though I were really in the situation, myself. Most of the time, though, I just do what amuses me. I'll play two-thirds of the way into the game as a straight-arrow, no nonsense good guy, then, without warning, force lightning anything that looks at me sideways, just because I can.
The point is, though, that because I've let my memories of my past decisions wane, I can still enjoy a lot of those decisions a second or third time through, because I have no idea what I did last time or how it turned out. I can still get that unique playthrough that's different from someone else's, like Mr. Cage intended.
Anyway, I understand your feelings on the issue and even, to a certain extent, empathize with them. God knows I've tried to 100% the first two Mass Effects on multiple occasions, but just haven't been able to push myself through them.
Here's the thing you don't really address, though: although you're right about the fact that, for the most part, your repeat playthroughs won't have the same pull or feel as the first one did, I find that this effect tends to lessen the more time has gone on since your last run.
Case in point: I love the KotOR series. I've made several characters of various class, gender and alignment combinations. Each time, though, I tend to have a somewhat unique experience because I let months, sometimes years, elapse before I start a new character. And during these alternate playthroughs, I don't usually say to myself, "Well, I haven't made a sith character yet, so I might as well do that for completion's sake"; In fact, I tend to just play through as my mood permits.
Sometimes I say to myself that my character has this kind of personality and I should stick to choices that he or she would make (one of the few cases in which I find myself actually role playing in a video game). Other times I tend to play as though I were really in the situation, myself. Most of the time, though, I just do what amuses me. I'll play two-thirds of the way into the game as a straight-arrow, no nonsense good guy, then, without warning, force lightning anything that looks at me sideways, just because I can.
The point is, though, that because I've let my memories of my past decisions wane, I can still enjoy a lot of those decisions a second or third time through, because I have no idea what I did last time or how it turned out. I can still get that unique playthrough that's different from someone else's, like Mr. Cage intended.
