Do you replay video games?
Now that Baldur's Gate 3 is releasing on PS5, I got to thinking about a pet peeve I have as a gamer: no matter how many choices and freedom a game gives me, I can hardly get myself to replay it after I finish it once.
There are only ever a handful of exceptions - mostly when I want to show my partner some games I loved when growing up.
The best example I have is Skyrim: I absolutely loved the game on launch date, and I was glued to my PC for several weeks. But after I finished it, I could never get back into it.
I guess my question is less about games that are designed to be replayable (strategy, sims, management, multiplayer) and more about titles such as The Witcher, Grand Theft Auto, Red Ded Redemption, Metal Gear Solid, etc.
So, do you replay such "replayable" titles? Why or why not?
Usually I don't, but those few games I do replay I can probably do infinitely. Sit me down in front of first Mass Effect, Witcher or Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines, give me 30 free hours and I won't need to stop for sleep. I don't even change much between playthroughs, on the contrary trying to follow this ideal mindmap I have of how the story should really go, to the point of killing enemies in the correct order in specific encounters, or what quests I should do first.
Strangely enough, it's never newer games, or sequels. I can't really explain, but those are, kinda, too much for me? Too many things, too many systems, to many things.
Baldur's Gate 3 seems to be a second game in the decade which I will add to list, first one being Disco Elysium. I guess I have a type.
Pretty much the same list of games as you. Games that are engaging for the story they tell, plus the differences in that story based on your decisions. Vampire the masquerade is probably the gold standard where depending on the class you play it could feel like a completely different game.
Mass Effect is my most replayed game, and I tend to replay through the whole trilogy each time. I have tried playing a Renegade character and femshep, but I usually play a male Shepard and Paragon. I have switched up my romances and I have what I consider my "canon" playthrough (Infiltrator, Ashley, save Rachni queen, etc.).
But each time I finish my playthrough, I swear it's the last time I do it. By the end I'm feeling like there are too many parts of the game that feel like a chore and that the magic dies a little more each time. Yet a few years later, I find a reason to pick it up once again. I still haven't played the Legendary edition, so I will definitely do another full playthrough at some point.
The only other game I have replayed is Skyrim, and that's because mods can make it completely different each time. Other than those two games, I rarely play games again. I'm currently playing AC: Odyssey, and while I'm really enjoying it, I know I will never play it again. It's far too long and grindy.
I recently tried replaying Mass Effect, but couldn't make it past the first visit to the Citadel. I loved the series as a teenager, but now it felt to me like there isn't a lot of game in the game.
It's showing its age, but there's a certain zen-like pleasure I take from playing it. The soundtrack, aesthetic and mechanics have nostalgic appeal from a time when Bioware was at the top of its game. But it's definitely getting harder for me to replay each time I try.
I feel pretty much the same as you, but it's more than just RPGs that do it for me. Shorter skill based games also are fun to replay, especially if they have a good story to go alongside them. Though when I do replay them I don't play the higher difficulties. I'll play them more for the fun and nostalgia than the challenge.
What you described is speed running games. Some people work to break the world record but most speed runners just try to beat the game efficiently based on their own ruleset.
Much like with TV shows, I always want to, but never get around to it. I had Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice installed on my Xbox for several years before I finally realized I was never going to play it again. Same goes for most games. My hard drive is filled with games I'll never replay, but don't have the heart to uninstall.
The two exceptions are Shadow of the Colossus and Titanfall 2. Once a year or so, I'll get the nostalgia bug and play them again, despite the lack of replay value. I can't really say why I replay those, except that they aren't too long, and the gameplay of Titanfall and atmosphere of Shadow of the Colossus are addictive.
I agree, I think the only games that I historically replay are typically Souls games. They just lend themselves really well to replays, and the best part about them is that once you've beaten one, you're typically good enough to halve your clear time or better.
Honorable mention to games like Skyrim and Pokemon. Skyrim is so repayable because of its modability that truly makes the game feel different, and Pokemon for mostly the same reason; romhacks.
Other than that I'll boot up a guilty pleasure game like Katamary Damacy every once in a while, or me and the boys will play through a Halo campaign together.
But yea I'm at an age now where I have much less time to actually play games so replays aren't generally my thing anymore. I mean, I haven't even had enough time to play all the new releases that I've wanted to during this freakish year.
Not if they don't change. As a general rule I don't redo any media, with very, very few exceptions.
Multiplayer games can hardly be "replayed", especially if the content itself develops, as it's never the same. Rainbow Six: Siege is that for me.
I approached Rimworld, The Elder Scrolls, and Fallouts a few times, each with a different set of mods—enough to make them entirely new kind of games.
Baldur's Gate 3 might become an exception due to the possible difference between replays, but I'm not sure that'll happen. I thought so about Disco Elysium, but the replay was too similar and I dropped it.
Just like a book, its best to wait a long time and forget as much as possible.
I'm replaying so many classic PS1 games now on my miyoo mini or RP3+. (and games i missed out on)
Playing MGS1 when you know what you're doing is like a 5 hour game. But having to re learn most of the tricks after 20 years is new (actually playing gamecube remake right now)
I echo the sentiment of people who only replay older games. With the exception of a few roguelikes the only game I replay consistently is the original Doom because the mod community has been putting out new mapsets and gameplay mods for literally decades. I find I rarely replay newer games; once you've beaten it, there's often very little incentive to come back.
What got me into RPGs was replaying various games from different branching saves and/or fresh replays.
I've put thousands of hours each into games like Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9, Phantasy Star II, Skyrim and FNV. Often restarting/replaying a different class or spec, moral alignment or making different choices during differente encounters before I've completed the game.
In writing that I realized that I was basicaly brute forcing a game similar to a "choose your own adventure" type book where you try to reach every possible ending.
Tbh I feel like a lot of the "you can do WHAT?" moments or consequences of doing something differently I can get via discussions or YouTube at the savings of hours upon hours of gameplay. I definitely get wanting to do it yourself, but I feel like it's wildly variable on the amount of time or what it really means or gives. Undertale I wanted to play the additional bosses, and the weird screwy UI bits like the game crashing made me want to see the extra route in action. Fallout NV is just way too much time and I felt the neat bits were buried in a ton of Bethesda-ing that I didn't really feel was necessary to loot through, even though I enjoyed the game. Signalis I literally played the game an entire second time immediately after finishing it because I felt like the characters "deserved" the path I gunned for. Disco Elysium I could see a lot of new dialogue opening up if I played it again, but I don't think I'd change enough gameplay habits to get there myself. I think I could replay Portal any day of the week. I don't think I'll ever replay Outer Wilds even though it's my favorite game, because...that's the way it is.
There's a certain x-factor there, and while it's absolutely part of a time thing I really don't know what the qualification is. Maybe I just like the gameplay of the ones I do more than I let on.
I have a section in my library labeled "Forever Games" which consists of a list of stuff I am just always down to play. Monster Hunter, Armored Core, Elden Ring, SimCity, Tactics Ogre, among others. The games I put here have a sort of appeal that means I'm down to just come back to it when nothing else is occupying my mind. Usually what sets them apart is a sort of dynamism to it - the systems at work mean that my attention is always necessary. I may be able to play in a more relaxed way since I know how the games work, but they still make enough of a demand that I am invested in what happens.
There are a few in that list that rely more on nostalgic value. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is not a triumph of game design but it is a fun diablo clone I played at just the right time, as an example. Sometimes it's nice to hop into something that straightforward and the nostalgia of it provides some inertia. The big thing with me is abandoning the idea of a "backlog" and just letting go of it when the game isn't holding my attention. Doing that led me to establish the Forever Games list and I mostly just rotate around in that until a big release comes along.
I've replayed randomized Pokemon Black 2 nuzlockes so many times now; every single run (whether complete or incomplete) feels so different that I keep coming back to it. It doesn't help that the new generation of pokemon games really dont scratch that pokemon itch for me anymore.
I've also replayed Ghost of Tsushima 4 times now, I'm just absolutely in love with the atmosphere and combat.
If I really liked a game I'll usually replay it once or twice directly after I finish it, just to make sure I didn't miss anything and because I'll still be caught up in the story.
Generally after that I won't ever go back to it again, however, and it's not like I'll replay it enough to get every ending, just the ones that initially caught my interest.
Yes. I only typically have a few hours a week to game. There's a lot of games out there (and in my library) that I still want to experience, but at the same time sometimes I know exactly what vibe I feel like, and may not want to spend a limited window learning new mechanics. So I'll keep some new games and some old favourites installed. The latter I don't care if I don't finish a playthrough again. I just want to jump into Days Gone for an hour here or there because I know I'll enjoy it.
I do but it usually has to be a while since my last playthrough. Some games that doesn't matter. I've played KOTOR 1 & 2 probably five times each (as a low estimate), same with the original Rogue Squadron. I don't know how many times I've beat the first three Halo games, but I'll always be satisfied going through those campaigns.
Also, if a sequel is coming out and it's been a couple years since I've played the original, I'll give it another playthrough right before I start the sequel so I remember the story and the gameplay feels familiar when I start the sequel. Earlier this year I did that with Jedi: Fallen Order and now I'm doing it with Spider-Man.
I've got way too many games to play through even the first time, why would I spend time playing something I've already played?
Same with TV-Shows, I've got thousands and thousands of hours of unwatched shows, I don't want to rewatch a show I've already seen again.
I think Farscape and Babylon 5 are the only ones I've seen more than once. Farscape at least 4-5 times =)
I have no qualms replaying older games myself. Sometimes it's just nice to take a trip down memory lane. Or it's been long enough since the initial playthrough, it almost feels like the first time again.
As the industry continues to evolve, game design and trends in game design change as well and sometimes I'm just in the mood for some gaming from a specific era and/or aesthetic.
Very very rarely. I have a very hard time going through the same story multiple times (be it in a game, a book, movie, etc) so I really need to love the gameplay and not feel satisfied after the first playthrough.
Also, not sure about BG3 but in JRPGs / VNs at least many of the choices are cosmetic (a couple different dialog boxes) at best, so I'm always hesitant to explore dialog trees too deep unless I know in advance that it leads to a very different scenario.
Very rarely. I also very rarely rewatch a movie. The only games I replay are games that I thought were pretty much perfect. I find it useful to remind oneself of that high level of quality in light of many fallow years since.
Pretty often. Even more so with TV shows. I think it’s some kind of comfort for me to replay certain games or rewatch certain shows. With games like Baldurs Gate it’s even more extreme because here I want to see as many of the possibilities the game offers as I can. But I sometimes also replay games with a fixed story if it’s been a while and I forgotten some of the plot points already.
I often re-buy games I've already finished on one platform for another platform ("Oh sweet, I loved that game. That would be awesome to play again on the Switch!") but rarely actually get around to re-playing them.
The exceptions are usually relatively short-ish casual puzzle games that I really enjoyed where it's been long enough that I forgot how to solve most of the puzzles (The Witness, The Talos Principle, Portals 1 and 2, to name a few).
Movies and TV shows though I probably re-watch stuff I liked more often than I watch new stuff.
I'm basically the same as you. I don't mind rebuying games, I view it as supporting awesome developers. I can't even remember how many times I bought Terraria for example.
I don't know why but it's always the arcade bundle that has Galaga that I buy. From the original Playstation, PS2, XBox, XBox 360 and all of the various handhelds I've probably bought that game 10 times.
While I'll play it nearly every time I see it in a real life arcade, I rarely even play it on consoles. I'll buy it the same day I get a new console, play it for a few hours and rarely touch it again after that--every time.
The best linear-game franchise to replay in my opinion is always gonna be Resident Evil. It's almost designed to be replayed more often with it's unlocks and almost speedrunning like format, but it's a completely linear game with a story and everything. Resident Evil 4 Remake, most recently I've played through 5 times to get the 100% achievement on.
Absolutely, I tend to hyperfocus on certain games and put a lot of hours in them before dropping them for a long while. Right now I'm replaying Red Dead Redemption 2, and taking some time to rehash the strategies in a nuclear RTS I enjoy by the name of ICBM. These two games, one rich with nonlinear detail to be explored, the other full of diverse playstyles and niche tech trees, leave a lot of digging to be done before a player hits rock bottom, so to speak. Typically though I rarely play a game I would not appreciate replaying.
I've replayed some classics for nostalgia, and to show people my favourites.
I replayed all the Halo games up to 4 a couple years ago. I've replayed Half Life / 2 / Episodes more than once. I've been playing GTA4 a bit again as well. I've played most SNES games a few times, the highest being Super Metroid, Super Mario World, and Link to the Past (probably my most played game).
The only recent games I've played more than once are Hollow Knight, the Ori games, and Dark Souls 1 / 3. I am definitely looking forward to replaying Bloodborne and Sekiro someday... still waiting for that BB remake :|
I pretty much only replay FromSoftware games. Other games aren't worth it imo.
I replay Super Metroid and Chrono Trigger at least once a year. The Megaman X games and Zelda Link to the Past get frequent replays as well. I've recently replayed all the Quake games as well, all great in their own way. I especially like Quake 4 and would love to see a continuation of that story. C'mon ID, Quake 5 when?
The only ones that I had replayed are rpgs like Fallout series, with getting different endings exploring different parts of the map and moral alignment that matches the ending that I want, such as being an complete asshole in my Legion play though or being a goody two shoes in my Republic play through. And trying different things. I still have to do the House and the Independent Vegas endings. And different modded endings.
You have mention Skyrim specifically. I got it on my PS3 (terrible port, btw) and played the hell out of it! I got all trophies (achievements) with my first character, I have been to very cave, did everything thegame had to offer. And then, after finishing the last thing, I suddenly asked myself "What now?" The game gave me all there was, I absorbed it and now what??? I eventually finished it second time using only warhammer as my damage dealer, no bow, no damaging spells. Then, after finishing the game with freaking flying dragon as you main enemy using only warhammer, I have seen everything. I have never played the game again.
Fast forward a bit.
Witcher 3 - finished on my Switch and soon I'm gonna go through it once more on Steam Deck. I have forgotten all the little things the game has and I feel the need to play it once again.
Zelda BotW. Finished after around 120 hours, I would call it 99% completion. I want to play it again. I have forgotten... the same as Witcher :-)
I have replayed Oblivion two times (main quest) and once done almost 100% playthrough. I will get back to it again, as I still haven't explored al the dungeons and caves (unlike Skyrim).
I have olayed SW KotOR 1&2 a few times being light character everytime. I will get back to them again.
I have played the shit out of Fallout2 back in the day, we are probably talking 10+ playthroughs. And I will play it again. Together with 1, 3 and New Vegas.
I have finished Final Fantasy X two times in rather quic succession (in half a year probably). I love the story!
I hae finished Earthlock and I will never play it again. Kinda good game, don't need to play again though. I have finished Syberia series of games and won't probaly play then again. Not 3, I'm sure. Maybe others. They are great games, I love the theme, but no real reason to replay for me.
So it really depends on the game itself. Is it good enough that i keeps my interest to play it again and get almost or totally the same experience? Is it made to be replayable (RPG woth difderent skills etc.)? Is it made to be replayable but lacks in some other way?
Aside from NES games like Super Mario Bros, rarely.
I have 1400+ games in my library across multiple platforms, and I prefer trying as many of them as possible. I'm not really a person who 100%'s a game.
I have only replayed 3 games since I started tracking my played games:
Not lately, but in the past very much so.
It depends on the subsequent playthroughs being different. One of my favorite games to replay was Akiba's Trip 2: Undead and Undressed (not as bad as it sounds) The thing is you keep all your levels and progress through the replays so you can keep going through faster and faster and do silly things like dress your whole party up in the same outfit and such.
I used play Hyperdimension Neptunia games twice in a row sometimes, it helped that the New Game + was really different and you could get things you missed the first time, it helped that I had so much attachment to the characters and settings, also that the English and Japanese voices were both so good that I couldn't pick just one and didn't have to. Contrast that to the "Grade" mechanism in Tales of Symphonia where you really don't win enough advantages in a New Game + to overcome the exhaustion at the end. (It was Neptunia that got me into the outer reaches of anime fandom, the search for Neptunia fan art got me into Touhou and Trinity Universe and Date A Live and Fate and Disgaea and ...)
I am still playing Disgaea PC and not at all sure if I will play it through a second time; I've been taking it slower than I could have, developing a larger party than I really needed to, there is quite a bit of post-game after the "game", but the possibility of a fast second playthough and "Etna mode" being somewhat different might turn me around although I have such a queue on steam, and a queue on XBOX, and a lot of things that aren't video games I should be doing. (e.g. so many people are asking me about YOShInOn, named after another Tsunako character, that I really gotta get Pelican set up to blog about it.)
It is almost a tradition for me to play Grim Fandango every couple of years.
Almost never replay after a completion. The games I really enjoyed that I started again later cause nothing else was available was RDR2, watchdogs 2, GTA5, portal2., but never got past couple hours.
It was so long since I played the mass effects and I forgot so much of it that I did replay and finish 1-3 again. It was like playing them for the first time which I wish can happen more often.
I used to when I was younger. I played through Diablo 2 probably a dozen times with different classes, different difficulties.. I played Need For Speed Most Wanted probably four times over. Tony Hawk's American Wasteland was one I played through several times back to back.
I think the last game I ever really replayed was Skyrim. I originally got it on Xbox 360 and played through it twice.. My 360 red ringed, I eventually got a PS3 and one of the complete editions so I could play it over with the DLC. Then a third time I purchased that dumb game for the Switch and played through it, doing the other side of the civil war quest and the fighters guild which I'd never done.
I had the Witcher 3 installed on my PC for years after I played it, thinking I'd run through it again someday, and just never did. I got Diablo 2 resurrected and was amazed by it.. I dropped it after act 2 though. I played through the OuterWorlds on Gamepass and really enjoyed it.. So I picked it up when it was on sale on Switch thinking I'd go through it again, making different choices but never played more than an hour or two.
I don't know. I'm struggling with games as I get older. I have a hard time getting into them. Even playing games for the first time, I rarely finish them anymore. I never had a Wii, but got Super Mario Galaxy on switch and had an absolute blast!... For about 50% of the game and then I was just kind of done. Baldurs Gate looks really good, and I want to play it.. But I'm hesitant to pay new game money when I might not be able to get invested it the game.
I think I'm broken.