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Replaying games feels so pointless to me.

Other than games where replays are the entire point, I have only re-played one game this generation (Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn).

However, I replay old games all the time. After 5-10 years, even a long game can feel pretty fresh when replaying it.
 
the only games I've ever replayed in 28 years of gaming are Link's Awakening, Fallout 3 and Yoshi's island. I understand the OP completely
 
RionaaM said:
You know the same applies to EVERYTHING you do in life, right?



No, why? A movie won't change however many times you watch it, the same with music albums. And I'd say there's even less incentive to rewatch or relisten to them, as you can't interact with them and therefore you have zero input on how they play, whereas many games offer you the possibility of affecting the outcome according to your actions or playstile.
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I dunno. A game is approx. 5 times as long as a movie. Now I know you don't play a 10 hour game in one sitting, but its still 10 hours of.your time. An album is even more crazy because you listen to a good song in about 3 minutes. Also there are so many games to find time for that I don't know how you could spend another ten with one you already finished. Another problem is the fact that there IS interaction. There's no looking away or multitasking that you could pull off with music or a movie.
 
Depends on the game, current backlog and my free time. As a kid I used to do it all the time because I had far fewer games so you made sure to get the most out of them. Now I have to weigh up if its worth replaying the likes of Skyrim at 100hrs+ when that time could go towards other titles in my backlog. Generally unless the game is very mod-friendly or laden with branching paths + alternate endings I won't replay it until several years down the road and those that do I have to resist the urge to replay as I feel like that time should be spent on unplayed titles.
 
Also, for some genres, nothing ever topped or replicated the older games. If I am in the mood for a city simulation game, I could play Cities in Motion, or Cities XL, but all of those games are worse than the decade old Sim City 4, so I will just replay that instead.
 
RionaaM said:
No, why? A movie won't change however many times you watch it, the same with music albums. And I'd say there's even less incentive to rewatch or relisten to them, as you can't interact with them and therefore you have zero input on how they play, whereas many games offer you the possibility of affecting the outcome according to your actions or playstile.
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Movies, music and books may not change, but I certainly do. And the only reason I'd consider a different playing style is if I were a changed person.
 
It's funny, I find a lot of games really only "click" on the replay, especially if they have any kind of nuance to the mechanics.

I love replays.
 
This only makes sense of you only pay games for the story. Which is a really strange reason to play games. And even then, many games are at least partially influenced by your choices.

But I also reread books. I even rewatch movies and television if I like them. I am going through west wing for the third time right now.
 
thecouncil said:
I dunno. A game is approx. 5 times as long as a movie. Now I know you don't play a 10 hour game in one sitting, but its still 10 hours of.your time. An album is even more crazy because you listen to a good song in about 3 minutes. Also there are so many games to find time for that I don't know how you could spend another ten with one you already finished. Another problem is the fact that there IS interaction. There's no looking away or multitasking that you could pull off with music or a movie.
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You got me good there. I understand if it's a matter of lacking the time or motivation to replay a game, but I tend to get more fun and enjoyment from a great game than a movie (depends on which ones, of course).

I don't know, sometimes the urge to replay something just strikes me. I may take it slow, or play it in between sessions of another game, but if the game is really good then it's not difficult for me to enjoy it like the first time.


semiconscious said:
exactly. which means that re-playing a game is in no way more inherently 'pointless' than playing the game in the first place :) ...
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I completely misunderstood your point, sorry!
 
I can't think of one game I played more than 2 and 1/2 times. I guess there are levels or chapters I've replayed more than that. But from start to finish? It's rare for me.

Especially if it's a big game. Xenoblade is too damn long to finish once, let alone twice!
 
RionaaM said:
You got me good there. I understand if it's a matter of lacking the time or motivation to replay a game, but I tend to get more fun and enjoyment from a great game than a movie (depends on which ones, of course).

I don't know, sometimes the urge to replay something just strikes me. I may take it slow, or play it in between sessions of another game, but if the game is really good then it's not difficult for me to enjoy it like the first time.
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Yeah, i guess it comes down to time really for me... If I had more id play games again. I replay handheld versions of console games (Mario world, yoshis island, Mario 64). Because handheld games are easier to play on the fly. Like, im going to play animal crossing new leaf and that's probably like replaying animal crossing from gamecube. (Lol. Just kidding about that comparison.)
 
I wish I could enjoy replays but I rarely do. I grow tired of games really fast as well and barely finish most of em anymore :/. I think being stressed about life and not having enough time is the main factor.
 
Replaying my favorites games is similar to rewatching my favorite movies. I really dont see how its any different than that. Not necessarily for story though - games with great gameplay demand to be replayed and mastered - stuff like Bayonetta, Ace Combat, Armored Core, etc. Games like Metal Gear offer the best of both worlds (story and gameplay). I pick up on new stuff every MGS replay.
 
Used to replay everything as a kid as had lots of time and not much money.

Now I'm ballin I buy what I want and move on the moment something else catches my eye. Don't replay games much either.
 
I find there are so many games now that I'd rather try something new than go back and play something again. Same is true for movies and TV. Music is the only medium where I like to experience it multiple times.
 
I've replayed so many games this generation due to playing on both the PS3 (switching to a new ID) and 360 with a little help from Trophy OCD:

Alice: Madness Returns - 1k and Platinum
Alpha Protocol- 1k and 2 Platinums
Assassin's Creed 1- 1k and 100% on PS3 (pretrophies)
Assassin's Creed: Bro- 100% SP on both
Assassin's Creed: Rev- 1k and Platinum
Batman: Arkham Asylum- 1k and Platinum
BioShock 1- 1k and Platinum
Captain America - 1k and Platinum
Dante's Inferno- 1k and 2 Platinums
Dark Void- 2 Platinums
Darksiders- 1k and Platinum
Dead Rising 2- 100% SP on 360 and Platinum
Demon's Souls - 2 Platinums
Deus Ex: HR- 1k and Platinum
Dragon's Dogma- 1k and Platinum
Dungeon Siege 3- 1k and Platinum
Enslaved- 1k and Platinum
inFAMOUS- 2 Platinums
Mass Effect 2- 1k and 2 Platinums
Mass Effect 3- 1k and Platinum
Metal Gear Solid- 5+ playthroughs
Mirror's Edge- all trophies and achievements except a few time trials on both
Prince of Persia- 1k and Platinum
Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands- 1k and 2 Platinums
Resident Evil 5- 1k and Platinum
Skyrim- 1k and Platinum
The Darkness 2- 1k and Platinum
Uncharted 1- 2 Platinums
Uncharted 2- 2 Platinums


Ok holy shit. Wasn't expecting this list to be so long until I started looking at my trophies. I usually only get to play after my daughter gets to bed. I really should get more sleep myself lol.
 
I replay RPGs, platformers, and action games all the time. When it comes to the game mechanics, I think it's interesting to replay them when you have more experience and skill.

Some genres, like shooters, are generally one-and-done deals though, most of them don't feel like I can change enough to make them interesting beyond the first run. The only ones I've ever had a lot of interest in replaying are Resident Evil 4 and Vanquish, but they do a lot of things that made them fun to go through again.
 
I rarely replay games as well.

The only ones I can think of are first two generations of Pokemon, WarCraft III and Populous: The Beginning.

edit: I did in fact actualy finish Uncharted 1 and 2 and inFamous twice.
 
There are some people who are baffled when I tell them I re-read books, and my favourite ones several times. Much like books, there's just certain points in games that I can play over and over again. Whether it's a favorite level/set piece, or that one paragraph of LotR that just resonates with me, I love repeti

And hell, outside of story-based games, can you really replay certain titles? Particularly multiplayer based games. I've "replayed" Left 4 Dead hundreds of times.

Another type of replay is when you haven't played a game in many years. This is actually helped along by lack of backwards compatibility in certain systems, or simply losing/misplacing/no longer owning titles. I replayed a number of PS1 titles last year, and it bought home a nostalgia I hadn't felt since I watched the Disney classics after not doing so for a decade. It's a warm fuzzy feeling.

Speed-running, live-streaming, introducing your friend to a game you loved, there's more reasons for replaying than simply just replaying. I don't burn DVDS after one watch, I rewatch them. That seems to be the one nobody has any issue with, though yes games are much longer and take much more investment than a simple film.

Multiple paths too. Sure you played Skyrim, but did you roleplay an evil mage? A good archer? A neutral battlemage? A merchant? Different ways to play. The Mass Effect trilogy is brilliant for that, best example I can think of really.
 
I don't think I've ever replayed a game immediately after I beat it (even games with New Game+ features or vastly branching storylines, like the Witcher 2 or Heavy Rain).

I'm a big player for the story, so it often feels like when I'm done with a game, that's it. I don't care to see the branching paths because the canon is already set in my mind.

Anyway, I do find myself replaying games from my favorite series after many years (Zelda, or most recently, Final Fantasy). I'll also replay a game if a sequel is coming out. (Went through Uncharted 1 and 2 again before 3 came out).
 
I don't even go after achievements. I think a lot of time is wasted by developers trying to make games replayable or simply longer than they should be.

I think it would be better for the industry if we had more games that keep it short and sweet and do not pretend to be 'worth" the full 60 bucks like the Skyrims or the GTAs. I mean how can Dishonored ,which was great for a 10 hour play-through, be worth as much as Skyrim? One price does not fit all, and these good, shortish games should be marketed as good, shorter experiences and sold as such. I think games like this need to become Episodic and/or sold at a similar price to the Walking Dead season 1 to be competitive and to distinguish the AAA blockbuster games from the rest, ensuring they maintain their place as the ultimate core gaming experience.

Publishers are trying to subsidize or hedge against AAA games by overcharging for games that are nowhere near as involving to make or to play. It won't continue to work.
 
Same here.

My backlog is far too big to replay anything. Unless it's something short and sweet with a lot of replay value, I won't replay it unless it's been close to a decade since I've beaten it.
 
Amen.

I can't ever bring myself to replay a 6+ hour (and that's usually low end for time) game when I know there are new experiences out there. I wish I had the mind to enjoy games multiple times, but I just can't. I get a "been there, done that" feeling most of the time, and the stories never hold my attentions like they do the first time. I guess I'd just rather be trying new experiences then playing the same thing over and over again.

Actually, that's why I usually don't care about most "arcade" type games, or games before the NES. I don't necessarily need a story or narrative, but I really could not care less about trying to get a high score. Never have, and never will.

The only game that has made me replay it multiple times is MGS2, my favorite game of all time, but that was a very special circumstance because I was absolutely infatuated with that game (especially at the time) and I had pretty much nothing else to play on the thing, so I just replayed it over and over again. Since then, I can barely pull myself to play through a game even on a harder difficulty. I do love game extending DLC though. I guess to sum it up, I just love new stuff.
 
I dont often replay games but when I do, its usually a long while after first playing. Most of the replays I do are of old Final Fantasy games and like Secret of Mana and shit.

Only exception has been Borderlands. It was the first game that I ever had the urge to immediately start a new game+, and I enjoyed it, especially cuz I had the DLC the 2nd time around.

I think Skyrim will be another exception, although I really haven't even finished the game yet, so it'll be more 'starting over' than a replay. I definitely haven't seen everything the game has to offer. Far from it, really. I think I'm gonna wait for more DLC to come out and then start again and then do all the stuff I haven't so far plus take on the new content.
 
Love replaying games. Saves me money and great games never become less great. Also read books more than once, watch movies multiple times, and rewatch my favorite TV series.
 
I love replaying games just to try and speed run them. I beat Half-Life 2 so many times because of this. As for other games... I'll replay them when I feel like replaying them but I usually stop in the middle of them for some reason
 
I really enjoy replaying games that I like. Bayonetta is my favorite game from this gen and I make a point of playing through it every year. The Uncharted games are pretty fun to revisit also.
 
It has to be a special game for me. It has to not be linear, but also be well paced. I have to feel like I am in control of the game and have the freedom to complete it however I want. So basically I only replay Mario World, Mario 64, and A Link to the Past.
 
I replay games less and less nowadays. There's so many new experiences out there, I can't spend time replaying older ones, especially when you'll never match that thrill of playing it the first time.

With exceptions, of course.
 
BIOHAZARD 1, 2, 3 and 4 (CODE:Veronica less so) are infinitely re-playable for me. Likewise with Dino Crisis. Spent entire summers with most of them.

I replayed MGS1 and MGS2 a lot too when I was younger, though I can't seem to be able to stick with them that much anymore. MGS3 bores me to tears most of the time despite still being a great game. Just doesn't feel as interesting as the previous two.
 
Depends on the game. 95% of what I play once I never replay. The last 5% are games that I'll probably play 10 times each.
 
My mage in Skyrim had no interest in joining the warriors guild or chasing long lost dragons across the map. But then I didnt spend 150 hours playing that character either. I made a new one and did different things. In a year or so from now I'll make another character and get to some of those dungeons I haven't been to yet.

Just a small example for you.
 
Depends on the genre and how good the gameplay is for me.

I found - for me - if the gameplay invites the player to get better or get even more enjoyment out of the game 2nd or 3rd time around, I replay. Examples for games that get more fun the more often you play them: Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, Mirror's Edge, good Jump n'Run series (Mario, sometimes Sonic and Donkey Kong), RPGs with different classes or tactics (Phantasy Star Online, Shin Megami Tensei-games), ...

While I don't replay as many games as I did when I was younger, I often return to classics or old-time favorites of mine. I'm currently replaying or rediscovering some classics in my collection since I can't really invest in new games at the moment.

What I find difficult to replay are "cineastic action games" with only one way and no possible mixups in possible gameplay approaches the second time. Also, some RPGs just don't invite instant replays (but I keep them if I like to play them a second time. First time and second time through Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia was almost 10 years apart, but they happened and were amazing :D Basically, I keep every game).

____________________________________________________________________

If it feels pointless, then (and I don't say this in a negative tone at all) you're more of an "experience" gamer instead of a "gameplay" gamer. Both experience and gameplay are obviously intervened and equally important, but I think a gameplay gamer can get more "experience" out of mastering the gameplay system while an "experience" gamer wants good and rewarding gameplay to experience an interactive adventure. So I can understand where someone like OP is coming from. Fortunately, we have enough games cartering to each preference so it's no problem. This does btw. totally ignore multiplayer since that is an experience/gameplay totally of its own.
And if someone would love to replay a game like e.g. Xenoblade - try it a few years down when the story isn't feeling so fresh anymore and it feels "new" and "comfortable" at the same time. Makes for the best replays of RPGs, IMO, especially since with the memories of the game the memories of the time when you played it come back, too (at least for me) and provides a nice nostalgia boost :)
 
Same, it has to be really special for me to do that, like Panzer Dragoon Zwei & Saga, Metal Gear Solid, FFVII back then.

Of course games with out an ending, or one not easily attained (roguelikes, sandboxes without a story, whatever), don't fit here.

I wish I could say games with multiple endings like DX:HR don't fit here either but they're so transparent and shallow it's not true.
 
HueyFreeman said:
It's funny, I find a lot of games really only "click" on the replay, especially if they have any kind of nuance to the mechanics.

I love replays.
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Here too! Once you know how the story is going to turn out, you can appreciate the dialogue, the foreshadowing, the music, the subtleties of the gameplay, and all kinds of other things a little better. It's rare that I don't pick up a whole lot more information on replays than first-round plays.

I rarely want to start again as soon as I finish a game; it's usually a year or more later than I get the hankering again. All my recent favorites -- FF12, Assassin's Creed 2, Valkyria Chronicles, and Demon's Souls -- have given me this urge typically every 1-2 years. I've probably played FF8 five times, every two years since it was released. A good game stays with you over the years and you get more and more out of it each time.

(Edit: CrazyArcadia, while I was typing, you expressed many of the sentiments I also wanted to express!)
 
I love replaying games. It's like slipping into an old shoe or something else well worn, but in a good way.

SNES games tend to get the most replaying from me.
 
I have replayed FF7-9, Demons and Dark Souls, Zelda OOT,WW, MM, Mass Effect 1 like 5-6 times each

Heroes 3 is something i still play, for years now

But generally i agree, does happen only with very few titles
 
I can replay games from any genre easy except for RPGs. Unless its Pokemon I can't replay RPGs until a large period of time has past.
 
Games are usually the only thing I don't repeat. I'll watch a movie 10 times, read a book 5 times, or even go to some art gallery or something multiple times and I am notorious for 'playing a song to death'. But for games, I very, very rarely replay them.

I totally understand why people would, I just personally don't like to. Unlike books or movies, games take me a lot longer to complete and once I'm finished I feel like it's "done". It's why Gamefly is so great for me and why the past couple years I've tried to steer clear of day one purchases.

H_Prestige said:
Of course. 99% of this gen's single player modes are tightly scripted, linear amusement park rides. You're not going to get a different experience playing it again.

Something like Dark Souls OTOH...
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I don't feel this way at all, or at least maybe I'm just not playing those games. RDR, ME, Demon's Souls (you did mention the sequel), Saint's Row, GTA IV, Sleeping Dogs, The Witcher series, Drakensang, Forza, GT5, LittleBigPlanet, Super Mario Galaxy, Guild Wars 2, Halo 4, Borderlands 2, Assassins Creed, Xenoblade, The Last Story, Puzzle Quest, Fez, Trials ... I mean, maybe I just don't choose all the corridor games like you but I haven't had that issue whatsoever and I buy plenty of games, including the 'top' or 'AAA' titles.
 
I replay 8 and 16 bit games a lot. Modern games, hardly ever.
I replayed Metroid:Other M and Metroid Prime a few times each though... Loved those ^___^
 
Games other multiple endings or outcomes have huge replay ability for me. I replayed the mass effect trilogy many times this gen. Infamous has a good and evil ending and that will bring me back at least twice. Some games are just so fun like OoT that you replay them (especially Master Quest)
 
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