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Anyone here struggle to replay games you've already beaten?

DragoonKain

Neighbours from Hell
It's always been an issue for me. Especially right after you finish the game, some people start the game over right away to get another ending or do a different character build. I've tried to do it a bunch of times over the last several years, and I can't get more than a couple hours in where I'm just like ugh... the same dialogue, the same action, the same missions/quests. And then I look over in the corner and see a stack of games in my backlog I've yet to play and I get antsy and quit.

For those who are the same way, how much time has to elapse to where you'd be able to replay games again? I've been able to replay games in the past where so much time has gone by that I forgot most of it. I was thinking about going back and replaying a bunch of PS1 RPGs that have been remastered, that I've beaten years ago at some point in their original releases. Have a feeling halfway through the game though I'm going to get bored and not be able to justify spending 50+ hours on games I've already beaten, but who knows maybe I'll be able to get through them and will be happy I did go back and play through them again. And possibly even find something in games I loved that I didn't find the first time.

Curious if anyone who's like me who really struggles to replay games has ever done the same thing and how it went for you replaying decades old games you've beaten years prior. Were you able to get through them when enough time has passed? And if so, did it give you a new appreciation for them at all?
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I've struggled with this too, I think it's normal.

For me, I've got to wait about 2-3 years typically to fully enjoy re-playing something.
 

Bridges

Member
When I was younger I definitely had an easier time with this, but I think that had a lot to do with having a more limited library and being restricted by things outside of my control, and wanting to get the most out of the games I did have.

Nowadays, the only real restriction is my time, and there are so many games I have bought and never touched or new games I want to check out that I find it incredibly hard to justify doing a second run of a game I've already seen to completion.

A game like Fire Emblem: Three Houses would've been a godsend to me with the three separate campaigns, now it is too daunting, too many other things to do. It'll probably be years, if ever, that ai go back and try for another ending.
 
And if so, did it give you a new appreciation for them at all?
100%. Everyone should strike a balance of finding at least one game a year they try to master. Most of the time you're going to just play games once and it's going to be a mostly superficial level of familiarity with the game.

But there's a different type of experience you can have with games too, where you can almost keep an image of the game in your memory. When you know the layout of levels in Resident Evil 4 and learn to shave off a few extra seconds in Mercenaries by taking slightly optimized routes in a space you've memorized. Similar thing is experienced a lot by multiplayer games, FPS games, fighting games - you hear people speak about the maps with such reverence and clarity of memory. That can be experienced in single player games too. Mostly they're going to be action games.

I've replayed Ninja Gaiden Black / Ninja Gaiden 2 probably 50x (literally). I play them once every 2-3 years now. You just have to find a game that's deep enough that you actually enjoy replaying it. Its worth it to spend the time to have one truly memorable experience a year, among all the infinite games that get played once and disposed.

Later this year it's going to be all Splatoon 3 for me.
 
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OZ9000

Banned
I don't buy many games.

I replay games which I enjoy once a year eg doom eternal

I do not replay games which are a slog to get through eg guardians of the galaxy
 
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The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
Why do you want to replay a game you already completed?

It's the same story, the same things you do again.

My girlfriend doesn't mind watching a movie alone when I'm at work and then rewatch it the very same day I get home.
Hell I barely rewatch movies I've already seen. I mean, I know what happens. I remember it so it's not the same rewatching it.
 

CS Lurker

Member
For me I wouldn't say I struggle with it, I just don't care to play the same game again. It have so many games that I've never touched, so I just prefer to play something new (and that o paid for...)

Also, those games where you need to beat it again to see a different ending have no power with me. I mean, at all. It would be a waste of my time.
 
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DonJorginho

Banned
I am like this these days, I've told myself so many times that I'll replay such and such that I adored when I was younger. Yet the minute I find something that I remember from it, everything rushes back and I just hit a wall where I'm not enjoying it on the same level so I put the game down as to not sour the whole experience for myself.

I'm jealous of those who can replay games again and again without getting drowned in the monotony of it all, even my favourite games of all-time I can't replay as a whole. I wish I could just replay sections of levels on a whim like you can with Naughty Dog games and their encounter selectors.
 
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Camreezie

Member
I dont replay games which have the narrative as the main hook as once you have already experienced it, if you go to play it again soon after it can come off as a bit stale
 
For the vast majority of games I'm one and done. It's one of the main reasons I will hang on to physical gaming for as long as I live. I couldn't imagine dropping $90 on a digital game that I finish and never touch again. I gotta sell it and move it forward.

There are a few exceptions to this, the latest ones being GTAV and No Man's Sky
 

35cent

Member
I usually wait at least a year before replaying a game. I tried to play Kisane's story in Scarlet Nexus shortly after finishing Yuito's but realised after 5-10 minutes that I wasn't feeling it. Might give it another go soon though.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
If I enjoy a game enough to actually finish it chances are I will replay it. I don't finish most games I play because I get bored with them.
 

Kev Kev

Member
not at all, i love it.

if i love the sense of adventure, and the actual experience of the game, im not really thinking about how i already 'did all the things'. i just want to get as close as i can to the feeling the game gave me when i originally played it.

i think for some people videos games are all about 'doing all the things', and for others, like myself, its more about the experience, immersion and feeling of adventure a game gives you. its why i keep coming back to fantasy setting like FF, skyrim and zelda. they give me that immersive adventure i want to feel.

as far as how long i wait, it depends on a lot fo things, but ill just suddenly get craving for a certain game every 2 or 3 years, and i wont be satisfied till i play that game again. it usually goes well and i love the game, but there has been some here and there that i didnt like 10 years later (like kingdom hearts, which is sad bc i used to adore that gane, but it just doesnt do my feels like it used to).

once in a while ill get an MGS craving and i gotta find a way to play the whole series lol. same with FF, zelda, halo, half life, banjo kazooie, shining force, bioshock, and the list goes on and on. ive 100%ed some of those game multiple times, but i love the experience and nostalgia every time. so ill prob do it again someday
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
It's no issue for me, as long as I wait at least a year/year and a half before replaying the game.

That is, unless it's simething really arcade or gameplay-centric, like DOOM (93), Metal Gear Rising or Furi, to name a few.
 
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I get all my different endings on YouTube, to me that is a trope that doesn't make any sense at this point. I also hate trophies so I'll never replay a game because of them.

I only replay my favorite games and even then I like to give it a lot of time so that I can see it with fresh eyes. Only games where I might start again as soon as I finish are From Software games simply because I like the gameplay so much I want to try different things, learn how to beat it quick, repeat some bosses, etc.
 
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april6e

Member
I don't replay things period. The way my mind works is once I know the entire plot of something, I completely lose interest. It's why I haven't watch many shows like Breaking Bad or the Sapranos. I didn't watch them when they aired so they have been spoiled all over the internet and thus I have zero interest in experiencing where I already know how it ends. Even if I have no idea what happens in the actual episodes.

It's also annoying because I have to look up a guide everytime I play an RPG or such to ensure I see everything the first time or to ensure my build works and isn't crap. I missed like half of the game playing Persona 4 as I didn't manage the limited time they give you to do character quests properly. And now I'll never replay that game and my experiences wasn't enjoyable like someone who actually looked up a guide to not miss any content.
 

Knightime_X

Member
In most cases after I beat something I'm good to go and not in the mood to beat it again.

But I will want to beat it again eventually.
...unless the game was trash.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Why do you want to replay a game you already completed?

It's the same story, the same things you do again.
There are times you notice a cool detail that you missed on your 1st playthrough, for me sometimes I enjoy game even more on my 2nd playthrough.
 
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lachesis

Member
I can't say I struggle... but I tend to not to dwell on games that I've beaten only, since games start to take a very long time to complete.
There are so many games that I want to play, so it's really difficult to find time or excuse to go back.

Having said so - I tend to beat the game pretty through - so I don't really regret never replaying it again.
(Like seeing all the endings for Nier Automata, by playing through several times)
 

Beechos

Member
Too many games and too little time to be replaying games. Only time ill replay an old game is if its a complete remake.
 

Larxia

Member
It depends on the type of games, like if it's something very arcade based on scoring where the gameplay is the core part of the experience (Like Bayonetta, Furi, stuff like that), I will be more willing to play it again if there's more depth to find / stuff to master, but if it's a story driven game, not really no.

I rarely want to replay games unless they're very special games to me with an adictive gameplay. If I do replay games, it's usually years later.

Quite often it can happen that I think again about a game I liked in the past, and have a feeling of almost wanting to play that again, but in reality not really. It's just that I remember good times I had on that game, the atmosphere etc, but I just need to think about it for real, think about what it will be when I play it again, to know that it won't be the same. I would get bored quickly because I can't relive my memories the same way as the first time and sometimes it's better and enough to just keep the good memories and not force anything.

But if it's been like 10 years, it can be different if I forgot a lot about the game.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I've never bothered replaying a game right away, unless it's under a few conditions:

1. It's meant to be replayed over and over again for leveling and looting (Diablo)

2. It's a relatively short and relaxing game to beat again years later (beating Castlevania SOTN on 360 after beating it on PS1 10 years prior)

3. This was the old days of 8 and 16 bit games where you could beat a side scrolling shooter in 20 minutes, or Mario to find more secrets and to get your moneys worth you beat it over and over again

But in modern day, and assuming it's a standard one and done kind of game I dont bother replaying games unless it's like #1. Too many games out there to move onto instead of the old days where you had maybe 5 games on you at a time and forced yourself to play one of them because that's all you had.
 
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Bombolone

Gold Member
I didn't know people found such anxiety in not being 'gung ho' about replaying a game they recently finished.
I almost never replay a game, and actually consider ones that I enjoy replaying, special.

Ninja Gaiden, Splinter Cell, DMC are some of the single player games, over the generations, that have kept me coming back.
More arcadey-action experiences.

The games story beats, and overall charm have to be levels of greatness for me to want to play through it again.
Half-Life 2, Bioshock, Kotor 2 come to mind.
 

sachos

Member
Curious if anyone who's like me who really struggles to replay games has ever done the same thing and how it went for you replaying decades old games you've beaten years prior. Were you able to get through them when enough time has passed? And if so, did it give you a new appreciation for them at all?
Unless the game is made to be replayable like Souls games or RE games, yeah enough time has to pass for me to replay a new game, maybe a couple of years at least? And after you replay them yeah, for sure you get a new appreciation for them, although there is a chance you notice some issues that maybe you did not noticed before if you played the game when you were younger.
Though, i do kinda get the opposite problem as you OP, i get a weird anxiety thinking about starting new games and not being good at them so i end up replaying games im confortable with.
 
Depends on the game. Sometimes I need time before I can jump back in. Some games I finish and don't want to step away from. Then there are the modern cinematic one-and-done games there's no reason to ever go back to.
 

Scotty W

Member
ough I'm going to get bored and not be able to justify spending 50+ hours on games I've already beaten
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Depends on the game. Sometimes I need time before I can jump back in. Some games I finish and don't want to step away from. Then there are the modern cinematic one-and-done games there's no reason to ever go back to.
Same, added featuers help a lot, but some games add so many worthless fetch quests and back and forth that it isn't fun to replay.

I've played MGS so many times, because it is a short fun game and you can add the invisibility suit and the bandana but then there's also the backtracking involved with the card keys that makes you not want to play it again. Today's games want to be so long for no added value that you end up not wanting to play again. I'd rather play a 10 hour game two or three times with added value than a 25 hour game once and never play it again.
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
kinda. most of the time i don't want to replay a game so it's really that simple. the times i do want to replay i don't because i don't have the time. i'm struggling to play through games as it is without thinking of replaying them. there are many i'd love to replay but too busy on new ones. if i ever have the free time to go back to one then it won't be difficult.
 

bender

What time is it?
I've mostly been replaying games these days. I've dropped a bunch that haven't aged all that well, but I guess the idea of older games in my library is much more appealing than most new releases these days.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
I replay a lot of the older classics all the this. RE, MGS, SH etc.
But the longer a game gets the less chance is there for me to replay it.

Can‘t wait for the new PS+ to go live so I have an easier access to the older games.
 
It depends on the game. A lot of games are almost better the second time. Other games, I'd never replay, even if they were pretty good (usually, longer or open-world games).
 
It really depends on the game. I'm an old-timer, and don't have the stamina to pull all-nighters anymore. But I still love gaming. I'd played the Mass Effect series multiple times ages ago, and on different consoles (PS2 and PS3). When it was released on Game Pass, I'd played through all 3 on the XSX and loved every minutes of it. I'm planing to replay The Witcher 3 as well when the next-gen updates are released.
 
Oh yeah, I rarely replay new games. I can replay old classics or shorter retro games many many times but that's about it. I've never understood why you would want to go straight to NG+ as soon as you've beaten a game.

Furthermore, if I've beaten the main quest of a game (RPGs etc.) I lose all interest in the game and can't do another sidequest, so I always finish every side quest before that. Playing as another build doesn't really help.. but if you can make different moral choices and get a good/evil ending, yeah sometimes.

Hmm, so for me to replay a newer game it needs to be like one of the best games I've ever played, and at least a couple of years have to pass. Some examples: Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption (1), The Last of Us, The Witcher 3. If there's a meaty remaster, it helps as well.
 

MiguelItUp

Member
Yeah, for me, once I beat a game, that's it. If there's multiplayer or something, I'll keep going back to that if it's good. But single player experiences are usually one and done.

Elden Ring is actually the first game I replayed multiple times, to get all the achievements.
 

Rykan

Member
I don't reply games unless it's rerelease or remake of a game I've played as a kid. Too many games available to experience something twice.
 

Robb

Gold Member
I enjoy re-playing games, used to re-play a lot of stuff. Lack of time is the main thing stopping me these days. Doesn’t feel worth it to re-play something when there’s so many new games being released that I can barely keep up with.
 

Xeaker

Member
No not at all, I replay older games more often than I play "modern" games.
In the last 4 years alone I replayed almost through half my PS1/PS2 library lol
 

Bartski

Gold Member
If I like a game a lot I usually do, often more than once, really depends on how big the game is but if there is an NG+ I usually jump right in. Open-world is the only exception that shit is just too big. But I rarely go back to and replay older games I moved on from if it's not due to a DLC.
 

NinjaBoiX

Member
Yeah, I think that’s perfectly normal.

I think the only game I’ve restarted immediately after finishing it was Gears 1, because I was slightly obsessed with it at the time! But in general I don’t bother, unless I get the itch again years later. I’ve never been one to chase multiple endings or whatever.

Funnily enough I replay racing games quite a bit, I’ve finished Pure and NFS: Hot Pursuit 3-4 times each.
 

Whitecrow

Banned
I replay all the games I love. Many many times.

Classic GoWs, FF X/7R, YS games, and Sonic games too.

Im a sucker for nostalgia.

Some modern games are too bloated or are too slow tho.

And that why I also replayed Uncharted LL many times too while only played U4 a couple of times from start to finish.

I mean, some games havw beautiful jouneys, and it doesnt matter if you kniw the dialogues, or how they end...
 

freefornow

Member
Yep, absolutely. Doesnt matter the length of time between or how awesome game was, that experience is done. There are plenty of awesome new game experiences out there still to be discovered and enjoyed before inevitably seeking the next.
And so on.
 
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Kimahri

Banned
I wouldn't cobsider it a struggle. I just move on when I finish something. I see no reason to replay it u less it's a very special experience that I'd like to relive. But that's usually reserved for years later.

Like, I replayed ICO recently, 20 years after last time.
 

Juza

Member
Depends on the game and the free time! As for me, I often replay the games that I like.

The other factor is that most games nowadays suck, and that drives me to replay the good games.
 
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That is my huge problem! I love revisit my old and new games, and my backlog are ridiculous large. I mean, REALLY big. Not only digitals, retails too...

Some games i just can't stop playing because i love so much. So, even when i play a "new" game, i will be playing those i love too...

Its even more complicated than that...lol...But u get the idea!
 
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lh032

I cry about Xbox and hate PlayStation.
depend on the games, souls game, sifu worth replaying many times.

I think the main reason we no longer replay games is due to time, especially we need to work.
 
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