Joystiq poll: Do you replay completed games?

by Blake Snow { Oct 6th 2006 at 2:00PM }

Replay value. How important is it to you? Excluding multi-player, mini-games, time trials, and games you can't complete (e.g. Tetris), how often do you replay completed games? How does your preference compare with the "replay value" of movies and books?

Technical mumbo jumbo: this is not a scientific or rigorous poll and is only intended to capture the general consensus of Joystiq readers. Results will be posted approximately one week after the poll is opened for votes. Sure, you probably could hack this poll if you worked at it, but it's more fun for everyone if poll results accurately reflect the opinions of all readers, so please refrain from tampering with poll results.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

darryl @ Oct 6th 2006 2:07PM

Normally I don't, but I think the PS3 games will be so mind blowing, that I will replay them endlessly! Viva la Cell!

Proud to be a Wiitard @ Oct 6th 2006 2:07PM

I would say I replay at least half of my games. Actually, the only games I don't replay are usually the ones I don't finish in the first place, because they suck.

nonpareil @ Oct 6th 2006 2:09PM

FYI that should be an "e.g., Tetris."

Hannibal @ Oct 6th 2006 2:12PM

Depends on the game. For example, I've replayed all Metal Gear Solids multiple times, because they were great. But a game like Prey, you couldn't pay me to play again.

Dracula Jones @ Oct 6th 2006 2:12PM

Generally, the games I replay just to go through again are the story based games that I loved the first time through, very much like watching a favorite movie again. Sam & Max and Day of the Tentacle are examples of games I usually replay annually. Chibi Robo is a recent game I think will join that club.

Other than story games, the replay value of a lot of NES and SNES games is just untouchable by anything in the past 10 years. Who can't pick up Punch-Out and get to AT LEAST King Hippo at any given moment?

doogie @ Oct 6th 2006 2:15PM

RE4, i played through that at least 4 or 5 times, while countless other games sat there half finished.

man, that game is great.

Bryan @ Oct 6th 2006 2:16PM

After a few years, a good adventure game deserves a replay. The old sierra and lucas arts games are great for replay. Speaking of, I just started Day of the Tentacle the other day. great timing.

LunarDuality @ Oct 6th 2006 2:18PM

I like replaying games but these days there are so many games to get through that I don't usually have time to do that.

I remember playing through Vasteel for the Turbo Duo like 4-5 times at least. Other replayed games for me: Warcraft, Warcraft II, Syndicate, Super Mario World, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, Halo 2...and those just off the top of my head.

Bollenator @ Oct 6th 2006 2:19PM

I tend to have a terrible track record for finishing single-player campaigns. Not sure what it is, but I'd say it's fewer than 30% of the games I've owned that I've finished the whole game as the developers envisioned it.

But then there are extreme exceptions: I've gone back and played the campaigns in Halo, Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden: Black, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and several others many times over for several reasons. Games like KoTOR and Jade Empire offer the ability to drastically change your experience based on in-game choices. Ninja Gaiden: Black offers new enemies and the opportunity to refine your gameplay as the difficulty increases. Halo is a replay universe unto itself, as you'd know if you've ever seen the feats of the guys over at highimpacthalo.org (Halo tricking and exploration site). Much of the content there is not for the faint of heart (or those with much of a real-world life), but it's incredible what people are still doing with Halo 1 five years after its release.

Despite my low batting average on finishing games, I still look down my nose at games that only sport short campaigns or aim too heavily at the multiplayer side of the game (I don't have Xbox Live anymore and I don't attend Xbox nights very often); sandbox games like Morrowind, Oblivion, or Grand Theft Auto appeal to me in the sense that I can pick up the game, dink around for 30 or 60 minutes, and never be yelled at by an in-game character for wasting time. That's usually pretty fun for me, though it only adds to my aversion toward finishing the campaign.

In the end, I'm probably just lazy. :)

ALH @ Oct 6th 2006 2:26PM

Depends on the game. With something more generic im more likely to buy the next one in the series, or something similar, with something more unique there isnt that choice, so the game will get a replay.

manuel @ Oct 6th 2006 2:27PM

Depends on the game.
I played through "A Link to the Past" about ten times for sure, because it's so damn much fun.
I played through many Mario games several times.

Then there are games I just don't touch any more... except for wiping dust off them of course. ;)

More "this generation" games are in the latter category. I play older games more often.

Kylara @ Oct 6th 2006 2:28PM

Games that I really, really love and want to do better the next time over, or just want to complete again. I've definitely played Pikmin II five times, beating it in less days each time (I beat it without losing any pikmin the last time! .. too bad you don't get anything).

You couldn't catch me DEAD playing through all of Super Mario Sunshine again. Freaking blue coins.

BklynKid @ Oct 6th 2006 2:28PM

Rarely games are good enough to be played through more than once.

I can recall what games I've done it with:
Half-Life series (all + expansion packs)
Quake 2 (I'm telling you, Quake 2 FTW!)
Splinter Cell
newer PoP games starting from SoT (they're just fun to play)
Halo series

Radix Radicoon @ Oct 6th 2006 2:29PM

I've replayed Breakdown, Ninja Gaiden, RalliSport 2, all the Resident Evil games, Eternal Darkness (but then again, replaying that is sort of rewarded), Zelda games, Metroid games, Final Fantasy games (occasionally)...

But I think the major point here is that replayability is more defined within the genre. Racing and puzzle games lend themselves to unlimited replayability, if one's into that genre. And by nature, RPGs will tend to be less replayable because they're built from the ground up for an ultra-enjoyable, one-time play-through.

Chris @ Oct 6th 2006 2:32PM

Really great games deserve another go round, just like really good movies. but it is rare for me to replay a game. Ones I've played more then once or twice are:

Secret of Monkey Island
Super Metroid
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Disgaea is slowly moving up that list. Although is it really reply if you are playing stuff after the main storyline is over?

m3mnoch @ Oct 6th 2006 2:36PM

in 25+ years of gaming, i can probably count on two hands the number of games i've actually completed. not ultima. not final fantasy 7. not quake. not morrowind. not gta.

if i put more than an hour into a single player game, it's a miracle.

for example, quake is one of my favorite games of all time. to this day, i haven't seen any of the single player past the first level despite having put hundreds and hundreds of hours into the multiplayer.

at this point, i've learned that i just don't buy single player only games anymore. it's a waste of my money.

m3mnoch.

Draco @ Oct 6th 2006 2:38PM

I find the NES/SNES/Genesis games much easier to replay.

I've replayed dozens of those games, FFI-III (US) Phantasy Star III-IV, Mario 1+3 (don't own 2), legend of zelda 1,2+3

of current gen games, I played through grandia 2 twice (Dreamcast version) and FFX 3 times. I'm working on my second run of Disgaea 2 right now, but I don't know if its considered replaying because you restart the game with the same characters as when you finished it.

I think the reason I replayed the older games is that they were so much quicker to play, and offered more variations on ways to play it.

Final Fantasy 1, I replayed with just white mages for instance, I also tried to play with just 1 thief alone (which didn't go well) whereas on FFX you always go through the same thing and have to rewatch all the cutscenes everytime. but the second time I played through it was 2 years or so after the first time, and its a pretty short game 20 hrs or so. the third time I played was with a downloaded copy of international (JAP) version so there were some changes that made the game much more interesting.

KR @ Oct 6th 2006 2:40PM

Good 360 games that have somewhat compelling achievement point goals often draw me back, or at least make me want to completely "finish" the game.

After finishing Call of Duty on the 2nd-highest difficulty on my first run-through, I went back and finished it on Veteran difficulty. The combination of being a good game and the lure of nerd points is pretty hard to resist.

Vlad @ Oct 6th 2006 2:42PM

Just because of this poll... I think I'll go play some of the first Splinter Cell again. Good times, good times.

Captain Obvious @ Oct 6th 2006 2:45PM

Loaded question presumes that we complete games. Give us an option for "Haven't completed a game since the 16-bit era!"

MJG @ Oct 6th 2006 2:46PM

I replay almost all my games at least once. The only games that don't get replayed are those that were mistakes to buy (which is quite rare - I'm not an impulse buyer) and those which were so massive, that the thought of doing it again is just too much (Xenogears, Pokemon Yellow after getting all the pokemon, etc). Basically, if I enjoyed a game during the first playthough and it can be thoroughly explored in under 50 or so hours, I'll definitely play it through again.

sizer @ Oct 6th 2006 2:49PM

Generally no - since I almost always complete the game and there are just too many games to play replaying would mean you couldn't play another new game.

But some games yeah. Knights of the Old Republic, Valkyrie Profile, Panzer Dragoon Saga. I am seriously tempted to replay Okami right now so will probably put it aside until the current glut of games is over and then maybe replay it in the slow season.

Saneless @ Oct 6th 2006 2:49PM

depends on the game. Good, fun, engaging games that are like 15 hours and packed full of action, sure (Prince of Persia, Metal Gear Solid). Games that are very repetitive, dull, and have TONS of filler, no (Think Final Fantasy)

MED @ Oct 6th 2006 2:49PM

resident evil 4 i have played through that like 7 times. games like super mario world and other older games like that aswell.

Brian @ Oct 6th 2006 2:50PM

Deus Ex - Never gets old.

Jose @ Oct 6th 2006 3:06PM

RE4, Shadow of the Colossus, Ninja Gaiden, all games with extremely high replayability. It's just about trying to beat previous performance though. Also, I must have seen Millions a billion times, fight club, Super Troopers, Wallace and Gromit: the Cures of the Were-Rabbit, good stuff. Probably read Lord of the Flies a few times, 1984, Of Mice and Men, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Basically, anything that surpasses the medium by which it was delivered deserves another go around.

epobirs @ Oct 6th 2006 3:13PM

A definite 'sometimes,' if that parses.

Some games, while worthy experiences, are something you'd rather never see again for the rest of your life once you've finished. Others make you want to do it again but faster or with more achievements, etc.

One game that stands out in memory is Lufia II: Rise of the Sinestrals. After you'd finished you were offered the chance to do it again but with double experience and cash. This meant most leveling up was unnnecessary and you could get through pretty fast. When you'd done that a new game became available. A Rogue-like dungeon crawler using the engine and assets of the main game and allowing you to chose three of the game's playable characters to join you in the dungeon.

That was a great value.

Hoffer @ Oct 6th 2006 3:13PM

I replay very few. A couple I can think of are the first Splinter Cell and Eternal Darkness.

SuicideNinja @ Oct 6th 2006 3:13PM

This has really changed to me. Previously, the only games I would replay would be games that really inspired me, such as FF7, FF8, FFX, Ninja Gaiden, and Aliens vs Predator 2 (about 20 times over). Games like Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, and RE4 give little reason to play them again. Those are great for one run through, but afterwards they just don't seem as fun.

The Achievement system has given replay value to games I wouldn't have played again. From classics to new games, I find myself pounding at those achievements even after completing the game. It's not even so much for the gamerscore, but for the achievements themselves; to prove to myself I could do it. Some of them definitely take some multiple-play-through work. Dead Rising is a perfect example.

Playing games on the older systems seem like a lesser experience because there's no achievements to look forward to during and after your first playthrough. Anytime I pop in an Xbox, Gamecube, or PS1/2 game I immediately notice this.

We'll see if "Entitlements" and "Nintendo Cool Coin Points" or whatever they call them (if they have them) will have the same effect.

pokysharpy @ Oct 6th 2006 3:18PM

Generally, the games I replay have a very compelling story, insanely fun gameplay with a short completion time, or huge choices to be made in terms of character development or storyline.

Baldur's Gate 2 - Endless party customization. You haven't lived till you've played a Kensai kit dual-wielding magic katanas.

KOTOR - light side & dark side. Actually played this directly back-to-back, I loved it so much.

Jedi Academy - who doesn't love lightsaber combat?

Call of Duty - crazy fun, intense, not too long.

Medal of Honor - same as Call of Duty, although CoD is better.

Half-Life 2 - duh.

Thinking about playing through FarCry again as a super-sneaky dude instead of blowing everyone to hell.

uberjoe @ Oct 6th 2006 3:23PM

I like to play a game on regular difficulty, and then again on the hardest difficulty. Provided the game doesn't suck of course.

Wulkar @ Oct 6th 2006 3:26PM

I only replay the games i had fun playing through the first time. like chaos theory was so much fun the first time i was always going back and playing it again. i loved the first level.

Zach @ Oct 6th 2006 3:26PM

The only game I have ever replayed besides the Tony Hawk franchise, is Half Life 2. I think that's about it...

js beckerist @ Oct 6th 2006 3:43PM

Games I've replayed more than twice:
Kings Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
Ultimate Doom
Final Fantasy 1 (NES)
Bomberman (any iteration except "hero")
Zelda: Links Awakening
Warcraft II BNE
NHL Hitz 2003
Black and White
Blitz: The League
Halo 2
Tomb Raider: Legends

Games I would never replay:
Anything Turok (every one has been a waste of time)
Most uber-linear games (ie: Super Mario Bros, Quake 4, Prey)
Games I only play multiplayer (ie: Smash Bros, Goldeneye, Wik: Fable of Souls, Mario Tennis...)

Dan @ Oct 6th 2006 3:43PM

Depends on how good the game is (duh) and the style of game. I might be convinced on occasion to replay something like Zelda just because it's so entertaining, but games that show some arcade like qualities are much more likely to played again. So games like Viewtiful Joe, Devil May Cry, or Ninja Gaiden where the goal isn't just to beat the game, but to play it skillfully will be more likely to played again because I want to get better.

dantebk @ Oct 6th 2006 3:51PM

Only very rarely. Usually it's something like The Secret of Monkey Island, which is sort of like re-watching a favorite movie... though I will occasionally replay some platformers like Yoshi's Island or Bionic Commando or Double Dragon. I can't seem myself replaying a "modern" game like GTA, Oblivion, or whatever, no matter how much I love it. There are too many more games out there!

sup909 @ Oct 6th 2006 4:29PM

It really depends on the quiality of the game I suppose. I am playing through Wind Waker a second time simply because I found it to be such a beautiful and compelling game.

Prince of Persia, Final Fantasy: CC I just found extremely repetative and will not get a replay.

Then there are those games that were awesome but so frustrating to complete that I am almost afraid to take on again in hard more. Metroid Prime is one because I don't want to make the commitment.

DigitalDept @ Oct 6th 2006 5:18PM

It all depends on the game. for me it was Jet Grind Radio and Jet Set Radio Future. Everytime I ended those games I deleted the data and went back for more. Why? Because they both rocked harder than anything that has rocked before IMHO.

Mr. Khan @ Oct 6th 2006 5:38PM

Ever since i terminated my subscription to the last MMO i played, i replay all the time now...

Damn 3rd Parties for not supporting GC online...

Josh @ Oct 6th 2006 5:39PM

I do replay most of my games, that's why I think the next gen systems should incorporate dynamic environments that change when you play again or restart a level due to dieing.

For example, on splinter cell games, if a stage gets a little too hairy, then I'll run through the game as fast as I can to see who is standing where. Then I'll kill myself. Then start over and have knowledge of where the baddies are.

I wish they would make the game so that the enemies are located in different areas, move on a different path, carry different weapons, look different, and even change the number of enemies. This way each time I replay the game it is something new each time.

Ray 3 @ Oct 6th 2006 5:44PM

I've played through Metroid: Zero Mission a few dozen times now. After watching speed runs from internets, I just got enraptured to try to perfect my game.

Kirby's Canvas Curse is in my DS alot too. The control scheme is too addictive.

Wolfkin @ Oct 6th 2006 5:48PM

bah. I totally /want/ to replay my games but I'm such a slow gamer I have 5 games still shrink wrapped. Of course three of them I just bought last week (DJVendetta, PoP:WW, SC:Pandora), but I've had Sonic Adventure 2 and Metroid Prime 2 for quite a while and Haven't gotten around to opening them. I'm looking at my list now and the only games I've even completed are RE, and Viewtiful Joe, and I did play VJ about 4 times. I'm working up to perfection. I'm still working thru (Baten Kaitos, Tales of Symphonia, Ikaruga, Eternal Darkness, and Custom Robo) that's a lot of hours of gaming and on top of that every few days I feel bad for my animal crossing town and my Brain Age score. Then I can start my other games (Killer 7, Geist, RE4) and THEN I can open up those sealed games. Plus I gotta train on SSB and SCII. Then there are collections to unlock (Zelda collection, Sonic Collection, Sonic Gems collection, Memgaman Collection)

I'm all for replay, and I definitely replayed when I had fewer game and not enough money and more than enough time. Currently however my replay score is almost down to nil.

Vercin @ Oct 6th 2006 5:48PM

Occasionally I'll replay some old favorites. Definitely had fun replaying some good adventure games with my wife years after I'd forgotten the solutions to all the puzzles. I anticipate some replay in my future, too. I finally bought a 360 a few weeks ago and have finished a few games. Getting a large HDTV this next week, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to play through them again for the eye candy. Also so that I can read what Otis is freaking saying (although I'd replay that game several more times on SDTV, too for the endings and the achievements).

ogvor @ Oct 6th 2006 5:57PM

I don't usually replay games, but their have been exceptions. I must have gone threw Half Life 2 at least 5 times by now, and I went threw Resident 4 twice and Both Knights of the Old Republic more than twice *especially the first) It's strange becuase these were both 20+ games for me, and yet I haven't touched Shadow of the Collossus since beating it in about 12 hours, and I've lost the will to go threw God of War, and instead turning my time to Defcon and Okami.

I think the reaply value of games is made more attracitve to me when

1. It's not boring for the first couple of hours. Half Life 2 has some great action sequences in less than an hour.

2. You get to keep your Stats. In resident Evil 4, I can keep all my guns and toast all the enimies and bosses I had a hard time with the first time, which is really like revenge. I also loved selling everything for the infinite rocket launcher the second time threw.

3. Changes in the story. Both KotOR's had atleast 2 endings, making at least one replay required. Thier is also a varied amount of partners to use and many side quests you can miss the second time.

All in all, I don't think Ill be reaplaing any games soon. Okami is supposedly a long game, but I like it so far. And with all the gaems coming out this fall, I'll be hard pressed to devote any extra time to one game, though both Mass Effect and BioShock appear to encrouage multiple play threws.

Josh @ Oct 6th 2006 5:59PM

I only replay a game, watch a movie again, or read a book again if it is REALLY REALLY good, like A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Shenmue good. Even then, I might not finish it the second time through...

In fact, I find myself finishing games on the FIRST time through less and less...

Wolfkin @ Oct 6th 2006 6:10PM

42. Kirby's Canvas Curse is in my DS alot too. The control scheme is too addictive.

I know a girl at work who is starting to love my DS. She's a pink lover so as soon as I told here there was going to be a pink DS she nearly drooled on herself. She's excited about what I've told her of Animal Crossing, she is a decent hand at Meteos and Zoo Keeper, she loves WarioWare, but Yoshi Touch n Go and Kirby Curse are too confusing for her. I love Kirby I think it's the greatest control system ever. It's simple, elegant and fun, and yet she thinks its too complicated

Jason C. @ Oct 6th 2006 6:59PM

Sometimes. Even though I always plan on going through them again, I'm pretty terrible at replaying RPGs. Some games I just can't get enough of, though. I've been through the Metroid series and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 7-8 times. They're a lot shorter, sure, but I think it's just because I like them so much.