High playability, Low replayability

[GPX | 1,369]

What is the game you find highly enjoyable, yet, you never returned to it after its completion? And chances are, you’re likely to never play it again.

What game would you think is the most playable and least replayable? Is there such a game? 

[B.A. | 1,139]

Animal Crossing for me.  I bought the GC version around launch, played it a ton and then hit a wall where I didn't even want to look at the game, never touched it again.  

Didn't play another version until the Switch, same thing happened.  Played it a bunch, now I'd rather spend an hour on the toilet than an hour catching sea bass.  

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

For me it's the Yakuza series.

They are absolutely amazing to play through the first time, and I could probably go back and play side missions, but I just haven't.

I think they're so exciting to play with all the twists and turns the story has, and then once you know what's coming they aren't as exciting.

[RH | 4,895]

This is personally a tough one because I find myself rarely going back to replay any game, even though there are some I've considered, and certainly some that I've played many times.  The top of that list is likely Final Fantasy Adventure, and I've played that in one form or another probably 4-5 times.

However, for other games that I really, really enjoyed, I some times get in a mood to come back to them but it's hard to predict which ones will and won't fit into that mould. Plus, there's a large number of games I've considered going back to, but then I try to be "objective" and consider how many unplayed games I have on my shelf that I should probably play first, and then if the desire trumps having the new experience, I'll go back and play the old game.

Regardless, I guess they games I really enjoyed but had no desire to go back too have included Duck Tales for the Game Boy (though I will likely pick it up again in the next 3-5 years, for sure), Banjo-Kazooie and Mario Galaxy.  And now that I think about it, platform titles are likely to be the lowest on my list, so maybe that's the best general answer.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

The Final Fantasy series. I've finished most of them from the original to FFX, but I don't have any real desire to play them again. 

[RH | 4,895]

2 minutes ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

The Final Fantasy series. I've finished most of them from the original to FFX, but I don't have any real desire to play them again. 

I think the only one I got close to finishing but really don't have the desire/drive to go back to was FF X.  I kind of feel like it was a good game but that was the point where it started to veer away from too much tradition that I actually enjoy and missed.

Oh, I also love the Tactics style of game and I wore out Final Fantasy Tactics.  I've wanted to return to that one many times.  Alas, I barely make it past the first battle or two . It's not that it's not fun, it's just that battles take soooooo long for strategy games.  As a kid, I'd probably play 10 battles in one gaming session.  As an ole-fart, tired, late-night gamer, I barely get through one match in a story mode and I'm done.  It sucks because it's a conflict of loving the style of gameplay, but just not really liking the time-sync for the whole experience.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

1 minute ago, RH said:

I think the only one I got close to finishing but really don't have the desire/drive to go back to was FF X.  I kind of feel like it was a good game but that was the point where it started to veer away from too much tradition that I actually enjoy and missed.

Oh, I also love the Tactics style of game and I wore out Final Fantasy Tactics.  I've wanted to return to that one many times.  Alas, I barely make it past the first battle or two . It's not that it's not fun, it's just that battles take soooooo long for strategy games.  As a kid, I'd probably play 10 battles in one gaming session.  As an ole-fart, tired, late-night gamer, I barely get through one match in a story mode and I'm done.  It sucks because it's a conflict of loving the style of gameplay, but just not really liking the time-sync for the whole experience.

I liked FF Tactics, but I never finished it. I haven't played it in 20 years, but from what I remember, I got stuck somewhere close to the end and eventually gave up on it. I finished FFX, but it wore on me to the point that I never even played FFX-2.

[DoctorEncore | 3,690]

Outside of a few absolute bangers on the NES (SMB, SMB3) and SNES (Chrono Trigger, FF3), I don't replay single player games. I'd rather move on to something new since there are about a billion games I'd still like to play before I die.

[WhyNotZoidberg | 585]

1 hour ago, B.A. said:

Animal Crossing for me.  I bought the GC version around launch, played it a ton and then hit a wall where I didn't even want to look at the game, never touched it again.  

Didn't play another version until the Switch, same thing happened.  Played it a bunch, now I'd rather spend an hour on the toilet than an hour catching sea bass.  

Agreed, altho my crack cocaine was New Leaf on 3DS. 

I think for the most part games that are too involved and long winded like RPGs and life sims are more difficult to get back into unless you have nostalgia for them. 
 

I just finished Brothers on the Switch and that's one game where I had a good experience, but it's mostly just me going through the motions without any real challenge so I don't see myself getting back into that.

[Tabonga | 2,314]

Rsebelstar Tactical Command.

I SRPGs - and I liked playing this game on the first go through.  After starting a second game I realised just how linear the game is with no room for variation - which is unusual for an SRPG.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,510]

Honestly, most games.  If I always have 100+ unplayed games, odds are I'll prioritize one of those over something I already went through.

[croagunk | 798]

Pokémon for me. I love Pokémon, but once I’m done the story I don’t tend to keep playing for very long. I don’t ever restart the games, either. 

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,055]

I can see BOTW being a game like that for me. I was completely enthralled in it. It was the first game Ive ever played where I truly just wanted to see around the next corner  even if nothing was there just to see the view. A real sense of wonder and aww. Also the most hours ive ever put into one game (like 250) I even tried to get all of the koroks. …Still missing 3 and have no idea which ones they would be so dont feel like checking all the locations again..but I don’t see myself playing through it again. That feeling of discovery only happens once, on the first play through. After that it may be enjoyable but definitely not the same and Ive got a lot of other stuff to play for the first time instead of another few hundred hours in BOTW

Edited November 13, 2021 by LeatherRebel5150

[RH | 4,895]

4 minutes ago, LeatherRebel5150 said:

I can see BOTW being a game like that for me. 

I almost mentioned BOTW, but there have been days where I got close to simply redownloading the game and restarting it.  I never beat it, but I put over 90 hours into it just because it was my first Switch game, as well as my first "modern" game I got into since Mario Galaxy.

So far I've not gone back to it, but I could definitely see it happening.  Unless BOTW really does drop in the next year and is some how all-the-same, but only 100x better, in which case, I'll probably just play BOTW2.

[G-type | 2,479]

Maybe Shadow of the Collussus? The only replayability might be if you wait a long enough time that you forgot most of it.

[Tanooki | 4,930]

I'd agree with Animal Crossing GC, then Switch entirely.

But also same with the post about Breath of the Wild, just my reasoning is different.  I put good time into it, and I consider that time an investment as it's a game you really can't quite finish, I mean you can, but you'd have to be insane to get every single thing out of it down to the ridiculous level of seeds.  My issue, Nintendo killed tradition and gave one save file per account, don't want to lose my time invested as I could go back to do more, so that vs wiping my work out is not an option so I can't go back.

[RH | 4,895]

3 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

I'd agree with Animal Crossing GC, then Switch entirely.

But also same with the post about Breath of the Wild, just my reasoning is different.  I put good time into it, and I consider that time an investment as it's a game you really can't quite finish, I mean you can, but you'd have to be insane to get every single thing out of it down to the ridiculous level of seeds.  My issue, Nintendo killed tradition and gave one save file per account, don't want to lose my time invested as I could go back to do more, so that vs wiping my work out is not an option so I can't go back.

I've got to agree with that point too.  I'll probably never come back to a game that has to save online, and you get just one save slot.  Why?!

[Tanooki | 4,930]

I had thought of the online aspect, just didn't keep typing.  I was going to throw Guild Wars under the bus, despite it having a finite set of chapters and stages/sections to do with it, it does have an end outside of all the massive co-op arena, team, etc stuff.  I did this for years, but I've never gone back as starting over would be utterly painful.

[twiztor | 848]

to me, it's the weird one-offs that Nintendo has produced over the years. I really enjoyed both Mario/Rabbids and Toad's Treasure Tracker, but the likelihood of ever playing them again is basically 0. 

but like @RHand @Reed Rothchildmentioned, most of the time if i beat a game, it goes to the bottom of the list, so outside of multiplayer games or old standbys (Zelda or SMB series), they don't get touched again.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,011]

2 hours ago, RH said:

I almost mentioned BOTW, but there have been days where I got close to simply redownloading the game and restarting it.  I never beat it, but I put over 90 hours into it just because it was my first Switch game, as well as my first "modern" game I got into since Mario Galaxy.

So far I've not gone back to it, but I could definitely see it happening.  Unless BOTW really does drop in the next year and is some how all-the-same, but only 100x better, in which case, I'll probably just play BOTW2.

There's so much to do! I think the DLC was worth it as well. I restarted the game on master mode after beating it once and did all the DLC on master mode. I still actually have to go back to max out the master swords damage. 

[GPX | 1,369]

Seems like RPGs and life sims are strong candidates for the answer. But I wonder if it’s because you need a lot of time invested in these types of games, and the time invested in playing them again isn’t worth the same amount of time you can play the next RPG or a ton of other games that are much shorter?

My personal answer is Nintendogs on the DS. Played it quite a lot as it was one of the first DS games I purchased. Now I can’t see myself playing it ever again. Maybe that’s a sign I’m not much of a pet owner?

[DarkTone | 984]

Pokemon blue. Got all 151 legit. No need to go back. 

[Kguillemette | 1,543]

Probably some linear, middling, cookie cutter, and pleasant yet unspectacular RPGs. I think ones like Legend of Dragoon or Legend of Legaia or Illusion of Gaia  Fit the mold best. I certainly enjoyed them on my first playthrough, but not a lot of meat on those bones to bother going back for seconds.

3d platformers that are part of a series also. Jak and Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Ratchet and Clank all come to mind. I love all those games, just were very much a one and done for me.

 

[T-Pac | 7,513]

I rarely feel compelled to revisit Solomon's Key [NES].

I don't think my reservations stem from its genre (action-puzzler), but rather from how strenuous it is to make progress after a certain point.
I almost completed the game few years back by save-stating the start of each round and chipping away for several days/weeks. It was one of those enjoyably brutal experiences that I was happy to force through at the time, but I'm not eager to take that kind of a beating more than once from any single game.

-CasualCart

[Brickman | 3,982]

9 hours ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

I liked FF Tactics, but I never finished it. I haven't played it in 20 years, but from what I remember, I got stuck somewhere close to the end and eventually gave up on it. I finished FFX, but it wore on me to the point that I never even played FFX-2.

You didn’t miss much with X-2. 

I’d say probably say stuff like crash, sly cooper, jax and daxter I’d probably struggle to replay but loved the games.