Poll: Are games better on their second playthrough?

[Mr. Fister]

Like the title suggests, is a video game better when you play through it a second time? This question popped into my head a few days ago.

I say it really depends on the game you're playing. For instance, one of my favorite games on the SNES is Secret of Mana. That's because I was a child when I first played it, so the world that SoM takes place in seemed large and captivating. That, and it was also an action-RPG, which I liked more than a turn-based RPG. I like to revisit this game every now and then, but it seems to me like every time I do, the problems the game has (outdated gameplay, cheap hits and KOs) are more apparent. I still enjoy playing through it, but I can't help but think I had a lot more fun with it when I was younger.

However, another of my favorite games is a more recent title, Zelda: Twilight Princess. I just started my 2nd playthrough a couple days ago. I'm not too far into it (just completed the first Wolf Link segment) but I'm already liking it better. I think it's because the game is now a couple years old, and all the hype surronding it is gone. Without the high expectations, I'm starting to see the game for what it really is: A fun adventure through a LOTR-style Hyrule with a very engaging storyline.

So what's your opinion on this? Feel free to post some lengthy discussions/experiences.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Personally I don't have time to give most games a second play through. Though Xenosaga 3 made way more sense the second time around.

 

[Brokkr]

I rarely play a game a second time. If I do, it is usually a game that I absolutely love. I am currently on my 3rd playthrough of Bioshock. On the other hand, even though I really love RPG's, I usually do all I can to complete the game 100% on the first playthrough and thus, I don't ever really want to play them again.

 

[Avatar Roku]

I always do a second playthrough. It doesn't always make the game better though, but in some cases it makes it great, like Mass Effect. I just finished my 8th playthrough, each better than the last.

 

[Smyter]

I only play a second time through if something is unlocked like new game + or an extra area

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

It does depend on the game, methinks. Some aren't worth a second playthrough, but lots are. Most RPGs are, Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King is the first example that comes to mind, since theres a whole extra world to explore after completing the final boss.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

Depends completely on the game. For instance, games with good plot twists can become a completely different experience when played though with that twist in mind. Bioshock, Sands of Time and Portal spring to mind.

 

[The Rusk]

Too me they're not. There are no more surprises, and unless the story is amazing then I tend to just get bored. Usually when I complete a game, I very rarely go back for a second playthrough. Unless the game has co-op, but I don't think that really counts does it.

 

[imPacT31]

I find that games these days either aren't designed without anything other than the first playthrough and multiplayer in mind or are made so incomprehensible and/or complex that a second playthrough is somewhat necessary.

A fine example of the former is Heavenly Sword:
Pretty decent game but with no unlockables besides concept art and brief animated scenes that were previously released for free on the PSN before the game's release. Unsurprisingly I had no intention to replay the game - except to repeatedly shoot enemies in the crotch in bullet-time. Even that gets boring quickly.

While I am stereotyping somewhat I tend to find most RPGs fall into the latter category, be it through complexity or depth; that's not to say that a complex game can't be fun. I must say though that I'm not in a position to give a good example of this as its far from my most-played genre.

I remember the good, not too, old days when incredibly simple games like the Dynasty Warriors series could somehow, despite the sheer monotony of it all, keep me repeatedly playing the same poorly designed levels just for the buzz from knowing I had damn near effortlessly killed upwards of one-thousand enemies. I'm yet to find anything with that kind of simplistic replay-ability yet this generation.

(If you happen to have any suggestions of good, replayable, games for PC or PS3 they would be greatly appreciated)

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Sometimes it can be really boring, but others you actually catch details you may have missed the first time.

 

[mokes310]

I think it totally depends on the game. Games like Fable 2, Oblivion, Fallout 3, etc, offer numerous ways to play.

However, I believe that games like Need 4 Speed, and other linear games don't really offer that unique experience the second time you play through them.

 

[Silver]

Most games are repetitive on the first go, since almost all games are linear, and have a really booooooooooring start (seriously, name one game where you can have fun playing the beginning many times over? Old Super marios do not count).

So no, games suck on the second playthrough, sure, it SHOULD be fun, since you can try another approach, in some games a new character, or a new way of doing stuff, avoiding quests, doing other quests, or stuff like that. Maybe try good and evil chars. But it won't work, because all games are so boring and repetitive, especially in the beginning.

 

[TerribleTerryTate]

Depends on the game. I play mainly for storyline/plot twists, so if I've played a game before, I know exactly what's going to happen (unless it has different storylines etc) - and as such I'm not as hooked to the game.
For example, Bioshock. I was hooked on that game from the start till finish the first time I played it. Couldn't wait to find out what was gonna happen next.
I then finished it, and thought I'd give it another go because of how much I enjoyed it, and it just wasn't anywhere near as interesting. I knew what to expect from the bosses/characters, and I knew exactly what was coming up.

Totally depends on the game.

 

[D_987]

It defiantly depends on the game.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Depends on the game. I play mainly for storyline/plot twists, so if I've played a game before, I know exactly what's going to happen (unless it has different storylines etc) - and as such I'm not as hooked to the game.
For example, Bioshock. I was hooked on that game from the start till finish the first time I played it. Couldn't wait to find out what was gonna happen next.
I then finished it, and thought I'd give it another go because of how much I enjoyed it, and it just wasn't anywhere near as interesting. I knew what to expect from the bosses/characters, and I knew exactly what was coming up.

Totally depends on the game.

I'm the opposite. I got a lot more out of Bioshock the second time through because in my rush to get through it the first time there was stuff I missed, which really added to the story. Sure the twist had lost its edge but all the small details I had missed the first time that I found on the second playthrough really fleshed things out.

 

[Amarok]

Depends on the game.
The first time I played Half Life 2 I wasn't all that impressed to begin with, but had grown to like it by the time I was at Nova Prospekt.
The second time I played it I loved pretty much all of it possibly because I knew what was going on that time around.
Call of Duty 4 on the other hand, once I'd finished that story mode there was no appeal of another playthrough, didn't bother even with the harder difficulties, it was a decent-but-forgettable experience for me.

 

[samsprinkle]

I had more fun with all game before a became a sad, jaded little man...wish I was a little kid again!

 

[blackcherry]

I would say it depends. Games that you have to explore to get the best out of, such as the zelda games, are generally best on the second or third play through as the main quest is out the way and you can concentrate on the side quests and find the funny glitches.

Majoras mask is very much a play through it several times to get the best out of it game,as most of the fun bits you miss out on the first time. Killer seven is better on the second time through just because you have got the revelations out the way and can actually start to understand the story.

In contrast, a lot of FPSs' these days are one play onlys for me. As I prefer the stealthy approach, those levels that allow multiple approaches to are what I end to play again and again, such as the first couple of levels from turok evolution and the levels where you infiltrate the base whilst still outside. Most of the rest of the game can rot in hell for all I care.

Then again, playing sands of time again and again for some reason appeals to me. Perhaps its just because it makes me feel like a high flying ninja or perhaps its just the bite sized game play length. Never the less, that and luigis' mansion I cannot get enough of.