When you finally finish that game you love...

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

And you get that feeling. Like you're depressed, but grateful at the same time.

I spent almost 3 years playing Persona 4. I finished P3 in less than 2 months, but for whatever reason P4 sort of lost me around half way through the first time I played it. But last October I was determined to finish it for real, so I started over, slowly but surely made my way through the sometimes tedious dungeons, and the sometimes long waits between plot points because I saved someone too fast, and the sometimes exasperating anime clich?s. And, slowly but surely, it did hook me like it didn't the first time, and I got to love it for everything it is, and...

Then I finished it. And then I went back and found the true ending, and finished that. So, for the last 24 hours, I've been going through that feeling. It's basically a grieving process as I get over the fact that it's over, and I don't get to experience it again for the first time. Whatever bits of content I may not have seen, I don't have any more mystery to explore, and I will not get to know these characters again who I've come to love.

It's been a while since I went through this, and I wanted to share it I guess. And I know the same thing can happen with other media, tv shows and novels and such, but I wanted to focus on games and ask you all: What games have done this for you?

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

I got that twice last year. Witcher 3 and Life is Strange both left me with many feels. The Last of Us always does it whenever I replay it (well over ten times now); I just want more of it and don't want it to be over.

 

[Fox12]

I like to call it ending withdrawal.

I got it when I finished Toradora last year. It really sucks, but it's nice when you can find something that affects you that much.

 

[Evonisia]

"Bloodborne" did that to me. I couldn't believe I'd actually finished it, but I lamented how it was over and I would never be able to experience it for the first time again.

Yeah there's a shit load of stuff I missed, but now I have a pretty solid idea of the layout of the world, what items to get for some bosses etc. It just won't be the same.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I got that with Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, after clocking in 100+ hours over 6 months of playtime.

 

[FalloutJack]

I never want to be actually done with a really good game...

 

[MysticSlayer]

I think what depresses me more right now is that it has been since the Mass Effect trilogy that I really had that feeling. No, I didn't mind the ending. Once it was over, all I did for a few days was think about the story and world and try to fill in what happened afterwards. I also started a new playthrough of the trilogy almost instantly. Overall, Mass Effect was really the last time I can remember being obsessed with a game/series to and after completion.

Since then, though, I haven't found a game that does that. Sure, I've played plenty of great games, but none of them gripped me like Mass Effect, and those that did tended to have truly awful endings (and yes, feel free to make your jokes about how ironic that seems).

 

[Potjeslatinist]

Yeah, I know the feeling. You don't just want to go through the game again, but through the experience, and that's just not possible. Last game that left me with game completion blues was the fantastic The Witcher 3. I actually played through it again, did things differently with the Ladies (and oh my god I wish I didn't) and also got a different ending, that was just as satisfying as the first one, but the mystery that can only come with your first time, that's gone forever.

The feeling's rare, only really special games can evoke it.

Grim Fandango.
Planescape: Torment.
Final Fantasy VII.

Man.

 

[PainInTheAssInternet]

I get that. I frequently wish that I could enjoy things through fresh eyes just to experience it once more. Going back around the second time can be fun. Going back again and again kind of ruins it for me. That means that even with the best media, I only get a few times out of it before it no longer works for me. The best way for me to recreate the original fun is to leave it for a few years until I forget most of what's there.

As for video games?

Farcry 3, DRIV3R, Need for Speed: Underground, Spiderman 2, Sim City 4: Deluxe Edition, Roller Coaster Tycoon. The list can go on. I have a decent ability to judge whether or not I'm really going to enjoy a game. I'd add Alien: Isolation, but I still haven't finished that one yet. I have had a few spectacular moments that I won't be able to recreate that I wish I could experience again.

 

[Glongpre]

That happens to me with books as well. I finish it, then just sit there for a minute and think, "what do I do now?".

Most games that I enjoy though, I am able to go back and replay so it is only games with a strong story that get me with the feeling. Games like Diablo 2, Elder Scrolls, Street Fighter, Ninja Gaiden, etc. are about the journey or the gameplay, so finishing the story isn't a stumper.

 

[Flathole]

Okami.

I don't care that the cutscenes had s l o w t e x t c r a w l and could drag on for way too long.
I don't care that there was obviously no attempt to balance items.
I don't care that painting during combat disrupted the flow.
I don't care that there's no "proper" voice acting.

JUST PLEASE LET ME BE A MAGIC SUPERDOGGY GODDESS AGAIN PLEASSSSSSE


I'll do things. ANY thing. Yes, even that. Just let me forget those memories and play it again. Reset, Thank you.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I am hard pressed to ever finish a game, especially if I know there's nothing after the credits roll but to start a new game. OCD, some perfectionist, etc. has made me scared that I have missed something, somewhere, that I can go back for, and enjoy.
I blame Final Fantasy 7 for this. I beat the game, and missed so much side stuff that I was forever left wondering, "Did I do it all?" and that's carried over to many other games like Skyrim, and so forth.

But when I do beat a game, especially if it's brought me joy, I.E. Birthright, and Conquest, Fallouts, Saints Row, etc. I watch all the credits. All of it. It's the least I can do, and I feel it's a show of respect, though it'll probably never mean anything.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Maaany many times. If i get to the end of course. Some endings that are sad, kind of perpetuate that post-game blues, such as Bioshock Infinite, Spec Ops the line, The Walking Dead (telltale's, obviously), Tales from the borderlands, The witcher 3 (if you got the especially depressing ending like my failure), SOMA in a weird sense the ending may have been the most positive part of the story, but it most certainly didn't feel it... ekcettera eksetterra. Perhaps that could be a psychological trick for making a game stick with for much longer afterwards; work on feeding those blues!

Actually, i kindof notice this with music too; after a good hearty performance of singing and playing your soul out like there was nothing else in the world to consider (it is very good escapism, highly recommended), there can be an hour or two of blues or perhaps a natural comedown from the natural high of enjoying yourself in a detatched existence.

 

[Super Cyborg]

I know that feeling quite well. After waiting for over two years I finally got to play Trails in the Sky second chapter and finish the story. The story and characters were amazing and the finale was fantastic, but knowing the story was over left me bummed out. Sure, third chapter is coming out next year, but it won't have the same focus and unlike before there is nothing really for me to get pumped up to see get played out. It takes some time but I get over it and instead learn to appreciate the time I got to spend with the game and look forward to playing it again some day.

 

[Mimzical]

I see a few people mentioning Life Is Strange, and I agree. After I finished the game I just felt this feeling wash over me where I realised that there would be no more episodes... No more Pricefield. My partner was the same (we played the game together), so at least we could console each other.

Other than that, I remember Nier made me feel that way. That game was an emotional roller coaster right from the start, and even though I still love the game I haven't been able to play it since.

Okami was another. The game was just unlike anything I had played before - it sucked when I finished it.

 

[Silverbeard]

Homeworld had this effect for me. After I finished the original campaign (which, in hindsight, was far too short) I just felt... lost. The ending was quite satisfying, especially for an RTS but I vividly recall staring at the main menu after completion for almost twenty minutes and wondering what to do next. I wasn't into multiplayer in those days so there really wasn't much for me to do after that. It was an odd feeling to have.
Then I bought and played the remastered edition and experienced it all over again!

Other games have produced a similar feeling in the years since but none compare to that first feeling of loss and completion.

 

[TelosSupreme]

Funny that you describe your feeling that way, because I immediately thought of this little gem in response:

https://youtu.be/wBzqOa9y02I

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Yeah, it's only happened to me with a few games, where you get to end and just sort of reflect on what an amazing experience it was

-God of War (the original)
-Planescape: Torment
-Baldur's Gate 2
-Witcher 3
-Final Fantasy 7

 

[FPLOON]

The last one that game me that particular feeling was after beating Pony Island for the "third time", technically... I already got all of the trochievements beforehand, so this was just for fun similar to the first playthrough... However, unlike the second playthrough where I already witnessed the "true ending", it was the third playthrough that made me realized that I could never relive playing this game for the first time... [REDACTED] will always look [REDACTED] instead of [REDACTED] even if I play the game for a fourth time...

Other than that, I tend to know when I'll get that felling even when I haven't even gone through one-half of the game yet...