Let's Chat Games 024 - Should Replayability Matter When Picking a Favorite Game(s)

I rarely want to replay my favorite games and I think I'm OK with that.

If you’ve been listening to DLC over the years, it is probably no surprise to you that many of Sony’s single-player, third-person action games are among some of my very favorites. Games like The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Left Behind, The Last of Us Remastered, The Last of Us: Part II, The Last of Us: Part I, and The Last of Us Part II: Remastered.

OK, a little joke there, but obvi I do LOVE The Last of Us, and yes, I’m pretty sure I own all the versions of the various Last of Us releases and re-releases over the years. But I also love the Spider-Mans, God of Wars, Uncharteds, Horizons, Ghost of Tsushima, and even games like Infamous before that. Something about that third-person, single-player PlayStation action game just really clicks with me. But also… generally speaking, I rarely want to replay them (the various TLOUs perhaps being the exception, but then again, I generally only replay them when there is a “new” version released).

And it’s not that I don’t replay games. I’ve played many of the 2D Metroid games several times through, heck, I’ve revisited a lot of Nintendo games over the years, I’ve gone back to various Halos… and games like WipEout and Tony Hawk Pro Skaters get a lot of time every few years too.

So I’m left wondering why? Why am I less inclined to revisit some of my favorite games and more inclined to replay other games, that are still VERY good, but don’t necessarily crack into that “favorite” territory for me.

I think the answer is: the narrative. So much of what I love about those various third-person, single-player PlayStation action games is the story and seeing how it unfolds over the course of a playthrough. Some games have a better story than others, sure, but I really love how they keep the narrative moving along. I’d probably throw the Metal Gear Solid games into this category too. I LOVE the Metal Gear Solid games… but I rarely, if ever, replay them. And on closer reflection, a lot of these games tell their story through cut scenes and non-interactive moments. Or, in the Spider-Man games (and others too), they have interactive segments that deliver major story beats or flashback moments. And the first time I experience those moments… they’re great! The weight of the moment, the emotional impact of the narrative makes everything hit just right.

But when I’m revisiting a game, the times I’m asked to sneak around my old high school, or ride my bike from point A to point B while having a conversation with some NPC, it just doesn’t hit the same. Part of the magic of the first playthrough becomes a detriment to any and all successive playthroughs. So while I’d love to be able to easily revisit the final hour of Spider-Man 2, jump right to the hospital section of The Last of Us: Part 1, face off against Psycho Mantis just to show a friend the sequence… the games themselves don’t really offer a way to do this.

I’m not sure what the easy fix is here, or even if a “fix” is needed… for all I know this is just a me problem. But, man, I’d love it if in addition to “new game plus,” games offered you a way to jump right back to certain points in a game, or skip other segments when you’re replaying the game. Sure the character might not be specced out exactly the way I would’ve done it if I replayed every moment to get back to that particular part of the game, but I think the ability to jump into specific moments and parts of video games during replays would go a long way towards me spending more time with more of my favorite games.

But again, maybe that’s just me. And maybe, just maybe, favorite games don’t need to be experienced again anyway. Maybe I should just let them hold that special place in my heart in the moment I played them, and then move on to new, different experiences. Maybe…. maybe….

What do you think? Is replayability a factor for you in determining your favorite games? Do you enjoy the “forced story beats” in single-player games when you revisit them? Let me know! You can just reply right her in Substack, or if you’re reading this as an email, just reply to the email. It’s that easy… no forced story moments required!

Thanks for being here!

-C