Games You Wish You Could Play Through for the First Time Again

Probably done before given the ciche idea, but anywho...

We've likely all played these. Games that blew our mind the first time, that spoke to us perhaps a little deeper than just being a fun interactive diversion. That first playthrough of those would go on to define not only our opinions of the series (if appliacable), but our view of the genre and possibly the entire medium. A bar we would judge all others by. They were that powerful.

Alas all good things come to an end, and perhaps one of the saddest parts of reaching an end of one of these games when they appear is that knowledge that you will never, ever, be able to replicate the feeling of playing through it for the first time again.

What if you could play those games again? What are they? What made them so powerful, and what made that first playthrough so special?


I should also stress, when I say play through for the first time, just to make it clear, I'm talking the entire game, not just when you first booted the game up for a session (although I'm not discounting games from the old era that were only a few hours long!)


For me a big one, nay, probably the biggest one, would be Persona 3 Portable. The themes, the characters, the story, the sheer immersive nature of the game, and yes, the boss fights (final boss in particular is one of my favourites of all time). It's a game that as much as I love it, will never get that first playthrough back. I'll never play it for the first time again.

Other big games would be Xenoblade, Eryth Sea onwards the game just came alive. The world had finally built up enough to pull me in, and I was utterly immersed in it, the characters, the story, and seeing more of it all.

Majoras Mask is another, like the previous two it was down to the world that it conjured and pulled me in to. Add to that however is the fact I spent most of my childhood exploring every nook and cranny, ferreting out every secret I could. The fact the world was so dense, so well built, meant I would even just go back and watch individual npc's for an entire three day cycle, just to see what they did. I was utterly captured by the detail, noting things like Anju bringing meals to the wacky old lady and amazed even then at the level of detail that had gone in to this world. Eventually finding out how to finish the game, and ending with that epic duel between Link and Majoras Mask, made all the more epic for the lack of a certain broken mask.

Finally, Wind Waker, while not as detailed as Majoras Mask it captured my imagination almost as much with a cheerful and vibrant loveable world. The constant seeing of new islands in the horizon, and being able to sail to progressively more of them as I progressed just completely captured the sense of adventure like nothing else. It was escapism at its finest. The story itself added to the wonder, linking in with Ocarina which, while not my favourite Zelda even then, was my first 3d game, so seeing the return of a certain someone and the conclusion of an epic saga was highly influential.



That's my set done. Over to everyone else! Unless this has been done, in which case rip in peace thread.

I'm sure this is a conversation we've had but I don't know if it is a thread on here already. Who cares, I'm in the bath and want to type something while a warm my achy bones.

Obvious answer is obvious, but Dark Souls. My playthrough of that game was a majorly emotional experience, one that I've been desperately trying to recapture by listening to Dark Calls and Bonfireside Chat or watching Two Dark Souls on YouTube. The same can be said for the rest of my favorite games as well; with Mass Effect, Pikmin 1, Pokémon Blue, all the classic Metal Gears and Ghost Trick, that first playthrough was a real emotional experience that can't quite be replicated when the surprises are already known.

Athrun888 wrote:

Xenoblade

Definitely second that one! I loved exploring that world and spending time with those characters in that story. Going back on *new* 3DS was lovely, but didn't have the same sense of adventure and something new being around every corner.

Quote :

Wind Waker 

This is a game I'd love to replay, though not necessarily for the same reasons. I'd like to play it for the first time with the right approach; exploring the ocean at a leisurely pace, letting the plot take a back seat to the world. Rushing towards completion ruins WW.

Thirding Xenoblade - hopefully XCX will give me that feeling again.

Drunka, you mention Pokémon Blue - I reckon huge amounts of love for that game comes from nostalgia. Imagine playing it for the first time now, with all the messy graphics and bloopy soundtrack and stripped-back battle system - would they not get in the way of loving it as much as you did then. I think you'd get much more pleasure from playing it when you did. Same for me and Pokémon Sapphire, which I'm sure would seem slow and irritating today.

For me, it boils down to games with great stories, and games with great worlds. The former consists of Ghost Trick, Phoenix Wright 3, and Hotel Dusk; the latter Xenoblade, Metroid Prime, and Paper Mario TTYD. My all-time favourite game, LoZTP, isn't on there because I wonder whether I could stomach something so rough now? Best to leave it as remembered.

Oh, and I'd love to feel the hype of waiting for SSBU to arrive again, preferably without ever having played SSB3D.

The original Pokémon games aren't that unplayable. The simple battles and smaller world mean you can actually beat them really quick. Plus, as I say whenever I big up that game, the world and the mystery is brilliantly done. I think if that game had been released as a weird little indy today, we'd love it.

Super Mario Galaxy, which would also necessitate the deleting of its sequel from my mind. Also, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and the first Phoenix Wright game (which would also necessitate... yeah). Brilliant stories that will never quite have the same impact again.

Super Mario Galaxy is obviously a big one for me too, but I can enjoy replaying it in a way I can't some of the others. There's a pick - up - and - play factor which a big ol' RPG doesn't have.

Oh gosh, if I played SMG from scratch for the first time I'd be pouring effluence onto this forum. I was displeased when it went all linear originally - I'd blow my top at this point!

Either that or "Meh, it's closer to SM64 than SM3DL/W at least."

Good thread idea!

I'd go for Mother 3 right off the bat. That game is chock full of twists and turns and heartbreak. I remember the first hour of that game had me floored, and we hadn't even delved into the truly twisted shit yet. Each chapter was a treat to play - each chapter would have me both laughing and feeling sad for the characters. A true emotional rollercoaster.

Similar to Mother 3 but much much more recent: Undertale. It's the funniest game I think I've ever played, and each area was filled with incidental dialogue that had me rolling. The plot was genuinely sad as well, and I'd love to experience it fresh one more time.

Drunka mentioned Dark Souls, and that would be one of my picks as well. I enjoyed Dark Souls II, but it didn't grip me as much as the original because I knew what I was doing in regards to gameplay. Part of the fun of Dark Souls is figuring out the combat, the upgrade system, the best way to traverse each area, the hidden secrets... and I can't experience that again as I know how to play a Souls game now.

Drunkalilly wrote:

Super Mario Galaxy is obviously a big one for me too, but I can enjoy replaying it in a way I can't some of the others. There's a pick - up - and - play factor which a big ol' RPG doesn't have.

You are totally correct but I have a sense that it won't feel quite as 'wow' the second time around.

Definitely true. On the other hand, its also a game that has new "wow" moments I never spotted before every time I go back to it.

A Top 3 in no particular order would definitely be:

Ghost Trick - I'm actually scared to replay this a second time as I don't want to ruin my happy thoughts of this gem of a game, so to start afresh with no knowledge of how the story pans out would be quality.

Dark souls - Jay & Drunka have covered this pretty well.

Metroid Prime - I was truly stunned by this game when it initially came out, I honestly thought Metroid wouldn't work as well in 3D but they just absolutely nailed it & to see Phendrana drifts for the first time again?

I actually think this is a pretty hard question to answer for the simple reason that I don't have much free time right now. With finite time, but an ever increasing catalogue of games which make me think, 'ooh, that looks fun, I'll have a bash at that,' I'm getting pretty lax at actually "completing" games these days. Metal Gear Solid 5, I pretty much played that and only that for a month just to finish it, or rather just finish the main story. A lot of games I love are complex strategy games, or long RPGs so that pretty much takes out a Total War game or Final Fantasy, while some of the less complicated ones like Pokemon Red/Silver or Crash Bandicoot, much as they are good games in their own right, if I came to them fresh right this second I may just not care for them much.

I guess my choices would have to be short and sweet games, or ones with an easy pick up and play vibe. With that in mind, any episodic Telltale Game or Life is Strange (even though it isn't even done yet) would be great to try again. Thinking back further, Tony Hawks Pro Skater for the pick up and play value, and F-Zero GX for being the first futuristic racer I've played that properly captured speed and intensity.

If I could take things a step further though, and wipe my mind of the concept that motion controls being a done thing, and VR becoming a thing, then the answer would include Wii Sports.

Assuming real life isn't an issue though, I might go for something like Dragon Age, which is one of the first games I played which was massive, pretty, and had a ton of different choices available. Somewhere between modern and a throw back to older games, I think I'd be well up for, unknowingly, playing it again.

Wii Sports! Great shout.

BUMP

BotW.  Already.  

Also MK8, I'd love to be going into Deluxe completely fresh.  Imagined picking up MK8D and the last Mario Kart you were aware of was MK7.  Your mind would explode from pure wonder.

God I'd love to have all the Zeldas again. Not Mario Kart 8, though, unless everyone else lost their talent as well!

Yeah, I was going to say BotW as well - and I haven't finished it yet technically!
Failing that, Super Mario World, but also without having memorised all of the secrets from reading Total! magazine before-hand.

Ahhh, Total! *joints creak, reaches for zimmer frame* Also, adding Picross DS and the superlative Dragon Quest IX to the list, alongside Jackbox Party Pack 3. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much.

JPP3 will only get funnier over time, I think. Having experienced it once doesn't impact on its excitement or quality at all.

BOTW, natch, but I'll also throw Persona 5's name into the hat. 2017 has been a cracker for games, hasn't it?

Out of some recent games & if it was overall less of a bumpy ride with bugs etc, I'd have to say Rainbow 6 Siege as I've loved seeing not only the game grow & evolve but how my play style has as well.

In my book it's easily the best FPS of all time.