Sometimes I wonder why I buy single player games

[RetroRich]

I realized that I'm the type of person who plays it once, beats it, and then never touches it again. Because of this, I have a pile of games that I haven't touched in a while, because I beat them already. Playing through them again doesn't interest me because I already know the story.

Anyone feel the same?

[kupomogli]

Depends on the game, but this rarely happens to me. If it's a game that I enjoy playing, even if I've already played it, then I have no problem playing it again. However, depending on the game it's not going to be as fun as it was my first time playing it. Shadow of the Colossus is a great game, but the game will never capture the experience I had playing it the first time. Hard mode helped by adding additional weak points, but it wasn't the same.

*edit*

Actually, why not just play games mostly based on gameplay? Platformers, strategy games, fighting games, loot drop games, etc.

[Final Boss]

Depends on the game. Games like SH2 has so many subtleties and an amazing story that you can play it many times and not get bored. Some games may not be that great when it comes to the story, but the replay value games from grinding for weapons. Lately, even the silliness of trophy hunting has gotten hold of me.

[Aussie2B]

I'm the same in the sense that, given my backlog, I so rarely replay anything these days just because I want to get to games I haven't beat even once, but that makes me kind of sad because I actually do very much enjoy replaying games and miss how in my youth, when I had fewer games, I'd do a lot of replaying. I'd even replay games that I didn't like all that much, and sometimes I'd like a game more the second time through. I know with Star Ocean 2, I enjoyed it the first time but it didn't have a massive impact on me, but the second time through something just clicked and I "got it". From that moment, it became my favorite game ever. It's kind of scary to think I'd probably be missing out on my very favorite series of games and the other amazing games from tri-Ace if I had never replayed Star Ocean 2.

Well, at the very least, I tend to replay Tail Concerto, Wonder Project J, and/or Wonder Project J2 every couple/few years. They're some of my very favorite games, and since they're very short, it's easy for me to squeeze in a replay once in a while.

[kupomogli]

I know with Star Ocean 2, I enjoyed it the first time but it didn't have a massive impact on me, but the second time through something just clicked and I "got it".

Did you play as a different the character the second time? I played with Claude the first time then Rena the second time. I liked playing as Rena better because the game actually started a lot quicker and parts where she was alone with Dias had additional character development.

[Aussie2B]

Did you play as a different the character the second time? I played with Claude the first time then Rena the second time. I liked playing as Rena better because the game actually started a lot quicker and parts where she was alone with Dias had additional character development.

Yeah, I played Claude first and then Rena too. I also recruited all the characters in my Rena game that I didn't get in my Claude game. That didn't really have any effect on my opinion of the game, though. I think the story is better from Claude's viewpoint, and I like playing as all the characters pretty equally.

[Gameguy]

I realized that I'm the type of person who plays it once, beats it, and then never touches it again. Because of this, I have a pile of games that I haven't touched in a while, because I beat them already. Playing through them again doesn't interest me because I already know the story.

Anyone feel the same?
Shouldn't the question be why do you keep single player games after beating them, not why do you buy them in the first place? Look at adventure games, with most of them they can be played once and then never get touched again. There's still plenty of reasons to at least play them once.

[The Adventurer]

As someone who regularly rereads books and comics, and rewatches TV shows and movies. No. I don't understand how 'I know the story' is a reason to not reexperiance something. There is more to a movie/book/game then 'the story'. There is the experience, the examining how that thing you enjoyed was presented by its creators. The reexamining of its key moments, and the things that happen in between. There are a ton of reasons to replay single player games.

[Zthun]

Gamefly sounds like the perfect service for your gaming needs.

I get the same feelings about single player games a lot. I just like having the games in my collection.

[The 1 2 P]

I realized that I'm the type of person who plays it once, beats it, and then never touches it again. Because of this, I have a pile of games that I haven't touched in a while, because I beat them already. Playing through them again doesn't interest me because I already know the story.

Anyone feel the same?

I suppose if this was any other gen I could somewhat understand that, although I've been known to go back and play my favorite games multiple times. During the PS1 gen I would go back and play the Japanese import versions of my favorite games to have another reason to play them.

One of the cool things about this gen is that Microsoft created achievements. And while they are cool just for the fact that you can brag about some of the harder to achieve ones, they also give you a reason to go back and replay parts(or all) of single player games. I'm not sure if that was one of Microsoft's original mantras when creating them but it's definitely been a pretty positive side effect. Theres alot of single player games I would have played thru, beaten and never picked up again. But because of achievements I have a reason to replay some of them and this has been the experience of alot of people I have talked to about it.

[GhostDog]

I don't mind single player games as long as they have online multiplayer. Sometimes I jump straight into online multiplayer before I even play the story mode.

[XYXZYZ]

I find NES games like Contra and Zelda and all that to be enjoyable to replay, but modern games not so much. Probably because there's a bigger time commitment.

[duffmanth]

I'm the same way with most games, once I've played it through once, I'll probably never touch it again. Some games I'll play through 2 or 3 times if I really enjoyed it. Then there are the odd games that I can never really seem to finish, like Gran Turismo games, that I play on and off for years.

[Ed Oscuro]

excellent stories y'all

Sometimes I wonder why I buy Genesis games, when I can't even find my power bricks. (Need to keep sorting stuff out.) I tend to play the same stuff repeatedly, although I've been slowly working through a backlog of "interesting things I heard about" via DOSbox and elsewhere. Finally played my first PS2 game (besides a racing game some months back) today, a bit of RE4.

I find NES games like Contra and Zelda and all that to be enjoyable to replay, but modern games not so much. Probably because there's a bigger time commitment.
Been having a bit of fun with Contra via Contra 4 on DS (although I really need to get a system with a better-feeling dpad), but also looking forward to finally getting to play the "Separate Ways" mission of RE4. Anyway, modern games...well, I've got a Red Dead Redemption needing to be tried out sometime soon, but that's about it. Plenty of good current-gen titles but I don't have time or money to go sweeping them all up right now, and there's plenty of stuff I just don't care to play, possibly for the reason you mention, except I get that feeling on the first time through.

[SpaceHarrier]

I frequently interrupt my "never beaten" games I'm playing through by going back to old favorites, so I guess I'm the opposite of RetroRich. I get nostalgic for what I enjoyed the first time 'round, and desire to be back in familiar territory, often more so than having a new gaming experience.

[Robocop2]

Depends on the game really. I've long been of the opinion that games today are so much more story driven than gameplay driven. Given the length of most all games today; it makes it hard to want to go back and play it again unless its something really phenomenal or beating it opens up new and different modes such as the "new game +" option that some offer. Alot of folks really don't have the free time to revisit the same story over and over again. I liken it to movies. Which is really to a certain extent what games have become. Long interactive movies. I have movies that I watch over and over again and some that I see once and never have to see again. Of course its easier to illustrate a point with an 8+ hour game but you get the gist of what I am saying I hope.

Single player does take precedent over multiplayer for me overall though as I am more there for my individual experience than online.

[Daltone]

I mostly play through things once, but have been known to come back to certain games time and time again. I don't think playing through somthing once, enjoying it and not playing it again tarnishes the experience in any way. Sometimes when you have been there, seen it and done it there's no need to go back.

Personally, I'm bored with a lot of online multiplayer games. I had fun with Quake 3, UT, AvP back when they came out. I still don't get MMOs (but loved EleMUD, which is odd). I'd rather have a really good single player experience that I play through once than listen to excitable children abuse each other from thousands of miles apart. (It's a bit different when you are all in the same place obviously)

I tend to revist Baldur's Gate II, the first three Monkey Island games and the Tex Murphy series a lot. Tony Hawk games are pretty enjoyable and I agree with SH1 and 2 being worth going through a few times (the same could be said of Way of the Samurai and Shadow of Memories).

[thegamezmaster]

Since being into video games since they first came out. I've learned to only buy games that I know I'll play more than once. Wasted too much money on games I either didn't like or just couldn't get into them. Plus hate paying top dollar, not like the game and only getting a few dollars trading in or reselling. I remember back in the day, there were no used game stores. Just my two cents.