I was sharing my thoughts on the game, Heavy Rain with my boss the other day. He wanted to ask me for my opinion of the game, which I totally dig, before he went out and bought it. As we talked he mentioned that he’d heard one its selling points is its replayability. For me replayablity usually doesn’t factor into my gaming purchases. More often than not I play through a game once and, unless new content is released for it ala GTA IV or Fallout 3, I never play it again. This got me to thinking about the short list of video games I have put a lot of time into playing and replaying over the years. So here they are, the video games that I’ve played the hell out of.
Civ III
I still play this game frequently and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fleshed out my niche on the “perfect continent” only to find it has no iron…d’oh. Sure, you can lose the odd tank to a spearman but for my money its mix of city building, exploration, and combat is irresistible.
Fire Emblem The Sacred Stones
This GBA title is a turn based strategy game in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics and it almost requires you to play it through twice. Near the beginning of the game your army splits in two and you must choose which branch of the story to follow for the rest of the game. Couple this with addictive gameplay, bonus characters that can only be unlocked by playing through multiple times, characters that stay dead if they fall in battle, and a job that can include vast stretches of down time and you’ve got a recipe for near infinite replayability.
Shadowrun (Sega)
I loved the story (despite the disappointing ending), the non-linear mission structure, and I even enjoyed grinding mission after mission to collect enough nuyen to buy the best decks and upgrades. While my hopes for a great next-gen Shadowrun game were dashed by FASA’s 2007 head scratcher, I still hold out hope some developer will do this franchise justice.
Tecmo Super Bowl
This is the game that kicked off my obsession with football. (Sorry)
While franchises like Madden and the 2K series have made giant strides in the realistic portrayal video game football, Tecmo Super Bowl still just plain fun. Unless, that is, you are playing someone who chose the Raiders and knows how to use Howie Long…
Morrowind
This game had a steep learning curve, for me anyway. It took several hours of being crippled by Mudcrabs and running like hell from flocks of shrieking Cliff Racers, but once my character was able to defend himself one of the deepest and most detailed gaming worlds I’ve ever seen was opened up to me and my Redguard. You and your character were rewarded for exploring every nook and cranny of this huge gaming world while on your way to becoming the Nerevarine and beyond. After literally hundreds of hours of gameplay across the main quest and two full sized expansions I finally completed one of the best and most satisfying RPG experiences I’ve ever had. While I enjoyed and “played the hell out of” Oblivion, the next game in the “Elder Scrolls” series, it felt to me like Morrowind lite.
Rome Total War
Even though I tend to play as the same faction and use the same tactics with each play through, I can’t help but return to this gameworld over and over again. Sure, as the game begins life is good, enemy empires fall before you as your armies cut their way across the lands surrounding the Mediterranean and the Near East. Each new conquest fills your bulging coffers with gold, the Senate leaves you alone as long as you do as they ask of you, and your main concern is whether to next make for Carthage or Egypt. Then after several hours of gameplay, your end game begins. You find yourself managing your empire instead of expanding it as your realm begins to bloat and sag under its own weight. Your targets of conquest begin to dry up, most of them having been gobbled up by you and your Roman allies. At the same time the cities you’ve poured so much of your hard won Denarii into begin to rise in revolt as your finances are being bled dry by corruption and waste. Next thing you know the Senate has begun to see you as a threat and orders you to commit suicide or have war declared on you. I’ve played through this game dozens of times and the final push to conquer your former allies and, ultimately the city of Rome itself, is one of the most difficult and exciting challenges I’ve faced in gaming.
Valkyria Chronicles
The last and most recent game on my list is a bit unique. Valkyria Chronicles is part action shooter, part RPG, part puzzle game, and part turn based strategy game. One of my favorite parts of the game are the battle maps you unlock as you progress through the main story. These maps let you to replay an encounter over and over allowing you to not only level grind your squad but hone your tactics. I was lucky enough to buy this game used for $15 and it has been worth every penny.
So there they are, a short list of the games I’ve played and re-played the most over the years.
I’d love to hear from you folks out there, so feel free drop a comment in the box below about this post or whatever else is on your mind!
In other news, keep an eye out for a new season of Hulk vs Bizarro!
Great list! I’m definitely going to pick up that Valkyria Chronicles, that sounds awesome!