icemann on 14/1/2016 at 06:37
I'm copying a thread over on the RPS forums as this seems like a good one to spur up opinions here.
So what games for you are more better the second time around?
For me old school RTS games (ala Warcraft, Dune 2, Command and Conquer, Dark Reign etc) would fall into the category of games much better the second time around.
Why? Because your skills are better now since you played it that first time round, and you like the game otherwise you'd not be coming back for a second go. So you'll do far better than the first attempt and likely beat the game/beat it better. Your strategies will tend to be far better also.
henke on 14/1/2016 at 07:39
For me, lately at least, it's been middle-of-the-road stealth/action games. Thief, Styx and Watch_Dogs were all more enjoyable the second time through. Second time there's no analyzing or trying to figure out how I feel about the game. Instead I comfortably slip into the character, and knowing I can reliably beat the game stealthily, I try ever more experimental and audacious tactics.
Thirith on 14/1/2016 at 07:47
I tend to enjoy especially narrative games differently the second time round, but I don't think I necessarily enjoy them more. The closest I get to games that are better the second time around is either when it takes me half a game to understand how it works and how best to play/enjoy it, so I restart a few hours into the game, or alternatively games that take a few attempts before they click; Thief (well, Thief 2 - I played them the 'wrong' way around) was like that, as was Operation Flashpoint).
demagogue on 14/1/2016 at 07:52
The catch with skill based games is they can also lose their appeal over repeat play too, for me anyway, when the challenge is gone and it's just going through the motions.
Sims are a bit different case (racing/AC and dogfighting/IL2 for me) where no matter how many times you replay it's still fresh. Of course your skill gets better, but it doesn't wear out (for me) because the whole point is immersing yourself in its world and honing your skill, not conquoring the game so there's no challenge or point to playing any more. And you only get really immersed in later playthroughs.
But what I thought this topic was going to be about is adventure games that you see in an entirely different way after your first play because you know where it's going. This is like movies like Usual Suspects or Mulholland Drive where you're not sure what's going on the first time around, and at the end, you learn things that change everything. Then it's even better the second time because you see scenes knowing their real meaning.
The catch is, I don't know many, if any, games that do this. Bioshock I guess, but the reveal doesn't really change the game 2nd time through. Neither does System Shock 2's. Silent Hill 2? MGS2? Heavy Rain? Star Wars Kotor? Hmm, these games are in the running, but I don't know if a games has ever really fundamentally altered everything so much it's like a different game 2nd time through. But I'd love to see that.
Jason Moyer on 14/1/2016 at 08:16
I like when games have subtle foreshadowing early in the game that you won't catch until after you've finished it and start going through it again. I can't think of a great example right now, but the main quest in Fallout 4 does it to a degree.
Vicarious on 14/1/2016 at 09:06
I don't know if that's a good example but for me in terms of gameplay it might be RAGE. I liked the game the first time around but it has so many tools for the player and I got an impression that well, I'm doing well with just the shotgun so why should I bother? But on later playthroughs I started messing around with different gadgets and ammo types. And really, setting up turrets or deploying sentry bots, crafting temporary health/damage boosters, Wingsticks and stuff, prioritizing specific loudouts (run&gun, sniping, blowing everything up). Some of those things have really turned the gameplay around for me. It was not really about finding the best set of items but just having fun with whatever you wanted to use. I thought that was pretty cool.
Neb on 14/1/2016 at 09:14
I was actually thinking the other day about how I tried Red Orchestra 2 and instantly hated it for being a complete meat-grinder. Months later, it took watching a few videos of people enjoying it for it to click and have me reinstalling. I find it interesting that it took seeing other people having fun to know how to have it myself. It's one of those games where you stick your head up, get overwhelmed by the visual noise of windows, burning wrecks, foliage, etc, and then have your head blown off from an unknown direction, but it's great once you get into the rhythm of finding a fairly safe spot, keeping low and just observing, observing some more and firing at oblivious enemies, and then creeping a bit further forward when you see the opportunity. It's really great fun, and incredibly tense, if you can develop the patience.
demagogue on 14/1/2016 at 09:16
Dishonored is like that too.
Edit. Ninja'd, that applies to the point about Rage, different abilities and ways to complete missions.
icemann on 14/1/2016 at 12:54
I'd second simulation type games. Games like Populous and Dungeon Keeper were wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better the 2nd time round since I then half understood how the games work. TBH I'm still not that great at Dungeon Keeper, but my 2nd play through was far superior to the first.
Starker on 14/1/2016 at 13:16
For me, Alan Wake. The gameplay was still as bad, but I could handle it better and the story actually came together surprisingly well after the reveal, so I was able to appreciate it more after I knew what was actually going on.
Oh, and also Max Payne 2 -- the film noir atmosphere wasn't really diminished the second time around and the new ending was actually kind of nice. The story being told out of order also helped a lot, since it made more sense the second time that way.
