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Games You Cannot Go Back To


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First off, let me just preface this by saying that this is not a topic for games that you dislike/hate. I mean, it can be that and for a few of you that's what it will be, but that's not the main focus here. No, this topic, for those of you who couldn't guess by the title ;P, is to discuss those games that you loved and played a lot in the past, but today cannot get back into, for whatever reason.

 

Now there are many factors for something like this. Maybe said game got a remake that does everything better and playing the original just seems awkward now. Maybe the sequels were such a huge improvement that going back to the first one seems like a step backwards. Or, maybe you do indeed harbor a dislike for the game now. Whatever the reason, what are the games you just cannot go back to very easily, even if you played the hell out them in the past?

 

For me, that's an easy answer; The first two generations of Pokemon. You know, Red, Gold, those games?

 

During my childhood, I was very much into these games. Much like everyone else at the time. ;P I freaking loved these games and I still hold them in high regard even today. But why can't I go back to them? The freaking remakes - FireRed, HeartGold and them.

 

I mean, they're pretty much the originals, but better. It feels odd playing Red when FireRed has the better graphics, more Pokemon, and even a whole new area to explore! xD

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I was going to say Shinobi for the PS2 but I have it emulated so scratch that...

 

I think the biggest ones would be Resi4, Michael Jacksons Moonwalker (yes really), Brawl and SatBK. All because I sold off my Wii and PS2 for a PS3. Mind you I don't regret my decision AT ALL, but I still miss those games.

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I'd have to say Sonic Battle as the most obvious one for me.

 

I loved it at the time, but I just can't really enjoy it if I go back to it now. Admittedly, I think quite a few Sonic games from around that time sort of fall under that category- Heroes and Shadow are also games that I enjoyed a fair amount at launch but just can't seem to go back to and enjoy now (even though I still have means of playing them).

 

Whilst I wouldn't say it's a game I can't go back to or enjoy any more, Secret Rings definitely doesn't live up to the (admittedly still) very fond memories I have of it. I still love the game to bits, and can still go back and enjoy it, but it's certainly more painful to play than I remember it being at the time. 

 

To end on a note of games I don't want to go back to because I hate them and they're some of the biggest disappointments ever, I'll add Jet Set Radio Future, Paper Mario: Sticker Star (which I literally can't go back to, since I sold it), and of course Lost World. Despite hating it initially, I tried so damn hard to like, or at least tolerate, that game. But I just can't. 

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Every Zelda game after I finish it. The first time around is so much fun, but after I see the end of those credits, the thought of doing it all over again becomes really unappealing. I love Link Between Worlds, but I just can't bring myself to drag through the story for the second time. I hope I'm not the only one.

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Every Zelda game after I finish it. The first time around is so much fun, but after I see the end of those credits, the thought of doing it all over again becomes really unappealing. I love Link Between Worlds, but I just can't bring myself to drag through the story for the second time. I hope I'm not the only one.

 

Sometimes, if you leave a game for quite a long time, long enough to forget what it was like to play, how all the dungeons played out, then you can go back to it.  For instance, I think that Zelda: Spirit Tracks has basically no replay value, but I have replayed it once or twice... at intervals of several years.

 

With that said, some of the games I'm not sure I can go back to are Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age.  The fact is that I simply played them too much.  Now I remember them too well for them to ever be new to me again.  A lot of my favourite games are the same way.

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I know Mario Galaxy series are games I will probably never play again of my own accord. The initial playthrough of these felt more about the surprise factor of the level design than any overt difficulty curve, so I can't imagine enjoying the stages the same after finishing them or even having a self-imposed goal to strive towards. I also don't like its completionist rewards at all. They just pale to the amount of work you have to put into them. The Classic Sonic games are other ones as well, mainly because I've played them for around 20-something odd years, and I don't feel I can eke out anything else new or exciting from them. I've wrung them dry, as it were.

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The Last of Us

Its a really good game, I'd even put it on my top 10 video games list. Its fantastic and its pretty fun and what not. I won't say anything more because I gush a lot about this game a lot if you hadn't noticed in the TLoU thread.

But I just can't muster another playthrough. My guess its just a game that gets so fucking depressing all the time. It does have its hilarious moments and can be heartwarming but overall its more depressing than anything. I don't really like being depressed all time as I learned from FFX but TLoU does have a place in my heart regardless.

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I can second the Pokémon sentiment; I enjoy the old games as much as I enjoy the new ones but... when thinking about the conveniences and improvements made to the games over the years, it's really difficult to step backward without finding something frustrating in that earlier game that's been fixed since then, I can do Gen II and above with little difficulty, but stepping back to Gen I makes me want to tear my hair out over how slow it all is, whether it's raising Pokémon or just dealing with the early box system.

 

There's also the modern Dragon Ball games. Since many of those series, such as Budokai or Sparking, had annual installments, I find there's no point in playing the older ones. The later games had more improvements, better rosters, more interesting story modes, etc. It's not even necessarily that the previous games are bad... it's just that later games are better.

 

I was going to say maybe either Tales of Symphonia or Chrono Trigger, both wonderful RPGs, but I do practically know them inside and out. But... something always calls me back to them, and I usually reserve a little time once a year, to give them another spin. But, like most RPGs, boy do those opening hours draaaag. And I suppose knowing them as well as I do, kills some motivation to keep going with the playthrough consistently without just wanting to screw around. Trigger at least has the multiple endings to make things slightly more interesting. Symphonia? I can try to get a different "soul mate" for Lloyd, but nine times out of ten, I'll either choose Kratos or it's a pain getting Collete's affinity down that she's not in your top four (more recent playthroughs I've gotten Sheena and Raine in the top slots).

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Super Smash Bros Brawl & Sonic Unleashed

 

I've really grown to hate almost everything about it, especially after I started playing Project M. I hate the floaty gameplay, the over-saturation of gimmicky levels, the items, the assist trophies, the complete lack of balance to most of the characters in the game, and broken hitboxes. And just to add insult to injury, tripping + footstooling are some of the dumbest mechanics I've ever heard of. The online doesn't even make it worth going back to because its just so abysmal.

 

Sonic Unleashed is a guilty pleasure game. I know its a terribly designed game, but I still love playing the day stages. But theres no way in hell that I'm going to do another full playthrough. Being forced to play the Werehog sections is bad enough, but then you have to constantly backtrack for medals, go all around the world just to get to the next stage, play through the boring hubs, get all your stupid upgrades that you just should have had from the start and suffer through every single stupid little thing the game does to try and waste your time is something I never want to do again.

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Sadly, pretty much every Sonic game after the classics.

 

Once I beat them, I don't feel like playing through them again like with, say, Sonic 2. I wish I knew why that was.

 

Also, Pokémon. After Black, the rule for my style of playing Pokémon goes thus:

 

Start Game -> Level up some 'mon -> Put down game, may or may not pick up again -> Get first/second badge -> Put down, never play again

 

I think maybe it's the grinding. I'm the guy who tries to fill the Pokédex, so this means I have to do a lot of grinding, which only increases as I go through the game due to me getting more Pokémon, and holy shit it is a tedious slog and I think it's outright turned me off of RPGs in general.

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Maybe Deadly Premonition.

 

Granted, that's mostly because the gamplay is atrocious, but also in good part because the game's story wraps up so well, I almost feel bad if I were to return and unwrap it all again. The charming characters, the intrigue, all of that crap that was hiding under the horrendous presentation. I am reminded of my dad's words when he talked to me about the infinitely better Schindler's List: "There's some things so great that you'll never see them again." In it's own weird way, Deadly Premontion feels the same, like closing a chapter on a part of your life.

 

and also I just never want to see those stupid Spiritual Maps ever again uggggghhhh

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After playing Pokemon X and Y I don't think I I can ever go back to playing Black, White or any of the other Pokemon games that use sprites. But I think you get that with every new Pokemon game. You just can't go back to the previous one because the changes are just so dramatic.

Another game I can't go back to is The Last of Us but for a completely different reason. Like Crow, I really like it but it's so depressing (there's some heavy stuff) and slow to play that it's one of those games you'd only want to play through once, twice if you want to do Survival mode which I might do in the future. The game is still on my mind though so I'll wait a bit longer before I play through it again.

Oh, and any Legend of Zelda games! I usually go back to those a few years after beating them. That way, everything like the dungeons and story feels new to me.

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There was this game Yahtzee (yes, that one) made called Poacher, a Metroidvania that was challenging, fun, really difficult, had multiple endings, and was pretty damn well written and hilarious. It also got really open ended at some points. Sounds like perfect replay value right? It is.

 

Only for some reason I've just found that I've never gone back to it. It doesn't even come under my radar even though I really enjoyed it.

 

Pokemon Generation 4 I return to sometimes, but it's difficult as it's so slow compared to Gens 5 and 6. The Sinnoh games in particular I only return to every once in a blue moon, and they, while fun games, can be very draining to play. Platinum is still really good though, Diamond and Pearl less so.

 

I had no problems returning to Gen 5 though after Gen 6. Probably because the overhaul is SO drastic it feels different enough that it's not jarring. Going from Gen 5 to Gen 4 is more jarring because there's less of an overhaul.

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The original PS1 Tomb Raider (and probably the direct sequels, but I never played anything beyond 2). I thought it was a cool and novel game back in the day but MAN it hasn't aged well for just about every reason possible. For such an athletic person Lara controls like a tank, and the bad camera sure doesn't help things. But even worse, the game is just confusing. Huge empty levels where you need to find a little cog to fit into a little hole so you can get a key to open a specific door so you can get another cog to use on a mechanism to open ANOTHER door with lots and lots of backtracking in-between. The game gives you zero direction and zero hints, so if you missed something early in the level then you might spend literally hours crawling around looking for something easily missable. So unless you have a TON of patience and/or a really sharp eye, an FAQ or strategy guide is pretty much essential. Hell, even Gamespot's old-ass review from 1996 recommends it.

 

Thankfully Tomb Raider Anniversary exists, a 2007 remake that fixes pretty much all of these problems while still remaining true to the original.

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Fucking hell, so many to list but I'll go with the ones I feel most strongly about.

 

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword.

 

The game was enjoyable and I really got into it when I first played it, even if I did struggle with the controls when I'm a leftie IRL, the game despite it's flaws was an enjoyable experience, and with every Zelda I've played I expected to be able to go through it again at some point in the future... Did I? No I didn't, the more I think I should give it another go, the more I feel against the idea because the game is so long winded and drawn out to unbelievable lengths that I really can't be bothered to pick up and play through it's onslaught again... Especially when the only part I really want to replay is the Lanyru Desert Sea part with the boat and stuff.

 

Sonic Colours.

 

Played it once, found it frustrating and an awful experience, I've never touched it since the day after it's release lol, it just sits on my shelf. I've even played Sonic 06 more than Colours, that kinda says something about how much I dislike it.

 

X Blades

 

This game, started out ok, but then it got super shit and I have no idea why I bought it, it's downright awful and I never played past level 2.

 

 Deus Ex - Human Revolution

 

This game was fantastic, but I've never bothered playing through it again because it's long too and I just couldn't go through the whole game again just to see different outcomes/endings.

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The Infamous games. I cannot begin to give a fuck enough to want to replay them. I enjoy the initial experience, but even with different morality choices, I don't find enjoyment out of it. I mean sure, being a dick seems fun of the surface, but it does not affect how you play. Your powers take care of that. If you are good, you don't have to be careful because your powers will automatically start being more geared towards non-lethal. If you are a dick, then it is not about the effort of being a dick because your powers are already turnt up and violent as fuck. Even the endings are worth the replay because you could just watch it on youtube. In honesty, you aren't missing much as most of the choices are shallow for the 1st game(Like...being a dick made no sense sometimes). The second game gave you an evil character, but what she was offering you over the good character was not easier or even remotely practical. Like Nix's way was stupid and if being a dick were to appeal to me, I'd rather prefer something easier or at least more fun. Then Second Son rectifies it a bit, but at the same time, these choices are just cosmetic. 

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Maybe Deadly Premonition.

 

Granted, that's mostly because the gamplay is atrocious, but also in good part because the game's story wraps up so well, I almost feel bad if I were to return and unwrap it all again. The charming characters, the intrigue, all of that crap that was hiding under the horrendous presentation. I am reminded of my dad's words when he talked to me about the infinitely better Schindler's List: "There's some things so great that you'll never see them again." In it's own weird way, Deadly Premontion feels the same, like closing a chapter on a part of your life.

That's Alan Wake for me.

 

Alan Wake is one of those experiences I will never forget. When I first played it three years ago, I thought it was one of the best games I ever played. I'd still probably say it is. Everything about it just amounted to the most perfectly crafted experience. But when I tried to play it again, it just...didn't feel the same. It wasn't that it was any worse than I remember, but after having already been through it, it just...didn't feel as amazing. I almost wish I hadn't even tried to experience it again, just because...well...yeah, it's pretty much like that.

 

I'll also second Sonic Colors. It's weird. I always felt like it required a very different mindset to enjoy from most Sonic games, just because of how...unorthodox the design is, and I loved it for a really long time, but now, it's like I just...can't really enjoy it much at all. I still respect it for picking the franchise up (at least somewhat) and helping to maintain my own interest in the series, but eh...I guess after Generations AND Lost World, both of which I enjoyed and have gone back to a lot more, it just doesn't feel special.

 

I WOULD go back to Sonic Unleashed more if I hadn't erased my old save file like a twit, effectively meaning that I would have to suffer through more Werehog and medal collecting tedium if I ever wanted to play it again. Sonic 4: Episodes 1 and 2 are those games that I enjoyed as a really forgiving 16-year-old T-Min and went back to...probably more than any reasonable human being should once upon a time, but now I can't bring myself to play them again. I still think Episode 2 was okay, though.

 

Also, I'm going to go ahead and mention pretty much any lengthy RPG and things of that nature. Really just don't have the time to replay them, and I rarely feel like it.

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Super Smash Bros Brawl is a game me and my friends and siblings have played consistently since it came out. That was a little over six years ago. We've probably done everything there is to do. I tried to play online, but it's super super shit and my growing desire to just not touch my Wii anymore doesn't really help. Six years is definitely worth way more than what I payed for it though, so good job as usual sakurai.

 

I also agree to an extent about the Zelda games. Mostly because their pacing is absolutely fucked up a lot of the time and they usually rely on puzzles which become meaningless once you know most of them. At the very least, I have to wait a bit before I play them again despite loving them to pieces. A Link Between Worlds seems open ended enough that I could see myself coming back to it more often, though.

 

Kingdom Hearts is a series I usually can come back too rather easily, but Chain of Memories's combat really is so tedious outside of bosses that I get no joy from it.

 

OH, and Rayman Legends. When the game was good, it was REALLY good, but when it was bad, holy shit it would become a borefest fast. A far cry from Origins and such a disappointing game on it's own. I've replayed Origins a lot of times but I can't see myself ever coming back to this one, to the point where I forget I even have it a lot of the time.

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It seems with each new console generation, only the very best of my games beyond the last two generations will continue to get replays.  When the Gamecube was in its prime I still played a huge variety of N64 games over and over again.  Towards the end of the Wii's life it just became less convenient to do so.  This especially applies to games that have had sequels - Mario Kart 64 used to get played all the time, just as much as Double Dash when that was the newest one.  Now it feels very aged compared to the faster-pace and fun vibes of the newer games.  Now the Wii U has come out and I was looking through my Gamecube games and there are so few I feel like just starting a file on and playing through again when in the past I would've done that on a whim without a moment's thought if I felt like it.

 

Though I admit... even with Wii games this is kinda happening.  Maybe it's not a games aging thing but just an adult life = less free time thing.  I only really have the time to play newer games these days and tend to only play old ones when I have a serious dry spell or am saving money.

 

 

Anyway, to name a few specific games from recently:

 

 

The Walking Dead

 

I told myself one day I'd go back and replay this making all the opposite decisions of what I did the first time, to see more alternate scenes and such, but I just... can't bring myself to do it.  I don't want to disrespect or get confused over my personal "canon" to my main playthrough.  I don't want to see Lee acting "out of character" to how I made him first time.

 

 

Rayman Legends

Somehow I loved this game enough to play to 100% completion but now that I'm done I'm done.  It didn't give me a world worth investing in and I far prefer Mario and Sonic so whenever I have an urge for a platforming fix I'll be much more likely to return to them.  I didn't 100% it but Donkey Kong Country Returns will have this same fate I'm sure.  I fear Kirby's Adventure Wii may also be a case of this (I 100%'d that and consider it the greatest 2D platformer on the Wii) because I just played it so much I feel going back to just a casual replay will feel unfulfilling.

 

 

 

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Literally 100% echo Soniko's thoughts here.  This game is so long-winded and drawn out with awful, awful pacing.  I think the first time through it was all so interesting and unknown, yet in retrospect continuously disappointed.  Now I KNOW the story only progresses a tiny fraction each dungeon.  Now I KNOW we never see any more environments other than forest desert lava with the occasional small twist.  Now I KNOW all the gameplay is pretty much just one long dungeon-esque experience even when you're not in a dungeon.  I have no reason to put another 20-30 hours into this when the other four Zeldas have proven themselves to be ten times more enjoyable 10-15 hour romps each even on repeated plays.

 

I guess this game sort of breaks the "games you love" rule so I'll just re-iterate that I was totally into it the first time I played, and only realised I didn't like it much after I finished it and suddenly noticed all these expectations and build-ups were met in an unsatisfying manner.

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The Phoenix Wright games.

 

For me, these games are all about the plot; the twists and turns, revelations and dialogue etc. These things are really important to the experience and make up a good 95+% of the fun in the series. I can't go back to them if I already know what's happening, what twists are coming etc. It really does lose something in being replayed. Perhaps if I leave it a good half decade or longer I might better enjoy another go, but certain plot points will always kinda stick in the memory.

 

Great games though.

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Sonic 3 Complete so thoroughly killed my enjoyment of the vanilla Sonic 3 and Knuckles that I haven't touched the regular game in 4 years or so.

And I always hated the original Sonic CD, so the remake that fixed nearly all of its problems certainly didn't want me to play the vanilla version more.

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Patticus nailed it.

 

I can't go back to the Ace Attorney games. They're more like unorthodox ebooks than they are games.

 

Is there anything wrong with that? No, getting evidence and then shoving it in the prosecutor's face it a great time.

 

But it's only great the first time. If you try to go back to it it's like reading a good book over again even though you already know how everything works. I have to end up forgetting half of the stuff before I can enjoy it again.

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I have to end up forgetting half of the stuff before I can enjoy it again.

Well, shit. No wonder I was able to play through all of them a second time and still enjoy them a couple years after the first time

Except 2-3, because go fuck yourself Capcom.

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Patticus nailed it.

 

I can't go back to the Ace Attorney games. They're more like unorthodox ebooks than they are games.

 

Is there anything wrong with that? No, getting evidence and then shoving it in the prosecutor's face it a great time.

 

But it's only great the first time. If you try to go back to it it's like reading a good book over again even though you already know how everything works. I have to end up forgetting half of the stuff before I can enjoy it again.

 

Well that won't be hard for me; I practically forget everything after a while unless I really go out of my way to remember.

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Have to echo Spin Attaxx that I hardly if ever go back to the post-Genesis era Sonic games after I usually beat the main story mode.

 

Also have a slew of party games I don't play anymore for obvious reasons.

 

There's also Mystic Ninja starring Goemon who I outright stopped playing years ago because I couldn't beat the first major boss, which was some sort of giant robot battle.

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