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"The value of replayability"

With the wave of new consoles upon us, and a desire to taste the delights of Halo, GT3 and Smash Bros et al I broke my piggy bank to see how much I had. Unfortunately, it consisted of a Christmas list (uncompleted), £4.23 and ah yes, a hefty wad of…IOU’s. Ahem. Faced with the realisation that I might actually have to work to get some money, I broke out in a cold sweat and was forced to look towards my current games collection for solace. (Rumours that this is what forced me towards joining Special Reserve are completely unfounded). As much as it pains my game playing ego to say it, I found that there were some games that I had left unfinished and uncompleted (out of choice, of course), just collecting dust in a corner.

As you’ve probably realised by now, I don’t have a bottomless pit or money tree with which to buy all the latest games, so the games that I do have in my collections are probably the finest that console has to offer. If resources are scarce then naturally you go towards the very best. Right? Right. Shenmue, Sonic Adventure, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, classics, every one of ‘em. But all uncompleted. (I was later to find out that the reason I couldn’t complete Shenmue was because of the infamous Disc 3 glitch that prevents you seeing the next cut scene to progress).

Be honest, I think it might have happened to a good number of you as well. When your half way through your current fave it’s always difficult not to be tempted by the latest triple A title, with its mindblowing graphics and innovative new gameplay. The only problem is, what was suddenly the best thing ever becomes decidedly old hat, and you find yourself putting the other game in the ‘to be completed’ pile along with Clayfighter 63 1/3 and Rise of the Robots (remember them?)

So I picked up Mario 64 and continued playing. I already had 70-odd stars because I had beaten Bowser but for some strange reason decided not to play on. Oh what a fool I was. This time I had the avowed intention of actually completing the thing and getting my money’s worth out of what I now think is the finest 3D platforming game in existence. I was astounded. I knew Mario was good, very good in fact, but I didn’t know that collecting the last few stars provided you with the most visceral, challenging, thought provoking experience ever. Suddenly, I was a changed video gamer.

I subsequently went through my old games with vigour, playing each one to the end and getting hours of enjoyment out of the best Sega and Nintendo, in my opinion the best developers in the world, had to offer. I rediscovered the delights of Shenmue (avoiding that pesky glitch) and became so immersed in the story (a rarity these days) that I made Shenmue 2 top of my shopping list. I also relived other gaming landmarks such as Zelda and Sonic Adventure, and even went through games I had completed, each one providing hours of enjoyment and plenty of ‘I don’t remember this, this is brilliant’ moments.

But this new approach to all my old games has also enhanced my all round knowledge of games and has changed how I approach a new game as well. I certainly understand what is meant by ‘replay value’. Replay value isn’t about completing a game over and over again just to unlock an extra weapon or a change of costume. Even with a game the calibre of Metal Gear Solid it just becomes boring and ultimately ruins what great memories you might have of a game.

Replay value is about rewarding the player no matter how long or how often the player chooses to play it. Games like the aforementioned Mario and Zelda certainly do this. Other games, such as Crazy Taxi and Virtua Tennis, offer instant gaming gratification and because of that they justify their inclusion in my collection.

My current plight could well be the situation you are facing this very moment. With all the new consoles out or coming out, each tempting you with hard drives, DVD playback and whatnot, there is certainly a lot to choose from. But in the meantime dust the cobwebs of your old favourites, play them through again and remember why you got into videogames in the first place.

Thanks for reading

RM18

What was it something I said?

It really all depends on who makes the games.
If you get a company that doesn't make very many games and ain't that good at making them then chances are that once you've completed it you won't play it again for a while.

Take Zelda64 for example.
It's a classic game that should takethe average gamer a good few months to complete.
Zelda64 is unlike any other game because you can roam around the whole game and go where the hell you want unlike other RGP's.

It took me about 3 months to complete Zelda.
And even once you thought you'd completed it you still had loads more to do.

If you have Zelda or games similar to Zelda64 then you'll want to play them over and over again next time you come round to play it.

Or if you really want a game that has plenty of replayability then you should get Worms Armageddon, or in fact any other Worms title.
The main reson for this is because of it's random landscape generator which (As you may have guesed) generates random landscapes and randomly places mines, thefore providing hours of fun whilst at the same time churning out those randomly generated landscapes.
So if you have any of the Worms titles then you have bought yourself a game that has mor replayability than others.

Repettitave playing however is not so much fun, simply because of it's repetitiveness.
Platformers are often repetitive.
Repetitiveness drastically reduces the amount of replayability.
And that's not much fun now is it?

Mario Kart54 on the other hand is specifically designed for replayability.
Nintendo mainly Focused on the Multi-Player in Mario Kart.
That's what made Mario Kart so addictive.
It's also what made us gamers talk.

The Multi-Player in MarioKart would never make you board because of it's many gameplay options arenas and Gnarly weapons.
If you have Mario Kart then you'll understand.


Well Done on your win by the way.

Yeah, with some games you can make games within games, like who can score the most goals in one half or who can get a certain points target in a set amount of time (or maybe thats just me...)

Replayability can sometimes be found in the so-called "shallowist" of places. Take Crazy Taxi 2 for instance: most see this game as a quick blast, but it is deceptively complex. It took me months to learn all the short-cuts and who the best customers were (time-wise). When I first played it in arcade rules I could hardly earn $2,000 - now I know every street in the cities like it's my home town. I'm almost so adept at it that one go (on arcade rules) lasts for 3 hours or more.

AliBoy wrote:
Multiplayer
Probably the best way to
> make a game last longer to a gamer is to include a multiplayer mode, when you
> finish the main game then you unlock more extras in the multiplayer. Obviously
> there is a decision that has to be made, include a multiplayer and the main game
> can't be as good as it could have been or leave out a multiplayer and make the
> main game as good as you can.

Bah! I was going to say that! :-D

Multiplayer is why I'd always choose Smash Brother's over Metal Gear Solid.

Y'know, your comments just inspired me to continue with Abe's Exxodus on PC. Nah, on second thoughts I won't bother.

Great post though, deserving of your GAD.

Thanks all!

That was a good post, and worthy of your GAD win.

Well done!

Thanks for the GAD SR! Much appreciated

Yeah, well done for the GAD!
You were called impatient at the start, but it was then proven that your post was worth reading after all!
Congratulations!