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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

Excellent topic there mate.

Congrats on the GAD!

Excellent topic, but at this late hour (and after a day of school) I can't reply to something this long right now! Will do tomorrow though!

Sonic

Thanks for the good feedback!

Well begger (I can't believe I can't use the same word a 'u' instead of an 'e') me, I enjoyed reading that and totally agree with you. There's so many classic games that I own that I just haven't been bothered to complete, Final Fantasy VII being a prime example. Well, if you're lucky, you can get a new sparkly game for nowt, courtesy of SR. Just don't forget to complete the likes of Zelda first! :)

Sorry, no one was reading it and I thought I might have more luck on the other forum. Why, is it not allowed?

Thanks for replying, you made some pertinent points

Why did you post it in two forums?
Replayability is a very important part just so that we get our moneys worth.

Recently more and more games seem to be lacking something that I see as being a very very important and required part of any game. Something that makes you want to play it over and over, even when it is complete. Little extras that make the game something special.
Grand Theft Auto 3 had this effect, no matter how much you played it you always were happy to play more, maybe due to the lack of restrictions placed on the gamer but maybe it was something completely different. The fact you could beat people down? Take part in cool missions and a great story? There is something about it which makes it such a good game which has set a new standard which most games are compared too.

Added extras
Games like resident evil try to increase how long the game lasts by adding extras depending on how well you did the first time you complete the game, things like extra costumes to unlimited ammo and special weapons.
These may increase how long the game lasts for a short time but they aren't the best way to do it.

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.


The future?
I made a post the other day and news monkey also had a story on blu-ray the new DVD style standard which should be introduced. FantasyMeister made a good point in that a certain amount of the space should be set aside for the game, some for the extras, such as multiplayer modes etc and remaining space for a buffer to reduce or wipe out loading times. Having extras to make a game last longer in my opinion is a very good thing, we pay fairly high prices for something which may give us a few hours of fun and enjoyments but after that there isn't much else to do.

So it all boils down the the developers and what they can and can't include or even what they want to include. Lets just hope with the way the gaming industry is going that developers stand up and listen to what gamers want.

RM18 wrote:
> Uncle Albert wrote:
> Don't be so damn impatient, otherwise no-one will read
> it. Infact, I'm not going
> to read it!

Charming!

Hmm, seeing as you didn't have a rant at me, I'll read it after I've had me tea!

Uncle Albert wrote:
> Don't be so damn impatient, otherwise no-one will read it. Infact, I'm not going
> to read it!

Charming!

Don't be so damn impatient, otherwise no-one will read it. Infact, I'm not going to read it!

Will somebody read my post!!!!