Went to the Zoo with a shotgun today, now I have a lion.

Dark Magician here, as I am known on this little gaming website, ScrewAttack. On that note, I suggest you fear me because I rule with an iron fist. Or at least, that is what my mother tells me. But enough about me and my ninja ways. So without further ado, let us get to the topic at hand.

The Value of a Second Playthrough

If you love a game a lot, you may want to play it again. For some of us, we have no choice. If you want to play games, that one game you get is all you got. It's either play that same video game or go play outside and get diseases from that kid next door. I don’t know about you, but I rather be in a stuffy house, surrounded by my many heartless electronics than the cheap showiness of nature. I may have touched on this topic with my Are We Too Spoiled blog, but trust me, this is different.

So why is the second playthrough so awesome? If you just bought a new video game, chances are, you don’t know a thing about it. With the first playthrough, there is the pressure of not sucking, learning as you go, and learning to like the video game. That “learning to like it” fact does play a big role in the Second Playthrough because first of all, you gotta like it to even conceive another playthrough.

So its Friday evening, you got all your homework done. No chores for the rest of the weekend. And that nagging mother is gone for the weekend and its just you and your alcoholic father who is always passed out on the couch in only his underwear. Two weeks ago you just beat um... Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes on the Nintendo Gamecube. Every other game you are sick of and hell, you loved it so much, you wanted to give it another go! Go ninja! Go!

Now, there is no pressure of not sucking, no learning as you go, or no learning to like the game. In fact, you love the video game. All that is left is to enjoy yourself, enjoy seeing Deepthroat, Mei Ling, and Snake all over again, and improve on some things you did poorly on the last time you played.

It has to be like watching your favourite movie a second time the following week.

Some People...

I know, most people once they beat a game, they never play it again. Some even actually sell it soon after before it decreases in value that is unacceptable. And rightfully so, not every video game is worth a second time around.

That is definitely due to the length of, quality of, and genre of said video game. We are in a time where the top genres are the most generic. For instance, First Person Shooters/Melee, Third Person Shooters/Melee, or Third Person Auto-Attack. And you know how most of them will turn out depending if its action or RPG. Let’s face it, you usually have a lot of cutscenes, some actual gameplay where you run to point A to point B or dick around in a sandbox and play it till you reach some type of conclusion.

You usually know what you are getting because the genre does say a lot about the game. If it is long as hell, you are not going to play again unless you are a completionist or get real bored one day. Chances are better if it is actually good. This is by no stretch a horrible thing, but it does take away what from video games in the past had with their own distinct and unique gameplay and the way it will unfold before you.

Not to say video games in the past are perfect. They have their faults as well. You can feel suffocated by the rigid boxed-up design of those old video games. But that is also their claim to fame. Back then, it might have been a 2D platformer or 2D beatemup, but no game could mimic the exact feel of it's peers. NES Megaman vs. NES Castlevania vs. NES Ninja Gaiden vs. Super Mario World. All 2D Platformers, but worlds apart.

But that is what happens when a genre gets popular and everyone tries to cash in. All games all try to do their own thing to set themselves apart. Syndicate vs. Halo Reach vs. Modern Warfare 3 vs. Battlefield 3 vs Duke Nukem Forever. All FPS, but they all have their unique style.

Only a real fan of such a video game genre will notice the subtle differences. But, which of them will you come back to after the online servers get shutdown? I’d say, Syndicate, Halo Reach, and Duke Nukem Forever are the ones I’ll most likely go back to. They have more personality, more style, and all unique in their own way. Instead of Generic Modern Day Military FPS Shooter #2. Generic Modern Day Military FPS Shooter #1 has its place in a video game collection, because face it, we like being a modern day soldier trapped in a Michael Bay movie.

There is a place for it.

Conclusion

That is one of the things that go through my mind when I look to buy a video game. How often will I play the video game? If its once and put down and never touch again, it doesn’t get a cent from me.

If there is anything to take away from this blog it would be: I encourage you to at least try play your games more often. In my Are We Too Spoiled blog, I’d like to say, it does make for great memories years down the road.

DM out.