What game can you only play once for the full effect? - For fuck's sake, mark your spoilers.

LISA "The Painful" RPG.

The funniest game I have ever played. It's funny the second time around, but the jokes will never be quite as good.

Not to mention the way it can evoke dread with the way you never quite know how much worse it's going to get.

Killer7.

The boss fight with Andrei Ulmeyda is the most anxious I have ever felt playing a game.

The music, not even knowing what you're fighting much less how to fight it, just... Man, it was a crazy intense scene.


Also Spec Ops: The Line.


You know I’m suddenly picturing hotline Miami if it was released today with modern minimalist UI that looks like baby’s first unity game. I do not want to live in that reality.

I mean, it's UI is about as minimalist as you can get.
 
I mean, it's UI is about as minimalist as you can get.
Yeah but it’s stylized and has an aesthetic. Unlike this.
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LISA "The Painful" RPG.

The funniest game I have ever played. It's funny the second time around, but the jokes will never be quite as good.

Not to mention the way it can evoke dread with the way you never quite know how much worse it's going to get.
I am inclined to agree with you, but on the other hand the game is so full of secrets and obscure jokes that it is worth a second or third go round.

I didn't even find the fish city on my first playthrough, and every time I play it I try to get Harvey to say different things, so there is still good reason to go back to it.
 
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The Phoenix Wright games, less for the plot (since most of it is heavily telegraphed with regards to who the killer is) but for the bizarre yet sensible moon logic that powers some of the debates. The one exception is Dual Destinies. That game does something entirely unexpected in its third act that would be ruined if I was less vague about it. Similarly, Ghost Trick. If you want an excellent game with a silly Saturday morning plot that will absolutely gut punch you in the third act, play it blind.

Also, Persona 5. I’m hesitant to even hint at this but whatever, this isn’t a direct spoiler as much as it is just a vague pointer in the direction of the thing that might give it away:
One of the game’s major themes is about forming messages to the public that manipulate their emotions for your own gain, and how a properly framed message will be accepted regardless how innately wrong it is in context. The game proceeds to pull this on you over the course of its plot by presenting you with something incredibly wrong early on that you just sort of accept due to the framing (the thing is so out of place that everyone I know who’s played it comments on it when they encounter it and then immediately ignores it), only for that thing to be critical to the plot in the last hour or so.
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Dude pancakes lmao
 
Everything that relies on the story instead of gameplay, especially a story with a twist.
I didn't even feel like finishing Bioshock after the twist because the gameplay is mediocre at best.
Spec Ops: The Line has servicible gameplay but it's very repetitive and gets boring really quick.
I love Alan Wake but I don't feel like replaying it because learning what's really happening is the main draw of the game.

It's the same with movies.
Watching The Usual Suspects when you know the twist is such a chore. The Monty Python "GET ON WITH IT!!!" joke kept popping up in my head.

It would be a great idea to make a game where the game itself becomes aware that you're replaying it and changes things.
I'm not talking about new game+ or just randomizing items etc.
I want the game to become the enemy - the map would change, characters you're meant to kill would anticipate it and prepare for you, enemies would know your battle tactics forcing you to change them etc.
Is there a game like that? If not, someone needs to make it.
 
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Everything that relies on the story instead of gameplay, especially a story with a twist.
I didn't even feel like finishing Bioshock after the twist because the gameplay is mediocre at best.
Spec Ops: The Line has servicible gameplay but it's very repetitive and gets boring really quick.
I love Alan Wake but I don't feel like replaying it because learning what's really happening is the main draw of the game.
I liked the gameplay in the first BioShock, I didn't get very far through BioShock 2 and I straight up quit in Infinite and just watched a playthrough online because the weapon limit pissed me off.
"Hey, upgrade your weapons here!"
"Sweet, extra damage!"
"lol u moron, you're never gonna see that gun again" just killed Infinite for me.

It would be a great idea to make a game where the game itself becomes aware that you're replaying it and changes things.
I'm not talking about new game+ or just randomizing items etc.
I want the game to become the enemy - the map would change, characters you're meant to kill would anticipate it and prepare for you, enemies would know your battle tactics forcing you to change them etc.
Is there a game like that? If not, someone needs to make it.
The closest I can think of is Undertale, where your actions in a previous playthrough affect how characters react to you in the current playthrough, but it's not as in-depth as what you described. There are games that adjust to your gameplay method and try to compensate for it as well (I can't think of any off the top of my head except MGSV, which was pretty basic in that regard). I agree with you, an AI that reacts and prepares across save-games in a more open-ended game would be fucking amazing.
 
I’ve returned to play it but the twist in KOTOR was the most mind blowing moment I had as a younger gamer. I’ve never had that sense of awe and shock replicated when I played any other rpg.
I think KOTOR II is the harder game to replay. It really grows into its own as it goes on, but it has an extremely slow start (Telos IV is mostly a nightmare and you don't even have a lightsaber) and it doesn't become you and your Jedi pals roaming around until the last 1/3 of the game. Then you have to play Malachor V again, and even with the restoration patch the Sith Academy area is just annoying.
 
I think KOTOR II is the harder game to replay. It really grows into its own as it goes on, but it has an extremely slow start (Telos IV is mostly a nightmare and you don't even have a lightsaber) and it doesn't become you and your Jedi pals roaming around until the last 1/3 of the game. Then you have to play Malachor V again, and even with the restoration patch the Sith Academy area is just annoying.
I assume you used the Skip Peragus mod, because I found that a LOT more tiresome than Telos, since you at least have Light/Dark options on Telos, if I recall correctly.
 
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I assume you used the Skip Peragus mod, because I found that a LOT more tiresome than Telos, since you at least have Light/Dark options on Telos, if I recall correctly.
Nah, I just recall Peragus being a bit easier and mostly linear compared to Telos's absurd amount of running around for stuff that barely matters. And Peragus's horror atmosphere was at least really well done.
 
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I want the game to become the enemy - the map would change, characters you're meant to kill would anticipate it and prepare for you, enemies would know your battle tactics forcing you to change them etc.
Is there a game like that? If not, someone needs to make it.
The closest I can think of is Undertale, where your actions in a previous playthrough affect how characters react to you in the current playthrough, but it's not as in-depth as what you described. There are games that adjust to your gameplay method and try to compensate for it as well (I can't think of any off the top of my head except MGSV, which was pretty basic in that regard). I agree with you, an AI that reacts and prepares across save-games in a more open-ended game would be fucking amazing.
Shadow of Destiny (or Shadow of Memories, if you're a filthy weeb) is an adventure game in which you play as a dude who gets the fuck killed out of him at the end of every chapter, gets resurrected and then shunted through time to find out what the shit is going on and stop it from happening again. It's not quite the game itself anticipating you but narratively it's a similar concept, as it becomes obvious quickly that powers well beyond his ken have it out for him.

Here's a playthrough without commentary:



And here's part one of the retsupurae let's play if you can stomach slothymeat:

 
I wouldn't say you can only play games one time. Just because you know the tweest doesn't mean you can't still get into it and be affected by it. But I'm a fag who played my favorite JRPG 21 or so times when I was a kid with 5 games.
I've never really minded spoilers myself cuz like, its about building a relationship and understanding what is being conveyed to you, not just experiencing the climax that one time. I have no idea what I felt when I played my favorite game for the first time except "dude, this is soooo cool" and I still have that reaction.

That said, maybe Shadow of the Colossus? Never played it myself but I always got that feeling.
 
The thing is, even if the feeling you get when you first play a certain game can't be replicated, playing it again is good because you're able to catch little details you didn't notice before and even see stuff that foreshadows what's going to happen. Sure, you know what's going to happen, but you can also appreciate all the little details that make everything come together.

That said, maybe Shadow of the Colossus? Never played it myself but I always got that feeling.

Funny as I find myself playing that at least once every year for the past ten or so. And that's not counting the number of New Game Plus's you'll need to go through to have enough stamina to reach the secret garden. But that's really more of a personal thing than because the game has massive replay value. (It does have time trial mode though)
 
skies of Arcadia. its one of the few games that makes you fell your on a big adventure for treasure and discovery. Vyse is THE best JRPG character out there. his not edgy or whiny, just your robin hood pirate with a clear goal that never gives up even when things look dark.


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Untitled Goose Game. You can even beat it in its entirety in a day if you have the time to dedicate to it. The main "story" is fairly short, but incredibly enjoyable. You can certainly go back and repeat old objectives and do time trials, but once you figure out how to complete each objective you don't get that same sense of satisfaction of figuring it out. Still absolutely worth a play through.
 
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Vampire the masquerade: bloodlines.

Specifically the Hotel level early in the game, by far the best Horror experience ive ever had in any videogame or movie to date.

Now, ive not finished the entire game myself, but this level was beautiful. I went in as a tremere
So, the just of it is, some spoopy shit be habbenin at a nearby hotel construction site and you are tasked by a Malkavian to go in and deal with it.
Now i being, a bloody vampire wizard thought i could handle this just fine. the fuck ghosts gonna do to me?

Beat the everloving shit outa you thats what. perhaps it was unintentional, but i went in expecting little to go wrong since im a vampire, and a wizard at that. As such, it was quite the shock to have the entire place just bitchslap me back down to reality. I'd liken the level to the Outlast game, where you can do little else but hide and run to "win" the game. you cant fight back, everything and anything, even the fucking lamp on the table over there could Yeet itself right into your face, causing quite the bit of damage and hunger to you without anyway to stop it and few ways to even recover from it. And you Have to walk right by that lamp to progress, without knowing till its too late if the lamp even will launch itself at you.

ive played outlast, but this level and game for all its buggy mess, is by far the best Horror experience ive had the pleasure of experiencing. it doesnt tell you that your undead powers are worth jack shit against ghosts, it surprises you with it. and that unexpected experience and bitchslap of powerlessness is what makes it so great.

There is one game ive heard of, I believe for one of the playstations that could match this area in bloodlines. I cant recall its name, but it goes out of its way to break the third wall to fuck with you as your character's insanity meter rises. Pretending to exit to menu and deleting your save, acting like the game is bugging out or glitching, simulating the volume of your TV turning down by itself, ect.

We need more games like that.
 
Really, Persona 5 is one of the few RPGs that you can replay and still enjoy the story (when you're not skipping the obnoxious scenes). Most of the twists are very telegraphed or otherwise not too shocking on first playthroughs, and the anime diversion shit is fun to watch no matter how much you've played it. What prevents me from replaying it a bunch is the fact that it's incredibly tedious.

I would say Persona 5 is hard to replay simply because it's over 100+ goddamned hours, and though fast forwarding through dialogue is an option, it will be a long time before I play P5 again because of real life in addition to other unplayed vidya stuff lying around. I won't remember most of what happened by then.

Don't get me wrong. I loved Persona 5. It's just very, very, long. It's the same reason I watched my Lord of the Rings Extended Blu-ray box set exactly once.

"Games you can only play once for the full effect." Gone Home. That was the house.

She's a lesbian.

And I guess I'll throw in BioShock since I only want to be Good Jack.

And choosing to Rescue the Little Sisters over Harvesting them doesn't amount to any real difference in how much Adam you get.
 
There is one game ive heard of, I believe for one of the playstations that could match this area in bloodlines. I cant recall its name, but it goes out of its way to break the third wall to fuck with you as your character's insanity meter rises. Pretending to exit to menu and deleting your save, acting like the game is bugging out or glitching, simulating the volume of your TV turning down by itself, ect.

We need more games like that.
This sounds interesting. Any idea around what year it came out?
 
There is one game ive heard of, I believe for one of the playstations that could match this area in bloodlines. I cant recall its name, but it goes out of its way to break the third wall to fuck with you as your character's insanity meter rises. Pretending to exit to menu and deleting your save, acting like the game is bugging out or glitching, simulating the volume of your TV turning down by itself, ect.

We need more games like that.
Are you thinking of Eternal Darkness for the GameCube?
 
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