Games that Didn’t Hold Up on a Replay

[Pyro]

Kingdom Hearts 1 is a fun game because of how reliant it is on the Disney worlds instead of its own, along with the creative use of FF characters. It doesn't have much of its own mythos and why I've enjoyed going back to it plenty of times over the years, even though I've only beat it once.

But I don't think I can anymore because of its combat. It's not that I used to think it was the epitome of 3rd person hack n' slash or anything, but it's simplicity is grating for me now. Since last playing I've come to realize games like Ninja Gaiden II and the Souls games are my favorites in the genre and that's made KH1's issues with its combat feel, god awful camera and level design stand out more.

And I don't think every one of those games should adhere to those styles, I try to approach games on their own terms. But my nostalgia just can't keep up anymore and I don't think I'm gonna bother ever going back. Thankfully I still need to beat KH2 and since the story of the first and Chain of Memories is very simple (even relative to what's to come) I think I'll just give that a try next.

 

[MinerArcaniner]

Bioshock Infinite.

Never whiplashed on a game like that before or since.

 

[DNAbro]

Doki Doki Lit Club for obvious reasons. That game really relies on the first time surprise experience.

 

[ClickyCal']

Mario 64.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

I played Star Ocean 2 when it was released and loved it. I've been supremely disappointed by the series since, but I've always held on to great memories of that game. I bought the remake a month ago and put in a dozen hours only to realize it fucking sucks, and that my memories are wrong. It's a fine enough game but the story and writing are atrocious, which is what put me off of the rest of the series. Turns out I was wrong, there is no good Star Ocean.

 

[Foolish]

A few months back I revisited both Super Mario Galaxy games for the first time since I initially played them when they came out.

Without the "wow" factor they had at the time, I found them to be... Just okay. I was very shocked at how little I enjoyed replaying them. Mario feels horrifically stiff in them.

 

[Torpedo Vegas]

I'm going to say everything is less impressive on a replay as I already know all the story beats, enemy placements, and stuff. You can only be surprised the first time.

 

[andymcc]

A few months back I revisited both Super Mario Galaxy games for the first time since I initially played them when they came out.

Without the "wow" factor they had at the time, I found them to be... Just okay. I was very shocked at how little I enjoyed replaying them. Mario feels horrifically stiff in them.

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Yeah, I think the movement in the Galaxy games feels pretty bad compared to 64 or Odyssey

 

[Crushed]

your favorite game from your youth. you, the person reading this

 

[Indelible]

It is Final Fantasy X for me, loved it on PS2 but I had a tough time playing through the remaster.

 

[higemaru]

your favorite game from your youth. you, the person reading this

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Shenmue holds up!

i will say that Golden Sun…less so

 

[mrmickfran]

Skyward Sword

I didn't realize just how badly paced it was until my hero mode playthrough

 

[Stavo]

your favorite game from your youth. you, the person reading this

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Jokes on you. I love replaying Ocarina of Time!

 

[Omanisat]

When Sony gave away Alan Wake remastered I replayed it. That was a mistake. Should have left that one to nostalgia.

 

[SinOfHeart]

I don't usually change my feeling on replaying a game (especially because I typically mostly only replay games I really enjoyed to begin with).

Kingdom Hearts 1 is for sure on that list of games I changed my mind on. Enjoyed it a fair amount back when it first came out. Tried replaying it somewhat recently so I could play through the earlier games to get to some of the well regarding KH games I'd never played, and the first game is just rough like OP said. Like the controls feel awful and floaty, combat is not particularly interesting, and your AI companions feel somewhat useless (you seriously have to prevent them from using items because otherwise they'll just stand around tanking every attack and wasting all your items).

I made it up to the final Ursula fight and decided I'd had enough, especially because my AI companions were seriously just not moving at all and getting hit constantly by lighting which would fairly quickly kill them (this was on the normal difficulty).

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

As much as I liked HL2 when it came out I just can't be bothered to go through it all. Some sections really dragged.

 

[Shoe]

your favorite game from your youth. you, the person reading this

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[Ambient]

Mario 64.

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Yeah once I get past the first Bowser stage the game is a slog.

 

[kamineko]

Sierra's Quest for Glory series. The P&C elements are fine, but that combat is a real drag

 

[Pyro]

i will say that Golden Sun…less so

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I think Golden Sun is a common one simply because it was a lot of people's first JRPG or one of their first. And so trying to go back after playing much better ones and having some knowledge on the genre makes it rough.

I don't usually change my feeling on replaying a game (especially because I typically mostly only replay games I really enjoyed to begin with).

Kingdom Hearts 1 is for sure on that list of games I changed my mind on. Enjoyed it a fair amount back when it first came out. Tried replaying it somewhat recently so I could play through the earlier games to get to some of the well regarding KH games I'd never played, and the first game is just rough like OP said. Like the controls feel awful and floaty, combat is not particularly interesting, and your AI companions feel somewhat useless (you seriously have to prevent them from using items because otherwise they'll just stand around tanking every attack and wasting all your items).

I made it up to the final Ursula fight and decided I'd had enough, especially because my AI companions were seriously just not moving at all and getting hit constantly by lighting which would fairly quickly kill them (this was on the normal difficulty).

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Kudos to lasting longer than I did. After 4 hours and dying just once on the Hercules/Colosseum world I said screw it and opted for KH2.

 

[mrmickfran]

Tried to play FFVII Remake on hard mode but my GOD those slow walking sections are excruciating

 

[Ruu]

I tried replaying Shadows of Mordor like a year or 2 after finishing it and found it to be really boring from the start but the first time I played it it was probably my favorite game of the year.

 

[carlsojo]

It's funny you mention KH1 because that is my favorite game in the series to come back to. I love that combat and story so much. Hollow Bastion is sublime.

 

[carlsojo]

Tried to play FFVII Remake on hard mode but my GOD those slow walking sections are excruciating

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That's the one I keep thinking of too. The pacing in that game is all over the map.

 

[Unicorn]

I tried replaying Shadows of Mordor like a year or 2 after finishing it and found it to be really boring from the start but the first time I played it it was probably my favorite game of the year.

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That's notoriously one of the worst years in gaming lol. low bar to cross

 

[KDC720]

Gonna go with the first Alan Wake. I think its still a good game, the story and the vibes are still great.

But boy that gameplay sure is serviceable at best, especially after QB and Control. I thought it was fine in 2010 but playing through the remaster before AW2 I found it so tedious at points I didn't even bother doing the DLC chapters like I had planned to.

 

[Rei no Otaku]

Super Mario RPG. I hadn't played the game since it came out on the SNES and I loved it back then. Played that remake and found it to be boring as hell. I got like 2/3s of the way through and just put it down.

 

[Mocha Joe]

Bioshock Infinite.

Never whiplashed on a game like that before or since.

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holy moly, same here. I replayed all three games during the covid lockdown. Total 180 on Infinite, I genuinely cannot believe I loved the game at release

 

[Vonocourt]

Bayonetta 2 was a amazing first run.

 

[Warrior of Light]

Originally played it back when it first came out on PS2. Thought it was decent back then. Replayed it a year ago on PS4 for the platinum trophy. The games is utter rubbish. From the terrible "anime filler episode" tier writing to the gameplay. Yes, the combat system is good - in theory. The game balance is all over the place, so you never really feel a sense of power progression. The only time the battle system actually gets to shine is in the International content - ie the monster arena with the tournaments. All of the other gameplay in the game; the puzzles, mini-games, platforming and what not is just a joyless slog to get through. For what it's worth, I like Paine. And Gippal too, I guess.

 

[Dice]

Secret of Mana. Retro fans still hold a torch for this one, but Trials of Mana is the better game in almost every way. Secret has since become pure unfun jank with a long and terrible intro section.

...The music holds up best, I'll say that much. I'm shocked how good it still is?

Tried to play FFVII Remake on hard mode but my GOD those slow walking sections are excruciating

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My recent playthrough: I couldn't believe how bad the general layouts of areas were. Most dungeons it's easy to lose what direction you're going, the slum towns are all annoyingly tight corridors (Wall Market making a point to be the worst about it), and the game really expresses high highs and low lows in the experience.

I come away loving it, but I got big caveats to its general experience. It knew what it had to nail and really crammed all the jelly into those moments and left others really dry.

Originally played it back when it first came out on PS2. Thought it was decent back then. Replayed it a year ago on PS4 for the platinum trophy. The games is utter rubbish. From the terrible "anime filler episode" tier writing to the gameplay. Yes, the combat system is good - in theory. The game balance is all over the place, so you never really feel a sense of power progression. The only time the battle system actually gets to shine is in the International content - ie the monster arena with the tournaments. All of the other gameplay in the game; the puzzles, mini-games, platforming and what not is just a joyless slog to get through. For what it's worth, I like Paine. And Gippal too, I guess.

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I defended this one a LOT when it came out, but basically for everything you mention... I wanted to love the gameplay, but I def hated that switching jobs was such an ordeal, the game never really lets you sit with jobs, and mini-game and filler episode stuff is basically what most of the game is.

I think it's a fine and sweet-enough side story, but it's no FFX, and it would be a 'blah' addition for the game's canon.

 

[mrmickfran]

Bayonetta 2 was a amazing first run.

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Oh my god THIS

Infinite Climax was awful

 

[AgeEighty]

I think it's far more rare that a game hits the same on repeat plays than that it doesn't.

 

[davidnolan13]

I'm going to say everything is less impressive on a replay as I already know all the story beats, enemy placements, and stuff. You can only be surprised the first time.

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Mainly but Not always. Just now I'm doing a 2nd play of baldurs gate 3 and I thought I had been pretty thorough the first time. But I've still seen and done enough to completely change the game this time around.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Persona games are a bit more difficult to enjoy during replays because the story stuff they want you to blast through before the game "really start" or when you can actually play in between story beats can be really long and arduous.

 

[Eppcetera]

I think I've mostly always still liked any game that I previously enjoyed when replaying it. I can't really think of any examples where my opinion dramatically shifted for the worse. The closest would be Fire Emblem: Three Houses, as I really wish the routes were more different from one another than they are. Of course, there are plenty of games I haven't enjoyed quite as much when replaying them due to the novelty being gone; a story-driven game just isn't that exciting when you already know what's going to happen (and I'll probably never replay Return of the Obra Dinn since I don't see how that original experience could come close to being matched on a replay).

 

[LimeTime]

This is a ton of games for me, especially really long ones, but that doesn't mean they're bad games. I doubt I'll ever play through Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth again but it's an incredible game. Very few games hold up for me on repeat playthroughs.

 

[JCal]

None. Good games are good games, regardless of when you play them or how many times you play them. If a game is acclaimed, its positive qualities will shine through in any era.

 

[Firima]

Rogue Fucking Galaxy

Loved it for some odd reason when it came out despite not liking the demo.

Years later, played it with my sister and we were kind of horrified that we ever thought it was good. It's a slog where you constantly get turned around, a busywork crafting system, and a wretched final boss.

Level-5 was on something for sure.

 

[TransEuropaExpress]

Gonna go with the first Alan Wake. I think its still a good game, the story and the vibes are still great.

But boy that gameplay sure is serviceable at best, especially after QB and Control. I thought it was fine in 2010 but playing through the remaster before AW2 I found it so tedious at points I didn't even bother doing the DLC chapters like I had planned to.

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I threw in the towel at like 4 hours recently. I had remembered liking it and having fun but good lord. It's like the gameplay is filler between cutscenes and story set pieces. I just found it brutally boring.

 

[Jonathan Lanza]

Bayonetta 2 definitely comes to mind. Doesn't become bad or anything but it's a case where the game does get worse the more I play it.

 

[amara]

I'm going to say Sekiro. I already knew the patterns in the replay and there's basically only one way to play. I guess the fun in a replay is getting more reliable at timing which I don't find enjoyable

 

[oatmeal]

Alan Wake - though I still love it

 

[MidnightCowboy]

Not that I ever thought it was a masterpiece, but I tried to replay Fable 2 last year and couldn't stand the movement and stiff camera. I didn't even make it out of the opening area.

 

[Son of Sparda]

Uncharted 4

Couldn't even finish the remaster/collection version on PS5.

 

[Musubi]

Honestly I don't even know what the term "holds up" really even means. The games I used to love I still love.

 

[That Demon Life]

A few months back I revisited both Super Mario Galaxy games for the first time since I initially played them when they came out.

Without the "wow" factor they had at the time, I found them to be... Just okay. I was very shocked at how little I enjoyed replaying them. Mario feels horrifically stiff in them.

Click to shrink...

Played Galaxy last year for the first time and thought it was a 10/10 game. Probably my second favorite Mario after Odyssey.

 

[astro]

your favorite game from your youth. you, the person reading this

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Sonic 2 is still great to this day.

 

[Shopolic]

Tried to play FFVII Remake on hard mode but my GOD those slow walking sections are excruciating

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Really want to replay FFVIIR, but those parts...
I wish there were some options in games like this to skip those "slow parts without action" in second playthrough. I don't have any problem with them in first run, but in replay...

 

[Xyer]

I just replayed Dark Souls 1 over the weekend as a spur of the moment thing. It was probably the 7th time I've played it. It definitely gave off the vibes of the thread title. There's just so much bullshit and terrible garbage in the game. Especially the back half. The game was so rushed. Bed of Chaos took me like 30 tries and it's all RNG bullshit.