"how much does a games' replay value affect your purchase?"

...and when you 'officially' complete a game (i.e. do all there is to do in a game at least once), what are the factors that determine whether you replay it, put it on your shelf, or trade it in/sell it?

for example:

if you had 'played through' an RPG to the end, would you....

1. start again, and collect everything/max up stats?

2. if there wasn't anything else to collect, would you max up all stats to complete it as much as possible?

3. go through it for the story again

4. analyse it/think about the design etc.

5. find new ways to enjoy the game (e.g. speedrunning)

6. keep it but not play it again

7. sell it/trade it in

you don't have to use my example! just might help when thinking.. ;-) but i mean, we all know if you bought a fighting game, the replayability is obvious.

Personally, I would never sell or trade it in. Usually I tend to develop an emotional attachment to them once I'm through.

During my first playthroughs, I'll typically rush just to familiarize myself with the gameplay mechanics and the environments. Once I'm done, I'll play through it again to collect whatever it is that I've missed or unlock new modes/secrets/goodies. Either that, or re-watch the cutscenes just to recapture that emotional jolt.

There are very few games I go back and play. I tend to move on once I have completed the main storyline. I am the type of gamer that tends to play for novelty. I like new story elements, new levels, new weapons, etc. Once I have seen all those things that a game has to offer my inclination is to move on to something else. There is a rare game that keeps me coming back (COD4, Rock Band, etc), but if a game tends to be story-driven it gets its once through and that's it.

If I didn't have the disposable income that I do, this might be different. As it stands though, I tend to have more disposable income than time and therefore focus on getting the maximal time to entertainment value from my games. That peak value tends to be on the 1st playthrough, the rest is fluff.

Forgot to mention on my original post: I NEVER trade in my games. 2 reasons: A) I like the shelf full of fantastic games and B) I don't want to support the industry leeches and their used games business.

A games replay value is everything.EyeWierd20

Yup...otherwise, just rent it. What are you losing?

I try to only buy games with good replayability. Mostly sports, online shooters, fighting games, and free roam games like GTA.

But if I see a average length adventure game that looks really good to me I'll sometimes give in and buy it.

Interesting replies here.

To me, that is never a priority for a game.

How many times can you beat COD4? How many times can you kill a cop, steal a car, etc? How many times do I want to sit through a 20+ hour RPG, knowing most of the plot/outcomes? I personally don't have that much time to kill.

That's what makes gaming so unique; everyone is very different. After I beat GTAIV, the replay value was lost on me. The GTA games are fun, but after a few weeks they wear off. I don't care how many "glitches" or secrets or achievements there are. Maybe I suffer from ADD too much, but there always has to be something new for me to play.

I could never sit there and play games years down the road, even online. IE: Halo 2, COD 4, etc. To me they get so boring after a while. Ocassionally, there's exceptions. For instance, years ago I played MOHAA -forever-. I guess when you get older and money is tighter (at least fresh out of college), I'd rather trade my games in for a down payment on another game. Prices are pretty ridiculous for new games, so hanging on to Gears of War or Halo 3 that I'll never play again makes no sense for me.

However, I'm a nostalgia freak, and I know I'll be that same loser 10 years from now on Ebay paying triple for "really old Xbox 360" games. With that being said, I do still have a few favorites saved on the shelf though =P

I rarely replay games because it's boring because I already know what will happen. I only replay games if...

- I really really liked the story

- There's an additional plot/happening in the story

- EVERYTHING obtained from the first play run (weapons, abilities, items, levels, costumes, etc.) would carry over. I hate starting from scratch again.

As much as possible, I try to do everything before finishing the game. I hate games were the extras should be done in the 2nd run. Examples...

~ beat the game twice and get this weapon/item/etc

~ on the 2nd play run, this weapon/item/etc will be in the *insert certain area of the game*

~ some areas are only accessible in the 2nd play run because you don't have the ability to go there during the 1st.

considering i beat only few games twice among hundreds of games... it means nothing to me i think

oh and i dislike long games' unlockables that can be used in second game only... thats pain, i liked SW: FU and Uncharted's "use it when you unlock it" feature. also wasting 50 hours for a rpg twice is not logical decision to me. i like short but quality games instead of long repetitive games

Replay value has no affect whatsoever.Nifty_Shark

[QUOTE="Nifty_Shark"]Replay value has no affect whatsoever.pjvan67

i agree. i mean, unless you're a type of collector (for whatever purpose; money, series completion etc.) those game boxes are just sitting there taking up space, and if this was the same for everyone then wouldn't games simply be a disposable product, like a can of fizzy pop (soda for you americans (or perhaps you have pop too ;p))?

one of the people here said about the emotional content of the game and the attachment you have. is this strong with any of you? if that attachment wasn't there and you weren't a collector of some type, then would you sell your games?

this might be fun...

compare replay of games to 'replay'/'re-use' value of:

1. DVDs - (do you watch once, then add to collection...?)

2. rechargable batteries - (capacity to recharge...)

3. toothpaste - (consumable...)

4. a book

5. a pair of shoes

I have a simple way of rating my game's value here on Gamespot.

If I spend approximately a dollar or less per hour of gameplay it's a great deal. Namely RPGs, Fighters, First Person Shooters I get my money worth. Think of it in another way. The average movie ticket in the United States is something on the order of 7 to 10 dollars. They last let's say an even 2 hours on average. That means 3.5 to 5 dollars an hour of entertainment. In that regard, a really good game is cheaper to play per hour than watching a really good movie.

Now let me give you an example of a few cases.

Heavenly Sword : Amazing game, but 6 hours long? That's more expensive than a move at approximately 10$/hour game play. Ok, so I played it again, thats 5$ an hour.

Super Smash Bros Melee : Paid 50$ for it, probably played it well over 250 hours. That's like.... 20 cents an hour. Each instance of the game is short, but I play different fights and modes a lot.

Persona 3 : I'm not finished with the story, but I'm 80 hours into the game, and I paid 30$ for it new. Sounds like that I got a lot of time well spent out of it, even if I never play it again.

I guess I can always justify spending a lot of money on a game that I only play once if it's good (and or long, but preferably good along with long).

But overall, gameplay and graphics and such come before value.

[QUOTE="pjvan67"][QUOTE="Nifty_Shark"]Replay value has no affect whatsoever.just_nonplussed

i agree. i mean, unless you're a type of collector (for whatever purpose; money, series completion etc.) those game boxes are just sitting there taking up space, and if this was the same for everyone then wouldn't games simply be a disposable product, like a can of fizzy pop (soda for you americans (or perhaps you have pop too ;p))?

one of the people here said about the emotional content of the game and the attachment you have. is this strong with any of you? if that attachment wasn't there and you weren't a collector of some type, then would you sell your games?

Alright smartasses. Listen up. I'm not saying that I don't like replaying games. I've played through Max Payne 2 six times. And while we are at it I'm not talking about multiplayer games or sports games where the point is to play over and over again. I'm talking about single player games. If I only play through them once that is fine by me.

One of my favorite titles this generation was Condemned: Criminal Origins. How many times have I played it since I finished it? Zero. Zero!?! Yes John, zero (if you didn't watch the debate you won't get that). Did I feel I got all I wanted from it? Yeah I did. Super Mario Sunshine is also a game I poured a ridiculous amount into but once I was done I was done. what is important to me is the quality of the game. I need to enjoy it enough that I will play through it once. Maybe in the future I will play it again. That is why I keep my games not to mention I think having a collection is a beautiful thing. so no, replay value isn't what concerns when I am making a purchase.

after enjoying the game first time around, i like to play to understand the systems in the design and the choices in art direction and so forth. i also replay because first time around i might not have fully understood some things that feel like second nature once i start again.

after that, i feel like i actually might know something about the game, as opposed to simply being entertained for 'x' ammount of hours.

although i do think ammount of money/time to spend on games is a big influence. if you have no time, you might choose to play very different types of games, compared to someone who can indulge 80 hours into a title.

in saying that though, i'd like to think i had some basic principles that weren't governed soley by how much money i have. for instance, i'm not especially rich but even if i was i might not play or buy MORE games. i'm always quite selective and i don't want to waste time or be bored, so my main influence is if the experience offers something new, but who can also deny games like Resi 4?

'what is important to me is the quality of the game.'

yeah, if the quality is amazing then perhaps no matter how many times you come back to it, you will still enjoy it for some reason or another. it's a good point.

Are people counting multiplayer as "replayability"? Obviously any time I play Halo 3 online I'm "replaying" it. But to me the phrase means doing the same thing over, i.e going through the single player again. I practically NEVER "replay" a game in that sense, don't see the point. I've done the story, completed the narrative, and that's why I bought it. At that point, the game should have already justified its own purchase. Being asked to unlock content, or collect X amount of Y objects just pisses me off, I don't like the crap that Devs hit us with in an attempt to create replayability. Some games are enjoyable enough to do some parts of the SP again, like the T-Hunts on Rainbow Six Vegas. But overall, no replay value means nothing to me.

I don't sell the games because a) I'm not cheap and b) I REALLY don't like the used games market.

[QUOTE="just_nonplussed"]

[QUOTE="pjvan67"][QUOTE="Nifty_Shark"]Replay value has no affect whatsoever.Nifty_Shark

i agree. i mean, unless you're a type of collector (for whatever purpose; money, series completion etc.) those game boxes are just sitting there taking up space, and if this was the same for everyone then wouldn't games simply be a disposable product, like a can of fizzy pop (soda for you americans (or perhaps you have pop too ;p))?

one of the people here said about the emotional content of the game and the attachment you have. is this strong with any of you? if that attachment wasn't there and you weren't a collector of some type, then would you sell your games?

Alright smartasses. Listen up. I'm not saying that I don't like replaying games. I've played through Max Payne 2 six times. And while we are at it I'm not talking about multiplayer games or sports games where the point is to play over and over again. I'm talking about single player games. If I only play through them once that is fine by me.

One of my favorite titles this generation was Condemned: Criminal Origins. How many times have I played it since I finished it? Zero. Zero!?! Yes John, zero (if you didn't watch the debate you won't get that). Did I feel I got all I wanted from it? Yeah I did. Super Mario Sunshine is also a game I poured a ridiculous amount into but once I was done I was done. what is important to me is the quality of the game. I need to enjoy it enough that I will play through it once. Maybe in the future I will play it again. That is why I keep my games not to mention I think having a collection is a beautiful thing. so no, replay value isn't what concerns when I am making a purchase.

I agree!

My top 3 PS2 games are Okami, Bully, and Rogue Galaxy. But how many times I replayed it? Zero! 0! Nil!

does it also depend on a game's depth? if you play through once, then you might not need to play-through again, but a game is such a detailed and nuanced thing that there is bound to be things you didn't notice in a subsequent play-though.

also i don't like using the word 'complete' to describe the time i've spent in a game. it would feel like there is factually an end, and it would feel like the priority is a whole %-based thing, which is kind of silly.