If you put down an RPG for awhile...do you...

Start where you left off, or start afresh?

I was just wondering because I stopped an RPG quite a long time ago, and want to go back, but feel almost guilty because I don't know if I remember as much about the storyline as I should to keep playing it.

Usually, I'll start again...helps me get back into the storyline and any elements of the gameplay that I might have forgotten. If I'm at a later stage of a game though, I'll keep that file, but start a new game to help me remember key parts of the plot and "get in the zone". Then, I go back to the old game.

Works for me :).

it all depends on how good the game is. if the game was amazing then i would start over. take final fantasy games for example, every series is a different battle or magic setup. usually after you have played the game for a long period of time you get better at understanding the system and how to manipulate it to make your team stronger. Therefore when you start over, the game is ridiculously simple and for a good game i like to hear the whole story line over again. with a better team you can take on side quests you couldn't do before and find new secrets to enhance the story.

its just like reading a book that you have already read before.

Too bad that their are no RPG that handle that problem as well as Fatal Frame 3. In Fatal Frame 3 you can start over with zero guilt. All unlockables are carried over to a fresh start, no matter where you are in the game. There is an option that allows you to quit and startover with all your collectables intact.

There may be other games like that as well, Breath of Fire Dragon Quarter is kinda like that, too.... but you get penalized a bit, I think.... don't remember....

Usually if I've been away from the game for like a year.... I'll just start over. But most cases.... the only time that happens is on a second playthru of a RPG. I usually finish them the first time. For example, just a few days ago... I had a choice to continue on with Radiata Stories.... was on a second playthru with probably about 20 hours in... But I just restarted it from the Saved Data file I had.... because it's been near 2 years since I last touched it and I wanted to take the story in from the beginning.

FF12 on the other hand.... haven't touched it for about10 months.... have about 120 hours put into it.... If I ever get back to it, I'm not starting over....

If I stop playing it for a while, when I get back into it I kinda forget where i was and stuff lol. total memory block. so sometimes i do end up starting over again.