GameCentral readers imagine what games they’d go back to if they could somehow wipe their memory of playing them the first time round.
The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Stone Cold Steve Austin, and while it’s not possible (unless you know someone that’s really good at hypnosis) it was interesting to see which games people would like to experience again for the first time.
The most common choices were classic epics such as Final Fantasy 7, the Soulsborne games, and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild. Although many admitted that playing older games again wouldn’t be as fun if you still retained knowledge of modern gaming.
The first time is the best
I would love to erase my memory of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and replay it fresh. It’s a game you can put hundreds of hours into sure, but the first time is best. Stumbling across enemy camps, strange landscapes, and dragons was so exciting. It’s the last game that really hooked me, so much so that I’d sit at work and think about where I’d explore on the map that evening.
Some games get better with relaying them, such as fighters or Bayonetta. But like with many films, the first-time playing Breath Of The Wild will always be the best.
Barry
Best of the generation
I’m unable to split my two fave games of last gen (and ever really) and I would love to be able to erase my memories of both and enjoy them all again for the first time.
Bloodborne and God Of War (2018) just blew me away and I’m so hoping for a PlayStation 5 remaster of Bloodborne and can’t wait for God Of War 2… while a sequel to Bloodborne (unlikely though it is) would probably cause me to die of sheer unadulterated bliss.
Both games were just everything I want from games: beautiful art design, deep lore, fantastic game worlds, and action/combat that keeps unveiling layers of depth that you had no idea was previously there.
I think so highly of both PlayStation 4 classics that I’ve since bought other region copies of Bloodborne (a Japanese Game of the Year one weighing in at over £100) hoping I’d be able to stack the Trophies and get another Bloodborne platinum or two (didn’t work sadly). And in regards to God Of War, I’ve gone back and started all the old games. I got the two PlayStation 2 collections on PlayStation 3 (God Of War 1, 2, Chains Of Olympus, and Ghost Of Sparta), Ascension also on PlayStation 3, and God Of War 3 Remastered on PlayStation 4. I know that they are totally different games to 2018 but I’m actually enjoying them quite a bit.
If PlayStation 5’s generation can serve up a few more exclusives to the level of Bloodborne and God Of War it’s gonna be another long generation for Xbox.
colonelkilgore69
One day
This is a tricky one. Some of my favourite gaming memories go back to the original PlayStation era. But as much as I’d love to relive the mind-blowing experience of playing, say, Final Fantasy 7 or Metal Gear Solid for the first time, I highly doubt they’d have the same impact now given how much things have moved on! So I’d rather replay the old favourites with the warm glow of nostalgia rather than experience them fresh in 2020.
Instead, my choice is The Last Guardian. It rarely seems to get a mention these days, but it was the first game I played on my PlayStation 4 and still, in my view, one of the best (and most underappreciated) games of this generation. A beautiful game with brilliant storytelling, which took me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout. I don’t usually find myself caring all that much about characters in games but was amazed how much I felt a real bond with Trico, and I’m not ashamed to say towards the end I was balling my eyes out! It’s also probably the only game which really stuck in my mind for days after I finished it.
I never felt the kind of frustration mentioned by other players when Trico wouldn’t immediately obey your instructions, for me the whole game totally worked in making him feel like a living, breathing creature. I know many people prefer Ico or Shadow Of The Colossus, and I love those too, but to me The Last Guardian is Ueda’s masterpiece. I’ll replay it one day, but I think this kind of game will always be most impactful on the first play.
Jammo
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Hypnotising story
I’d love to play The Last Of Us again, without ever knowing it (what are we imagining here, being hypnotised or something?). I’m not one for stories in games, and can’t stand role-playing games, but I love the first The Last Of Us and the characters in it. It’s not the same replaying it though, as not only do you know what happens but, to be honest, the gameplay is kind of basic and doesn’t keep your interest as much the second time round.
Funnily enough I’d also liked to have my mind wiped of the sequel… and then leave it a that. I always thought the story didn’t need a second part and was not surprised that the sequel was a bloated mess that just ended up making me hating every character, new and old.
Baker
You’re never the same
This question has always interested me, not just for games but for movies as well. If I wiped my mind of Star Wars, for example, would I have the same reaction to it again? I might well end up liking but my mind is a completely different thing, literally, to when I first watched the film as a kid, so there’s no way it can be the same experience. And that’s without taking into account your circumstances at the time, who’s with you, and other contemporary films.
It’s the same with games, albeit it slightly different. I at least rarely remember much beyond the surface details of a game’s story – usually because they’re not very good – so that’s already less of a problem. However, games age at a much faster rate than movies, which is really the memory you’d be trying to erase.
Take God Of War 2018, for example. An actual good story, although I’ve probably forgotten most of the details by now. The gameplay was good but the combat was already a little on the shallow side, with very repetitive enemies, and I think that would stand out more now than it did then. Or The Witcher 3 would probably be even worse. Its combat was already unimpressive but now I bet it feels very old-fashioned, perhaps even ruining the game. Not that I’d wipe my mind to play it again but this is exactly why I’m in favour of remakes like Demon’s Souls.
Culdor
Strange memories
I would love to experience The 25th Ward: The Silver Case all over again for its surreal story, based on murders and conspiracies.
Another of Suda51’s finest works, along with killer7 and No More Heroes.
Koyomiwa (PSN ID)
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Final memories
For me, this is Final Fantasy 7.
Everything about this game was special, from the amazing (at the time) graphics, the wonderfully atmospheric and professionally composed music (which I still listen to), the lengthy and epic story, and how deeply you could customise your entire party with different weapons and materia.
This wasn’t the first Japanese role-playing game I’d played (that was Shining Force 2) but it was the first one – and I think the first game of any kind – that stayed with me long after I finished playing it. Here I am, more than 20 years later, still talking about it!
A lot of this is clearly to do with the age I was when I played it (early teens) and there’s no way it would stand up today. It didn’t even stand up when I tried replaying it about a year after I first finished it. I didn’t even finish the first disc – it just wasn’t as special the second time around. And Final Fantasy 8 didn’t have the same effect either.
Also, games have moved on, both technically and conceptually. The way the characters had three different looks (normal, battle, and FMV) would just be weird today and I’d hate the random battles (although they are, for some reason, still a thing in some games, right?).
I’ve not played the remake yet – I’ll wait until they’ve made all three/five/however many parts of it! It won’t have the same effect as the original of course, but from everything I’ve seen and read about it, it seems to have been made almost perfectly – with the reverence for the original that it deserves, whilst also being its own thing.
Also, big shoutouts to (in order of release):
Daytona USA – nothing beats the first time flying round that oval track, with the Sega blue sky and slamming your mate into the wall at the final corner to take the win!
Metal Gear Solid – felt like a playing a movie, with a serious story (well it felt like it at the time!) huge production values (great music) and very innovative generally (Psycho Mantis reading your memory card, looking on the box for the codex frequency etc) just felt ‘next level’. Metal Gear Solid 2 was a disappointment for me, and I’ve not played one since.
Resident Evil 4 – an absolute blast from start to finish. With any adrenaline rush type game like this, the first time you experience it is always the best. Much like the rest of life really!
Uncharted 2 – for much the same reasons as Resident Evil 4.
The Walking Dead Season 1 – for the incredibly emotional ending, which can only have that level of impact once. This game started a tradition of playing these type of games with my wife, and neither Telltale themselves, nor anyone else, have been able to quite repeat the trick. Twin Mirror, reviewed this week, looks great though.
F1 2019 – finishing my first ever online race in second, less than two seconds behind the leader, after an absolute rollercoaster of a race, is an experience I’d love to have again (although I’d like to win!).
I realise I’ve been a bit greedy here – sorry!
Finally, in case I don’t write in again this month, I’d like to say thanks for another year of great coverage, and I hope you all have a merry Christmas!
Julian
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