I’ve been replaying Armada for the Dreamcast lately, and I’m suddenly feeling the urge to play Record of Lodoss War again. I’ve played it a few times over the years and love it. But there are only a few games where I find myself actually replaying them every few years. They almost all have some sort of random element to them, whether that be loot, random maps, different ways to play it, etc. I never replay a game for the story (exception: Planescape, but I don’t replay that a lot). So here’s my list:
Master of Magic- GoG got me to play it again, but I’ve played this one off and on since it came out. Probably my most revisited game. ZangbandTK- A rogue-like that hasn’t seen new development in years, but I love it. So much to do and find. Record of Lodoss War- Diablo for the Dreamcast, with louder shoes. Might and Magic VI and VII- I have a special place in my heart for these games. LOVE them. Diablo 2- The 1.10 patch (or whichever added the synergy thing for skills) really helped this one, IMO. Titan Quest- I really like the theme for this one. Like others, I wish the levels were randomized, but I still love it. The classes are fabulous and so replayable. Plus, there are mods, which I’ve barely touched, but seem interesting.
I may think of more later, but that’s about it. I mean there are other games I’ve played more than once, like all of the Infinity Engine games, System Shock 2, etc. But these are the only ones I’ve played several times and am reasonably sure I will play yet again down the road.
It’s been several years since I revisited any old games, just because there are always too many new experiences I haven’t had the chance to try yet, and gaming time is at a premium. Before that, though, I tended to revisit old RPGs and 2D platformers, as those were genres that had fallen out of favor and were lacking in good new entries. Might & Magic III-V, Final Fantasy IV-VI, Wizardry VI-VII, Super Metroid, Mega Man X, and SMB3 are the main games that come to mind as having been played through 3+ times each.
I replay Imperialism II at least once a year. The game holds up so well and the mix of exploration and strategy has a timeless appeal to me.
I don’t know if it officially counts as “old”, but I also replay Rome : Total War at least once a year as well. It’s successor, Medieval 2 : Total War has never left my hard drive since it was originally installed. Between the Kingdoms expansion and all the excellent mods released for it it’s become a staple I go back to time and time again.
Oblivion also gets reinstalled every so often, mainly to try out new mods I read about or when I get into a fit of “I’m going to finish it this time!” nostalgia.
I had that and still played it up until 2008, I think, when I loaned it to my sister for an overseas trip, and it stayed overseas… Still the best handheld gaming experience ever, though.
I don’t know about constantly revisiting older games, but I still find SMAC fresh and exciting. I go back to that for a couple weeks every year.
I don’t revisit old games all that much. I’ve found that the flaws in the games tend to get magnified during replays, the graphics don’t hold up or they’ve simply been surpassed.
But I’ll occasionally revisit a few old friends.
An old adventure game like Sanitarium. I’ve revisited PS:T a number of times and I’ll probably do the same again with BG II at some point. I’ve gone back to Rome from time to time. Sid Meier’s Sim Golf just got some extended play from me a month or so ago, as did Railroad Tycoon III.
But really, the game that I tend to revisit more than any other is X-Com, which still hasn’t been surpassed.
With that being said, download services have made it much easier to play older games for the first time. I just did with Railroads! and I just got Port Royale II to try for the first time.
