Games you liked more on subsequent playthroughs?

[popopdc]

What are some games that you enjoyed more on subsequent playthroughs than you did on your initial playthroughs? What was it that made them seem better to you the next time around? Was it that you were more used to the controls/mechanics, or did you notice new details about the story, etc.?

[Kyng]

I think the Harry Potter games fell into this category (at least, the first two).

On my first couple of playthroughs, I missed many of the secret areas, because I just didn't know what to look for. However, on my second and third playthroughs (when I found most of them), I appreciated the games more!

[Moonface]

I think the Harry Potter games fell into this category (at least, the first two).

On my first couple of playthroughs, I missed many of the secret areas, because I just didn't know what to look for. However, on my second and third playthroughs (when I found most of them), I appreciated the games more!

Not the same games for me, but seeing you talk about finding new areas you missed the first time made me think of my second playthrough of Breath of the Wild. Despite having found all 120 shrines the first time, there's still a lot of things I never saw my first time that I've found on my second which makes me really enjoy playing it again.

I'm not sure whether I liked the game overall more when playing it again, but I did like how in The Last of Us Part II there's dialogue by NPC's that you get to hear as Ellie that you lack the context for to understand on your first run, such as discussions about what Abby, Lev, and Yara do in their side of the story you've yet to experience.

[Frank]

My second playthrough of Horizon Zero Dawn was a much more enjoyable one than my first playthrough, but I think it's because I played it on PC vs PS4.

My first playthrough was on a PS4 Pro, second on a 3090 PC with maxed out settings. Game ran smooth as butter and visually looked amazing. I am also a sucker for FOV sliders

[Moonface]

My second playthrough of Horizon Zero Dawn was a much more enjoyable one than my first playthrough, but I think it's because I played it on PC vs PS4.

My first playthrough was on a PS4 Pro, second on a 3090 PC with maxed out settings. Game ran smooth as butter and visually looked amazing. I am also a sucker for FOV sliders

For me the second playthrough was just better in terms of not having to do any of the challenge quests again because there's no need to do them in NG+. I know I could ignore them even on my first playthrough but I like to try and complete as much of a game as I can so I just can't do it. XD

I think any of the FromSoft games can be better on subsequent playthroughs too. Although the first time is very good too, I like that on the second+ I know the mechanics well enough that I can play the game better and it feels so satisfying, especially in stuff like Sekiro. It's also cool to dig deeper to find the stuff you missed the first time because usually it requires more work to find those areas, and additionally the difficulty of the game gets harder on each NG+ too so despite being better at the game than you were on the first playthrough, the challenge is still there but it feels so good to be able to tackle it with more skill than on the first time.

[popopdc]

@Frank It’s amazing what a difference a playthrough on a better platform can make in your experience of a game.

@Moonface I’ve still only played TLOU Part II once, but I know exactly what you mean. I can’t wait to play it again so I can pick up so many more details.

[Moonface]

@Moonface I’ve still only played TLOU Part II once, but I know exactly what you mean. I can’t wait to play it again so I can pick up so many more details.

The only reason I replayed parts of it was because of completing trophies for the Platinum. Although the gameplay is great, it's just too long as an overall game for me to probably care to replay it again from start to finish for a long while.

I'm not super sure how much this counts as subsequent playthroughs, since such games fall into an in-between, but I really like how games like The Binding of Isaac and Hades get better for every new run you do because you keep unlocking new things that make your next run more diverse and keep it fresh for a bit. On the flip side, if a subsequent run of those games meant starting from scratch, it would probably be rather dull instead because you would access to so many things, especially for BoI.

The Evil Within 2 is another game I really loved on my subsequent playthrough, because my last one on it was on Nightmare difficulty which makes the game so much more intense and to me is the best way to actually play the games because you never really get to feel strong which I think is perfect for a horror game.

[ShiraNoMai]

I haven't played too many games myself multiple times, probably only a handful. I can't say games like Yoshi's Island or Pokemon had any different experiences on my subsequent playthroughs of them throughout the years, but I've definitely seen first-hand what subsequent playthroughs of games like The Last Of Us Part II and Breath of the Wild can yield from being either context-heavy or world-expansive.