GamerSushi Asks: Play it Again… for the First Time?

Final Fantasy 7 Midgar

We gamers are fools for nostalgia. There has to be some established connection between the parts of our brains that remember video games and the parts of our brains that process adolescent emotion, because it’s staggering how big of suckers we are for the games we played in our early years. There are some titles where just seeing a screenshot or hearing a few bars of music can instantly transport me back to the first time I played a game – that sense of wonder, that yearning for discovery.

Sadly, we can’t really get those first times back, short of some memory-erasing Men in Black contraption that makes everything old new again. But man, what if we could? Lately, I’ve been listening to the Final Fantasy 7 soundtrack and thinking back to the summer I first played it. How my brother and I spent hours trading the controller back and forth, playing it through the day and late into the night, and how sucked in we were by the entire saga. I know it’s cliche, but sometimes I long to experience it all over again for the first time.

I feel the same with a few other titles such as Suikoden III or Knights of the Old Republic. And even though I’ve played all these games multiple times and loved each playthrough, there’s nothing quite so magical as that inaugural one, the one that creates and cements all those wonderful memories.

What about you guys? What games do you wish you could play again for the first time? Is there anything you would do differently in your playthrough? Go!

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I write about samurai girls and space marines. Writer for Smooth Few Films. Rooster Teeth Freelancer. Author of Red vs. Blue, The Ultimate Fan Guide, out NOW!

14 thoughts on “GamerSushi Asks: Play it Again… for the First Time?”

  1. It may sound cliche, but Ocarina of Time. It was the first game I ever played (hell of a starter, eh?) and it feels like the Kokiri Forest theme was the theme song of my childhood. The tale of Link and his journey was fascinating to me similar to how Star Wars was. Also KOTOR would go up there as well, since it was my first RPG ever. When Star Wars met choose your own adventure storytelling, I was dumbfounded. I’ve been a hardcore Bioware fan ever since.

  2. Do you know how much I’d pay for that Men in Black thing? Best part is I could zap you and you’d forget about me having to pay you.

    If I had to pick one game, I’d go with Deus Ex Human Revolution. I loved every moment of that game, both playthroughs. It was seriously the most fun I’d had in a while, the most I’d enjoyed just taking in a game’s atmosphere, and the most engrossing story (I’m forgiving with the Illuminati shenanigans…and I can even ignore the boss fights).
    Hengsha was magnificent.

    Oh, we can pick more!? I’d also wipe Mass Effect 2, Fallout 3, Ocarina of Time (yeah it’s so cliche, Drell), and the Persona games.

  3. I’m playing Fallout 3 again and it’s almost as good as the first two times.

    However, Max Payne has really aged. I remember when it came out it was absolutely the best effing game ever. Playing it again now, I don’t remember it being quite as difficult. But that would be my choice I think.

    Bullet time.

  4. I’d go a bit further back than Drell or Cossack, and I’d want to play Final Fantasy 3 (6) for the first time again. I was just immersed in that game. I’m playing in now on my Droid, and it’s still a wonderful game. I’d also pick Shining Force, maybe even over FF3. FF3 still has the power to draw me in, whereas SF lost some of that, and I’d love to have that first time reaction again.

    Metal Gear Solid might make the list, too…and Demon’s Souls.

  5. Uncharted 2. Easily one of the best first-time experiences I’ve ever had.
    Arkham City was also amazing (just completed it a week ago) so, yeah, that too.
    Finally: Resi 4. If I could pick one: This would be it. It’s amazing fun even when you know exactly what’s coming, but to replay it without having a clue what’s around the corner? That’d be a priceless experience. Except the Regenorator bits. The more I know about fighting them, the better.

  6. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

    That was the first TES game I played and the first major RPG of its type (open world). I still remember leaving the sewers and having to choose which way to go after I raided the first dungeon outside. I remember my first quest and how new the whole world was to me. It was just a truly immersive experience for a game to give, never had I felt something like it, and never had a games experience been so new to me. And after it gave me that very awe inspiring feeling of becoming a part of what Oblivion had to offer, it became a raging addiction that I looked forward to playing as much as I could when coming home from school. Skyrim hasnt come close to producing that feeling. Oblivion is definitely a game I would love to play again for the first time

  7. @ dp

    I recently got FF II and III (6) for the SNES and have never played them before. My friend who told me I had to play them said that 3 was his favourite as well. I’m super pumped to play through it for the first time.

  8. [quote comment=”19333″]@ dp

    I recently got FF II and III (6) for the SNES and have never played them before. My friend who told me I had to play them said that 3 was his favourite as well. I’m super pumped to play through it for the first time.[/quote]

    I envy you.

  9. [quote comment=”19334″][quote comment=”19333″]@ dp

    I recently got FF II and III (6) for the SNES and have never played them before. My friend who told me I had to play them said that 3 was his favourite as well. I’m super pumped to play through it for the first time.[/quote]

    I envy you.[/quote]

    I agree with you on that one. Couldn’t imagine being fresh to such a well established series that everyone else knows. Talk about a great moment for him to achieve.

  10. Man, I’ve spent way too much time thinking along these lines over the years. The list is long. Riven and Zork Nemesis for the atmosphere, the sheer joy of exploration and puzzley bits, along with The Longest Journey, Grim Fandango, Gabriel Knight, and FF VI for story…that only scratches the surface. Looking forward to playing most of these with my kids – recently got to share the experience of playing through Ocarina of Time with my son, and watching it hit home with him was definitely the next best thing.

  11. Metal Gear Solid 1-4

    The gameplay was fantastic. The story was very entertaining, and the voice acting was always top notch.
    It was the complete package.

    There aren’t many franchises that can keep my attention and improve upon the base concept, let alone do it across multiple console cycles, but the Metal Gear Solid series has done this and is one of my favorite franchises of all time.

  12. Ocarina of Time seems a common choice. Any and all of the Mass Effects, Kotor 2, Mario 64, Xenoblade, Half Life 2, Portal… Take your pick

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