It’s slow season… well, relatively slow. Just imagine that it’s slow, ok? And imagine that you’ve got this HUGE backlog of games like Ted and you need to start putting a dent into that pile. What do you do? You go to some of the games you’ve probably played… probably more than once… and play them instead.

Yes dear readers, this is all about the Gamer Horizon crew’s most revisited games. These are the games that somehow have gotten us to replay them so many times that often times it’s like walking. We’ve played them so many times that we probably remember every single dialogue sequence, every single QTE, every single cutscene. And yet, with repeated playthroughs, we continue to enjoy them and, in some cases, we even find more enjoyment in playing them.

I’m sure you have your own games that you play and revisit, but let’s see what games the Gamer Horizon crew replays from time to time. After showing you what they are, we’d like to hear the games that you’ve played and revisited often as well.

Alex

5. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

It might come as a surprise to a few people, but I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. A lot of things in the game were well thought out. From the introduction of the player to the three primary means of combat, to the large, expansive areas that the game featured, the game showed that Big Huge Games knew what they were doing. It’s just really unfortunate that there wasn’t any marketing backing the whole project and that they seemed to have over-budgeted its creation. Still, it’s a game that proudly sits on my PlayStation 3 library and something that I’ve always enjoyed revisiting from time to time.

4. Tomb Raider

When I reviewed Tomb Raider last year, I never would’ve thought that this would be one of those games that would just suck me completely back into playing it. Multiplayer aside – which I will never touch, by the way – the single player experience in Tomb Raider is something that makes it stand apart from many games in its genre, allowing players the ability to truly explore their environment in many different ways. I’m thinking of replaying Tomb Raider again on a harder difficulty later down the line, and it’s one of those games that I’ve been constantly bugging Anthony to play through the past few times on the Social Link Podcast.

3. Mass Effect Trilogy

You’re probably thinking, “You’re insane if you’re going to playthrough the entirety of the Mass Effect trilogy again!” and yet, there I was, several months ago, double dipping on the PlayStation 3 version and starting my playthrough of the series again. What else can I say, except that Mass Effect delivers something that not many video games in the previous generation offered? It’s a hero’s journey where you have control over many of the decisions and destinies of your fellow squad mates which, despite many people’s complaints, had an ending that I thoroughly enjoyed. That being said, I can’t wait to see what Bioware’s got in store for the future of the series.

2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

If you asked me a year or so ago, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night would’ve sat at the very top of my list of games that I revisit. Being that the game is available on a myriad of different platforms, it’s now easier than ever for me to revisit this game and try to get Crissaegrim over and over again in all its overpowered glory. This is one of those games that, despite my best efforts, I remember every nook and cranny, every button press and hidden switch. It is, to me, the pinnacle of 2D artwork and gameplay in video games. And while I won’t deny that many other games have improved and iterated upon this formula, including Rogue Legacy, one of my more anticipated indie titles this year, there will always be a time that I’ll replay Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in its entirety.

1. Persona 4

Just like Ari’s obsession with Suikoden, here’s another Top 5 where I mention Persona 4 yet again. Can you believe that despite having Persona 4 Golden and the original PlayStation 2 game that I was thinking of getting the downloadable version for $9.99? Believe it. I can keep going and reiterate how much I like this game, but I’ve written about it so many times that it’s not really worth hashing. No really. It’s not! Just take my word for it that it’s an awesome game. Or not.

I have Persona 4 on my list again. Move along!

Ari

I had a lot of difficulty with this list, considering there are certain franchises that have multiple games that deserve a spot here, so I ended up grouping those together below. Even still, five spots weren’t enough, so here are my honorable mentions for the week. The first goes to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which is both the least popular Zelda game (not including the abysmal CD-i games) and my personal favorite, which I’ve played through at least 30 times. I also want to mention Secret of Mana, my favorite action RPG of all time, and one which I frequently revisit. Then of course, there’s Chrono Trigger, which I apologetically describe as “timeless.” Anyhow, on to the list proper!

5. Portal Series

I love going back and playing both Portal and Portal 2. The problem is they really don’t change from playthrough to playthrough, so I have to space out my replays just long enough that I might forget the solutions to the puzzles. But no matter how many times I play through them, I never get sick of listening to GLaDOS or the expanded cast of the Portal 2. These are two of the funniest games ever made, and they’re worth replaying just for the laughs.

4. Final Fantasy IV, VI, VII and X

I’ve played through nearly every main series Final Fantasy game more than once. The one I’ve played the most is Final Fantasy IV, which I played originally as Final Fantasy II on Super Nintendo. Back then, RPGs were few and far between, and without the modern pressure of having a backlog over 500 games long, I had plenty of time to replay the game, and I always found something new each time I played it. Final Fantasy VI was another incredible game, and of course, Final Fantasy VII was nothing short of a historical phenomenon. Despite my love for those three games, Final Fantasy X ended up being my favorite of them all, and regardless of how long the game was, I ended up playing through it half a dozen times, including just last month thanks to the HD remake.

3. Suikoden and Suikoden II

You may have noticed that I very frequently include Suikoden on these lists. But I just can’t help it, the games are amazing; especially the first, second and fifth games in the series! But as far as games that I go back and play over and over again, the original Suikoden and Suikoden II are staples of my collection. They have amazing storylines with huge casts of great and memorable characters, extraordinary soundtracks and addicting gameplay mechanics. Every time I write about them I want to play them all again, and this time is no exception!

2. The Elder Scrolls Series

Take your pick from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. They are each top role playing games of their respective generations, and can be played for several hundred hours a piece—and that’s before you even start modding. If I could only play a single game for the rest of my life, it would almost certainly be Skyrim. As much as I love getting new games, sometimes I wish all of the world’s developers would just go on vacation for a year or two, so I could spend more time with Skyrim and the rest of The Elder Scrolls series.

1. World of Warcraft (and every other Blizzard title)

No matter how many times I quit, regardless of the confidence with which I exclaim, “I’m really not coming back this time!” and despite the frequent reminders of how miserable this game makes people in the long run that litter my social network feeds, I always come back to World of Warcraft. There have been a ton of great MMORPGs released in recent years, including Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, but for some reason, I barely scratched the surface of either of those and instead of spending more time with them, the next MMORPG I am likely to play is the next WoW expansion, Warlords of Draenor (which has already been pre-ordered over a million times).

And WoW is just one of several Blizzard products I frequently get hooked on. I always enjoy the StarCraft games and their expansions, and I would love to see Warcraft IV become a thing someday, though I can’t imagine what kind of story they would tell considering how much the lore has changed over the course of WoW. I also frequently return to Diablo III, and the changes they made in the recent expansion, Reaper of Souls, have improved the game substantially. Even Blizzard’s casual CCG, Hearthstone, has become a severe addiction in my life, with over 114 hours played and counting. As far as I’m concerned, Blizzard has created many of today’s best and most replayable games, and if I were ever stuck in a parallel universe where I could only play games from a single developer/publisher, I’d have a tough time choosing between Blizzard, Bethesda, and Squaresoft of the 1990s.

 Of course Ari had to break the cat theme we’ve got going by telling me to post this for his Top 5, but what is he actually saying about his World of Warcraft addiction with this pic?

Sean

5. Resident Evil 4

I’m not sure how many times I’ve replayed this game, but if there is any game that screams “replay value” from the rooftops, it’s this one. The unlocks ranging from alternate costumes to unlimited ammo weapons add so much fun to going back in, that I really can’t help but put Resident Evil 4 on this list.

4. Uncharted Series

I may have individual games I have played more, but as a series, nothing touches Uncharted in terms of sucking up hours of my life. Having played through every single game in the PS3 series 3 times on Crushing difficulty, I can always go back for more. And I expect that Uncharted 4 will be no different. I absolutely LOVE this series.

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Since it’s release in 2011, I have put in well over 300 hours into my initial playthrough and character… and I’m still not done! At this point I use Skyrim as my go to game when I have nothing to play or don’t really feel like playing anything else. And if the day ever comes when I have wrung the game dry of content to discover and explore, I can always start a new character and playthrough it again. I have a feeling that Skyrim will always find it’s way into my life – or at least as long as my PS3 is around.

2. Tomb Raider

I’ve played Tomb Raider 6 times in one year – 3 times for 360, and 3 times for PS4. I named this game my Game of the Year 2013 and as of right now, it’s still my favourite game of this year. It’s really that good.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

There is no other game I have sunk more hours into than Call of Duty 4 multiplayer. I’ve played well over 1000 hours and only really stopped playing once the game became plagued with hackers. To me it’s the very best Call of Duty game across the board. It has the best maps, the best guns, the best balance of perks and attachments. It’s just about as close to the perfect game as I have ever played. Modern Warfare 2 did improve upon some things, but it just couldn’t tough the maps like Backlot, Ambush, Bog and my personal favourite, Shipment. The sheer amount of chaos on that map happing within 10 minutes, to this day remains unrivaled.

The opening scene of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare definitely set the stage for the game and beyond. Such a frenetic, adrenaline pumping experience.

Ted

5. Metal Gear Solid

I’ve always meant to play through this again, in preparation for playing through all the Metal Gear Solid titles, and I never got started. Dunno why, the Metal Gear Solid titles aren’t really that long, and if you’ve seen these cinematics years ago, why not skip? Anyway, now that it’s also available on Vita with a PS3 transfer, the excuses are less and less.

4. Mass Effect

I played through the entire campaign as a Paragon, from 2007 to 2013. The games are long, you know? Not too long, but there’s a definite time investment. And yet, I always wondered what it would be like to be a Renegade. To hear how people’s playthroughs of Mass Effect 3 differed so wildly based on the decisions made in the first two games, it all behooved a replay. You also have several classes to choose from, and sticking with one for a whole trilogy is a pretty crazy idea. This one is meant to be replayed.

3. Final Fantasy I-XII

Why have I never replayed any of these? Seriously? Final Fantasy I-X are all playable on Vita, I mean there’s basically no excuse. Final Fantasy 7 is responsible for naming a generation of GameFAQs accounts, and I need to see if Final Fantasy VIII was as bad as we all thought it was. Also, I got to the last boss in Final Fantasy IX, lost, and got so mad I deleted the save. SERIOUSLY. This is some thingthat I NEED to play through again.

2. Mario anything

Go boot up the old Mario games and watch as you are so terrible at them. I was playing Super Mario Brothers 2 recently on Virtual Console, and it dawned on me, that, as a child, I knew exactly the right places to throw potions to make doors to subspace. Now I didn’t know where any of them are. These games shouldn’t like, wreck you, but they totally do. And yet, they are such great examples of game design, you owe it to yourself to play through them and compare things to the current games.

1. Mega Man

Every year, even with my tremendous backlog, without fail I play Mega Man 1-10. I have the PS2 Anthology and 9-10 on every platform they came out on. Mega Man might as well have perfect music and sublime level design. I have loved Mega Man from a very early age, and cried in Oakland when Mega Man 3 was available for play at the Nintendo World Video Game Championships in 1990. I also cried at the Mega Man 9 trailer, a game I never thought would exist. I care about that franchise perhaps more than any other, a great reason why I am looking forward to Mighty No. 9.

The Mega Man series was one of my favorite NES games that I played when I grew up. Somehow, I didn’t like Mega Man X too much. True story.

Now that you know what games we each revisit from time to time, it’s your turn! Tell us what games you’d love to revisit from time to time and sound off on the comments below!