I think there's at least one game every person has played before, loved, and wanted to play through again. The only problem is that after the first time, some of these games lose a little of their magic. Or maybe they had playtimes of 80+ hours (or something ridiculously long) and you just don't have the time anymore. Or for whatever other reason, you just can't bring yourself to start them again.
For me, this game was Shadow Hearts: Covenant. I drew this game out as much as possible; every sidequest (including the epic and quirky Man Festival), optional item or fusion was tracked down. Not only did it have a refreshing tweak on the traditional RPG battle system with the combo system and Judgment Ring, it was beautiful to look at and incredibly touching. Not only with the events of the storyline, but also with the little background touches and interactions (such as Yuri teaching Blanca the 'shake hands' trick in the background of an otherwise serious conversation). Particularly after playing the original Shadow Hearts and seeing the development of the recurring characters. Covenant also pulled off something which certainly many RPG's of it's type don't: every character was useful, and I found myself using all of them frequently rather than having one of them sit in the sidelines for the whole game. This was mostly because every character was customiseable due to the Judgment Ring system, which was used to determine the success of attacks, item usage, and spells. This could have extra "hit" and "strike" zones attached or enlarged, the speed of the meter increased or decreased (with both benefits and drawbacks), among other effects.
Sadly, the fact that I played it so thoroughly on my first play through means I no longer have any real reason to do a second game. Like I said previously, I collected everything and used all of the characters in many different combinations, so all that's left is reliving the story. What with all the plot twists revealed, character development explored, and gorgeous FMVs watched, even that wasn't enough to keep me hooked when I started New Game+ (basically, the original game but you start with all of your fusions and skills from your clear save). Plus, what with other things coming up when I restarted, I couldn't invest the time in playing a huge game I'd already completed. All in all, Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a game I would love to be able to play through again with no memory of my first time with it.
So, that's some of my thoughts on one of my tragically favourite games of all time. Anyone else here have a similar experience to share?
For me, this game was Shadow Hearts: Covenant. I drew this game out as much as possible; every sidequest (including the epic and quirky Man Festival), optional item or fusion was tracked down. Not only did it have a refreshing tweak on the traditional RPG battle system with the combo system and Judgment Ring, it was beautiful to look at and incredibly touching. Not only with the events of the storyline, but also with the little background touches and interactions (such as Yuri teaching Blanca the 'shake hands' trick in the background of an otherwise serious conversation). Particularly after playing the original Shadow Hearts and seeing the development of the recurring characters. Covenant also pulled off something which certainly many RPG's of it's type don't: every character was useful, and I found myself using all of them frequently rather than having one of them sit in the sidelines for the whole game. This was mostly because every character was customiseable due to the Judgment Ring system, which was used to determine the success of attacks, item usage, and spells. This could have extra "hit" and "strike" zones attached or enlarged, the speed of the meter increased or decreased (with both benefits and drawbacks), among other effects.
Sadly, the fact that I played it so thoroughly on my first play through means I no longer have any real reason to do a second game. Like I said previously, I collected everything and used all of the characters in many different combinations, so all that's left is reliving the story. What with all the plot twists revealed, character development explored, and gorgeous FMVs watched, even that wasn't enough to keep me hooked when I started New Game+ (basically, the original game but you start with all of your fusions and skills from your clear save). Plus, what with other things coming up when I restarted, I couldn't invest the time in playing a huge game I'd already completed. All in all, Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a game I would love to be able to play through again with no memory of my first time with it.
So, that's some of my thoughts on one of my tragically favourite games of all time. Anyone else here have a similar experience to share?
