Couldn't Put Them Down

It's hard to put some games to rest.  Every once in a while, a game comes along that's so good that you keep playing even after you've beaten it.  The following is a list of five games that I found to be particularly devilish at enticing me to come back for more.

1.  Resident Evil 2 (PS1)

Even if you discounted the gorgeous pre-rendered backgrounds and freaky atmosphere, this game had more replayable content than one could shake a severed limb at.  Not only could gamers choose between two characters whose adventures differed enough to warrant a second play through, players could also unlock an alternate game layout.  Unlocked after beating the game with both characters, mode “B” rearranged all objects and puzzles for both characters.  Four different variations of a superb, creep out campaign made RE2 a regular guest in my PS1 disk drive.

2.  Metal Gear Solid (PS1)

Metal Gear Solid was one of those games (and remains so to this day) that gamers either loved or hated.  There was very little middle ground affection for Kojima’s updated installment.  After getting a handle on the controls, I was one of the ones that fell in love with MGS’s “stealth espionage action.”  I’ve read that the PC based Thief series pioneered 3D stealth mechanics, but I wouldn’t know because I haven’t played PC games since classic Doom; those games could run on any PC regardless of your entertainment budget.  Does that second half of the previous compound sentence not belong in the paragraph?  Guess what, Solid Snake didn’t care much about the rules either.  Or maybe he did; I guess that’s why he always got screwed by his “superiors.”

Even though Snake usually gets double-crossed, playing MGS was magical for many plebeian console players.  The game sported stark graphics, innovative controls, and titanic boss battles.  Many games have had these features, so what made MGS so replayable?  I haven’t the slightest idea.  Readers, comment and fill me in on why I played through this game four or five times.

3.  Goldeneye (N64)

Goldeneye didn’t necessarily do anything revolutionary in terms of graphics or gameplay.  Similar to the Halo franchise *audible gasp,* it did bring high-quality first-person shooting and multiplayer matches to consoles - even before the Dreamcast and its dial-up modem.
 
The eye-popping (at the time) first-person graphics and nifty gizmos combined with the slick option to backtrack and pick among individual levels of increasing difficulty made for an addictive experience.  That’s a long sentence, but then again, I played Goldeneye a long time.  Understand the connection?  Neither do I.

4.  Fallout 3 (X-Box 360, PS3)

To be fair, Fallout 3’s enormous length deters one from playing “over and over again.”  However, Bethesda built upon Oblivion’s open-ended narrative so well that each play through is completely unique depending on the player’s devious or righteous decisions.  After beating it the first time, I immediately restarted and began playing through another 20-30 hour post-nuclear holocaust.  Then, I downloaded the expansion packs.
    

5.  New Super Mario Brothers (DS)

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes a 2D Mario game so damn fun.  I’ve rarely powered up a 3D Mario title after getting 120 stars.  Though unique in their own right, the power-ups and branching paths of NSMB harkened back to both Mario 3 (NES) and Mario World (SNES), which were both incredible.  Ultimately, I don’t know what the exact secret is to its success, but most importantly, NSMB just melted in your hands and felt right.