10 Amazing Video Games You Should Only Play Once
These games say all they need to in a single playthrough.
Though video game publishers are absolutely obsessed with stuffing as much "replay value" into their games as humanly possible - whatever that really means - some games just don't ever need to be played a second time.
Some video games say all they need to say on that initial, blissfully unaware playthrough, and whether due to their singular emotional impact, gruellingly bleak tone, or straight-forward gameplay that simply doesn't warrant further exploration, these 10 games are all best played just once.
Some experiences are better off remembered as just that - experiences you felt once in your life and continue to have fond memories of, because no repeat playthrough will ever be able to replicate the purity of playing it for the first time.
That's not to say that many haven't played these games more than once, but considering their grand impact on both the medium and players in general, there is very little extra to be gleaned from going back to them.
Needless to say, few who've played these 10 games will have ever forgotten the experience, even years or in some cases decades later...
10. Portal
Valve's Portal is one of the most iconic and influential puzzle games of the last 20 years - a mind-bogglingly creative physics-based puzzle-platformer that also touts a singularly eccentric, infectiously charming sense of humour.
As enormously satisfying as the moment-to-moment gameplay is, though, there's not a huge incentive to replay Portal because, this being a puzzle game and all, the fun is largely centered around solving problems with your portal gun.
Those euphoric lightbulb moments of figuring out a tricky test chamber simply can't be replicated upon repeat playthroughs when you're already equipped with the knowledge to progress, especially as the solutions themselves tend to be incredibly memorable and may not be forgotten by players for years and years.
Unless you're a speed-runner determined to bend the game over your knee and dismantle it as fast as possible, there's very little incentive to play it more than once, as masterful as it is.