Games that you absolutely love but can't stand to play again

[SirCowdog]

The first example that comes to mind is EVE Online. I think I like the idea of the game, more than the actual game.

Definitely EVE. The concept is so damn amazing, but mostly it's ruined by a few things:

Unmitigated trolling/scamming/spamming. If I wanted that I could just surf the web without my virus/adblocker.

Utter domination by mega-corps. Yeah, you can putz around and waste your time doing low-level stuff. But anything significant is going to force you into conflict with one of the players/corps that have been around for years. Good luck.

EVE is definitely a game that's more fun to read about than to actually play. The sheer time investment required to do anything other than ride the coat-tails of a multi-year player is just not worth it.

[Rendark]

Knights of the Old Republic.

I played that game so much i never need to play it again. I did everything you can do in it.

[Tech614]

Wouldn't say I "love" the game but I did enjoy FFXV in spite of it's flaws but would never replay it just because of how "final" the ending is.

Most games I like I would replay... if I had unlimited time in the day. As it is I barely get through the backlog.

[Jtbrig7390]

Wouldn't say I "love" the game but I did enjoy FFXV in spite of it's flaws but would never replay it just because of how "final" the ending is.

Totally agree and its why I didn't buy the season pass.

The ending is as final as you can get so I saw no point in getting the season pass. I did consider the royal edition until I learned the DLC isn't on disk with it.

[Spryte]

Witcher 2. I loved the story, thought it was equally good as Witcher 3's but the gameplay leaves a lot to be desired, and is frustrating after playing Witcher 3. Also knowing the story now makes it a little worse, and choosing different options doesn't really satisfy me as most of them seem evil or make me unhappy.

[Pickynerd]

Twisted Metal 1 and Res evil.

[endersblade]

Jade Cocoon. The controls were just bizarre, kinda like the RE games. It takes some serious getting used to.

[callipygoustp]

Everquest and WoW. I loved them both.

I tried going back to EQ a few times back when it was still relevant but could never get back into it. A testament to the people I played with at a particular point in time rather than the game itself, I've come to be convinced over time.

I've resubbed a couple times to WoW, for a month at a time, since I left back mid-WoD but I can't get into the Legion design. With WoW its definitely more about the game changing in ways that I no longer find entertaining.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Trails in the Sky FC & SC

I love the Kiseki series, with Trails of Cold Steel being one of my all-time favorite games. That said, I simply cannot go back and play through the first two games in the series again. The pacing of the introduction is rather atrocious. The game starts off with compelling characters (Cassius, Estelle, and Joshua) and an intriguing plot (where'd Joshua come from? Why is the guild calling in their best agent on short notice? What is happening in the Empire?), but then puts that storyline on hold as you slog through six hours of meaningless sidequests. The story comes to the forefront again with the hijacking... then fades into the background once more as you complete hours of sidequests in between each story beat. It isn't until the thirty hour mark that the game stops padding the game with sidequests and the plot kicks into full swing, with the final 1/3rd of the game being an absolutely incredible storyline. That said, I can't in good conscience do it all again. The sequel isn't much better, with the game being rather uninteresting outside of the Towers, the Ragnard arc, and the final chapter. FC and SC have inferior gameplay compared to Cold Steel, with there being virtually no way to customize the characters outside of one clearly optimal build that trumps all other ideas (fortunately CS rectified this with MQs).

I don't have any problem with Trails in the Sky the 3rd; that was absolutely amazing and doesn't have any of the filler or pacing issues that plagued FC and SC, and you're given so many characters that you can play however way you want in spite of the lack of MQs. It's tied with Cold Steel 1 and The Banner Saga for the title of my favorite RPG.

[RobertoCarlos]

WoW - Still have room for it in my heart but the RNG loot pinata its turned into makes me sad. Also fuck paragon cache mounts.

Age of Empires 1 - Loved the age of empire games, however 1 doesnt stand up as much as 2 or mythology. The gameplay is more limited compared to the later games

[Moxal]

Catherine. Can't bring myself to beat it again.

[TheWorkingTitle]

Twisted Metal 1

Even on the hardest difficulty? I get a little adrenaline shot just thinking about being chased by Mr. Slam.

On topic, I'd have to say Runescape. I poured so much time and effort into Runescape Classic, but trying it again after all these years reminds me how antiquated the click and point style is. I just can't stomach it anymore as much as I want to be able to.

[Pickynerd]

Even on the hardest difficulty? I get a little adrenaline shot just thinking about being chased by Mr. Slam.

On topic, I'd have to say Runescape. I poured so much time and effort into Runescape Classic, but trying it again after all these years reminds me how antiquated the click and point style is. I just can't stomach it anymore as much as I want to be able to.

Das TM2...

I never really got into TM2, because it would freeze up on the satellite / dish level..

[TheWorkingTitle]

Das TM2...

I never really got into TM2, because it would freeze up on the satellite / dish level..

Whoops! And internet for a Ps1 game?

[Saphyron]

Basically every single game on my shelf (hundreds).
I loved almost all of them, but I simply don't have the desire to ever play them again.
That and 99% of my steam library.

[Pickynerd]

Whoops! And internet for a Ps1 game?

Internet?

What you mean?

[TheWorkingTitle]

Internet?

What you mean?

Satellite/dish level, thought you were referencing internet for some reason. Not sure which level had that though, New York's rooftops?

[Pickynerd]

I can't remember either to be honest, I can't remember if the level was a dish, or if part of the level took place in the dish.

I just remember how frustrated I'd get when I'd be down to the last vehicle and the game would freeze up and I'd have to restart it. /shrug I'd imagine the game is still out in the field I tossed it into.

[Faldric]

Majority of JRPGs fall into this category for me. I just can't force myself to spend 100 hours more in game i already finished. Especially with huge backlog.

Same for me as well. There are quite a few RPGs where I have something left to do like killing an optional super-boss but I can't bring myself to play the story again (although its often great) because even the best story isn't that engaging when you already know whats going to happen next.

[De Lupe]

Spore.

I love the idea of colonizing planets, establishing trade routes with other empires or raging galactic wars.
But the universe is one big place, and traveling around it is endless, even in the game.

I was having a very hard time thinking of a game...and then I saw this.

I also vote Spore. I absolutely love the concept of Spore; the whole thing. But it's execution left much to be desired. Once you leave the whole "animal evolution" phase, it kinda loses a good chunk of its appeal. It got to the point where I would just sit in the character creator mode and just spam out new animals...many of whom began to look similar in the later days.

I did successfully create the Tetris-blocks as animals. It's absolutely hilarious to watch the L-Block carnivores ravage the countryside, devouring all the other Tetris block herbivores. That was fun.