You get to a certain age, and the call of nostalgia is almost if not more powerful than the call of something novel. I’ve generally been one to favor the new, a little too plugged in to the gaming media and the incessant conversation about the next big game release. It’s a great way to stay up to date on the industry, but playing something new doesn’t always satisfy in the same way as revisiting an old classic.

As with other forms of media, it’s much the same as with re-reading a favorite book, or re-watching a movie. Among these two, though, I’d put re-reading a book and re-playing a game in closer association, simply due to the effort it takes to engage with something familiar. Spending maybe 2.5 hrs with a movie just isn’t the same level of commitment as the dozens of hours it might take to get through a game.

And so it’s not a decision taken lightly. What to replay? And why? Some games simply offer a consistent cinematic story experience that doesn’t depend on the player’s style or whims; publisher Naughty Dog is one of my favorites this style, and I spent a month early in the year replaying The Last of Us: Part II. On other occasions, a game might evoke a certain sense of adventure or feeling. After watching Shogun in the Spring (see TV) I was unsurprisingly drawn back to Ghost of Tsushima, a game with an incredibly unique aesthetic that I was eager to experience with fresh eyes.

One thing is for sure - every year the list of games to replay only grows longer. These games have earned a place in my head, constantly enticing me to revisit and feel the same feelings all over again - Bioshock, God of War, Ori and the Blind Forest, Prey, Hades. I think replaying games will always have a place in my gaming habits, though I could see the urge ebbing when I have less time to play, wanting to prioritize new experiences.

Sometimes it’s ok to leave a memory as a memory. I dusted off Mass Effect back in the summer, thinking I was finally ready to dive back in after years away. The intro mission had me hooked, brilliantly paced and scripted, re-immersing in one of my favorite science fiction epics. Once I finished the prologue, though, a vast series of quests and levels awaited me, all things I had done before and all looking a bit dated. It surprised me how quickly the nostalgia wore off, and I was left feeling that I wasn’t yet ready to commit to this whole adventure again. My memory of Mass Effect and my love for the series remains undimmed by this experience. Ultimately, the process of losing myself into a game, as with a book or a movie, requires a sense of adventure and excitement, so easily provided by the new, but from time to time just as strongly felt in an old game.