| brute said: i think racing games can |
Agree. Look at that old classic GPL on PC, but any good racing game can provide almost the same fun as it was just bought for a long time.
Second come RPGs, if they are moddable and there is the possibility to add missions, expansions, whatever, prolonging their life. Obviously they must be good games to start with. (Although at least once I was going to ditch a game, Throne of Darkness, that looked to me too similar to Diablo II, that I didn't like, then, keeping on playing it, I started finding the differences, the better touches and I liked it). Elder Scrolls, Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate series have a very good longevity. Thief series too, that I really don't know how to categorize, other than the peculiar subgenre "Sneak 'em up", is quite long-lived, despite the obvious flaws of its third episode. Deus Ex series, OTOH, could have a great longevity, but it didn't because the developers betrayed its spirit oversimplifying the sequel.
Regarding FPS, moddability and expandability and multiplayer are a must, but easy controls are also very important, especially for PC games, where the keyboard gives ample opportunities to realize either awful or awesome controls (and sometimes the possibility of customizing them doesn't help the worst of them). The Unreal Tournament and Counter Strike series, for example, have a much greater longevity, than the founders of the genre Doom and Quake series.
Mods and expansions also give some kind of PC games an edge for longevity, "same room multiplayer", OTOH, gives console games of other kinds the same or even greater edge, with the advantage of a greater power of easing socialization.
