Some weeks ago I caved and bought a couple of remasters for my PS4. TLOU and TR.

I played TLOU last year, and while I thought it was a good game, I didn't think it was a GOAT like many other people. It wasn't even my game of the year (AC4). Looking back, I think the problem was that I played on normal and I obsessed to much over exploring everything over and over and hoarding resources, when I didn't even need them. I had to actually leave things behind all the time because my backpack was full. If I lost too much life, I restarted. I was a perfectionist. It took me 19.5h to beat the game. I think that was to the detriment of the game, where you're meant to use everything to your best ability but still experiment and have fun. I played it again on PS4 on hard mode and told myself I wouldn't worry about that much about resources and that I would move at a more brisk pace. I finished the game in 15.5h and I loved it soooo much more than the first time. Everything clicked and now I want to play it again.

The we have TR. I loved that game when I first played it. It was a bit like Uncharted but with more exploration, an experience system, etc. What's not to like? Well, second time around I didn't like it nearly as much. I can reply Uncharted 2 any day, but in that game you have full control of your character during the set pieces. A building is collapsing around you, but you can move about, shoot, get killed by falling furniture, etc. TR is more like "push right to move as camera slows down on falling rock". More QTE-esque. Then I realised the exploration is pretty dumn once you realise that the XP is pretty meaningless in the game, it the perks hardly make a difference. I realised this after finising it the first time around, I guess the illusion helped. Second time, not so much.

How about you? What games did you like much more or much less on second playthroughs?

When I first got WW I was not really a fan of it
When WWHD came out I played through the entire game and loved it

Kingdom Hearts. First time I rented it, I didn't understand cause I was just a kid.
Then I bought Kingdom Hearts on a whim, now its my favorite jRPG of all time.

Megaman Battle Network 4. Wasn't a big fan of it when I first got it then I found it in my drawer like a year later and played through the entire thing and then went and played all 6 games in the series.

Walking Dead. It just had no damn difference no matter what you did. At best you got to keep another character for a few extra scenes. It was ridiculous how little everything changed when I made the exact opposite decisions. Everyone the same dies and every major event happens just the same. People got mad at ME3 for its ending and I thought TWD was just as bad as far your decisions mattering. Look at Heavy Rain as the archetype for the decisions actually mattering. Whole scenes would either not be there or be significantly changed at the end and even before the end depending on your decisions at various points.

I actually didn't like Metroid Prime the first time. I stopped playing it for a few months. Afterwards, I gave it a second chance and I couldn't stop playing until the end.

Funny thing is, I also didn't like Prime 2 and I have yet to finish it. I have the game in the Metroid Prime Trilogy collection but whenever I pop that disc back into my console, I always end up replaying Prime 1 of 3 for fun instead...

I also find Pokemon games very hard to replay between gym 3-6.

Same. I found it too frustrating on my first attempt. On the second try I adored it.

Haha I loved TLoU back in 2013 but I played on the easiest difficulty as to not ruin what I was expecting to be great story telling with me being frustrated at the game. After all this was my first ND game since the Crash Trilogy+Racer on PS1 and I had never really played other TPS outside of MGS. I also hate horror games so I was scared of actually being scared and not wanting to play on.
Definitely made the right choice here, this game changed me as a gamer somewhat. Im much more open to similar games now where I would before dismiss them immediately.

Anyway Tomb Raider (a game I played because SQEX and TLoU) was freaking amazing the first time round but then going back to it because I was bored and had nothing to play I couldnt do shit all without bitching at the way it controlled and so I stopped trying really early in. Hoping I dont feel the same when RotTR releases.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations. When I first got it I was immensely disappointed at how short the game was, how similar it felt to the previous two games, and how much the modern day sections sucked. After replaying a year or so later, I found I enjoyed it far more the second time because I dug deeper into the bomb system and the whole brotherhood thing. I still prefer II, Brotherhood, and IV, but I liked it far more.

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle is an example of the reverse. I used to love the speed sections, like the shooter sections, and tolerate the treasure hunting sections. Now I like the speed sections, tolerate the shooting sections, and despise the hunting sections with every fiber of my being.

far Cry 3, I did enjoy the first run but ended up going gun ho when things didn't slightly go my way, this time I'm playing it on PC I get to enjoy the bells and whistles along with better patience two years later and find myself exploring the caves and activating all the radio towers while taking all the outposts silently and with ease, I'm actually having fun being sneaky than running in killing a few guys and getting maimed by some Komodo.

I still have a few gripes with the game like there still being a lack of decent weapons since there's one small side of really good weapons and the other side you start off with which has a larger selection of not so great guns that won't really dent foes by late game so I ended up with my bow, fully auto last shotgun, 2nd to last high powered sniper rifle, and the last Assault rifle unlock, I never bothered with the signature weapons since they couldn't be customised, cost more and are roughly duplicates of previous weapons you already own and customised, I also found the bow much more useful because it could act as an up close silent killer, able to shoot fire arrows and set fire to people and the environment (much better than a flamethrower which is short range) and being able to use explosive arrows to take out groups of enemies/vehicles.

Second nod would probably go to Assassins Creed 2 which I'm also replaying after my first try back in 09, the game back then was great at first but felt droll later on down the line but now I'm starting to better appreciate the history and detail the game offers along with me and my stepdad talking about the places he visited when he went to Italy a few years back so it felt like the game gave me some bonding time.