Long-arse games I wanna play again

The title says it all, really; but I'm still gonna elaborate, just because I can. When I say 'long-arse games', I mean playthroughs ranging from 50 hours to 200-or-so; such lengths should make those games one-run-only experiences for weak little me, who starts feeling gaming fatigue around the 30-hour mark. And yet, I want to play those games again, at least once — and maybe more, who knows. You musn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling!

Dragon Quest IX: A.k.a. the Don of long runs as far as my gaming career is concerned. I spent roughly 210 hours on that game, and I was nowhere near done when I stopped. Okay, that's a bit of an embellishment: I was actually very close to being done, since I was buried deep in Grottoes slaughtering Metal King Slimes by the dozen. Still, I stopped because other matters required my urgent attention at the time, not because I was bored; if not for that untimely interruption, my run might have boasted a couple more hours. Anyway, I wanna solo that game again. Because it means a lot to me, being one of the first RPGs I played after my Second Coming of Gaming; because it has an unique atmosphere I still remember fondly; and simply because I love it. Since I combed the game world with the Strategy Game by my side during my first run, mastering all Classes and collecting nearly all the available gear, my second run would be much swifter. I would simply master the most useful skills and Classes for a solo endeavour, grind a bit at chosen spots, skip all the postgame, and voilà! I used to be afraid of not being able to choose a different MC after spending so many hours with my original one; but after eight years of not touching the game, I've kinda forgotten her, and I'll gladly craft a new MC from scratch — a male one, this time.

Hometown Story: I know that game's nothing to write home about (easy-lousy pun a million times intended), being bristling with flaws and boasting a most horrendous Metacritic score of 47; and yet, I have the fondest memories of my 70-hours-or-so run. I remember scouring the whole village for ressources, I remember rushing and running around in my shop to refill shelves until I became slightly delirious, I remember the sweet dingling sound of the cash register; and most importantly, I remember loving that game, and having great fun playing it. I really wanna live the shopkeeper's life again at some point — once again, preferably with the male character that time around. 

Atelier Ayesha: A.k.a. the game that made me fall in love with the Atelier series in earnest, after a number of tepid experiences with the Arland entries. My heart still flutters with a wondrous sort of wanderlust everytime I remember the gorgeous Dusk vistas; and I still have a number of potential party members unhandled despite playing two runs back-to-back — and don't get me started on all those endings I still have to uncover. And of course, beyond all that, I simply love Ayesha's whole atmosphere so much that I really wanna bask into it again. And lucky (and industrious) me, I just got my paws on Play-Asia's Atelier Dusk Trilogy Deluxe Pack and its most convenient multi-language option! It's the third time I'm buying that darn game, but I love it so much I'm not even salty.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory: It's been hardly a year since I polished off my 50-plus-hours run of Hacker's Memory; and yet, I wanna play it again. I absolutely adored it, and still do; in fact, I daresay that I love it even more than when I played it last summer. There's something quite unique about that gem of a game, something that makes me wanna dive right back into it again — and purchase every single Digimon portable entry while I'm at it. At any rate, it's now safe in my precious collection, to be played and treasured for all eternity, after I secured the rare and much-coveted physical edition of the Digimon Story Cybersleuth: Complete Edition for the Switch. Yet another game I've bought twice — but gosh, was it utterly worth it.

There you have it, dear fellow gamers: the games I'll definitively replay one fine day, despite having spent way too many hours on them already. It goes without saying that I'd love to read about the ludicrously long games you really wanna tackle again — please feel free to humour me in the comments! I'll see you very soon with more gaming goodness — because indeed, as promised, I finally got my life back and I'm gaming again with a passion. Until next time, take care and keep playing!