Games you have played years after everyone else.

I had just finished playing through Heavy Rain, and WOW! What an experience. I have been tearing through games that while they have been out for quite some time, I have been picking up for the first time (most embarrassingly, I tried Halo 3 for the first time about 2 weeks ago). What about the Giant Bomb community? Any titles you guys and gals have been late to delve into? And how did you enjoy them? I do understand that playing anything for the first time always can leave some sort of lasting impression-good or bad- but I wonder for those playing games late after their release, are there people who had their experience sullied by people talking about it? Even when they are relatively spoiler free?

I'd say the Yakuza series, played a little bit of the third one a few years ago and recently found a copy of the first one. While the gameplay from Yakuza 1 to 3 hasn't changed too much as its still a beat'em up with upgradable moves, the story and side-mission mini games are still great. In terms of my gameplay experience being sullied by other people, no not really. From what I've heard others tell me you go into this game for the story and pretty much that's what I've been enjoying.

Half-Life 2, which I played maybe 4 years late. Best FPS game ever made.

Bully. Started it last night. It's one brilliant, original game.

I played Morrowind for the first time in the last year or two after getting a decent gaming PC. I completed the main quest in the spring, just now messing about w/ the expansion stuff. I love the game, and can see why many people look back at it as the pinnacle of the Elder Scrolls series.

• Uncharted 1, 2 and 3
• Heavenly Sword

Legend of Zelda for the NES, decided before Skyward comes out that I would finally beat a few Zelda games I never got to or was alive..this was the only one I beat

I've been late to the party for several games. Chrono Trigger most recently. I didn't get my own copy of Halo 1 until Christmas 2007, and got 2 a bit later. I didn't get KOTOR until earlier this year. I didn't play Half-Life 2 until early 2008, didn't play Half-Life 1 until later that year. I didn't play Far Cry 1 until midway through last year. I didn't play FFVI until earlier this year. The list probably goes on and on.

EDIT: I didn't get to play Ocarina of Time until later last year; it and the Gamecube version of Twilight Princess are the only Zelda games I've ever played. They are both great games but I'd hardly call them "the Citizen Kane of gaming" or whatever; nothing more than great games.

I am currently messing around with Final Fantasy 4. It a 21 year old game now. Figured I'd give it a whirl after Jeff said it was his favourite of the bunch.

I first played FF7, FF and FF2 in 2005. Earlier this year was the first time I played Resident Evil and Resident Evil 2.

I would say the first three Final Fantasy games. Only got into/finished them last year. Started IV and I think I was about 70% of the way until I stopped. I just repurchased I, II and IV as well as Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together so I can play them on the Vita.

I played Half Life 1 last week for the first time.

I just played the first Assassin"s Creed in March. I had been avoiding it for awhile but seeing Assassin"s Creed 3's announcement finally pushed me to play it. I really enjoyed it and I just got the second today.

I rarely ever buy games as soon as they come out, so I'm often playing stuff anywhere from a few months to many years after it's release. A couple recent examples are I just beat Enslaved, Mirror's Edge, and Saint's Row 2 within the last few months.

I played Killer 7 and Beyond Good and Evil in 2009. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance, too. I got a copy of The Thing for Xbox I mean to get to at some point. Hell I just bought a copy of NBA Street V3 and I've been messing around with that.

I'm only counting games that have come out in the time when I've actually been able to know they were out and buy them if I chose, because for example I didn't get into Starcraft until 2002 or 3 but I wasn't aware of what games were out as I wasn't following that kinda stuff, and even if I were in 98 I was 12. I had no money.

Bully for the 360 and a bunch of other games. Also downloaded the PC version of Spelunky since everyone is loving the xbla version.

Rock Band

Recently finished Mirror's Edge which I bought a while back and never got into much but last weekend I decided to play until I finished the damn game.

I don't have a lot of money so this happens quite often with me. The most notable is probably Red Dead Redemption. Which I only just got into a little while back. A great game for sure.

Most games. BioShock, Fallout 3, Jade Empire, Final Fantasy Tactics (really the whole series in general), Chrono Trigger, Persona 3, Shadow of the Colossus, ICO, Uncharted (just the first one), Call of Duty 4, Half-Life 2, Portal, Mirror's Edge. The list goes on.

And those are just the ones I've beaten.

All of them.

I finished Resident Evil 1 myself for the first time last year. I'd seen the end, and I'd played the beginning hour or so probably 100 times. That's how I played Resident Evil when I was 12. I'd play until I died and then turn it off and start over.

I played the original Condemned last year, just before the Fear Gauntlet.

Too bad about no more interns. Fear Gauntlet was the best content on this site last year.

Halo CE. Played it this week. I'll be honest I just don't get it. In a world where Half Life had already been around for 3-4 years, why people would go crazy for a game like Halo JUST because it was on a console is beyond me. I get the fact that people hadn't seen things like that on a console before, and declare thing like the control scheme "revolutionary" but that doesn't mean it didn't already exist, it just didn't have the MS marketing team behind it.

Also as far as the anniversary remake goes, an annoying backtrack-fest with poor check-pointing isn't made better or less annoying with new HD textures. If it was annoying a decade ago, it's annoying today, I understand 343 studios reasons for wanting to stay true to the original, but the original is still for sale and just as easy to buy, if I wanted the spirit of the original I would have bought it. I don't thing tiding up the rough edges would have offended anybody.

I did play a bit of Halo 3 a few years back and thought is was OK, might give it or Reach an shot later.

I still play Budokai 3, the last great Dragon Ball Z fighting game, as I cry myself to sleep because there hasn't been a good DBZ fighting game in like 8 years.

@Zaccheus said:

Half-Life 2, which I played maybe 4 years late. Best FPS game ever made.

Yes, it is the best fps ever made!

As for me, I just finished Alan Wake the other day. Pretty awesome game.

@Klei:Music in Bully is second to none

@jonnyboy: I certainly agree with you on the "Revolutionary Controls" part. I mean as soon as the DualShock came out it wasn't difficult to see that a decent FPS could have been crafted. Keep in mind it was also the first BIG thing on something that was neither Sony, Nintendo or Sega (Kinda weird to remember Sega back then still were a hardware company).

valkyria chronicles, resistance: fall of man, and resistance 2 (waiting to finish FOM before i start this one)

@Klei: Was just going to come here and say Bully. When it came out I was not interested in playing it, then Ryan talked about it not too long ago somewhere on the site (not sure if it was a Bombcast, TNT, or Quick Look) tried it out, and was surprised how good it was.

Played GTA: San Andreas for the first time last year. My first GTA was 4 and let me just say I think San Andreas is better. Maybe it's because I liked the aesthetic of 90's fake Los Angeles better than modern fake New York City, but that Hydra jet is just too fuckin' handy when getting from one corner of the map to the other. haha

I've just stared going through the Persona games on my Vita (what else will I play). Also I played the Infamous games late, and a couple of other PS3 games.

Everything.  I finished Saints Row 2 the other week and I think of that as modern.  Deus Ex HR I finished a few days ago and that to me is ultra modern.  I don't buy things new.  My xbox live has run out and now I'm doing my holiday from it and started Paper Mario 64 the day before yesterday.  This is the rest of my backlog, there's probably more.
 
GAME BACKLOG:
Jak and Daxter 1->3
Killer 7
Skyward Sword
Xenoblade Chronicles
Paper Marios (3)
Red Steel 2
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Rayman Origins
Cave Story
Kirbys Epic Yarn
Tales of Monkey Island
Bully
Endless Ocean
Dead Space Extraction
Goldeneye
Fragile Dreams

ZOMG!  Only 2 shootan gaems!
 
I didn't play the Ratchet and Clank games until just over a year ago.  They piss on anything on the 360.  It's the most joyless console I've owned.  I thought it had red-ringed once after a power cut and actually felt relieved.  Stupid thing was perfect after a reboot.

Guitar Hero (started playing on 360, totally ignored it on PS2)

God of War III

Yakuza 3 & 4

Fallout 3

Darksiders

Killzone 2

Folklore

@NapTimeSleeper said:

I just played the first Assassin"s Creed in March. I had been avoiding it for awhile but seeing Assassin"s Creed 3's announcement finally pushed me to play it. I really enjoyed it and I just got the second today.

If you loved the first, the second will blow you away.

I didn't play the original Half Life until 2005 and Deus Ex until 2010.

Uncharted and Assassin's Creed.

Loads, because often I don't find I get the entertainment value promised at the 60 bucks tag.

Basically every final fantasy game ever made i got into late, still havent beaten any. Got farthest into 9 and quit and now im trying out 7 to see if i can finally finish one of them.

I just bought a ps2 last week and am going through Kingdom Hearts for the first time ever. then FFX

The Witcher 1. Got it for my pc this year and went through it preparing for witcher 2.

Persona 3 i got into late last year but sadly never finished.

Picked up resistance 3 late, got it on sale at blockbuster right before they closed down.

Demon Souls. Great game and i only beat it last year. still havent finished Dark Souls. Stupid Blight town.

And i didnt get naruto ultimate ninja storm till last year due to me having just started watching naruto last year, now i own NS:UNS2 and love that. Havent gotten generations yet, played it and thought meh.

FInally ill leave off with ico since i got it for my bday last year an started playing it, got stuck and moved on to colossus. both excellent games though.

My list would be way to long to type out. I'm not one to buy games as soon as they're released, so most of the games I play have been out for at least 6 months to a year before I get my hands on them.

I just played Beyond Good & Evil for the first time. Great game.

Final Fantasy 7 like last year.

The Viewtiful Joe series

Final Fantasy tactics

I just finished Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door a few minutes ago. Still a nice looking game even by todays standards. I played and finished Chrono Trigger for the first time last year and the game is like 17 years old. Thats my current record holder at the moment.

@Video_Game_King said:

All of them.

I played Final Fantasy 7 like 5 years ago and had a damn good time.

And I just finished Lords of Shadow and friggin' loved it. Nice thing about playing a game late is that a sequel can be just around the corner.

Oblivion and Fallout 3. I didn't get a 360 'till like.. 2009 or 2010, so I was way behind.

I'm always going back to find old games that I missed. Recently finished Valkyrie Profile for the PS1. Great game. Actually liked it better than the 2nd one, which I played when it came out a few years back.

Just finished Gears of War 2. Thats a pretty good game i would highly recommend.

Got into Beyond Good & Evil for the first time with it's HD re-release. I didn't get a PS2 until late 2008, so pretty much every action platformer exclusive the system had to offer. The original Panzer Dragoon, Night Warriors, BioShock 2, Shadows of the Damned, Earthbound, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and Painkiller so far this year.

most of them unfortunately. i'm 17 so i really only played ps1/ps2 games up until this generation, and not very many of them.

for example i'm JUST NOW playing through about every essential n64 game. working my way through ocarina of time for the first time (almost done!) and then majora's mask..then super mario 64...then banjo kazooie...the list goes on and on.

Just bought Dawn Of War II on this weekend's Steam sale. Turns out that game is completely awesome. It's like 4 player Diablo that you play solo. And it has Orks yelling "Waaaaghhhhh"