Double-Dipped 2: More Games I've Purchased More Than Once Over the Years

Care for seconds? Exactly two months ago, I debuted a new article series right here on SuperPhillip Central: Double-Dipped! Here, I go into some detail about video games I've bought at least twice and tell you a little about my history with the games. With a second edition happening this morning, you could say that I'm double-dipping on the Double-Dipped series of articles! How meta!

I have six more games that I've done the (dis)honorable duty of buying more than once, but if you need to catch up on the first entry of Double-Dipped, look no further than this link. Now, with that out of the way, let's get to episode two!

Resident Evil 4 (GCN, PS2, Wii, PS4)

Let's start with a game that is my most bought game of all time! It's none other than one of my favorites I've ever played, despite its dark subject matter (I prefer more sunshine and rainbow fare, personally). Regardless, it's Resident Evil 4, and being one of my top ten games of all time, I'd be amiss if I didn't mention this bad boy on this article series. It's not just the fourth mainline installment in the Resident Evil series, but it's also a game I've purchased FOUR times!

You may ask, "Phil, what is your malfunction? Why buy the same game four times, even if it's one of your favorites ever?" The answer is this: each release I bought introduced something worthwhile to pick up a new version. The first time I bought the game was in 2005 and that was because, duh, the game was brand-new. The PlayStation 2 port that later released added new content in the form of a Ada's Assignment (thankfully Shinji Mikami's head is still intact with the rest of his body). Then, the Wii version--my favorite of the bunch--added motion control aiming and various gesture-based movement for quick-time events. Finally, the PlayStation 4 entry brought my favorite survival-horror game into HD with trophy support. Although Resident Evil 4 isn't the scariest of entries, seeing how many times I've purchased and played the game across all platforms is truly terrifying--even to me!

DOOM (PS4, NSW)

We go from repeated trips to the unfriendly Spanish countryside to a hellish version of Mars with DOOM's 2016 outing. The first time I played DOOM was on the PlayStation 4, and I absolutely had a blast with the game--ripping and tearing with both delight and glee, as well as uncovering each level's myriad secrets. The multiplayer, too, was a joy to play, focusing on deathmatches either solo or with teams. Then, DOOM surprisingly got announced for the Switch, and all my ripping and tearing could be brought along with me on the go. Sure, the visuals were caked with a Vaseline-like sheen, but it was otherwise DOOM in all its glorious, gore-filled splendor.

As much as I adored DOOM 2016 and bought the game twice, I doubt I'll do the same with the Nintendo Switch port of DOOM Eternal, for the simple fact that I am not in love with the multiplayer of Eternal as much as I was with the original DOOM. While I appreciate the new approach with two demons against one Doomslayer in Eternal, I'm just not thrilled with playing through that again. Plus, I just prefer the original campaign of DOOM to its sequel--though both game campaigns are great.

Saints Row: The Third (PS3, NSW, PS4)

Resident Evil 4 was a quadruple dip, but here's a game that is close to rivaling it--and it's not even a particularly favorite game of mine. It's just one that I enjoy playing through now and again, and like RE4, each version I buy introduces enough newness that it's overall worth it. I'm referring to Saints Row: The Third. Whether it's the original game, in which I earned every trophy in the PlayStation 3 version, or enjoying the game either docked or in the manner that sold me on the Nintendo Switch version: portable play, I saw myself returning to the gang-riddled streets of Steelport more times than I expected! The latest version of the game is a remastered one, and on the PlayStation 4 it's rather well done. In some aspects, it's more of a remake than a remaster, with its amazingly detailed environments and characters when compared to the original.

Super Bomberman R (NSW, PS4)

Bombs away! A launch title for the Nintendo Switch, Super Bomberman R was an enjoyable but overall disappointing return of Bomberman. The gameplay was smooth enough, but issues with the camera and a lack of content made for some buyer's remorse from this reviewer / blogger. However, the game would receive a steady flow of free DLC and an abundance of patches that would properly upgrade the game to tiptop shape. The camera was fixed, the AI in battle mode was made less frustrating and cheap, and the amount of content in both single player and multiplayer was boosted considerably. After having sold off Super Bomberman R's Switch version, I was now having seller's remorse! Thus, I picked up the game on the PlayStation 4, and further thus, my history of being a double-dipper continued with yet another game. What a blast!

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U, NSW)

Much like Captain Toad and his confidante Toadette, I was certainly ready for adventure. But no, not just once--twice, in fact! The Wii U original Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker brought the diorama-style bonus stage concept from Super Mario 3D World and turned it into a full fledged game, perfect for sessions both lengthy and bite-sized! Of course, Treasure Tracker was much more fleshed out, featuring copious amounts of tricks, twists, obstacles, enemies, and puzzles to solve in its miniature diorama levels. The main goal of collecting each level's Power Star was as clear as one of these prized trinkets shining in the night sky, but side goals and optional collectibles made for some fun replay value as well. The Nintendo Switch version brought with it a trio of new levels--and since launch, even more via paid DLC--but my main reason for picking up the game again was for the same reason I got a lot of Wii U games turned Switch ports: because I prefer to play on the Nintendo Switch hardware!

Hot Shots Tennis (PS2, PS4)

Wow! We're already at the final game on this second installment of Double-Dipped! Let's make it count, shall we! Hot Shots Tennis originally launched on the PlayStation 2 back in the day, and on the PlayStation 4, it launched as a digital title through emulation. Unfortunately, Sony opted not to continue this practice and cut it off really early in the PS4's life--closing the door for other titles to potentially be ported and emulated. Still, it was Hot Shots Tennis in a higher resolution and with trophy support, and the game had its original's tried and true gameplay. It was ultimately a winner in my book, and one that I routinely return to in order to get a match in here and there. It's also mighty challenging against the AI, as one failed serve or backhand could result in the game giving YOU the backhand--right across your unsuspecting face! Hot Shots Tennis is one of the rare games in which the second time around I had to get it digitally as opposed to my preferred method as both a collector and lover of all things retail, physically.

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That wraps up this second edition of Double-Dipped! Which games have you bought more than once, whether on the same platform or not? Let me know in the comments section below!

Double-Dipped: Games I've Purchased More Than Once Over the Years

Welcome to the beginning of a brand new series of articles on SuperPhillip Central. Can you believe that after nearly 12 years of this blog being online that I can still come up with new ideas for article series? If you do, then you have more faith in me than I do!

This is Double-Dipped, an article series that talks about games that I enjoyed so much that I couldn't help but take a second or sometimes third plunge on purchasing. These games fill me with such unadulterated joy that I like to play them on any new platform I can--but at the same time, some of these games were bought again for the same exact console. Those stories and more will be shared in this regularly reoccurring series. Let's dive in with the first of six games for this inaugural edition of Double-Dipped!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (NSW)

I was talking about buying a game twice on the same system, and speak of the devil (and no, I'm not alluding to Tom Nook--he's cool in my book), here we are! With Animal Crossing: New Horizons, recently revealed to be the best selling entry in the Animal Crossing series yet, we decided to buy the same game two times: one for myself and one for my brother. This way both of us could maintain our own islands and not at all become limited in our mutual enjoyment of the game. Otherwise, I'd be the one in charge of the main island development while my brother would take a much undesired backseat role, very much ruining the experience for him like it has for others with only one Switch and one copy of the game. Hmm... I'm starting to partly see how New Horizons became the best-selling entry in the series if more siblings or family members were placed in the same precarious situation! Partly, though, mind you, as between the two of us, my brother and I nearly 300 hours of playtime. I'd say the addicting gameplay brings forth a good argument as to why Animal Crossing: New Horizons is selling so well, too!

Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii, N3DS)

Do you remember Project Rainfall? Of course not. Because it was called Operation Rainfall. (I originally had this written as "Project Rainfall" in my first draft, so I'm glad I caught it before I hit "Publish".) For North Americans, getting Xenoblade Chronicles released on this side of the world was like fighting a level 60 unique encounter with a level 1 Reyn--it was a difficult battle. Perhaps that isn't the greatest of analogies, as unlike an underleveled Reyn and his fight, we actually won our battle as Xenoblade Chronicles released in North America--though not without some stipulations. Today, Xenoblade Chronicles is a fantastic selling series for Nintendo, and quite an important one. The game saw two sequels with the Wii U's Xenoblade Chronicles X and the Switch's Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The latter received its own successful DLC side story as well.

I originally picked up Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii, like many hungry Wii owners in search of a meaty role-playing game to enjoy during the Wii's leaner years of top-notch releases. I made it rather far, but unfortunately, other games got in the way that I, who was a much younger, more inexperienced blogger at the time, covered. Picking up Xenoblade Chronicles 3D on the New Nintendo 3DS seemed like a great choice, as I could enjoy a mammoth-sized JRPG from the luxury of anywhere, courtesy of handheld gaming. However, I never even put it in my New Nintendo 3DS for a second, as the thought of starting a 100-hour RPG at the time was a daunting one. Now, they say the third time is the charm, and you can bet I'll be picking up the Definitive Edition's release on the Switch at the end of this month. Here's hoping with quarantine that I'll have a reason to not get so distracted this time around!

Spyro: Reignited Trilogy (PS4, NSW)

So many developers pull this trick on Nintendo fans: release a game a year or more after the original launch date on other consoles so foolish gamers will double dip and purchase it a second time around. Well, as you can tell by the name of this article series, you're looking at such a gamer! Spyro: Reignited Trilogy is a collection of the first three Spyro the Dragon games from the original PlayStation that have been completely remade for a new generation of consoles (and a new generation of fans, perhaps, too, at that). As someone who only played parts of the first Spyro the Dragon (and got a major headache from the game in motion), being able to finally enjoy the entire trilogy in such a glorious and gorgeous way gave me the desire to get the Platinum trophy on the entire trilogy of games. When the Switch version was announced and released, it gave me a second lease on the life of this trilogy, and just like my first go 'round, playing the games in both docked and undocked mode was an experience to remember.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U, NSW)

Nintendo is not gun-shy about porting over its catalog of games from the Wii U to the Nintendo Switch. In fact, a good half or so (an approximate figure) of Nintendo's first-party output comes from the Wii U. While this might stink for Wii U fans (all 100 of us), an entirely new audience gets to play these games for the very first time with these Switch ports. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is but one of these games, and you can imagine that future installments of Double-Dipped with touch on other Wii U-to-Switch ports. Tropical Freeze is an absolute delight and near-platforming perfection. The addition of Funky Kong serves as a nice "easy mode" to a game notorious for its challenge and difficulty. Sure, Funky Mode tends to push the game's challenge the opposite way into "too easy" territory, but for beginning players who wish to enjoy Tropical Freeze their way, who are we to thumb our noses down? Despite originally releasing in 2014, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze remains Retro Studios' latest all-new release, which begs the question: What the banana-loving heck is going on at Retro Studios?

Rayman Legends (Wii U, Vita, NSW)

Like Rayman 2, Rayman Legends was a game that felt like it was ported to every current gen platform under the sun. It sure feels like I've played the game on every platform under the sun as I've gotten the game three times now, each feeling like a different experience. The original Wii U version's use of the Wii U GamePad for the Murfy sections, where you maneuver objects, slide platforms, and the like to guide a smartly-controlled AI character through a gauntlet of enemies and dangers, was a blast and quite unique and innovative. Unlike the PlayStation Vita version that used similar touch-based controls for these sections, with the Wii U version, multiplayer was possible here. The Nintendo Switch version saw somewhat of a "best of both worlds" approach. While the original Wii U version remains my favorite of the bunch, the need to use archaic hardware to play it makes it less than attractive for me, so my preferred way to play is on the Nintendo Switch. Regardless, whichever platform you play Rayman Legends on, you're going to get a tremendous-looking, stellar-playing 2D platformer.

LEGO City Undercover (Wii U, NSW, PS4)

Oh, goodness. Another three-peat here for yours truly. LEGO City Undercover wasn't my first LEGO game from Tt Games, but it is my absolute favorite. I guess that's obvious when you see how many times I've purchased and played through the game. The Wii U original saw smart GamePad usages, such as a helpful mini-map on the second screen, a communicator that NPCs used to contact our hero Chase McCain, and a means to scan the environment for subjects and various points of interest. Like many games on the Wii U, LEGO City Undercover thankfully made the trip to the Nintendo Switch, where it kept all of the Mario references but lost the unique GamePad functionality. This version isn't optimized to the best of the developer's ability, resulting in some nasty frame-rate drops, particularly in undocked mode. Still, playing the game on a system with a better controller and on just a better designed system made for a--forgive me for using this word a third time in the same sentence--better experience. I then moved on to the PlayStation 4 version due to a sale price and because I wanted an easy enough Platinum. Yes, that is sad, but I loved playing through LEGO City Undercover for a third time despite that fact.

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I hope you enjoyed this inaugural installment of Double-Dipped! What games have you bought more than once? Why did you do it? Let the SPC community know in the comments below!