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Step 1
"Beat the game on a harder difficulty." This is the most basic method of adding replay value, and you'll see video game developers slapping it on to make their games last longer. A clever spin on this was done with Valkyrie Profile 2. Every time you complete the game, its difficulty increases incrementally.
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Step 2
"Beat the game using a different character." This is directed mostly towards fighting games, but any video game where there are multiple characters applies as well. If you beat Soul Calibur IV with Taki, for instance, try beating it with Mitsurugi or Cervantes. This alone will add a couple of days to a video game's lifespan.
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Step 3
"Play the game using two-players." Anything is always more fun with more people involved. Two-player adventure is one of the best ways to have fun playing video games. Contra: Shattered Soldier, The Red Star, and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks all support two player co-op, and are a lot more fun because of it.
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Step 4
"Play the multiplayer modes." Games like Halo 3 and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are famous for their legendary multiplayer settings. They just never get old. Personally, I still play Goldeneye for N64 with my friends, and that game was released almost ten years ago.
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Step 5
"Play online." Online play means a infinite replay as long as the video game remains popular. Street Fighter IV makes good use of online connectivety to bring players fresh challengers. Phantasy Star Online can only truly be enjoyed by playing online, even though you have to pay.
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Step 6
"Be creative." Some video games allow gamers to make player-created content. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect boasts a very innovative Mapmaker system that lets players create single and multiplayer maps. You can even upload these maps online for even more fun.
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Step 7
"Unlock everything." Many video games contain unlockable content that awaits gamers. Try to unlock everything if you ever get bored with a video game. It took my friend 180 hours to unlock all of the emblems in Sonic Adventure 2.
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Step 8
"Create challenges and complete them." This is a very common practice with video games, especially among games that don't offer much else. A typical challenge is a one or more self-imposed handicaps made to keep the game interesting. Beating the game without dying, or under a certain amount of time are examples. Mega Man 9 actually implemented a set of Challenges within the game itself.
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Step 9
"Go for the high score." If the video game records score, keep trying to improve you score to as high as it can go. Check Twin Galaxies' website to see what the world record is, and try to meet or beat that score.
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Step 10
"Look for glitches and programming errors." This is a fun one. A lot of video games have oversights somewhere in them, due to a variety of reasons. Replay the game looking for any way to exploit the programming. If you're lucky and locate one, share it with fellow gamers.
