I had this happen to me with the Mass Effect series and now the HALO series. I tried getting into other games to fill this void sadly it didn't work Hell I play SWG from launch to death I'm still trying to recover from that one.

Thankfully my new addiction has become Spartacus Legends .. why I don't know there's no storyline no plot other then build up a gladiator and hope he doesn't die in the arena.

When game makers really put in the work and they create something wonderful and you get to explore their creation from beginning to end and truly enjoy it we are always left with that mixture of joy and sadness. I can easily see what you mean. Fortunately for us gaming exists in the world of technology which is always growing and changing. There will be something new on the horizon for us to find.

This is small consolation because even if they do make another great game for us the story of the last one is still over and the story of the next one will end. I think the best thing we can do though is remember the words of wisdom read to us when we were children.

Smile because it happened don't cry because it's over ~Dr. Seuss

I fell in love with it instantly! I took my time going over all the levels and challenges and completed it to 100%. The issue is, now that it's done, I feel a little lost, depressed even.

I think we need to coin the phrase "Video Game Summit Syndrome", we just need a good acronym for it, hmm...
I've had the same, but that can come after a long TV series finishes (Rome, The Wire), a long book series or video games.
To cope with it I switch the medium or hobby for a bit after, since it's hard to jump into something similar very close in time without comparing to what you just did (which may have been great).
Even though "Journey" is a very short game, I couldn't really play anything for about two weeks after completing it, because of how involved I got.

My question is, what do you do to recover from this? How do you know that your going to love the game as the previous experience? Do I dare risk the insults on the multiplayer / online option?

I think that depends on if you loved the story and how the interactive gameplayed pulled you into it, or if you really liked the gameplay mechanics. If you love the story aspect, you probably will be disappointed by multiplayer, since usually the whole dynamic that pulled you into that world is altered.
If it is something like a puzzle game, Borderlands, etc, multi-player can actually bring it to another level.

Do you start another game?

What types of games have you so far found that you enjoy? And what gaming system(s) do you own? Maybe there's enough of us here to be able to recommend some hidden gem.

It seems like you're into quite large worlds with a bit of story attached?
Have you looked into the Mass Effect trilogy, or Fallout 3, maybe.

(I would suggest the Uncharted series, as it is quite close to Tomb raider in certain ways, but they are a Playstation-only series)

It seems like you're into quite large worlds with a bit of story attached?
Have you looked into the Mass Effect trilogy, or Fallout 3, maybe.

(I would suggest the Uncharted series, as it is quite close to Tomb raider in certain ways, but they are a Playstation-only series)

I just picked up Fallout 3 GOTY for $5 on Steam summer sale. For no apparent reason I just stopped playing Skyrim pretty early in the game. I've played and finished every ES game since DF and I was making a go at Skyrim, but then went on vacation and haven't felt the urge to pick it back up. I also bought Witcher on Steam clearance. Now I don't know if I should finish Skyrim, or start one of the other two. Or maybe I just start acting my age (almost 42).

Bioware is really good for this. Us weirdos are obsessing about things years later.

But I liked the Mass Effect ending. Don't hurt me.

Multi-player online is crack. Seriously. You will get addicted and 10 years later still be playing.