A thought on hard games

[SharkAttack]

After reading a few posts in the VJ and F Zero GX topics it reminded me of a reason why I sometimes DON'T go back to games.

Take Tony Hawks 3 - I played through - Got my skills up to scratch - And I have beaten everything in the game (with 1 skater) except getting Gold on Tokyo and 4 or 5 tasks on the cruise ship. Now I haven't played this game in over a year - If I was to go back to try and beat it I would probably have to start from scratch really as there is no way i'd even get a medal on Tokyo, let alone gold.

Don't know what i'm asking here - I guess i'm just discussing!

[Digimortal]

THPS3 is easy, whats your best trick (no cheats)??

I completed that game, gold in every comp, every stat point and goal done with EVERY character, my best trick, a whopping 7.25mil

Back to the topic, ummm....

[SharkAttack]

Can't remember its over a year ago!

Erm.... 8 million!

[Kerraig UK]

thing is with VJ, I could take the difficulty, I just dont appreciate being asked to beat challenges i've already beaten. Does anybody seriously enjoy fighting the same boss battle AGAIN? Not only that, but 5 of em in a row?

I'd quite happily put up with Joe's difficulty, I just can't put up with such a cheap device. it stops the game being fun.

[spinpug666]

Can't remember its over a year ago!

Erm.... 8 million!

So you can get 8 million, but cant get Gold in tokyo

[SharkAttack]

Can't remember its over a year ago!

Erm.... 8 million!

So you can get 8 million, but cant get Gold in tokyo

Sorry I was just putting a score to beat his through sarcasm. I was in a funny mood.

[Magnakai]

Same with me on both THPS 3 and 4, and on FFX, and on Frequency, and lots of other games. It's terrible. I'm not buying any more new ones. AT ALL. I forbid myself.

[spinpug666]

Can't remember its over a year ago!

Erm.... 8 million!

So you can get 8 million, but cant get Gold in tokyo

Sorry I was just putting a score to beat his through sarcasm. I was in a funny mood.

[Iori]

I have to say, some of these games with their higher levels of difficulty have really grabbed me and brought back my lust for gaming. True - things like re-doing 5 of the bosses in VJ was cheap, unnecessary and not something I relished. The plus point was - and this applies to these other difficult titles - the satisfaction of eventually doing it was great!

IMO many games nowadays are generally not challenging enough and become exercises in developing a story, although perhaps calling them "exercises" is unfair. Believe me, I don't have a problem with these kind of games - I loved Zelda with a passion and Shenmue for me was a work sheer genius (please please PLEASE let there be Shenmue 3) - but IMO no way can a game like Zelda be called a challenge.

In short - Difficult games can be extremely frustrating, but I do find that mastery of a game is so rewarding (I detested Shinobi initially, but after persevering I think it's fab) and I'll always love those games that make you punch the air in triumph for getting over a particularly high hurdle!

[Kerraig UK]

Couldn't agree more dude. i love a difficult challenge. take splinter cell for example. Thje bit on the roof with the spotlights and the mines. Now you could blast your way accross that roof, but I did it carefully, without getting detected once. It was really tough and frustrating, but that ninja feeling upon getting to the other side was worth all the toil.

with the 5 bosses in a row thing, it isn't the difficulty that bums me out, it's the tedium. I know I could do it eventually, but I just cant be arsed to persevere cos it's so cheap and so dull. I play games to be entertained and challenged, not bored and pissed off.

Hitman 2 gets it perfectly right I think. You can blast your way through all the levels OR you can struggle through the game the way it was meant to be played. If a certain section is proving too frustrating then just blast your way through that bit and then get back to the stealth later.

[scottcr]

Punching the air....

This generation has seen me do this more than any other previous generation.

Beating the level 2 boss in Ikaruga for the first time... when you pull that off it just *looks* so skill.

Finally finishing of Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime.

Kicking Nightmare's ass in Metroid Prime.

Escaping from the ship at then end of Halo.

Pulling off a 10500 point combo in PN03 (no idea if that's good or not, but good for me).

Beating Clubber in Rocky.

And... every single bloody void level in SMS.

I'm by no means the worlds greatest gamer, but, all of the above gave me a challenge and forced me to repeat the same section over and over again until I "pwned" as our american friends are fond of saying.

I'm really looking forward to VJ and FZero... some serious tunnel vision ahead methinks.

[Ady]

I'm with scottcr.

It's as if challenging games are a lost art these days, which is a shame, as its a part of gaming that should never be forgotten.

Story games are great, but gaming would be dull if that was all there was.

[Pikman]

A game too easy is far more disappointing than a game too hard.

[NiceButDim]

And... every single bloody void level in SMS.

Oh so true. Challenge is all relative by the way - I find a lot of games far too hard these days.

I did however complete a boyhood dream yesterday by finishing Rebelstar 2 on a Spectrum Emulator with judicious use of the inbuilt quick-save/load function - thats probably the most satisfaction I've got from a game recently (sad I know, but there you go...)

[razu]

I think there are a few modes of gaming. Most people consider "all games should be fun, that's the point". I disagree. I like playing games for fun with my mates, but on my own I prefer a rock hard challenge.

So, given these points, Super Monkey Ball is one of the best games ever as the single player is rock, and Monkey Target is one of the best multiplayer 'fun' games of all time. w00t for Sega!!