Game Over ?

After recent gaming on Bioshock and The Darkness I returned somewhat briefly to xboxlive arcade for a bit of old school thrills courtesy of Streets of Rage 2. I remember the now "retro classics" with fond memories and in part this was due to the limited lives, health and continues available. The true test of a gamers skill was based on whether they would ever see a conclusion to the story, and this got me thinking about when we made the transition to becoming virtual immortals.

In part I welcome this shift in focus as I too have become stricken with the modern sickness of repetition boredom syndrome, but have the goals shifted a little bit too far recently to appease the masses? From all I read of Bioshock prior to its release I was quaking in my boots at the thought of my first "Big Daddy" encounter. The in game reality is that death equals a short walk back to pick up the battle where I left off without any noticeable penalties. This is true with so many games now. "Thiiiss iiis nooot your time" whispers The Darkness as I respawn at a checkpoint from 30 seconds ago. I take multiple gunshot wounds to the body which magically heal as I take cover behind a crate in Rainbow Six Vegas. In Prey I'm transported to the spirit realm to idle away a brief moment before being reincarnated.

I understand that modern storylines are far more intricate and developers naturally want us to see then to completion, but are our boasting privileges now limited to completing a game on hard, or finding 500 hidden orbs for a 20 point achievement score? Or are we just so sick and tired of death in the real world that we no longer want to feel its icy finger in our virtual playgrounds?

Games with no password system, limited lives and continues (e.g.: Contra III; Shaq Fu on the SNES) were frustrating beyond human limits.

Today, games with a bad save/checkpoint system (Headhunter: Redemption; Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb) are from hell as well.

I believe these frustrating games are the children of a limited playtest policy by the producers.

The nature of games and gaming has changed considerably since the 'old days'. I completely understand your point though. In the 'old days' I can't remember finishing that many games. In factmost games didn't seem to have an end, simply the same levels again but faster. Now it is not a question of whether you finish the game, but how quickly you do it. Games like Far Cry (XBox) were a formality and even Halo on Legendary was simply time consuming rather than impossibly hard (except forone room...).

But then games have changed a lot. There wasn't a lot of plot development in Defender or Frak so it didn't really matter if you didn't see it through to the end. The only place where finishing was important was in the numerous text adventures I played where hacking and cheating was almost compulsory, given their difficulty. Modern games are more like films. We want to be entertained and engaged, not frustrated.

I think the solution is to try to include both aspects. Keep the basic storyline manageable, but add all kinds of extras to challenge the obsessives. Why not add timers or bullet counters to games like Halo so people can record their fastest no-shot times?

"We want to be entertained and engaged, not frustrated"

Valid point, and I totally agree that in an escapist realm frustration would simply lead to putting down the joy pad and (potentially) never returning to pick up the adventure. My main concerns are that games in general have gotten far too easy. (I'm firmly in the 50/50 camp and this was more a discussion point than a statement) My gametime is also limited by real world commitments, but I still crave a good challenge.

I felt a bit let down by Bioshocks "Big Daddy's" whose appearance clearly sent out messages their bodies couldn't back up. Maybe when I go through on Hard I'll be thankful for the re-gen tubes but for now I'm craving a few more gritted teeth moments.

The original Halo on Co-cop Legendary is a prime example of when developers get it spot on. True, it uses regenerating armour and save points but the battles felt epic. Sitting for two hours to finish one level. Trying to make every shot count and reduce the seemingly endless barrage of covenant forces felt amazing. Maybe Halo3 Legendary Co-op will bring back those emotions which have been lacking of late.

I agree games have got easier. What is harder is to say whether they are too easy. I retain interest in a game for only so long and it is nice to finish before you reach this point. The ideal is the case where you can complete the game but have to earn it. With vastly different levels of competence in gaming (as with everything else) the balance is different for everyone and game makers err on the side of caution.

The only real solution (without the structure of games changing completely) is to have different levels of difficulty. That way everyone gets to complete the story but not everyone gets to complete the game. By providing plenty different achievements (they musttrigger your interest like many inFifa 06) you always have something to work towards. These must consist of more than simply ramping up the number and speedof enemies though.

I hate it when a game is too hard for me. If I get to a spot where I continually die, I quit playing the game. Sometimes for over a year. I hate doing that, but I get too frustrated to even really try to make it past. I would rather have a somewhat easier game to be able to experience the entirety of the story, rather than spending a lot of time, just to make it through one area.

I agree with the others posts in this thread. It would be annoying to do it any other way really.

But I wouldn't say we are 'virtual immortals' for example if I die in HL2 I have to go back to my last save, the only difference is the words 'GAME OVER' aren't there.

I read a very interesting article on this very subject the other day. I'm sorry I don't remember the source, otherwise I'd link it. It suggested that one of the largest reasons for the difficulty of video games "back in the day" was because they were built for arcades. If you could play through pretty easily, you wouldn't waste half as many quarters. But if the game was addictive, and very challenging, you'd be forking over a piggy bank full of change in a day. Also, these games tended to be very short. That also could add to why they were made so hard.

But as time went on, the arcade died off, and led way to the home console. Games became less about playing extraordinary amounts of time to get the "high score" and more about creating a cinematic experience similar to a movie. The developers want you to experience the story they have to tell.

After recent gaming on Bioshock and The Darkness I returned somewhat briefly to xboxlive arcade for a bit of old school thrills courtesy of Streets of Rage 2. I remember the now "retro classics" with fond memories and in part this was due to the limited lives, health and continues available. The true test of a gamers skill was based on whether they would ever see a conclusion to the story, and this got me thinking about when we made the transition to becoming virtual immortals.

In part I welcome this shift in focus as I too have become stricken with the modern sickness of repetition boredom syndrome, but have the goals shifted a little bit too far recently to appease the masses? From all I read of Bioshock prior to its release I was quaking in my boots at the thought of my first "Big Daddy" encounter. The in game reality is that death equals a short walk back to pick up the battle where I left off without any noticeable penalties. This is true with so many games now. "Thiiiss iiis nooot your time" whispers The Darkness as I respawn at a checkpoint from 30 seconds ago. I take multiple gunshot wounds to the body which magically heal as I take cover behind a crate in Rainbow Six Vegas. In Prey I'm transported to the spirit realm to idle away a brief moment before being reincarnated.

I understand that modern storylines are far more intricate and developers naturally want us to see then to completion, but are our boasting privileges now limited to completing a game on hard, or finding 500 hidden orbs for a 20 point achievement score? Or are we just so sick and tired of death in the real world that we no longer want to feel its icy finger in our virtual playgrounds?

DOOBIVOOS

Have you ever played System Shock or its sequel? The regen system was part of them, too. ALthough if you hadn't activated it on the level you wre at, that was your game over, but if oyu had...well, when you died, you'd start back at teh the regen chamber an dnot much would have changed (although some enemies may have spawned).