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Back in the early days we played adventure game or fighting games or our Snes's Or mega drives for hours on end. DO you still do that at all now? Well is this because we can't be bothered and are just saving it?
I used to play my Snes games non stop hoping to comlete it or have a good time in that day. It was great fun and I think the games were a lot more fun then. But my point is that now with these new gizmos the "memory card" or something a lot of people play for 20 mins a day and dont seem so excited about their games..
Is this true?
T_W
I used to play my Snes games non stop hoping to comlete it or have a good time in that day. It was great fun and I think the games were a lot more fun then. But my point is that now with these new gizmos the "memory card" or something a lot of people play for 20 mins a day and dont seem so excited about their games..
Is this true?
T_W
Page:
You've always been able to save games though, right since the start, so don't go saying we haven't - the truth is, programmers didn't implement it so often.
Tape based games could be saved to tape (obviously enough)
Then for cartridge based games, we had battery backup. Battery backup and tape saving were around before memory cards were, but it was memory cards that made the difference.
Memory cards made it possible for games to be saveable at a much lower implementation cost - hence saving became more common. The thought seemed to be that the prics restrictions of battery backup no longer had an effect, so why not make good use of these special-purpose memory devices.
Now, it seems that EVERY game uses them. Always something to unlock in the game - even a basic puzzle game like Wetrix. Apparently, it improves lastability.
Has it really improved anything?
As far as I can tell, games are longer, which could be viewed as good.....
Or not.
Is a film any better if it lasts three times as long, therefore having to be watched in several installments, and features twice as many characters and a much bigger budget?
I'll leave that for you to ponder.
Tape based games could be saved to tape (obviously enough)
Then for cartridge based games, we had battery backup. Battery backup and tape saving were around before memory cards were, but it was memory cards that made the difference.
Memory cards made it possible for games to be saveable at a much lower implementation cost - hence saving became more common. The thought seemed to be that the prics restrictions of battery backup no longer had an effect, so why not make good use of these special-purpose memory devices.
Now, it seems that EVERY game uses them. Always something to unlock in the game - even a basic puzzle game like Wetrix. Apparently, it improves lastability.
Has it really improved anything?
As far as I can tell, games are longer, which could be viewed as good.....
Or not.
Is a film any better if it lasts three times as long, therefore having to be watched in several installments, and features twice as many characters and a much bigger budget?
I'll leave that for you to ponder.
I think that memory cards are one of the greatest improvements in gaming history. I know we all remember how long the games made before memory cards were. The games on the Master System, Mega Drive, Nes and Snes seemed to have very long gameplay. We had no save function so to complete a game required a fair amount of time and patience.
The games were very different back then and we did not need a memory card. I remember that the fun and addictiveness of these games came from the fact that if you died or lost you would have to start all over again. This made you concentrate on the game much more than nowadays. An example of an old game that would have been marred by the presence of a save function is the Dizzy adventure games. This game had to be played non-stop for what seemed like ages to complete and if you died that was it, game over. With the introduction of memory cards, this edge of your seat action has disappeared, who cares if you get shot, you can start again in nearly exactly the same point. Maybe someone should take gaming back to its roots. Hideo Kojima once hinted at a game that you would have one life, you die and the game ends. Ok this may be a bit strong but it is a good idea in principle. This is the bad thing about memory cards. They have limited the tense feeling that you get when you have, for instance, having half-health at the final stages of a game. Back then before memory cards, your veins in your head would be throbbing and your back would be arched. Now, we tend not to care and this is a great shame.
Although we tend to think of these games before memory cards as long games, were they really long? Of course they weren’t. Nowadays we have the balls to complain about eight hour long games like MGS and ZOE as being to short. There is no way the retro games were this long. So we can thank the invention of memory cards for our longer games. The style of these 'unsavable' games was also different to the ones of today. They had a unique 'pick up and play' factor that is no longer needed and is missing form the majority of today’s games. I mean do you ever suddenly get the urge to start a game like the Final Fantasy series afresh after forty hours of game play, of course not.
Games nowadays are really massive and this would not be possible if memory cards didn't exist. If there were no memory cards Gran Turismo would be an arcade racer with 7 unlockable cars and an 8 race championship. MGS would have 5 levels and Final Fantasy would be 5 hours long. Memory cards are the single most important factor in moving the gaming industry forwards.
Memory cards have good and bad points. If we did not have them, games would not be nearly so advanced as they are now. We wouldn’t be able to have garages full of cars or experience the full depth of a game like Tomb Raider or Zelda. We would be stuck with Rayman-esque games only shorter. Graphics probably wouldn’t be as good as the sort of games we would be playing wouldn’t need sublime graphics and fast paced gameplay.
The only problem is that memory cards have changed gaming. No longer will we be worried about losing a life, being shot or crashing out of a race. The games have changed to make full use of the memory cards. There are now only a few games that could be played without memory cards. When I say played I mean that only a few games would give you the same experience with or without a memory card. Games like Crazy Taxi, Circuit breakers or Quake 3 could be enjoyed without the use of a memory card. However these titles that you can just decide then and there to play and have a quick blast on, without saving are now very thin on the ground indeed.
So, whether or not you think memory cards are a good addition to gaming depends on which sort of games you want to play. If you like the games of today then you should worship memory cards as they made these games possible. If however you feel that something is missing from most games today and that you prefer older games then maybe memory cards may not be such a revolutionary improvement in your minds.
The games were very different back then and we did not need a memory card. I remember that the fun and addictiveness of these games came from the fact that if you died or lost you would have to start all over again. This made you concentrate on the game much more than nowadays. An example of an old game that would have been marred by the presence of a save function is the Dizzy adventure games. This game had to be played non-stop for what seemed like ages to complete and if you died that was it, game over. With the introduction of memory cards, this edge of your seat action has disappeared, who cares if you get shot, you can start again in nearly exactly the same point. Maybe someone should take gaming back to its roots. Hideo Kojima once hinted at a game that you would have one life, you die and the game ends. Ok this may be a bit strong but it is a good idea in principle. This is the bad thing about memory cards. They have limited the tense feeling that you get when you have, for instance, having half-health at the final stages of a game. Back then before memory cards, your veins in your head would be throbbing and your back would be arched. Now, we tend not to care and this is a great shame.
Although we tend to think of these games before memory cards as long games, were they really long? Of course they weren’t. Nowadays we have the balls to complain about eight hour long games like MGS and ZOE as being to short. There is no way the retro games were this long. So we can thank the invention of memory cards for our longer games. The style of these 'unsavable' games was also different to the ones of today. They had a unique 'pick up and play' factor that is no longer needed and is missing form the majority of today’s games. I mean do you ever suddenly get the urge to start a game like the Final Fantasy series afresh after forty hours of game play, of course not.
Games nowadays are really massive and this would not be possible if memory cards didn't exist. If there were no memory cards Gran Turismo would be an arcade racer with 7 unlockable cars and an 8 race championship. MGS would have 5 levels and Final Fantasy would be 5 hours long. Memory cards are the single most important factor in moving the gaming industry forwards.
Memory cards have good and bad points. If we did not have them, games would not be nearly so advanced as they are now. We wouldn’t be able to have garages full of cars or experience the full depth of a game like Tomb Raider or Zelda. We would be stuck with Rayman-esque games only shorter. Graphics probably wouldn’t be as good as the sort of games we would be playing wouldn’t need sublime graphics and fast paced gameplay.
The only problem is that memory cards have changed gaming. No longer will we be worried about losing a life, being shot or crashing out of a race. The games have changed to make full use of the memory cards. There are now only a few games that could be played without memory cards. When I say played I mean that only a few games would give you the same experience with or without a memory card. Games like Crazy Taxi, Circuit breakers or Quake 3 could be enjoyed without the use of a memory card. However these titles that you can just decide then and there to play and have a quick blast on, without saving are now very thin on the ground indeed.
So, whether or not you think memory cards are a good addition to gaming depends on which sort of games you want to play. If you like the games of today then you should worship memory cards as they made these games possible. If however you feel that something is missing from most games today and that you prefer older games then maybe memory cards may not be such a revolutionary improvement in your minds.
§Hø®†¥ ßL!†Z wrote:
> Hmmm good point. I used to play my old games for ages in the hope that I would maybe complete one of them. The option to save was very rare other than in games such as RPGs. Now I can just flick my machine on and play for 30 minutes and then save it. The challenge has been taken out of the games.
So the games were harder then? Not really I think that they are about as hard as they are today its just they were actually easier, if you see what I mean. No one would be able to complete a game such as ... I dont know Jet force Gemini
( I have completed that!)
> without the option to save would they. It would have taken years (hours). This is because the newer games are harder but the difficulty is toned down as we have the chance to save. This means that you don't have to do the hardest parts of the game again like you used to.
"Come on I know that I can get at least another level further if I try harder" was one of my qoutes in the old
> days. This was the truth. You would play through the game dying at certain parts but using this as a learning process. "Oh so thats how you do it" was a good one as well. Now this has gone from our games. We no longer really hasve to replay the same sections of gamnes unless the game has save points.
Games with save points attempt to bring back the old excitement in a way. Take Turok 2 for example, you have been playing for about 2 hours not havinmg the chance to save (sound familiar) and you are low on health. Suddenly a Purr lin jumps out at you at drains that last 10% of your health. Back to the last save pint for you then. it is almost like having to start an old game again. The dissapointment is immense. You think of it over and over just thinking "if I had done that I wouldn't have died, now I have to do it all again". I can tell you this really puts me off of playing the game knowing that I am going to be doing a part that takes a couple of hours that I have already done.
So what is better. The chance to save or having the challenge of completing the game in one fell swoop.
In a way saving has made gamers more sociable. 8 years ago if you were playing one of your games obviously you couldn't save so I doubt if you were near the end of the game you would stop for anything other than the most important thing. Now sya if someone knocked for you or rung you up asking you to come out you could just say "yeah I'll just quickly save my game and I will be there in a second". Also isn't it strange how gamers aren't seen in the same light as they were say, oh I dont know 8 years ago.
Zeldapro says:
Well like I said I did used to play on my OLD machines 24:7 well not exactley but you know what I mean. I then got a N64, PSX, PS2, DC and out of all those on weekends there is nothing better than sitting back and relaxing infront of Mariokart on the SNES or Embryo on the Amiga.
And you do have to save well not on my SNES. and it can get quite boring especially with things like memory cards (a la PSX) and when they run out or even worse break (humph mines still on the floor even more broken than it was).
And in a way games like Turok 2 which I have completed can get tedious but makes you want to try try again.
OR CHEAT!
And I really wish that things could be like an N64 cart and it is saved automatically when you switch it off.
And more games with checkpoints.
I agree
ZP
> Hmmm good point. I used to play my old games for ages in the hope that I would maybe complete one of them. The option to save was very rare other than in games such as RPGs. Now I can just flick my machine on and play for 30 minutes and then save it. The challenge has been taken out of the games.
So the games were harder then? Not really I think that they are about as hard as they are today its just they were actually easier, if you see what I mean. No one would be able to complete a game such as ... I dont know Jet force Gemini
( I have completed that!)
> without the option to save would they. It would have taken years (hours). This is because the newer games are harder but the difficulty is toned down as we have the chance to save. This means that you don't have to do the hardest parts of the game again like you used to.
"Come on I know that I can get at least another level further if I try harder" was one of my qoutes in the old
> days. This was the truth. You would play through the game dying at certain parts but using this as a learning process. "Oh so thats how you do it" was a good one as well. Now this has gone from our games. We no longer really hasve to replay the same sections of gamnes unless the game has save points.
Games with save points attempt to bring back the old excitement in a way. Take Turok 2 for example, you have been playing for about 2 hours not havinmg the chance to save (sound familiar) and you are low on health. Suddenly a Purr lin jumps out at you at drains that last 10% of your health. Back to the last save pint for you then. it is almost like having to start an old game again. The dissapointment is immense. You think of it over and over just thinking "if I had done that I wouldn't have died, now I have to do it all again". I can tell you this really puts me off of playing the game knowing that I am going to be doing a part that takes a couple of hours that I have already done.
So what is better. The chance to save or having the challenge of completing the game in one fell swoop.
In a way saving has made gamers more sociable. 8 years ago if you were playing one of your games obviously you couldn't save so I doubt if you were near the end of the game you would stop for anything other than the most important thing. Now sya if someone knocked for you or rung you up asking you to come out you could just say "yeah I'll just quickly save my game and I will be there in a second". Also isn't it strange how gamers aren't seen in the same light as they were say, oh I dont know 8 years ago.
Zeldapro says:
Well like I said I did used to play on my OLD machines 24:7 well not exactley but you know what I mean. I then got a N64, PSX, PS2, DC and out of all those on weekends there is nothing better than sitting back and relaxing infront of Mariokart on the SNES or Embryo on the Amiga.
And you do have to save well not on my SNES. and it can get quite boring especially with things like memory cards (a la PSX) and when they run out or even worse break (humph mines still on the floor even more broken than it was).
And in a way games like Turok 2 which I have completed can get tedious but makes you want to try try again.
OR CHEAT!
And I really wish that things could be like an N64 cart and it is saved automatically when you switch it off.
And more games with checkpoints.
I agree
ZP
Dan uk wrote:
> I would never go back to an Amiga. Its loading times make the PSX
> seem fast.
It is soooooo Sloooooooooooooooooooow.
********
Tahts why I love cartridges. Oh yes no loading..... I like Nintendos desicion to finally use Cds or whatever they actually are though.
(;o|
> I would never go back to an Amiga. Its loading times make the PSX
> seem fast.
It is soooooo Sloooooooooooooooooooow.
********
Tahts why I love cartridges. Oh yes no loading..... I like Nintendos desicion to finally use Cds or whatever they actually are though.
(;o|
I would never go back to an Amiga. Its loading times make the PSX seem fast.
It is soooooo Sloooooooooooooooooooow.
It is soooooo Sloooooooooooooooooooow.
Hmmm good point. I used to play my old games for ages in the hope that I would maybe complete one of them. The option to save was very rare other than in games such as RPGs. Now I can just flick my machine on and play for 30 minutes and then save it. The challenge has been taken out of the games.
So the games were harder then? Not really I think that they are about as hard as they are today its just they were actually easier, if you see what I mean. No one would be able to complete a game such as ... I dont know Jet force Gemini without the option to save would they. It would have taken years (hours). This is because the newer games are harder but the difficulty is toned down as we have the chance to save. This means that you don't have to do the hardest parts of the game again like you used to.
"Come on I know that I can get at least another level further if I try harder" was one of my qoutes in the old days. This was the truth. You would play through the game dying at certain parts but using this as a learning process. "Oh so thats how you do it" was a good one as well. Now this has gone from our games. We no longer really hasve to replay the same sections of gamnes unless the game has save points.
Games with save points attempt to bring back the old excitement in a way. Take Turok 2 for example, you have been playing for about 2 hours not havinmg the chance to save (sound familiar) and you are low on health. Suddenly a Purr lin jumps out at you at drains that last 10% of your health. Back to the last save pint for you then. it is almost like having to start an old game again. The dissapointment is immense. You think of it over and over just thinking "if I had done that I wouldn't have died, now I have to do it all again". I can tell you this really puts me off of playing the game knowing that I am going to bwe doing a part that takes a couple of hours that I have already done.
So what is better. The chance to save or having the challenge of completing the game in one fell swoop.
In a way saving has made gamers more sociable. 8 years ago if you were playing one of your games obviously you couldn't save so I doubt if you were near the end of the game you would stop for anything other than the most important thing. Now sya if someone knocked for you or rung you up asking you to come out you could just say "yeah I'll just quickly save my game and I will be there in a second". Also isn't it strange how gamers aren't seen in the same light as they were say, oh I dont know 8 years ago.
(;o|
So the games were harder then? Not really I think that they are about as hard as they are today its just they were actually easier, if you see what I mean. No one would be able to complete a game such as ... I dont know Jet force Gemini without the option to save would they. It would have taken years (hours). This is because the newer games are harder but the difficulty is toned down as we have the chance to save. This means that you don't have to do the hardest parts of the game again like you used to.
"Come on I know that I can get at least another level further if I try harder" was one of my qoutes in the old days. This was the truth. You would play through the game dying at certain parts but using this as a learning process. "Oh so thats how you do it" was a good one as well. Now this has gone from our games. We no longer really hasve to replay the same sections of gamnes unless the game has save points.
Games with save points attempt to bring back the old excitement in a way. Take Turok 2 for example, you have been playing for about 2 hours not havinmg the chance to save (sound familiar) and you are low on health. Suddenly a Purr lin jumps out at you at drains that last 10% of your health. Back to the last save pint for you then. it is almost like having to start an old game again. The dissapointment is immense. You think of it over and over just thinking "if I had done that I wouldn't have died, now I have to do it all again". I can tell you this really puts me off of playing the game knowing that I am going to bwe doing a part that takes a couple of hours that I have already done.
So what is better. The chance to save or having the challenge of completing the game in one fell swoop.
In a way saving has made gamers more sociable. 8 years ago if you were playing one of your games obviously you couldn't save so I doubt if you were near the end of the game you would stop for anything other than the most important thing. Now sya if someone knocked for you or rung you up asking you to come out you could just say "yeah I'll just quickly save my game and I will be there in a second". Also isn't it strange how gamers aren't seen in the same light as they were say, oh I dont know 8 years ago.
(;o|
Well I still play for hours on my old games for my N64, Playstaion etc because of how fun, coulourful, easy to look at graphics and their addictivity.
LIKE RAYMAN
And most days I will still go back to my SNES and my Amiga 1200 and sit play and remeber the good old days, when gaming was colourful, original, and fun.
And I think that saving has become a bit of a nuisance and is one of the things that attracted towards the N64 over the PSX in the first place.
Then eventually tried out the PSX, I found that there were at the start at launch a lot of fun, and orginal games and I started playing more on it but still favoured my N64, on cart saving, good graphics, easy controlls.
Then when I started paying a bit more attention to my PSX games and really having a go at them when I got bored with my N64 then turning the game back on and having to start again is really annoying and can take the fun out of it.
The PSX mem cards are really weak and breakable unlike the Nintendo ones that are rarley needed.
And they only have 15 slots in them as well, it is a slow process having to save and LOAD (and I am glad that the GC's loading times are minimal and saving takes up to 2 secs at max.) all the time.
Also 15 slots in one meory card is pathetic and you can spend UPTO a tenner on ONE (1)! I mean FIFA games take up 3SLOTS for just one save in the game. And they break so easily.
hobbes_ (who is now gonna change his name back to zeldapro cs he misses his old name)
LIKE RAYMAN
And most days I will still go back to my SNES and my Amiga 1200 and sit play and remeber the good old days, when gaming was colourful, original, and fun.
And I think that saving has become a bit of a nuisance and is one of the things that attracted towards the N64 over the PSX in the first place.
Then eventually tried out the PSX, I found that there were at the start at launch a lot of fun, and orginal games and I started playing more on it but still favoured my N64, on cart saving, good graphics, easy controlls.
Then when I started paying a bit more attention to my PSX games and really having a go at them when I got bored with my N64 then turning the game back on and having to start again is really annoying and can take the fun out of it.
The PSX mem cards are really weak and breakable unlike the Nintendo ones that are rarley needed.
And they only have 15 slots in them as well, it is a slow process having to save and LOAD (and I am glad that the GC's loading times are minimal and saving takes up to 2 secs at max.) all the time.
Also 15 slots in one meory card is pathetic and you can spend UPTO a tenner on ONE (1)! I mean FIFA games take up 3SLOTS for just one save in the game. And they break so easily.
hobbes_ (who is now gonna change his name back to zeldapro cs he misses his old name)
Memory cards eh? I doubt if I would be able to live without them. Although you can find yourself playing with games less than you would if you didn’t have a memory card, I still think that the memory card is, and is always going to be a god send to gamers. If you didn’t have a memory card, and you found yourself at the last level of a game and then you die at the boss bit, and it was game over, how would you feel? Now that we can use a Memory Card we can save at particular points, then if you do die you can start where you last saved the game. Genius!
Back in the early days we played adventure game or fighting games or our Snes's Or mega drives for hours on end. DO you still do that at all now? Well is this because we can't be bothered and are just saving it?
I used to play my Snes games non stop hoping to comlete it or have a good time in that day. It was great fun and I think the games were a lot more fun then. But my point is that now with these new gizmos the "memory card" or something a lot of people play for 20 mins a day and dont seem so excited about their games..
Is this true?
T_W
I used to play my Snes games non stop hoping to comlete it or have a good time in that day. It was great fun and I think the games were a lot more fun then. But my point is that now with these new gizmos the "memory card" or something a lot of people play for 20 mins a day and dont seem so excited about their games..
Is this true?
T_W
Page: