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Back in the days of old, when the old SR MD still had a decent head of hair, The Mega-Drive and SNES brought to us some of the finest games seen or played to-date. But as well as bringing us the next-generation of Sonic and Mario titles and a plethora of superb other games the 16-Bit era was the last era to have predominantly 2D games!
Yes... gone were the days of multiple scrolling backgrounds and characters limited to 3 animations each We were subsequentially introduced to full 3D gaming! Which, besides being harder to code... was a real git to get the hang of!
For years i'd been used to going right... you know... at the start of almost every Mario level, you'd go right... same for Sonic... even Aladdin and Jurassic Park games bore this attribute! I was quite happy with it... I mean, as long as Nintendo kept churning out Mario games, I was laughing! Sonic was just as good, and there were quite a few third party titles that brought some serious competition to the fray!
But then came this mainstram console... a Sega Saturn thingy... which, although turned out to be a flop, also turned heads when it was first released... I thought Sonic Racing was good... was I the only one? Oh... well, anyway... I suppose the PlayStation bought 3D gaming to the masses... Wipeout and Tekken were great, for what they were, but still... it was no longer a case of holding left (or right, up or down) and holding down the 'A' button... to complete the level... you had to do all this weird stuff, like change gear in cars, and move in 3 on 3 axis in fighing games, not just 2!
Now, take everything i've just said... all that basic stuff, and apply it to the indusrty as a whole... gaming is getting harder... it isn't just about being able to go in 360 degrees instead of 8, it's everything... the fact that you can move in any direction you want is truly amazing... and clearing a goal , winning a match, or completing a level has never bee harder!
I suppose harder games were only to be expected with the transformation from 2D to 3D, but regardless, you now have to turn around, to see what's where, and 3D scenes limit the camera to which part of a puzzle you can see.
These are all a few examples of many things that have made gaming harder. We can still determine the difficulty of games, by comparing and contrasting, but being a child who wants to get into gaming now, is much more trying than it was in the good old days... there are loads more factors in making a game, and despite the fancy graphics and cool sound, it's the gameplay that counts, and if games are that much harder to pick up and play now compared to then, we might see the gaming industry slow down just a bit...
It isn't likely to, but still... the lack of 2D all genre games could very well mean we see the average age of gamers increase quite a bit!
Just a thought....
Game
Yes... gone were the days of multiple scrolling backgrounds and characters limited to 3 animations each We were subsequentially introduced to full 3D gaming! Which, besides being harder to code... was a real git to get the hang of!
For years i'd been used to going right... you know... at the start of almost every Mario level, you'd go right... same for Sonic... even Aladdin and Jurassic Park games bore this attribute! I was quite happy with it... I mean, as long as Nintendo kept churning out Mario games, I was laughing! Sonic was just as good, and there were quite a few third party titles that brought some serious competition to the fray!
But then came this mainstram console... a Sega Saturn thingy... which, although turned out to be a flop, also turned heads when it was first released... I thought Sonic Racing was good... was I the only one? Oh... well, anyway... I suppose the PlayStation bought 3D gaming to the masses... Wipeout and Tekken were great, for what they were, but still... it was no longer a case of holding left (or right, up or down) and holding down the 'A' button... to complete the level... you had to do all this weird stuff, like change gear in cars, and move in 3 on 3 axis in fighing games, not just 2!
Now, take everything i've just said... all that basic stuff, and apply it to the indusrty as a whole... gaming is getting harder... it isn't just about being able to go in 360 degrees instead of 8, it's everything... the fact that you can move in any direction you want is truly amazing... and clearing a goal , winning a match, or completing a level has never bee harder!
I suppose harder games were only to be expected with the transformation from 2D to 3D, but regardless, you now have to turn around, to see what's where, and 3D scenes limit the camera to which part of a puzzle you can see.
These are all a few examples of many things that have made gaming harder. We can still determine the difficulty of games, by comparing and contrasting, but being a child who wants to get into gaming now, is much more trying than it was in the good old days... there are loads more factors in making a game, and despite the fancy graphics and cool sound, it's the gameplay that counts, and if games are that much harder to pick up and play now compared to then, we might see the gaming industry slow down just a bit...
It isn't likely to, but still... the lack of 2D all genre games could very well mean we see the average age of gamers increase quite a bit!
Just a thought....
Game
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Back in the days of old, when the old SR MD still had a decent head of hair, The Mega-Drive and SNES brought to us some of the finest games seen or played to-date. But as well as bringing us the next-generation of Sonic and Mario titles and a plethora of superb other games the 16-Bit era was the last era to have predominantly 2D games!
Yes... gone were the days of multiple scrolling backgrounds and characters limited to 3 animations each We were subsequentially introduced to full 3D gaming! Which, besides being harder to code... was a real git to get the hang of!
For years i'd been used to going right... you know... at the start of almost every Mario level, you'd go right... same for Sonic... even Aladdin and Jurassic Park games bore this attribute! I was quite happy with it... I mean, as long as Nintendo kept churning out Mario games, I was laughing! Sonic was just as good, and there were quite a few third party titles that brought some serious competition to the fray!
But then came this mainstram console... a Sega Saturn thingy... which, although turned out to be a flop, also turned heads when it was first released... I thought Sonic Racing was good... was I the only one? Oh... well, anyway... I suppose the PlayStation bought 3D gaming to the masses... Wipeout and Tekken were great, for what they were, but still... it was no longer a case of holding left (or right, up or down) and holding down the 'A' button... to complete the level... you had to do all this weird stuff, like change gear in cars, and move in 3 on 3 axis in fighing games, not just 2!
Now, take everything i've just said... all that basic stuff, and apply it to the indusrty as a whole... gaming is getting harder... it isn't just about being able to go in 360 degrees instead of 8, it's everything... the fact that you can move in any direction you want is truly amazing... and clearing a goal , winning a match, or completing a level has never bee harder!
I suppose harder games were only to be expected with the transformation from 2D to 3D, but regardless, you now have to turn around, to see what's where, and 3D scenes limit the camera to which part of a puzzle you can see.
These are all a few examples of many things that have made gaming harder. We can still determine the difficulty of games, by comparing and contrasting, but being a child who wants to get into gaming now, is much more trying than it was in the good old days... there are loads more factors in making a game, and despite the fancy graphics and cool sound, it's the gameplay that counts, and if games are that much harder to pick up and play now compared to then, we might see the gaming industry slow down just a bit...
It isn't likely to, but still... the lack of 2D all genre games could very well mean we see the average age of gamers increase quite a bit!
Just a thought....
Game
Yes... gone were the days of multiple scrolling backgrounds and characters limited to 3 animations each We were subsequentially introduced to full 3D gaming! Which, besides being harder to code... was a real git to get the hang of!
For years i'd been used to going right... you know... at the start of almost every Mario level, you'd go right... same for Sonic... even Aladdin and Jurassic Park games bore this attribute! I was quite happy with it... I mean, as long as Nintendo kept churning out Mario games, I was laughing! Sonic was just as good, and there were quite a few third party titles that brought some serious competition to the fray!
But then came this mainstram console... a Sega Saturn thingy... which, although turned out to be a flop, also turned heads when it was first released... I thought Sonic Racing was good... was I the only one? Oh... well, anyway... I suppose the PlayStation bought 3D gaming to the masses... Wipeout and Tekken were great, for what they were, but still... it was no longer a case of holding left (or right, up or down) and holding down the 'A' button... to complete the level... you had to do all this weird stuff, like change gear in cars, and move in 3 on 3 axis in fighing games, not just 2!
Now, take everything i've just said... all that basic stuff, and apply it to the indusrty as a whole... gaming is getting harder... it isn't just about being able to go in 360 degrees instead of 8, it's everything... the fact that you can move in any direction you want is truly amazing... and clearing a goal , winning a match, or completing a level has never bee harder!
I suppose harder games were only to be expected with the transformation from 2D to 3D, but regardless, you now have to turn around, to see what's where, and 3D scenes limit the camera to which part of a puzzle you can see.
These are all a few examples of many things that have made gaming harder. We can still determine the difficulty of games, by comparing and contrasting, but being a child who wants to get into gaming now, is much more trying than it was in the good old days... there are loads more factors in making a game, and despite the fancy graphics and cool sound, it's the gameplay that counts, and if games are that much harder to pick up and play now compared to then, we might see the gaming industry slow down just a bit...
It isn't likely to, but still... the lack of 2D all genre games could very well mean we see the average age of gamers increase quite a bit!
Just a thought....
Game
Games are harder to get the hang of, with all the 3D perspective and everything, but once you get the hang of 3D, they're mostly rather easy.
So 2D games are easier to get the hang of controlling, but harder to play through once you get the hang of it.
And 3D games are harder to get the hang of, but once you get the hang of them, they're fairly easy in comparison (bar very few hardcore games like Perfect Dark!)
I think that games are generally a bit too easy nowdays.
If you don't spend atleast a week trying to finish the last level/boss then it's not hard enough.
Remember the days of Mario and Sonic when one slip meant starting the level again?
If you lost too many lives then you had to start the entire game again!
Ofcourse, punishment doesn't have to be so harsh nowdays, but generally speaking, games tend to let you breeze through the levels, one after another.
I think that that's acceptable on an easy difficulty setting (you need a learning curve for beginners), but when it comes to the harder setting, if each level doesn't take atleast 3 hours of trying before you beat it, then it's not as hard as those ancient 2D games we were brought up on.
Easy for beginners/softies
Meduim for the average gamer
Hard for the lethal hardcore gamers who want the ultimate challenge from a game.
That way, everyone is happy.
After all, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark used the very same system, and that game was loved by hardcores, mainstreamers and casuals alike.
So 2D games are easier to get the hang of controlling, but harder to play through once you get the hang of it.
And 3D games are harder to get the hang of, but once you get the hang of them, they're fairly easy in comparison (bar very few hardcore games like Perfect Dark!)
I think that games are generally a bit too easy nowdays.
If you don't spend atleast a week trying to finish the last level/boss then it's not hard enough.
Remember the days of Mario and Sonic when one slip meant starting the level again?
If you lost too many lives then you had to start the entire game again!
Ofcourse, punishment doesn't have to be so harsh nowdays, but generally speaking, games tend to let you breeze through the levels, one after another.
I think that that's acceptable on an easy difficulty setting (you need a learning curve for beginners), but when it comes to the harder setting, if each level doesn't take atleast 3 hours of trying before you beat it, then it's not as hard as those ancient 2D games we were brought up on.
Easy for beginners/softies
Meduim for the average gamer
Hard for the lethal hardcore gamers who want the ultimate challenge from a game.
That way, everyone is happy.
After all, Goldeneye and Perfect Dark used the very same system, and that game was loved by hardcores, mainstreamers and casuals alike.
Are games getting harder?
Are you on drugs???
Don't you remember the 8-bit days? Or am I just showing my age?
Back in the day, when computer game controls looked like QAOPSPACE, games were b-st-hard. It was a rare and noble thing to actually complete a game, requiring dedication and perseverance. Then along came the consoles, and these days, any old nonce with 2 left thumbs can stumble through your average game without even having to plug their Action Replay in.
It's not so much the shift from 2D to 3D, it's just the whole methodology and thought behind game design has changed. Back in the day, the key to success at most games was as much to do with memory as true gaming skill - especially true for the twitch games, learning the enemy attack patterns, and being able to anticipate them. This gameplay dynamic has radically shifted and broadened as development teams have evolved from the lone coder in the spare room to 10s or 100s of artists, coders, designers, musicians and directors.
The net result of this is to make a game that's more accessible all the way through. There's little point spending weeks and thousands of pounds crafting a beatuiful end sequence if only 3 obsessives are going to see it.
Either that or you've just got crap in your old age.
Are you on drugs???
Don't you remember the 8-bit days? Or am I just showing my age?
Back in the day, when computer game controls looked like QAOPSPACE, games were b-st-hard. It was a rare and noble thing to actually complete a game, requiring dedication and perseverance. Then along came the consoles, and these days, any old nonce with 2 left thumbs can stumble through your average game without even having to plug their Action Replay in.
It's not so much the shift from 2D to 3D, it's just the whole methodology and thought behind game design has changed. Back in the day, the key to success at most games was as much to do with memory as true gaming skill - especially true for the twitch games, learning the enemy attack patterns, and being able to anticipate them. This gameplay dynamic has radically shifted and broadened as development teams have evolved from the lone coder in the spare room to 10s or 100s of artists, coders, designers, musicians and directors.
The net result of this is to make a game that's more accessible all the way through. There's little point spending weeks and thousands of pounds crafting a beatuiful end sequence if only 3 obsessives are going to see it.
Either that or you've just got crap in your old age.
Maybe we're just getting better?...
Anyway games were alot harder in the Olden days because half the time you didn't know what was going on, also where could you go to defend yourself? Up was the only offense available while now you can just run sideways and the bullet/weapon/punch/kick misses you.
Anyway games were alot harder in the Olden days because half the time you didn't know what was going on, also where could you go to defend yourself? Up was the only offense available while now you can just run sideways and the bullet/weapon/punch/kick misses you.
ISS on GBA - hardest game I've ever played, but so rewarding when you score (even though it's likely to be from a 2 yard tap-in)
LMAO @ Etila's Tagline... :D
I don't reckon 3D games are as hard (again bar some games, like PD and Goldeneye), and I remember the REALLY hard games, no save function, had to play all the way through in one session to win it, and you had to earn extra lives and continues. Not like nowadays...
sheesh, we're all starting to sound like old men...
"Back in my day..."
;-)
sheesh, we're all starting to sound like old men...
"Back in my day..."
;-)
Games that were repetitive and couldn't be completed, ever? Yup, they were hard, but nobody really played them long enough to care about it.
Apart from those geeky people who try and get their name in the Guiness book of records.
Nowadays, we get games that are fun to play from start to finish, and we get more even after we think we complete it.
I think the range has changed mind... we have some really easy games, and really hard games. We can buy games to suit our needs.
Older games start off easy, and then work their way up. Like Asteriods and Space Invaders. Mobile phone material.
Same now, I suppose, but we can choose where to start. Choice is important.
Apart from those geeky people who try and get their name in the Guiness book of records.
Nowadays, we get games that are fun to play from start to finish, and we get more even after we think we complete it.
I think the range has changed mind... we have some really easy games, and really hard games. We can buy games to suit our needs.
Older games start off easy, and then work their way up. Like Asteriods and Space Invaders. Mobile phone material.
Same now, I suppose, but we can choose where to start. Choice is important.
The reason my Dad doesn't play many games any more is because they're not simple enough. Time and time again I have recommend Deus Ex to him, and yet the amount of time and care it takes to play the game well means he just can't be bothered.
Gaming is getting harder. Not in the sense of bosser being tougher to beat, or levels becoming longer with harder enemies, it's just becoming much more complicated.
There is the odd exception though, and these games are great also. However, games with complex controls and instructions can also make the experience much more intense and enjoyable, so it goes both ways I guess.
Gaming is getting harder. Not in the sense of bosser being tougher to beat, or levels becoming longer with harder enemies, it's just becoming much more complicated.
There is the odd exception though, and these games are great also. However, games with complex controls and instructions can also make the experience much more intense and enjoyable, so it goes both ways I guess.
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