The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
One thing that has always irritated me when playing an extremely enjoyable computer game is not being able to get past a certain stage of the game. Most of the time, it’s a short-lived problem because there are so many excellent sources of tips and guides in book form and on the internet these days, but there is also the hugely frustrating instance when the problem consists of a very powerful boss to beat, and no matter how many goes I give it, I fail every time to defeat the annoying nemesis.
I am in this dilemma at the moment with Final Fantasy 8. I’ve spent many hours happily playing this game and enjoying every moment of the experience. I’ve advanced through to what I believe to be near the end of Disc 3, only to be thwarted from going any further by a monster called Mobile Type B. For a machine that sounds harmless enough, it has been the bane of my gaming life for many months now. I’ve read all the FF8 guides, I’ve tried numerous tips and tricks suggested to me by FF veterans here on SR, and I’ve even tried pleading to the gods, all to no avail. I’ve tried invincibility codes on Action Replay, but alas they didn’t work. So, I am left sunken-hearted and downtrodden by my inability to progress any further in one of my all-time favourite games, leaving me destined never to find out what graphical marvels await me in the closing sequence.
It’s on times like this that I wish games of this type came inbuilt with an option to temporarily weaken an enemy you are finding difficult or to have a difficulty setting to start out with, so that you can progress in the game whatever your level of competence. I admire gamers who have the ability to play through any game on the hardest of difficulty settings. Sadly, I am by no means one of these gamers, although I have played computer games for most of my life. I do tend to find games sometimes beyond my ability to finish. I have found with the Final Fantasy series that the lack of an option to set difficulty level can cause much grief, disheartenment and disappointment to gamers like myself. This is a sad situation because games should be able to be enjoyed thoroughly be all gamers, not enjoyed up to the point where the game becomes too difficult for the average games player.
I will soldier on with Mobile Type B, but I doubt I will ever beat it and get the chance to continue on with the adventure, and as Squall fights and loses once more, I shall sigh and dream of what awaits myself and many others, but alas will never be seen, and curse the developer who never added a difficulty setting.
I am in this dilemma at the moment with Final Fantasy 8. I’ve spent many hours happily playing this game and enjoying every moment of the experience. I’ve advanced through to what I believe to be near the end of Disc 3, only to be thwarted from going any further by a monster called Mobile Type B. For a machine that sounds harmless enough, it has been the bane of my gaming life for many months now. I’ve read all the FF8 guides, I’ve tried numerous tips and tricks suggested to me by FF veterans here on SR, and I’ve even tried pleading to the gods, all to no avail. I’ve tried invincibility codes on Action Replay, but alas they didn’t work. So, I am left sunken-hearted and downtrodden by my inability to progress any further in one of my all-time favourite games, leaving me destined never to find out what graphical marvels await me in the closing sequence.
It’s on times like this that I wish games of this type came inbuilt with an option to temporarily weaken an enemy you are finding difficult or to have a difficulty setting to start out with, so that you can progress in the game whatever your level of competence. I admire gamers who have the ability to play through any game on the hardest of difficulty settings. Sadly, I am by no means one of these gamers, although I have played computer games for most of my life. I do tend to find games sometimes beyond my ability to finish. I have found with the Final Fantasy series that the lack of an option to set difficulty level can cause much grief, disheartenment and disappointment to gamers like myself. This is a sad situation because games should be able to be enjoyed thoroughly be all gamers, not enjoyed up to the point where the game becomes too difficult for the average games player.
I will soldier on with Mobile Type B, but I doubt I will ever beat it and get the chance to continue on with the adventure, and as Squall fights and loses once more, I shall sigh and dream of what awaits myself and many others, but alas will never be seen, and curse the developer who never added a difficulty setting.
Triple_H wrote:
> But take some other games like say NHL2002 and its all different. EA
> have always had dodgy difficulty settings, and on this MEDIUM is easy
> enough when you get used to it but HARD is so nail-bitingly tough that
> you soon start getting proper annoyed. And teh annoying thing is that,
> there is usually always one way to score on that kind of difficulty
> levels-it isnt about skill anymore but about getting lucky and getting
> into same positions every time. PES2 actually makes you feel as if you
> have earned a victory.
no way.. nhl on hard gets reasonable once u get used to it... maybe after about 5 games of getting your butt kicked... :)
> But take some other games like say NHL2002 and its all different. EA
> have always had dodgy difficulty settings, and on this MEDIUM is easy
> enough when you get used to it but HARD is so nail-bitingly tough that
> you soon start getting proper annoyed. And teh annoying thing is that,
> there is usually always one way to score on that kind of difficulty
> levels-it isnt about skill anymore but about getting lucky and getting
> into same positions every time. PES2 actually makes you feel as if you
> have earned a victory.
no way.. nhl on hard gets reasonable once u get used to it... maybe after about 5 games of getting your butt kicked... :)
Pro Evo wrote:
> As for your FF8. Keep at it. Tried going to level up a bit to give you
> more life and power ect?
I've tried levelling up but this Mobile Type B thing is the one that has an attack that knocks everyone back to 1 HP with one strike so all the levelling up in the world isn't helping me at the moment, once it uses that attack I'm always done for.
> As for your FF8. Keep at it. Tried going to level up a bit to give you
> more life and power ect?
I've tried levelling up but this Mobile Type B thing is the one that has an attack that knocks everyone back to 1 HP with one strike so all the levelling up in the world isn't helping me at the moment, once it uses that attack I'm always done for.
I am personally more disappointed about difficulty levels. When I play Final Fantasy games I know I am not cheated by the game since its up to me to train my people up and progress in the game. Its different in adventure/action games. Sometimes you feel as if the AI is taking the p*** out of you and you start breaking furniture round your house. But its sports games that have some annoying difficulty levels. In most football games, NORMAL is easy enough for you to wipe the floor with the opposition and HARD is so damn annoying that you start beating your cat with your joypad. Luckily games like PES2 have sorted that and the hard 5-star level is just about challenging enough for everyone.
But take some other games like say NHL2002 and its all different. EA have always had dodgy difficulty settings, and on this MEDIUM is easy enough when you get used to it but HARD is so nail-bitingly tough that you soon start getting proper annoyed. And teh annoying thing is that, there is usually always one way to score on that kind of difficulty levels-it isnt about skill anymore but about getting lucky and getting into same positions every time. PES2 actually makes you feel as if you have earned a victory.
SO I think difficulty levels in sports games and driving games can still be improved and its really all about making the game accessible to everyone-the balance needs to be there or the game will either be too hard for everyone or get too easy too soon
But take some other games like say NHL2002 and its all different. EA have always had dodgy difficulty settings, and on this MEDIUM is easy enough when you get used to it but HARD is so nail-bitingly tough that you soon start getting proper annoyed. And teh annoying thing is that, there is usually always one way to score on that kind of difficulty levels-it isnt about skill anymore but about getting lucky and getting into same positions every time. PES2 actually makes you feel as if you have earned a victory.
SO I think difficulty levels in sports games and driving games can still be improved and its really all about making the game accessible to everyone-the balance needs to be there or the game will either be too hard for everyone or get too easy too soon
I have had the same problems in the past. Going through the game and everything is going fine, really enjoying it and such, and then all of a sudden, bang, theres a section thats near impossible. Always happens doesnt it? Your really enjoying the game and its all getting good, and then you hit a section that just seems to hate you, and no matter what you do you cant seem to beat the blummin thing. You try and try again but still the game sits and laughs at you.
I use to hate moments like that, but these days, now that im older and can handle the games 'better' i seem to stick to it alot more and keep at the game. Its not going to beat me, ill beat it. This is what i seem to enjoy games for more than anything now. The feeling after you complete that damn near impossible boss its pretty great. All that hard work finally pulled off. Satisfaction.
Thing is some games are really, damn near impossible. I remember Jedi Knights on the PS1. There was a level in that that needed you to get your jumps perfect to the nearest milimeter or you ended up dropping to your death. Trouble is the dodgy control system didnt allow for this, and in the end im sure that it purely came down to luck to ever complete the thing. Needless to say i never did.
Another thing is, that i think developers have to take real care into gettting the difficulty curve right. Some games start off nicely and ease you into the game, and then all of a sudden its just gets too hard too quick. Its one thing making the game not too easy, but you want to be able to play the game and take some enjoyment out of it. Going back to Jedi Knight, in the end of that, it was just frustrating to play!
The better games have a nice gentle intro, get you use to the game and then become more challenging.
As for your FF8. Keep at it. Tried going to level up a bit to give you more life and power ect?
I use to hate moments like that, but these days, now that im older and can handle the games 'better' i seem to stick to it alot more and keep at the game. Its not going to beat me, ill beat it. This is what i seem to enjoy games for more than anything now. The feeling after you complete that damn near impossible boss its pretty great. All that hard work finally pulled off. Satisfaction.
Thing is some games are really, damn near impossible. I remember Jedi Knights on the PS1. There was a level in that that needed you to get your jumps perfect to the nearest milimeter or you ended up dropping to your death. Trouble is the dodgy control system didnt allow for this, and in the end im sure that it purely came down to luck to ever complete the thing. Needless to say i never did.
Another thing is, that i think developers have to take real care into gettting the difficulty curve right. Some games start off nicely and ease you into the game, and then all of a sudden its just gets too hard too quick. Its one thing making the game not too easy, but you want to be able to play the game and take some enjoyment out of it. Going back to Jedi Knight, in the end of that, it was just frustrating to play!
The better games have a nice gentle intro, get you use to the game and then become more challenging.
As for your FF8. Keep at it. Tried going to level up a bit to give you more life and power ect?
That doesn't really help you all that much though when you get further on in the game. It barely makes a difference in battle.
There is a sort-of difficulty setting. ATB can be set to 'Active' (hard) or 'Wait' (easy) in the config menu.
One thing that has always irritated me when playing an extremely enjoyable computer game is not being able to get past a certain stage of the game. Most of the time, it’s a short-lived problem because there are so many excellent sources of tips and guides in book form and on the internet these days, but there is also the hugely frustrating instance when the problem consists of a very powerful boss to beat, and no matter how many goes I give it, I fail every time to defeat the annoying nemesis.
I am in this dilemma at the moment with Final Fantasy 8. I’ve spent many hours happily playing this game and enjoying every moment of the experience. I’ve advanced through to what I believe to be near the end of Disc 3, only to be thwarted from going any further by a monster called Mobile Type B. For a machine that sounds harmless enough, it has been the bane of my gaming life for many months now. I’ve read all the FF8 guides, I’ve tried numerous tips and tricks suggested to me by FF veterans here on SR, and I’ve even tried pleading to the gods, all to no avail. I’ve tried invincibility codes on Action Replay, but alas they didn’t work. So, I am left sunken-hearted and downtrodden by my inability to progress any further in one of my all-time favourite games, leaving me destined never to find out what graphical marvels await me in the closing sequence.
It’s on times like this that I wish games of this type came inbuilt with an option to temporarily weaken an enemy you are finding difficult or to have a difficulty setting to start out with, so that you can progress in the game whatever your level of competence. I admire gamers who have the ability to play through any game on the hardest of difficulty settings. Sadly, I am by no means one of these gamers, although I have played computer games for most of my life. I do tend to find games sometimes beyond my ability to finish. I have found with the Final Fantasy series that the lack of an option to set difficulty level can cause much grief, disheartenment and disappointment to gamers like myself. This is a sad situation because games should be able to be enjoyed thoroughly be all gamers, not enjoyed up to the point where the game becomes too difficult for the average games player.
I will soldier on with Mobile Type B, but I doubt I will ever beat it and get the chance to continue on with the adventure, and as Squall fights and loses once more, I shall sigh and dream of what awaits myself and many others, but alas will never be seen, and curse the developer who never added a difficulty setting.
I am in this dilemma at the moment with Final Fantasy 8. I’ve spent many hours happily playing this game and enjoying every moment of the experience. I’ve advanced through to what I believe to be near the end of Disc 3, only to be thwarted from going any further by a monster called Mobile Type B. For a machine that sounds harmless enough, it has been the bane of my gaming life for many months now. I’ve read all the FF8 guides, I’ve tried numerous tips and tricks suggested to me by FF veterans here on SR, and I’ve even tried pleading to the gods, all to no avail. I’ve tried invincibility codes on Action Replay, but alas they didn’t work. So, I am left sunken-hearted and downtrodden by my inability to progress any further in one of my all-time favourite games, leaving me destined never to find out what graphical marvels await me in the closing sequence.
It’s on times like this that I wish games of this type came inbuilt with an option to temporarily weaken an enemy you are finding difficult or to have a difficulty setting to start out with, so that you can progress in the game whatever your level of competence. I admire gamers who have the ability to play through any game on the hardest of difficulty settings. Sadly, I am by no means one of these gamers, although I have played computer games for most of my life. I do tend to find games sometimes beyond my ability to finish. I have found with the Final Fantasy series that the lack of an option to set difficulty level can cause much grief, disheartenment and disappointment to gamers like myself. This is a sad situation because games should be able to be enjoyed thoroughly be all gamers, not enjoyed up to the point where the game becomes too difficult for the average games player.
I will soldier on with Mobile Type B, but I doubt I will ever beat it and get the chance to continue on with the adventure, and as Squall fights and loses once more, I shall sigh and dream of what awaits myself and many others, but alas will never be seen, and curse the developer who never added a difficulty setting.