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I'm not adverse to challenge.
I proudly beat Goldeneye through 00 Agent.
I'm happy to say that I've beaten all the cups on F-Zero X.
It took me over 60 hours of play but I finished Perfect Dark on Perfect Agent.
I'm also looking forward to the supposedly "incredibly fustrating" Monkey Ball on the Gamecube.
For me, challenge is half the longevity of a game (size being the other half).
Some games are big (like Zelda and Donkey Kong 64), but fairly easy going and not really challenging.
They last me, but not half as long as a real challenge.
There is one sort of challenge I really don't like, and unfortunately, it's the easiest, laziest sort of challenge a develloper can stick in:
A time limit.
Now don't get me wrong, a time limit is perfectly acceptable in certain situations, like a racing game or when trying to escape an exploding building or other set piece like that.
But even when used properly, rushing for time limit is the sort of challenge I like least.
I don't enjoy trying to beat other people's "Perfect" lap times in F-Zero or Mario Kart - it's fun racing them in person, where you can compete head to head - it's just toning skills to get the perfect time is pretty dull AS WELL as fustratingly difficult.
And that's when it's used in the most correct way...
Let me tell you about Blast Corps.
That was a game where the time limit was fine. Why?
Because it was done in an interesting imaginative way.
Instead of some stupid clock timer in the corner, you had a slowly moving missile carrier going in a path that you had to clear. And seeing as this time limit was the only challenge you had to worry about, it wasn't such a pain.
Once I'd finished the game and it offered the option to go for Platinum medals by finishing the levels in perfect "times", I really couldn't be bothered.
Instead of frantically trying to smash a path for an advancing missile carrier, desperately making up for little mistakes, I'd have to go through the most perfect efficient route, getting turns perfect to every degree and start again if I made the slightest mistake.
It was unexciting to say the least...
Perfect Dark.
Getting through Perfect Agent was a satisfyingly hard experience. Combining skill and tactics to fight through almost impossible missions was fantastic.
It took every trick in the book, from sniping, sneaking, to making a noise with a weapon and letting the guards sprawl round the corner in to be mowed down by a waiting crosshair.
Having to rush through to beat a time limit wouldn't have been fun. You can't run and aim.
If you run through it, there's no way you're going to get the head shots you need to take down guards quickly without wasting too much ammo. I didn't care for trying to unlock cheats.
Likewise, the "Carrington Defense" Mission where it had you running to a small time limit, having to take out heavily shielded guards without aiming properly was a generally a pain to complete.
I didn't like that mission.
Now I find that Pikmin only gives you 12 minutes to do your daily task.
It wasn't the sort of challenge I was hoping for.
I wanted to be challenged by using the Pikmin's abilities to solve interesting puzzles, not run them around like headless chickens losing most of them in clumsily the race to beat the time limit.
Why can't challenges be based around using your abilities and wits at YOUR pace.
That's one reason why Metal Gear Solid is so great.
You get to mess and toy with unsuspecting guards, using all the time you need to do what you want to them.
And the challenge could be extended to more complex situations for you to deal with where using your wits and skills becomes more interesting and challenging.
Doing things at your own pace so you have time to breath and think about what you're doing, staying in control and in command of the situation, instead of getting stressed over a stupid little clock in the corner of the screen.
I want to play games at my pace and do things my way instead of being rushed down a "pre determined route", simply doing the route as "perfectly" as possible.
Challenges are great, but does that really have to mean rushing, losing full control of the situation and relying on luck as much as skill to get by?
I proudly beat Goldeneye through 00 Agent.
I'm happy to say that I've beaten all the cups on F-Zero X.
It took me over 60 hours of play but I finished Perfect Dark on Perfect Agent.
I'm also looking forward to the supposedly "incredibly fustrating" Monkey Ball on the Gamecube.
For me, challenge is half the longevity of a game (size being the other half).
Some games are big (like Zelda and Donkey Kong 64), but fairly easy going and not really challenging.
They last me, but not half as long as a real challenge.
There is one sort of challenge I really don't like, and unfortunately, it's the easiest, laziest sort of challenge a develloper can stick in:
A time limit.
Now don't get me wrong, a time limit is perfectly acceptable in certain situations, like a racing game or when trying to escape an exploding building or other set piece like that.
But even when used properly, rushing for time limit is the sort of challenge I like least.
I don't enjoy trying to beat other people's "Perfect" lap times in F-Zero or Mario Kart - it's fun racing them in person, where you can compete head to head - it's just toning skills to get the perfect time is pretty dull AS WELL as fustratingly difficult.
And that's when it's used in the most correct way...
Let me tell you about Blast Corps.
That was a game where the time limit was fine. Why?
Because it was done in an interesting imaginative way.
Instead of some stupid clock timer in the corner, you had a slowly moving missile carrier going in a path that you had to clear. And seeing as this time limit was the only challenge you had to worry about, it wasn't such a pain.
Once I'd finished the game and it offered the option to go for Platinum medals by finishing the levels in perfect "times", I really couldn't be bothered.
Instead of frantically trying to smash a path for an advancing missile carrier, desperately making up for little mistakes, I'd have to go through the most perfect efficient route, getting turns perfect to every degree and start again if I made the slightest mistake.
It was unexciting to say the least...
Perfect Dark.
Getting through Perfect Agent was a satisfyingly hard experience. Combining skill and tactics to fight through almost impossible missions was fantastic.
It took every trick in the book, from sniping, sneaking, to making a noise with a weapon and letting the guards sprawl round the corner in to be mowed down by a waiting crosshair.
Having to rush through to beat a time limit wouldn't have been fun. You can't run and aim.
If you run through it, there's no way you're going to get the head shots you need to take down guards quickly without wasting too much ammo. I didn't care for trying to unlock cheats.
Likewise, the "Carrington Defense" Mission where it had you running to a small time limit, having to take out heavily shielded guards without aiming properly was a generally a pain to complete.
I didn't like that mission.
Now I find that Pikmin only gives you 12 minutes to do your daily task.
It wasn't the sort of challenge I was hoping for.
I wanted to be challenged by using the Pikmin's abilities to solve interesting puzzles, not run them around like headless chickens losing most of them in clumsily the race to beat the time limit.
Why can't challenges be based around using your abilities and wits at YOUR pace.
That's one reason why Metal Gear Solid is so great.
You get to mess and toy with unsuspecting guards, using all the time you need to do what you want to them.
And the challenge could be extended to more complex situations for you to deal with where using your wits and skills becomes more interesting and challenging.
Doing things at your own pace so you have time to breath and think about what you're doing, staying in control and in command of the situation, instead of getting stressed over a stupid little clock in the corner of the screen.
I want to play games at my pace and do things my way instead of being rushed down a "pre determined route", simply doing the route as "perfectly" as possible.
Challenges are great, but does that really have to mean rushing, losing full control of the situation and relying on luck as much as skill to get by?
Page:
Yup. Have little timers to hang from straps around their heads. That'll make it more intense, definitely.
And no, no Rare games yet.
And no, no Rare games yet.
Have Rare actually released ANYTHING on GBA or NGC yet? They're slacking... someone should slap them... or maybe put a timer in their offices.
I've pondered about time limits a bit.
In real life, does a little clock come up, and tell you exactly how long you've got left? No.
So... would it be worth not putting an indication of how long you've got left in? I mean... it does build tension when the clock is there... but it could be cool without it too. Probably a lot of research needs to be done there.
And is Warioland 4 worth getting? That or Sonic I want next.
In real life, does a little clock come up, and tell you exactly how long you've got left? No.
So... would it be worth not putting an indication of how long you've got left in? I mean... it does build tension when the clock is there... but it could be cool without it too. Probably a lot of research needs to be done there.
And is Warioland 4 worth getting? That or Sonic I want next.
Yeah. Blast Corps ruled while you were racing the Red Truck, it's just when you came back in order to race the clock timer for Platinum medals is when it just wasn't fun anymore.
And with Blast Corps, the truck was your only worry.
When in Perfect Dark, you've got a several guards shooting at you (each one could potentially drain your energy bar down within a second), mission objectives to accomplish and a shortage of ammo, the last thing you need is to be rushed.
Fair enough, the cheat times were only an option, but surely there must be a more fun way of doing things...
Perhaps completing the mission in a certain style or finding secret area's (like the cheese...).
And with Blast Corps, the truck was your only worry.
When in Perfect Dark, you've got a several guards shooting at you (each one could potentially drain your energy bar down within a second), mission objectives to accomplish and a shortage of ammo, the last thing you need is to be rushed.
Fair enough, the cheat times were only an option, but surely there must be a more fun way of doing things...
Perhaps completing the mission in a certain style or finding secret area's (like the cheese...).
Wario Land 4 on the Gameboy Advance gives you a time limit once you've explored most of the level. Also, when you start the timer, new areas open up, soyou've got to decide whether to explore them, and let the clock tick down a bit, or just get the Hell out of there. Time is used really well on the levels. Time limit's on the bosses though, just isn't so good. It takes time to figure out what to do, then you make mistakes because you're rushing.
Anyway, I enjoyed Blast Corps, thought it was great. You might only have a few seconds to take out an early building, but then yuo'd be able to explore a bit, find another vehicle (like the big robot) come back and trash the rest of the buildings before the truck crashed. Great fun!
Anyway, I enjoyed Blast Corps, thought it was great. You might only have a few seconds to take out an early building, but then yuo'd be able to explore a bit, find another vehicle (like the big robot) come back and trash the rest of the buildings before the truck crashed. Great fun!
I'm not adverse to challenge.
I proudly beat Goldeneye through 00 Agent.
I'm happy to say that I've beaten all the cups on F-Zero X.
It took me over 60 hours of play but I finished Perfect Dark on Perfect Agent.
I'm also looking forward to the supposedly "incredibly fustrating" Monkey Ball on the Gamecube.
For me, challenge is half the longevity of a game (size being the other half).
Some games are big (like Zelda and Donkey Kong 64), but fairly easy going and not really challenging.
They last me, but not half as long as a real challenge.
There is one sort of challenge I really don't like, and unfortunately, it's the easiest, laziest sort of challenge a develloper can stick in:
A time limit.
Now don't get me wrong, a time limit is perfectly acceptable in certain situations, like a racing game or when trying to escape an exploding building or other set piece like that.
But even when used properly, rushing for time limit is the sort of challenge I like least.
I don't enjoy trying to beat other people's "Perfect" lap times in F-Zero or Mario Kart - it's fun racing them in person, where you can compete head to head - it's just toning skills to get the perfect time is pretty dull AS WELL as fustratingly difficult.
And that's when it's used in the most correct way...
Let me tell you about Blast Corps.
That was a game where the time limit was fine. Why?
Because it was done in an interesting imaginative way.
Instead of some stupid clock timer in the corner, you had a slowly moving missile carrier going in a path that you had to clear. And seeing as this time limit was the only challenge you had to worry about, it wasn't such a pain.
Once I'd finished the game and it offered the option to go for Platinum medals by finishing the levels in perfect "times", I really couldn't be bothered.
Instead of frantically trying to smash a path for an advancing missile carrier, desperately making up for little mistakes, I'd have to go through the most perfect efficient route, getting turns perfect to every degree and start again if I made the slightest mistake.
It was unexciting to say the least...
Perfect Dark.
Getting through Perfect Agent was a satisfyingly hard experience. Combining skill and tactics to fight through almost impossible missions was fantastic.
It took every trick in the book, from sniping, sneaking, to making a noise with a weapon and letting the guards sprawl round the corner in to be mowed down by a waiting crosshair.
Having to rush through to beat a time limit wouldn't have been fun. You can't run and aim.
If you run through it, there's no way you're going to get the head shots you need to take down guards quickly without wasting too much ammo. I didn't care for trying to unlock cheats.
Likewise, the "Carrington Defense" Mission where it had you running to a small time limit, having to take out heavily shielded guards without aiming properly was a generally a pain to complete.
I didn't like that mission.
Now I find that Pikmin only gives you 12 minutes to do your daily task.
It wasn't the sort of challenge I was hoping for.
I wanted to be challenged by using the Pikmin's abilities to solve interesting puzzles, not run them around like headless chickens losing most of them in clumsily the race to beat the time limit.
Why can't challenges be based around using your abilities and wits at YOUR pace.
That's one reason why Metal Gear Solid is so great.
You get to mess and toy with unsuspecting guards, using all the time you need to do what you want to them.
And the challenge could be extended to more complex situations for you to deal with where using your wits and skills becomes more interesting and challenging.
Doing things at your own pace so you have time to breath and think about what you're doing, staying in control and in command of the situation, instead of getting stressed over a stupid little clock in the corner of the screen.
I want to play games at my pace and do things my way instead of being rushed down a "pre determined route", simply doing the route as "perfectly" as possible.
Challenges are great, but does that really have to mean rushing, losing full control of the situation and relying on luck as much as skill to get by?
I proudly beat Goldeneye through 00 Agent.
I'm happy to say that I've beaten all the cups on F-Zero X.
It took me over 60 hours of play but I finished Perfect Dark on Perfect Agent.
I'm also looking forward to the supposedly "incredibly fustrating" Monkey Ball on the Gamecube.
For me, challenge is half the longevity of a game (size being the other half).
Some games are big (like Zelda and Donkey Kong 64), but fairly easy going and not really challenging.
They last me, but not half as long as a real challenge.
There is one sort of challenge I really don't like, and unfortunately, it's the easiest, laziest sort of challenge a develloper can stick in:
A time limit.
Now don't get me wrong, a time limit is perfectly acceptable in certain situations, like a racing game or when trying to escape an exploding building or other set piece like that.
But even when used properly, rushing for time limit is the sort of challenge I like least.
I don't enjoy trying to beat other people's "Perfect" lap times in F-Zero or Mario Kart - it's fun racing them in person, where you can compete head to head - it's just toning skills to get the perfect time is pretty dull AS WELL as fustratingly difficult.
And that's when it's used in the most correct way...
Let me tell you about Blast Corps.
That was a game where the time limit was fine. Why?
Because it was done in an interesting imaginative way.
Instead of some stupid clock timer in the corner, you had a slowly moving missile carrier going in a path that you had to clear. And seeing as this time limit was the only challenge you had to worry about, it wasn't such a pain.
Once I'd finished the game and it offered the option to go for Platinum medals by finishing the levels in perfect "times", I really couldn't be bothered.
Instead of frantically trying to smash a path for an advancing missile carrier, desperately making up for little mistakes, I'd have to go through the most perfect efficient route, getting turns perfect to every degree and start again if I made the slightest mistake.
It was unexciting to say the least...
Perfect Dark.
Getting through Perfect Agent was a satisfyingly hard experience. Combining skill and tactics to fight through almost impossible missions was fantastic.
It took every trick in the book, from sniping, sneaking, to making a noise with a weapon and letting the guards sprawl round the corner in to be mowed down by a waiting crosshair.
Having to rush through to beat a time limit wouldn't have been fun. You can't run and aim.
If you run through it, there's no way you're going to get the head shots you need to take down guards quickly without wasting too much ammo. I didn't care for trying to unlock cheats.
Likewise, the "Carrington Defense" Mission where it had you running to a small time limit, having to take out heavily shielded guards without aiming properly was a generally a pain to complete.
I didn't like that mission.
Now I find that Pikmin only gives you 12 minutes to do your daily task.
It wasn't the sort of challenge I was hoping for.
I wanted to be challenged by using the Pikmin's abilities to solve interesting puzzles, not run them around like headless chickens losing most of them in clumsily the race to beat the time limit.
Why can't challenges be based around using your abilities and wits at YOUR pace.
That's one reason why Metal Gear Solid is so great.
You get to mess and toy with unsuspecting guards, using all the time you need to do what you want to them.
And the challenge could be extended to more complex situations for you to deal with where using your wits and skills becomes more interesting and challenging.
Doing things at your own pace so you have time to breath and think about what you're doing, staying in control and in command of the situation, instead of getting stressed over a stupid little clock in the corner of the screen.
I want to play games at my pace and do things my way instead of being rushed down a "pre determined route", simply doing the route as "perfectly" as possible.
Challenges are great, but does that really have to mean rushing, losing full control of the situation and relying on luck as much as skill to get by?
Page: