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I will only buy a game if I'm confident that it'll last for a long time. If there's anything that I really hate, it has to be when I buy a game and finish it within the same day. The only real exception to this rule has to have been Rez, which although I completed in just over an hour, I (strangely) keep going back to play it. What gets at me, is the lifespan of games, and why developers try to put things in to make you play a game for longer.
In a typical racing game, there will be a number of different championships ranging from easy to hard. Completing any will give you the 'ending' credits, but what really annoys me is that to technically 'finish' the game, you have to race every championship just to unlock a crappy little worthless car (worthless because you won't use it - you've just finished the game completely). It could be a jolly old laugh if it wasn't for the lazy developers. What am I talking about? The fact that each 'championship' is exactly the same albeit with one extra track and harder AI. My idea of fun is definitely not repeating the same racing process continuously while then later being continuously beaten by cheating AI. Developers need to put a bit of ingenuity into extending a game's lifespan.
Unlockable extras aren't fun to get, and aren't a worthy prize. Take Wave Race Blue Storm for example - I spent literally days perfecting the expert tracks in Time Trial, only to find that when I did finish them I unlocked a course which was bland, boring and most importantly a 'lunchtime' track which could have been put together in a meager few hours. This annoyed me, and I generally tend to stop playing a racing game when it starts to require a great deal of practice - the rewards just aren't worth it.
But cheeky developers don't just con you into replaying over and over again in racing games, it happens in all genres. Whether that be with the frankly aweful 'collect the dog tags' of Metal Gear Solid 2, or the 'use a different sphere grid' of Final Fantasy X; I don't want to replay a game which only offers a few minor changes the second time round. I want a different challenge the second time - not harder AI and different abilities.
I could almost predict that developers expect you to play the game again, judging by how short they're tending to make the game the first time round. I've come to accept Final Fantasy games as gargantuan - my timer is on over 100 hours on Final Fantasy 8 - but on Final Fantasy 10 I'm only on about 27 hours, and I guarantee that within 30 I could finish the games. Although, picking on FF is a bit harsh considering that the main game is still triple that of many others. Added to that, there are still plenty of mini-games for me to enjoy along the way.
In fact, I think that mini-games are probably the most satisfying unlockable extra. Super Monkey Ball had three brilliant mini-games to unlock, which on their own could account for a fairly decent game. Anything from simple slot machines, a card game or simulation of a simple sport could add hours of extra lifespan and make up for the length of the proper game. I said earlier that I finished Final Fantasy 8 in over 100 hours, but that's only with the added fact that I completed every mini-game including the queen of cards quest. To finish the actual game would have taken less than half this time.
But its only worth making these extras available if people are going to play them. Putting something special at the end of a game like Final Fantasy will result in very few people actually getting it - although I doubt that anybody who owns FF10 won't want to finish the game. Unlockable extras have to be brilliant unlockable extras if its the main aim of the player.
That said, giving a meager extra few vehicles is pathetic. As I said earlier, who's going to want to use a 'special' car if you've just finished the game. Extra challenges using this special car would be a brilliant extra, but I think that developers feel satisfied with giving you something to unlock.
And then comes the case of cheat codes. If I had been able to unlock the final track in Wave Race via cheat codes, there is no way on this earth that I would have persisted with learning the racing line inside out. With the very commonplace use of cheat codes in loads of games, finishing it properly starts to become something of a joke. Especially if a cheat code offers special modes and extra abilities. If any developer with common sense had decided to give the effects of these cheat codes as rewards for completing the game, it would have meant people wanting to finish the game, not having to download cheat codes and enter a combination of button presses.
That said, Japanese developers trust the stereotype that western gamers don't finish their games. If this was truly the case, I'd accept it as a reason for the petty rewards on completion. And its only with determination that you can complete a game properly. It IS more rewarding to yourself completing a game honestly than using a cheat, and I know for sure that if there was a true, large and special thing to unlock at the end of a game, it would mean plenty more completees, and purchasers of future sequels.
And despite the fact that replaying FF10 means I can use a different sphere grid, I'm still going to anyway. And the simple reason is, because the game is totally brilliant anyway. I'm in no doubt that people will replay Metal Gear Solid 2 for the wealth of things to do. But in mediocre games, or ones which are just plain frustrating, no ample reward will result in no replaying.
And unlocking 'mirror mode' is the lamest excuse for an unlockable extra that I've ever seen. And yes, that includes Luigi's Mansion.
In a typical racing game, there will be a number of different championships ranging from easy to hard. Completing any will give you the 'ending' credits, but what really annoys me is that to technically 'finish' the game, you have to race every championship just to unlock a crappy little worthless car (worthless because you won't use it - you've just finished the game completely). It could be a jolly old laugh if it wasn't for the lazy developers. What am I talking about? The fact that each 'championship' is exactly the same albeit with one extra track and harder AI. My idea of fun is definitely not repeating the same racing process continuously while then later being continuously beaten by cheating AI. Developers need to put a bit of ingenuity into extending a game's lifespan.
Unlockable extras aren't fun to get, and aren't a worthy prize. Take Wave Race Blue Storm for example - I spent literally days perfecting the expert tracks in Time Trial, only to find that when I did finish them I unlocked a course which was bland, boring and most importantly a 'lunchtime' track which could have been put together in a meager few hours. This annoyed me, and I generally tend to stop playing a racing game when it starts to require a great deal of practice - the rewards just aren't worth it.
But cheeky developers don't just con you into replaying over and over again in racing games, it happens in all genres. Whether that be with the frankly aweful 'collect the dog tags' of Metal Gear Solid 2, or the 'use a different sphere grid' of Final Fantasy X; I don't want to replay a game which only offers a few minor changes the second time round. I want a different challenge the second time - not harder AI and different abilities.
I could almost predict that developers expect you to play the game again, judging by how short they're tending to make the game the first time round. I've come to accept Final Fantasy games as gargantuan - my timer is on over 100 hours on Final Fantasy 8 - but on Final Fantasy 10 I'm only on about 27 hours, and I guarantee that within 30 I could finish the games. Although, picking on FF is a bit harsh considering that the main game is still triple that of many others. Added to that, there are still plenty of mini-games for me to enjoy along the way.
In fact, I think that mini-games are probably the most satisfying unlockable extra. Super Monkey Ball had three brilliant mini-games to unlock, which on their own could account for a fairly decent game. Anything from simple slot machines, a card game or simulation of a simple sport could add hours of extra lifespan and make up for the length of the proper game. I said earlier that I finished Final Fantasy 8 in over 100 hours, but that's only with the added fact that I completed every mini-game including the queen of cards quest. To finish the actual game would have taken less than half this time.
But its only worth making these extras available if people are going to play them. Putting something special at the end of a game like Final Fantasy will result in very few people actually getting it - although I doubt that anybody who owns FF10 won't want to finish the game. Unlockable extras have to be brilliant unlockable extras if its the main aim of the player.
That said, giving a meager extra few vehicles is pathetic. As I said earlier, who's going to want to use a 'special' car if you've just finished the game. Extra challenges using this special car would be a brilliant extra, but I think that developers feel satisfied with giving you something to unlock.
And then comes the case of cheat codes. If I had been able to unlock the final track in Wave Race via cheat codes, there is no way on this earth that I would have persisted with learning the racing line inside out. With the very commonplace use of cheat codes in loads of games, finishing it properly starts to become something of a joke. Especially if a cheat code offers special modes and extra abilities. If any developer with common sense had decided to give the effects of these cheat codes as rewards for completing the game, it would have meant people wanting to finish the game, not having to download cheat codes and enter a combination of button presses.
That said, Japanese developers trust the stereotype that western gamers don't finish their games. If this was truly the case, I'd accept it as a reason for the petty rewards on completion. And its only with determination that you can complete a game properly. It IS more rewarding to yourself completing a game honestly than using a cheat, and I know for sure that if there was a true, large and special thing to unlock at the end of a game, it would mean plenty more completees, and purchasers of future sequels.
And despite the fact that replaying FF10 means I can use a different sphere grid, I'm still going to anyway. And the simple reason is, because the game is totally brilliant anyway. I'm in no doubt that people will replay Metal Gear Solid 2 for the wealth of things to do. But in mediocre games, or ones which are just plain frustrating, no ample reward will result in no replaying.
And unlocking 'mirror mode' is the lamest excuse for an unlockable extra that I've ever seen. And yes, that includes Luigi's Mansion.
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Good post - I think the bit about only buying a game if it will last you a long time is true, but with the shorter games coming out nowm like Mario and Luigi's Mansion there might not be a choice.
I will only buy a game if I'm confident that it'll last for a long time. If there's anything that I really hate, it has to be when I buy a game and finish it within the same day. The only real exception to this rule has to have been Rez, which although I completed in just over an hour, I (strangely) keep going back to play it. What gets at me, is the lifespan of games, and why developers try to put things in to make you play a game for longer.
In a typical racing game, there will be a number of different championships ranging from easy to hard. Completing any will give you the 'ending' credits, but what really annoys me is that to technically 'finish' the game, you have to race every championship just to unlock a crappy little worthless car (worthless because you won't use it - you've just finished the game completely). It could be a jolly old laugh if it wasn't for the lazy developers. What am I talking about? The fact that each 'championship' is exactly the same albeit with one extra track and harder AI. My idea of fun is definitely not repeating the same racing process continuously while then later being continuously beaten by cheating AI. Developers need to put a bit of ingenuity into extending a game's lifespan.
Unlockable extras aren't fun to get, and aren't a worthy prize. Take Wave Race Blue Storm for example - I spent literally days perfecting the expert tracks in Time Trial, only to find that when I did finish them I unlocked a course which was bland, boring and most importantly a 'lunchtime' track which could have been put together in a meager few hours. This annoyed me, and I generally tend to stop playing a racing game when it starts to require a great deal of practice - the rewards just aren't worth it.
But cheeky developers don't just con you into replaying over and over again in racing games, it happens in all genres. Whether that be with the frankly aweful 'collect the dog tags' of Metal Gear Solid 2, or the 'use a different sphere grid' of Final Fantasy X; I don't want to replay a game which only offers a few minor changes the second time round. I want a different challenge the second time - not harder AI and different abilities.
I could almost predict that developers expect you to play the game again, judging by how short they're tending to make the game the first time round. I've come to accept Final Fantasy games as gargantuan - my timer is on over 100 hours on Final Fantasy 8 - but on Final Fantasy 10 I'm only on about 27 hours, and I guarantee that within 30 I could finish the games. Although, picking on FF is a bit harsh considering that the main game is still triple that of many others. Added to that, there are still plenty of mini-games for me to enjoy along the way.
In fact, I think that mini-games are probably the most satisfying unlockable extra. Super Monkey Ball had three brilliant mini-games to unlock, which on their own could account for a fairly decent game. Anything from simple slot machines, a card game or simulation of a simple sport could add hours of extra lifespan and make up for the length of the proper game. I said earlier that I finished Final Fantasy 8 in over 100 hours, but that's only with the added fact that I completed every mini-game including the queen of cards quest. To finish the actual game would have taken less than half this time.
But its only worth making these extras available if people are going to play them. Putting something special at the end of a game like Final Fantasy will result in very few people actually getting it - although I doubt that anybody who owns FF10 won't want to finish the game. Unlockable extras have to be brilliant unlockable extras if its the main aim of the player.
That said, giving a meager extra few vehicles is pathetic. As I said earlier, who's going to want to use a 'special' car if you've just finished the game. Extra challenges using this special car would be a brilliant extra, but I think that developers feel satisfied with giving you something to unlock.
And then comes the case of cheat codes. If I had been able to unlock the final track in Wave Race via cheat codes, there is no way on this earth that I would have persisted with learning the racing line inside out. With the very commonplace use of cheat codes in loads of games, finishing it properly starts to become something of a joke. Especially if a cheat code offers special modes and extra abilities. If any developer with common sense had decided to give the effects of these cheat codes as rewards for completing the game, it would have meant people wanting to finish the game, not having to download cheat codes and enter a combination of button presses.
That said, Japanese developers trust the stereotype that western gamers don't finish their games. If this was truly the case, I'd accept it as a reason for the petty rewards on completion. And its only with determination that you can complete a game properly. It IS more rewarding to yourself completing a game honestly than using a cheat, and I know for sure that if there was a true, large and special thing to unlock at the end of a game, it would mean plenty more completees, and purchasers of future sequels.
And despite the fact that replaying FF10 means I can use a different sphere grid, I'm still going to anyway. And the simple reason is, because the game is totally brilliant anyway. I'm in no doubt that people will replay Metal Gear Solid 2 for the wealth of things to do. But in mediocre games, or ones which are just plain frustrating, no ample reward will result in no replaying.
And unlocking 'mirror mode' is the lamest excuse for an unlockable extra that I've ever seen. And yes, that includes Luigi's Mansion.
In a typical racing game, there will be a number of different championships ranging from easy to hard. Completing any will give you the 'ending' credits, but what really annoys me is that to technically 'finish' the game, you have to race every championship just to unlock a crappy little worthless car (worthless because you won't use it - you've just finished the game completely). It could be a jolly old laugh if it wasn't for the lazy developers. What am I talking about? The fact that each 'championship' is exactly the same albeit with one extra track and harder AI. My idea of fun is definitely not repeating the same racing process continuously while then later being continuously beaten by cheating AI. Developers need to put a bit of ingenuity into extending a game's lifespan.
Unlockable extras aren't fun to get, and aren't a worthy prize. Take Wave Race Blue Storm for example - I spent literally days perfecting the expert tracks in Time Trial, only to find that when I did finish them I unlocked a course which was bland, boring and most importantly a 'lunchtime' track which could have been put together in a meager few hours. This annoyed me, and I generally tend to stop playing a racing game when it starts to require a great deal of practice - the rewards just aren't worth it.
But cheeky developers don't just con you into replaying over and over again in racing games, it happens in all genres. Whether that be with the frankly aweful 'collect the dog tags' of Metal Gear Solid 2, or the 'use a different sphere grid' of Final Fantasy X; I don't want to replay a game which only offers a few minor changes the second time round. I want a different challenge the second time - not harder AI and different abilities.
I could almost predict that developers expect you to play the game again, judging by how short they're tending to make the game the first time round. I've come to accept Final Fantasy games as gargantuan - my timer is on over 100 hours on Final Fantasy 8 - but on Final Fantasy 10 I'm only on about 27 hours, and I guarantee that within 30 I could finish the games. Although, picking on FF is a bit harsh considering that the main game is still triple that of many others. Added to that, there are still plenty of mini-games for me to enjoy along the way.
In fact, I think that mini-games are probably the most satisfying unlockable extra. Super Monkey Ball had three brilliant mini-games to unlock, which on their own could account for a fairly decent game. Anything from simple slot machines, a card game or simulation of a simple sport could add hours of extra lifespan and make up for the length of the proper game. I said earlier that I finished Final Fantasy 8 in over 100 hours, but that's only with the added fact that I completed every mini-game including the queen of cards quest. To finish the actual game would have taken less than half this time.
But its only worth making these extras available if people are going to play them. Putting something special at the end of a game like Final Fantasy will result in very few people actually getting it - although I doubt that anybody who owns FF10 won't want to finish the game. Unlockable extras have to be brilliant unlockable extras if its the main aim of the player.
That said, giving a meager extra few vehicles is pathetic. As I said earlier, who's going to want to use a 'special' car if you've just finished the game. Extra challenges using this special car would be a brilliant extra, but I think that developers feel satisfied with giving you something to unlock.
And then comes the case of cheat codes. If I had been able to unlock the final track in Wave Race via cheat codes, there is no way on this earth that I would have persisted with learning the racing line inside out. With the very commonplace use of cheat codes in loads of games, finishing it properly starts to become something of a joke. Especially if a cheat code offers special modes and extra abilities. If any developer with common sense had decided to give the effects of these cheat codes as rewards for completing the game, it would have meant people wanting to finish the game, not having to download cheat codes and enter a combination of button presses.
That said, Japanese developers trust the stereotype that western gamers don't finish their games. If this was truly the case, I'd accept it as a reason for the petty rewards on completion. And its only with determination that you can complete a game properly. It IS more rewarding to yourself completing a game honestly than using a cheat, and I know for sure that if there was a true, large and special thing to unlock at the end of a game, it would mean plenty more completees, and purchasers of future sequels.
And despite the fact that replaying FF10 means I can use a different sphere grid, I'm still going to anyway. And the simple reason is, because the game is totally brilliant anyway. I'm in no doubt that people will replay Metal Gear Solid 2 for the wealth of things to do. But in mediocre games, or ones which are just plain frustrating, no ample reward will result in no replaying.
And unlocking 'mirror mode' is the lamest excuse for an unlockable extra that I've ever seen. And yes, that includes Luigi's Mansion.
Page: