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Aventure games, 3D plaformers as they are also known. The newer brother to he who has lately fallen from grace - the 2D platformer.
Now, my main point here is a gripe against 3D adventure games. Whilst entertaining, they really don't seem to require much skill at all. I don't like this. I like to be able to complete a game that few others can. That's an achievement. Finishing Zelda or DK64 isn't.
Where does the replay value in games come from? It comes from trying to beat your own highest scores and fastest times - the desire to be better, to be GOOD at this game. To be able to say to your mates "I've completed XXXXXX" and for them to be impressed. That's not to say 3D platformers aren't good games, it's just there's no real sense of achievement from finishing them. No point. No skill. They're not games, they're just forms of entertainment....
Now, my main point here is a gripe against 3D adventure games. Whilst entertaining, they really don't seem to require much skill at all. I don't like this. I like to be able to complete a game that few others can. That's an achievement. Finishing Zelda or DK64 isn't.
Where does the replay value in games come from? It comes from trying to beat your own highest scores and fastest times - the desire to be better, to be GOOD at this game. To be able to say to your mates "I've completed XXXXXX" and for them to be impressed. That's not to say 3D platformers aren't good games, it's just there's no real sense of achievement from finishing them. No point. No skill. They're not games, they're just forms of entertainment....
Agree mith meka on this. I made a comment about save points removing the skill from games some time ago.
'consistency' is now unnecessary.
'consistency' is now unnecessary.
Did it have 11 levels and there was one place where you were in a rowing boat and had to dive out to stop going down a whirlpool? That the one?
I never got past that whirlpool....
I never got past that whirlpool....
You know what the problem is, don't you?
Memory cards.
That's right, memory cards.
Now you can save your game pretty much whenever you want, so making that jump isn't quite so vital. If you fall, just reload and carry on.
Back in the days of 8 and 16 bit, you didn't have that safety net.
Does anyone remember Ghouls and Ghosts, and specifically the Megadrive version?
That game was so tough.
There were no passwords, so everytime you played, yu played from the start. To complete it would take a couple of hours of your time.
You got a new life on a couple of occasions during the game, but when they were gone, they were gone.
You coudn't save before the boss, and just keep trying until you beat him, you had to start from the start each time!
So that's another 2 hours of throwing weapons, and jumping onto floating platforms, only to know that you'll probably get beaten again, because you haven't quite worked out the bosses attacks yet!
Finishing these games took patience and persistence, so completing the game was something of an achievement.
These days, you don't really lose anything by loswing a life, and the biggest tragedy is not missing a jump, but forgetting to save, or having a dodgy memory pack!
Mind you, I'm glad of this change, as I rarely have the same amount of time to spend on games now as I had in my youth, so I can slowly make progress and still reach my goal, without having to play through the night (as fun as that can be.)
Memory cards.
That's right, memory cards.
Now you can save your game pretty much whenever you want, so making that jump isn't quite so vital. If you fall, just reload and carry on.
Back in the days of 8 and 16 bit, you didn't have that safety net.
Does anyone remember Ghouls and Ghosts, and specifically the Megadrive version?
That game was so tough.
There were no passwords, so everytime you played, yu played from the start. To complete it would take a couple of hours of your time.
You got a new life on a couple of occasions during the game, but when they were gone, they were gone.
You coudn't save before the boss, and just keep trying until you beat him, you had to start from the start each time!
So that's another 2 hours of throwing weapons, and jumping onto floating platforms, only to know that you'll probably get beaten again, because you haven't quite worked out the bosses attacks yet!
Finishing these games took patience and persistence, so completing the game was something of an achievement.
These days, you don't really lose anything by loswing a life, and the biggest tragedy is not missing a jump, but forgetting to save, or having a dodgy memory pack!
Mind you, I'm glad of this change, as I rarely have the same amount of time to spend on games now as I had in my youth, so I can slowly make progress and still reach my goal, without having to play through the night (as fun as that can be.)
Ahhhh, memories of text based adventures on the ZX Spectrum.....
Adventures spawned most of the other genres, they are the great granddaddy of the majority of games we have today.
Space Invaders spawned the arcade games and the shooters.
Then the RPG (Role Playing Game) came along, and evolved into the Tomb Riader, Golden Eye, Metal Gear Solid and Shenmues of today.
Adventures in their original form are very hard to find, becaused most have evolved into the RPG format, the platformer of today being the nearest we can get to it, with a character already developed and just a quest to complete. (This is why I prefer RPG's over platformers by the way, more to do).
You can still set your own targets with adventures though, you don't have to have a hi-score displayed by the game, set your own targets and beat them.
Adventures spawned most of the other genres, they are the great granddaddy of the majority of games we have today.
Space Invaders spawned the arcade games and the shooters.
Then the RPG (Role Playing Game) came along, and evolved into the Tomb Riader, Golden Eye, Metal Gear Solid and Shenmues of today.
Adventures in their original form are very hard to find, becaused most have evolved into the RPG format, the platformer of today being the nearest we can get to it, with a character already developed and just a quest to complete. (This is why I prefer RPG's over platformers by the way, more to do).
You can still set your own targets with adventures though, you don't have to have a hi-score displayed by the game, set your own targets and beat them.
Adventure games are great! I mean yeah you get the odd one that doesn't impress but overall they are amazing, the graphics, the beautiful landscapes, the sense of adventure. Put yourself in kiddy shoes, they love to explore, imagine what fun they have guiding a squirrel around a forest, and NOT inside a giants y-fronts, for the Conker fans amongst you!
But ever since 3D adventure games were revolutionised by, in my opinion, Banjo-Kazooie, although there were some before it, they have grown ever popular and still remain in quite a few consoles as we speak. Although the lastability of them differs from person to person and game to game, they can still be played over and there are always little tid-bits like raising Sharfood Island etc in Banjo-Kazooie which my brother is doing right now!
Being on an adventure is very exciting especially for youngsters, taking control of an expedition, if you will, is the most exciting aspect of going out and if you can do it with your favourite charachter whether it be sonic or Mario it makes it much more fun, and hey at least you can replay a lot of them and get much more fun out of the game!
Adventure games are my sort of game, they are fun to play, everyone can play them exept Conker's BFD and they are the games that MAKE this industry.
The Game
But ever since 3D adventure games were revolutionised by, in my opinion, Banjo-Kazooie, although there were some before it, they have grown ever popular and still remain in quite a few consoles as we speak. Although the lastability of them differs from person to person and game to game, they can still be played over and there are always little tid-bits like raising Sharfood Island etc in Banjo-Kazooie which my brother is doing right now!
Being on an adventure is very exciting especially for youngsters, taking control of an expedition, if you will, is the most exciting aspect of going out and if you can do it with your favourite charachter whether it be sonic or Mario it makes it much more fun, and hey at least you can replay a lot of them and get much more fun out of the game!
Adventure games are my sort of game, they are fun to play, everyone can play them exept Conker's BFD and they are the games that MAKE this industry.
The Game
Aventure games, 3D plaformers as they are also known. The newer brother to he who has lately fallen from grace - the 2D platformer.
Now, my main point here is a gripe against 3D adventure games. Whilst entertaining, they really don't seem to require much skill at all. I don't like this. I like to be able to complete a game that few others can. That's an achievement. Finishing Zelda or DK64 isn't.
Where does the replay value in games come from? It comes from trying to beat your own highest scores and fastest times - the desire to be better, to be GOOD at this game. To be able to say to your mates "I've completed XXXXXX" and for them to be impressed. That's not to say 3D platformers aren't good games, it's just there's no real sense of achievement from finishing them. No point. No skill. They're not games, they're just forms of entertainment....
Now, my main point here is a gripe against 3D adventure games. Whilst entertaining, they really don't seem to require much skill at all. I don't like this. I like to be able to complete a game that few others can. That's an achievement. Finishing Zelda or DK64 isn't.
Where does the replay value in games come from? It comes from trying to beat your own highest scores and fastest times - the desire to be better, to be GOOD at this game. To be able to say to your mates "I've completed XXXXXX" and for them to be impressed. That's not to say 3D platformers aren't good games, it's just there's no real sense of achievement from finishing them. No point. No skill. They're not games, they're just forms of entertainment....