Buying Games Like It's 1989

**A Robot Bit Me** · 02 Dec 2007, 02:35 PM

I am sick of the bullshit hand-holding, and it is a fairly new trend - I'll give you that. If Super Mario Bros. was released in 2007, a mushroom fairy or some shit would stop you immediately before that first goomba in 1-1 to tell you that the "A" button is used to jump. It would tell you that you can jump on the enemy to defeat it right before walking you through grabbing the mushroom, explaining what it does, directing you towards the now-breakable bricks, and reminding you to save your game before moving on.

Twilight Princess insists on reminding me what rupees are and how I can use them with each one I find in a chest. Phantom Hourglass tells me what keys do every fucking time I get one. I hate that.

But there are still plenty of games that teach you through design rather than tutorial. Though I'm not a huge FPS fan, I acknowledge the genre for rarely patronizing*. Half Life 2 is a great example of expanding on what the player already knows to introduce new concepts naturally and cohesively without insulting hand-holding or overly explanatory tutorial.

Come to think of it, Half Life 2 is a great example of everything a game can do right.

* : Halo notwithstanding. "Look up, look down, look right, does that feel okay?"

**NeoZeedeater** · 02 Dec 2007, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by A Robot Bit Me

* : They also credit Contra with introducing cheat codes.

I still don't get how the gaming media, especially IGN, has got to the point where they seem to think nearly everything originated on the NES. Even if they're hiring people fresh out of diapers they should at least get ones with the sense to not make shit up out of thin air.

**YellerDog** · 02 Dec 2007, 06:17 PM

Particularly now that their entire audience can fact-check BS like that easily. You'd think they'd make a little trip to Wikipedia (at the very minimum).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheat_codes
Gosh, looks like it was actually "Adventure" for the 2600. Thanks Wikipedia!

**SamuraiMoogle** · 02 Dec 2007, 10:34 PM

I think the difficulty in a lot of older games just came from the fact that they controlled like shit. Castlevania wouldnt be so hard if you could change direction of your jump easier.

**kingoffighters** · 03 Dec 2007, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by NeoZeedeater

I still don't get how the gaming media, especially IGN, has got to the point where they seem to think nearly everything originated on the NES. Even if they're hiring people fresh out of diapers they should at least get ones with the sense to not make shit up out of thin air.

Journalistic integrity/accuracy is not exactly a priority for IGN.

**Tain** · 03 Dec 2007, 02:05 AM

I think the difficulty in a lot of older games just came from the fact that they controlled like shit. Castlevania wouldnt be so hard if you could change direction of your jump easier.

I don't know if I'd call that "controlling like shit", though, when the entire game was designed with this sort of thing in mind.

**Uriel** · 03 Dec 2007, 05:15 AM

Originally Posted by SamuraiMoogle

I think the difficulty in a lot of older games just came from the fact that they controlled like shit. Castlevania wouldnt be so hard if you could change direction of your jump easier.

I hate Battletoads.

**Yoshi** · 03 Dec 2007, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by SamuraiMoogle

I think the difficulty in a lot of older games just came from the fact that they controlled like shit. Castlevania wouldnt be so hard if you could change direction of your jump easier.

Every game would be easier if it weren't physics getting in the way.