Have games become too easy/mindless?

[stargroup100]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Another issue is that a lot of games don't realize the potential of a lot of the concepts they create.

For example, take the Checkerboard Chase minigame from Kirby 64: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-iASkwCKYA

This could easily become a very simple high-speed tactical multiplayer game, but the game designers never took this idea further.

Another example is the Crashball series from Crash Bash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnaWvC-26qM

Some of the variations of this can be quite random and slightly unfair in certain situations, but in general the concept has potential to be a very competitive multiplayer action classic.

Nowadays, people are so used to the kinds of games that they play that they don't really come up with anything new. Original concepts such as these will become more and more rare as video game genres become more and more standardized.

[Nyokou]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

I'm a casual gamer. I don't mind games being too easy.

[Emithith]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

A good example of a well made game with not as good graphics as one would like, is Shinobi for the PS2. TONNES of exploration, there was a great amount of difficulty, and it's good because it's a game that you can only get better at.

A good example of a badly made game with really bad gameplay... I can't say I remember one because I usually stay the **** away from games like that and erase the trauma from my brain really fast.

I do remember one now though. Mortal Kombat? I mean, sure. Graphic-wise, it's a good game, but I haven't played a game with worse controls and worse story line. In Armageddon I don't even want to touch it because watching my Brother play it I caught so many shitty things like Taven talking to himself (bad story telling), and cheap AI that practically reacts to button pushes and not actual moves being used.

Also, I have to agree that newer games are getting sickeningly easy. I mean, even remakes. OOT for the 64? PHSAW. It was difficult of sorts. OOT for the 3DS? WTF. I beat it in a week with 1.3 hours average gameplay time. I didn't even find it hard. They gave you way too many shortcut buttons making it easy, and I am SURE the drop rate had increased at least a little bit.

RPGs from the SNES era were WAY harder for me than the ones from the PS2 era, too. I can breeze through games that aren't cheap (like, say Star Ocean: Till the End of Time's battle system) but, give me a SNES game like Earthbound and I will play it and be finished after a longer time than it took to beat a PS2 RPG.

But when it comes to mindless gameplay I say that FPSes are taking the cake. I haven't played a single "puzzling" FPS in too long. It's usually telling me what to do every time I finish something.

To finish off this rant/explanation I will just say that is a game good because it has a superior story, or graphics, or gameplay? Or is it a good game because it is fun? You decide.

[supermousie]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Great topic. A fine example is Banjo Kazooie. Remember Banjo Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge? That was a ****ing hard game. The most recent Banjo Kazooie game is Nuts & Bolts which was easier than falling off a turtle.

[Valance]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Has anyone else here happened to play Descent? It was an absolutely amazing game. It is the only FPS I know that has even attempted multi-directional controls and is still one of the most standout games that I know. Why can't developers try more stuff like this?

[Reincarnate]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Has anyone else here happened to play Descent? It was an absolutely amazing game. It is the only FPS I know that has even attempted multi-directional controls and is still one of the most standout games that I know. Why can't developers try more stuff like this?

Yep, I absolutely loved Descent 1 and 2. A great example of excellent play control.

[speeddemon]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Sometimes mindless is quite acceptable and desired. Shooting down endless hordes while being practically a god and nigh unkillable can be quite entertaining sometimes and a decent way to blow off steam.

That being said i greatly prefer games that do not require exploration, but have the option. Okami, for instance, was absolutely wonderful. Large, but not too much so, plenty of hidden things to do. Only downside was the lack of difficulty. Obviously there should be some cap to difficulty, but i still like a decent challenge. It's not normally a bother if a game is lacking in one but has the other, to me. I don't mind running in a straight line so long as it's difficult to get to the end of that line. I don't mind running around exploring so long as i don't get killed too often. After all, who likes retracing their steps through large swaths of land? If i died in the Calm Lands in FFX every 10 steps, for instance, i would've simply put the game down and not touched it, regardless of how beautiful the story is.

Moderation is key, and that's difficult for people. As far as the multiplayer/single player thing goes, honestly if your game is going to be centered around your multiplayer i don't care how the single player is. When i played WoW i couldn't give two shits about questing, but raiding and PvP was great fun. If, however, single player is all you have, then make it worth a damn. I was utterly disappointed with FFXIII because of the linearity and lack of a need to think while in combat. Hitting X/A repeatedly to make it auto select attacks after a quick scan of the enemy hardly makes it a game, in my opinion.

[LJRoX]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Okami was enjoyable on every aspect. Although all the battles, including the bosses, were really easy. I would play this game because of its waterpainted art :]

[vro]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Okami was enjoyable on every aspect. Although all the battles, including the bosses, were really easy. I would play this game because of its waterpainted art :]

True, but I wouldn't really count that. I think the games mostly being referred to are the ones in the current generation, and although Okami is technically on the Wii, its known for its glory days in the PS2, which I think is one of the greatest systems ever made.

[dAnceguy117]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Problem is that even on Halo, I *can* A-to-B it with little strategy, even on the hardest modes. Hiding spots are usually obvious and overly easy to utilize.

that's quite impressive. I'm not great at shooters or anything, but I just can't get past much on legendary without having to stop and take my time. I think I understand how this aspect of Halo could be improved upon though.

"Which games? On what difficulty?" I'd say "Most games, even on the hardest difficulties." Nowadays when I get a new game, I launch right into the hardest mode that I can. I find that while there are plenty of present-day games with adequate difficulty weights, too many of them are a bit watered down at the higher ends still.

that's fair. I guess I'm just irritated when someone seems to suggest that none of the games on 360 or any other current platform can hold a candle to their favorite game from 1993. there are absolutely some worthy challenges and experiences out there. has the average game been getting steadily easier to finish since the NES era? sure, at least a little bit, and I think that's been a necessary change. I don't think this trend will persist. (man I hope I'm right.)

cheap AI that practically reacts to button pushes and not actual moves being used

if anything, recent fighters have gotten better about this imo.

Nowadays, people are so used to the kinds of games that they play that they don't really come up with anything new. Original concepts such as these will become more and more rare as video game genres become more and more standardized.

I agree completely. this problem compounds itself within the industry, too. the number of rehashed sequels is through the roof. it's scary enough for a big developer to crank out a new IP with familiar mechanics, let alone for them to build something new and fresh from the ground up. giant publisher cranks out generic core title -> consumers gobble it up, demand more of the same -> giant publisher ups the ante by shifting money from development costs into hype and advertising... scary stuff.

[stargroup100]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Okami was amazing in almost every aspect other than gameplay mechanics. Story, art, music, everything was fine, but mechanics definitely needed tweaking.

For starters, the currency needed to be inflated. It was way too easy to get super rich. But what was most distressing was how simple the game was with the use of items. Especially Vengeance Slips that made you temporarily invincible with almost no limit to the number you can carry. I have no idea what the game creators were thinking when they put that into the game. lol

[Reincarnate]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

that's fair. I guess I'm just irritated when someone seems to suggest that none of the games on 360 or any other current platform can hold a candle to their favorite game from 1993. there are absolutely some worthy challenges and experiences out there. has the average game been getting steadily easier to finish since the NES era? sure, at least a little bit, and I think that's been a necessary change. I don't think this trend will persist. (man I hope I'm right.)

Yes, the average game has been easier to finish over time. It's not so much that there aren't any more challenges to be had today, but rather games have become more or less different skins of each other when it comes to FPS.





I'm just tired of being fed the same cookie-cutter games. They're all the same, and they're all linear, boring, and easy.

[stargroup100]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

Yeah I don't agree with everything Cracked.com does, but if it's one thing I resonate well with, it's their stance on video gaming.

[Arch0wl]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

My problem with video games now isn't linearity -- many classic games were linear. It's grit. Game developers have convinced themselves that adding reckless amounts of grittiness to your game makes the game realistic, even though it's actually just another kind of stylized realism. Grit infects an entire game's mentality, making characters stock and the environments tired. It's the herpes of game design.

[DossarLX ODI]

Re: Have games become too easy/mindless?

I'm not really a gamer so I can't really say much on this haha.

I will admit though I can't stop thinking that high-quality graphics are just some sort of way to try making me get a game. As amazing as the visual aspect might be, it's a huge turn-off to me when I consider what the game actually is. Then again, I never really enjoyed those types of games. Deus Ex was something I really enjoyed yet by today's standards the graphics may not be of "top quality".