Im considered Gen-X and I’m not 40. I was also a kid when Super Metroid came out.
I don’t measure the quality of a game based on its difficulty. There are plenty of games I love that would be considered easy, and I enjoy them because they are fun to play and entertaining. Super Mario World is fantastic, and I think it’s a much better game than say, SMB Lost Levels, which has some of the most difficult platforming in any Mario game.
My point earlier is that I don’t agree with people getting so frustrated with a game they feel entitled to an easy mode, when the game doesn’t come with one. And that’s because the developer didn’t intend for that game to be a cake walk. They wanted you to learn the mechanics and overcome challenges by developing specific skills within that game. And if the game can pull that off and still be fun because the controls feel good and the graphics and tone resonate with you, I think that’s a quality fucking game and the complainers be damned.
I think a part of that for me is because I grew up in an era of gaming where many games were very unforgiving, and the sense of accomplishment after beating a game you’ve invested the time to get good at is a very real thing for me. And in the modern era of gaming, most of the games just don’t present as much of a challenge anymore. So when a game comes along that doesn’t hold your hand, or give you the option of setting the difficulty lower, I feel like that harkens back to the times when that was the norm.
But I also love to just relax and play a game for the sake of escaping into that world. Sometimes I’m not looking for a challenge. I think there’s certainly room for both to exist, and I’m glad they do.
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Dying a lot is a part of the story, it’s part of the entire experience Miyazaki builds into his games. To not struggle against death is to miss a lot of the point.
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I mean let’s be real. Sometimes RNG is a definite problem. It’s held a lot of games back from being good or kept them from the cusp of greatness.
I’ll give you an example: Despite the infamous underwater level the TMNT game for NES it’s considered a classic. What people fail to mention or even realize (because they likely never got pass the underwater level or beat the game. I know because I’m one of those people) is that finding the last area/level of the game, the technodrome is entirely based on RNG. They don’t tell you this at all. It’s in one of four locations based on where the intro music is at when you press start to begin the game. It took speed runners years to figure that fact out.
That can absolute and deservedly ruin the gameplay experience. You could literally wander around the world map for hours, days, months and NEVER find the technodrome. That’s bad RNG.
I’ve not played his games so I’m not sure how to interpret that but trial and error is basically the definition of learning curve. It’s essential to becoming better at a game. Or anything really.
More games need Godhand’s way of adjusting difficulty: calling you a pussy in real time.
Would solve a lot of things.
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I started playing games in the NES era , primarily Super Mario 1,3 and the first three TMNT games. I used to watch some friends play Ninja Gaiden NES and it looked difficult.
I guess I’ve always been a mediocre gamer but this last decade what little skills I’ve had have deteriorated because you are afforded so many safety nets.
Auto saving and very short intervals, lots of ammo before certain bosses/areas, the first level of almost any game being a tutorial , etc
I’ve heard a lot about Demon/dark souls/Sekiro/bloodborne being difficult and that has scared me off but at the same time I’m wondering if it’s just hyperbole.
I guess I play now more for story and the experience like Drizzt said. I don’t want to get mad at a game lol
I am truly a casual scrub now.lol
sheeeeit, modern-era Ninja Gaiden 2 on the 360 is one game that I eventually gave up on. Mentor difficulty is already quite ridiculous… Master Ninja would’ve just been stupid, imo. Most people would likely be able to beat it at least on “Warrior” which is a reasonable “normal” difficulty for that game, imo.
*edit—actually…way back in the day… NES Ninja Gaiden—I gave up on that shit too, all because of That Jump in World 5…most people know what point in the game I refer to, because it is HIGH levels of bullshit. The rest of the entire game is fine, but whoever designed that particular point is an asshole, pure and simple.
The Anthem Report…here we go, folks…
…so…I just got on there now to see the “featured” store update…it’s EMOTES again…goddamn emotes. What the hell is their problem, man? It is comical at this point how seemingly out of touch they are on various things. The real shit most of the fans care about in that in-game store are the armor packs (customization skins)…yet they CONTINUE to just sit on that shit and update the store with stupid ass emotes and decals. It’s like they want this game to keep being the laughing stock of the industry…like they’re desperately trying to take the place of Fallout 76 for some bizarre reason.
note–they actually did have armor packs (just 2 again) up in the previous store update…but that shit was uglyyyy… like it made the Interceptor kinda look like it has the head of a chicken! …and the shoulder pieces looked like toilet seats! heh, I just noticed/remembered that I actually have an Elysian key right now…but I haven’t even used that shit because the Elysian chests never have anything cool in them…NO armors…just emotes and decal/vinyls. Why are these guys so bad at this shit? 
A new “treasure chest” being added to the game SHOULD be something making me want to play and get the keys to them…but nope, not as long as it only gives trash I don’t give 2 shits about.
Miyazakis games have an in universe explination for why you can Respawn over and over. Death and reincarnation and the benefits and negatives of such a power are major themes of his games and are explored not only through the traditional exposition but through the experience of dying as a player.
In Dark Souls when characters die too many times the shock and stress and pain of dying and reviving over and over drives many of the characters insane and they go “hollow.” They lose their will to go on, to keep pushing forward. This is reflected in the player when they get stuck on a boss and have to die against them over and over until they figure out how to win. Each death causes more stress, anger and grief, and for some players it’s just too much and they quit. They the player have gone hollow, insane with dread at the test before them so they just give up like all the other soul starved hollows you’ve been fighting.
If Dark Souls had an easy mode this entire theme and part of the story would be lost.
Sekiro has similar themes of death and ReBirth and what a cost it takes on the person “blessed” with such a “gift.”
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Finished DMCV a few days ago and have been playing Sekiro/Path of Exile. Playing as Dante and Nero was fun as hell, but man I fucking hate V. Feels like you’re playing a summoner in an action RPG instead of a DMC game.
I’ve been enjoying Sekiro too but…I’d have taken another Souls game over Sekiro any day. I just don’t find Sekiro to be nearly as good as the Souls series.
It is. The games are oldschool in that you’re forced to learn the mechanics and when to block/dodge/punish but you have a lot at your disposal to deal with the enemies in each game and can even cheese a lot of encounters if need be.
I found Bloodborne to be the easiest “Souls” style game by far. If you’re hit, you have a huge window where your next few attacks will leech life back to your character on top of having healing items. The game is like 10-20 bucks everywhere so I say give it a shot.
That sucks man. I personally put NGII above any DMC and Bayo game. Once the mechanics click for you, you become a true Ninja. The combat is fast as hell, the animations are still amazing to this day and I haven’t found anything as satisfying as the moment-to-moment gameplay in NGII. It’s more grounded than DMC/Bayo as well, but even still you can juggle opponents. You can dodge after 99% of your attacks if not all of them so you’re never locked into a move like you are in a lot of other action games. You can also cancel any attack with a Shuriken AKA Shuriken cancelling. You can kick off of walls, run across them, jump between them to scale things(which Sekiro also does, albeit a lot clunkier and slower.) YOU’RE A NINJA MAN
I love that game man. I’ve played through NGII/Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2/Sigma 2+ like over 10 times at least. Sigma II is like the remixed & easier version of II, and NGIII: Razor’s Edge is really close to how things were in II when it comes to the combat and pacing. I really enjoyed it even though it never quite came close to II/Sigma 2 overall.
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On one hand this a really neat and well thought out reason.
On the other it comes off as looking way too much into it.
Either way I’m not saying you’re wrong.
In fact it’s awesome that players get that immersed and invested into the lore of a game they’re playing which in turn makes them feel more “apart of it” and the overall experience. So that good enough of an explanation for me. 
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It’s literally a part of the design intent, it isn’t looking too much into it
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“Comes across that way” doesn’t mean it is. His explanation was exactly what I wanted when it came to him elaborating on the subject.
I’m just saying from an outside perspective IE: Mine. It can come across that way. That’s all.
Yeah, just clearing up that it is intentional.
Dat ending doe.
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This sounds to me you don’t want the “game” part of the game.
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Gamestop puts out a hefty loss for 2018
Cue teeth clench face
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I’ve never seen anyone take a stance against tiered difficulty in a game without coming off as “I don’t want anyone other than me to enjoy the things I enjoy.”
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So Link being a woman is nothing new apparently
Well according to theses images from a magazine from the 80s
Fucking exactly. Ninja Gaiden is still fucking GOAT. Master Ninja mode still makes me sweat.
Also I’ve been playing PS4 POE. Niggaaa I’m hooked! Currently using marauder and doing tec slam. Was following a build exactly, but now I’m giving it a bit of my own flavor.
Making additional difficulties is basically having to rebalance the game multiple times. Unless they go the “now enemies one shot you and have billioms of health route”.
So it would seem that concentrating on one cohesive experience cleans up a lot of design. Besides, a great deal of games I grew up with didnt have adjustable difficulties. Not like this is a new thing.
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