IGN asks, "when did gamers get so soft?"

[terry78]

http://games.ign.com/articles/120/1200005p1.html

I feel inclined to agree.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

There are plenty of hardcore games, they just don't sell as well as mainstream accessible games. IGN like most of the gaming media part of the problem, they will give these games all the coverage in the world and quite happily ignore games designed for a smaller specific group of people.

 

[Matt]

COntent of the article aside, I have to ask....is Namco paying IGN to be the official spokes-site of Dark Souls or something? Their constant ******ing of it is becoming very transparent.

 

[Oscorp]

TBH, I have no problem with games today being more forgiving than old games. I'm not that "hardcore". Getting stuck for hours, or replaying a one hour chapter because of an unlucky death just isn't worth the time IMO. I much more enjoy the fun experience of games such as Uncharted 2.

 

[brett66]

TBH, I have no problem with games today being more forgiving than old games. I'm not that "hardcore". Getting stuck for hours, or replaying a one hour chapter because of an unlucky death just isn't worth the time IMO. I much more enjoy the fun experience of games such as Uncharted 2.

Exactly, but I do think some games are going a little overboard in their attempt at making games more "cinematic" (IE Modern Warfare). If I want to watch a movie I'll watch a movie. But in general I don't have much to gripe about.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Exactly, but I do think some games are going a little overboard in their attempt at making games more "cinematic" (IE Modern Warfare). If I want to watch a movie I'll watch a movie. But in general I don't have much to gripe about.

Why can't they be both? Games dont have to just be about flashing lights and pushing buttons. They are capable of telling great stories the same way hollywood does.


Games became soft when the industry took off like a rocket and gamers became much more than just the dorky little kids hanging out at a local arcade. The games industry is now THE premier industry for entertainment. More money funnels through it than the movies and music industries. It has become an incredibly profitable business and with that comes the need to reach as large an audience as possible(which means less of a learning curve for most games)

 

[jacobed]

I dont mind that games have become a bit more easier now a days then back then. I think games for the most part are way better now than they ever were in the past so I can't complain. I find nothing wrong with games going overboard cinematic like Modern Warfare or Uncharted because it makes you feel like you're playing a movie and that is always fun to me.

 

[Oscorp]

^I agree!

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I dont mind that games have become a bit more easier now a days then back then. I think games for the most part are way better now than they ever were in the past so I can't complain. I find nothing wrong with games going overboard cinematic like Modern Warfare or Uncharted because it makes you feel like you're playing a movie and that is always fun to me.

I agree to an extent. I didn't start really playing games hardcore until the PS2/Xbox but no game back then minus one or two kept my blood pumping like an Arkham City or Uncharted. Mario always bored me and i never liked that damn hedgehog from Sega.

I do feel there is a lack of challenge in games when it comes to using your brain. Most puzzles in the game are way too simplistic. Uncharted, as much as i love the series, has some of the most mind numbingly simplistic puzzles. I miss the days of having to write down clues on a piece of paper to figure out what you had to do. I had to do that a lot in the orig Resident Evil titles.

 

[jacobed]

Yeah I'll agree with that, the hand holding in these days has gone a bit ridiculous in some games, no game holds your hand like Uncharted does as great as the game is.

 

[TheBat812]

There was a thread like this before, which I agreed with, saying that games were harder back then because of a lack of good mechanics. Sometimes things are a bit too easy, but it usually comes from just better implementation. By making a game less frustrating, you can focus on enjoying the experience more.

 

[TX85]

I've been playing videogames for much of my life and I easily get addicted..So I consider myself a"Hardcore Gamer"!,But yet I play casually in terms of..

Mostly playing on Normal/IF I get achievements&trophies then that's cool But I don't try to 100% them/I mostly play Player Matches and I'm into extra media on consoles&gimmick stuff like Kinnect!

I agree some games have become too easy and with"hand holding",But many games are great-amazing even with it,I'm a very nostalgic person and those old-days of gaming were sure great But most of the hard difficulty were beyond hard&not much fun for me!!!

IF it makes me soft then so beat it But IGN don't need to be judging,Play on Legend/Extreme or whatever and that's better than on Normal level or especially easy&very easy!!

 

[Silvermoth]

Re: IGN asks, "when did gamers get so soft?"

Seriously though, this is just something people write to make themselves look awesome. "Oh I'm so much better than everyone else. Games are too easy today. I would never play such games!" *runs out and buys every single one of those games*

 

[cherokeesam]

I understand the need for challenge, and the need to get bragging rights when you overcome a nearly impossible challenge. But, as the article pointed out, I think it's far more important for both the developer and the player to get to experience the *whole* game, and not get stuck permanently on a level you simply cannot beat.

I mean, that's what difficulty levels are for. You get the cheevos for beating Halo on Legendary, not on Easy; but if you want to just breeze through the campaign and experience the story in all its glory, well then, Easy is for you, my bro.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

I personally hate the "harder=better." A lot of old 8-bit and 16-bit games are hard because they were based on arcade games which weren't meant to be beaten. Try to think of an arcade game now that you played and beat. I bet very few of you can think of one. Games today are meant to be taken home and beaten, not constantly make you come back to beat it. They get your money once and that's it (DLC aside).

A lot of games were hard because of how saving worked (if it was in the game). Today, there aren't even that many games with save points, it autosaves for you. And as someone mentioned, some were plagued with bad controls and design.

Most games have higher difficulties. I like to play on normal first so I can enjoy the story and get used to the controls. Later playthroughs I'll try a higher difficulty.

 

[Oscorp]

Seriously though, this is just something people write to make themselves look awesome. "Oh I'm so much better than everyone else. Games are too easy today. I would never play such games!" *runs out and buys every single one of those games*

I couldn't agree more!

(btw, people who think they're "cool" because they're good at videogames are pathetic imo)

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

(btw, people who think they're "cool" because they're good at videogames are pathetic imo)

In Korea woman throw panties at pro starcraft players.
How many woman are throwing panties at you? Probably none. Having panties thrown in admiration is usually the sign of a superior human-being.

 

[Oscorp]

Sure, but people who brag at being great video players are everywhere. With no panties thrown at them either. I say, come back with real life achievements instead.

BTW, you seem hurt WAYCS

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Sure, but people who brag at being great video players are everywhere. With no panties thrown at them either. I say, come back with real life achievements instead.

BTW, you seem hurt WAYCS

Most (all) of the people I see bragging about being good at video games are mainstream gamers playing games like Call Of Duty and Halo. In fact when I log on to youtube everyday, thats what I usually see sitting in the top viewed videos, Call Of Duty players showing there leet skills. I do not consider these games hardcore.

I think we probably have very definition of what hardcore is. When I think of hardcore, I think of games that don't make any major concessions for a mainstream audience with a general sophistication level to the gameplay that requires a learning curve to get the most out of it. Arma, Red Orchestra, X3, Dota, Empire. These types of games have far more variables and competitively far more skill based. Generally speaking, I don't consider the playstation onward generation of console gaming hardcore at all outside of maybe a few select titles. The only E-sport I would probably take serously is maybe Street Fighter. The rest are strictly pc.

Come to think of it, It jumps back to my original post. The majority of hardcore games are designed for a specific demographic rather than "everyone humanly possible". These games barring probably dota, tend to sell in the thousands rather than millions. That's less people. Which means less money. Which means less interest. The only reason Demon Souls is getting attention is because its a more mainstream title. Otherwise IGN wouldn't give it the time of day. And when a game doesn't get the time of day, you don't hear about it. And go out and buy whatever game they are herding you to buy.

Again, to re-illiterate my point, IGN is part of the problem, so this whole article of them scratching there heads "doh why does game no hardcore?" is because the gaming media that puts out the information work more so (rather than objectively level) with bigger publishers with the most money rather than big and small publishers. The coverage ratio between them isn't even comparable. In many cases, the actively collude with them. Look at Spike, gametrailers, G4 and so on. Designed for Bro's. Bro's with side-ways caps, baggy jeans and strange orange skin tone. The type of people you see on Jersey Shore. Pauly D, Snookie and that come at me bro guy. These people are not hardcore. THe reality is, hardcore gamers are the silent minority. Regardless of how hard they shout, mainstream gaming will drown them out.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

TBH, I have no problem with games today being more forgiving than old games. I'm not that "hardcore". Getting stuck for hours, or replaying a one hour chapter because of an unlucky death just isn't worth the time IMO. I much more enjoy the fun experience of games such as Uncharted 2.

Agreed

 

[Havok83]

Agreed

I also agree. Its why I dont even bother with games like Ninja Gaiden. I think ALL games should have adjustable difficulty settings. There shouldnt just be one setting thats uber hard bc then you alienate potential userbase. Nothing like frustration and real cheap and annoying frustration that can ruin an otherwise good game's experience. There needs to be a balance and I think the way to do this is to have an easier setting to go along with the default "hard" mode

 

[Doc Samson]

Their needs to be a clear distinction between hard & cheap. Alot of those games back in the day were just cheap, no two ways about it. You can enhance any game's difficulty by spreading save points frustratingly far apart, but would that make it better?

I also think any game that's more reliant on trial and error doesn't equate to skill necessarily either, just an irritating game of memory. Making you lose all your experience points in Zelda II when you die or only giving you 3 tries to beat Contra did nothing but infuriate me.

I think the '04 Ninja Gaiden on Xbox got it right, there's a sense of accomplishment because your ability to learn is directly responsible for your progression. As you get better, it gets easier, as it should be, there wasn't really any patterns to memorize or stupid tactics you need to abuse, you just get better until eventually you reach your "Matrix" moment, and see things for what they are lol