I was talking with some avid gamers, basically waxing nostalgic for the head-thumping, controller-smashing NES days.

They called that way of playing games 'Outdated', and that most gamers nowadays play for the style, the presentation, the interaction and the plot.

But, that's just what makes me enjoy a game. There's two things.

1) If there's a really cool style to the game or a really, really great plot, then just that will make me want to keep playing the game.

2) But more than that, it's the fun you have playing the game. And I'm having the most fun when I fail at first, and have to put in mental effort to succeed. Overcoming obstacles is the source of the thrill, and the payoff, for me.

If a plot is really, really good like with Xenogears or the style of the game is fun unto itself like with Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door, then I don't care as much about challenge because I'm enjoying just going through the game. But unless there's something real unique about it in that regard, I do not have fun playing a game where I never feel like I'm in danger of losing, as is the case with most new games.

Why do you all play? Am I alone in my classic-gamer nostalgia? Does anybody else yearn for the days of bursting a blood vessel screaming at those damn Ninja Gaiden hawks?

I admit that I look for style, presentation, music score, and excellent graphics in determining whether a video game is good or not. I guess this is because I didn't really get to start playing video games before the advent of PlayStation 1, so it makes sense that I expect video games to be more state-of-the art, as opposed to being just plain smashing controllers and playing games for the sake of playing. For the record I'm mostly into RPG's where plot and presentation are very important.

Maybe I'm just lazy, but sometimes I get really frustrated when the game becomes TOO challenging, so I tend to discontinue playing if I find it too hard. That's probably why I don't usually like most Action-Adventure games. If I'm not playing RPG's I'm mostly playing racing games and sports where gaming tends to be more straightforward/uncomplicated.

I generally look for presentation, which is in large part why my gaming diet now consists almost entirely of RPGs. I love an immersive story. Usually this means the characters are fun and relatable. I like to see bright colors and happy themes mixed in with the sad and bittersweet ones. Final Fantasy X and Chrono Trigger and Skies of Arcadia do this well. It doesn't have to be all sad all the time. Of course, the gameplay needs to be good too, because that's part of the experience. For me, Xenogears plot was quite good, but the gameplay was very mediocre and dragged down the experience a great deal.

I'm not one for challenge, really. That is, I don't like the kind of challenege offered by most of the classic games, really. I like a puzzling challenge that I can take my time with. I think this is why I tend to enjoy Strategy RPGs. I can take all the time I want and I have to decide how to arrange my people and what moves to use and all of that.

Trail and error... I can go for that some times, but in a lot of games it's a bit too much, and replaying the beginning of a level 500 times because you get stuck at various parts in the middle is very frustrating. Yeah, it's gratafying when I finally beat it, but those minutes of pride before I get frustrated with the next level aren't worth the hour I spent angry at the controls and the enemies and the level design and everything else.

I agree Xenogears had gameplay issues, but I think the plot is so fantastic and the whole world is so stylized, it's the rare case where it doesn't matter to me.

Though, I find a great majority of RPG plots too hackneyed, cliched, or fetch-quest oriented to reach that level. (I lost my flower! I'll give you the pass to get over the bridge if you go into the monster-filled dungeon to get it for me!)

I also agree that..there's fun-hard, and there's unfun-hard. Like, Ninja Gaiden 3 is fun-hard. Castlevania 3 is fun-hard. Battletoads is unfun-hard. The game has to be fun to play in and of itself for difficulty to be a positive thing.

I thought God of War was fun-hard. But I didn't finish the game coz it was too hard. Then again I usually suck at Action-Adventure games.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
Am I alone in my classic-gamer nostalgia? Does anybody else yearn for the days of bursting a blood vessel screaming at those damn Ninja Gaiden hawks?

All us gaming old-timers love the nostalgia, Bob. However, your taste in games is very different from mine. I can’t stand difficult action games. I could never beat Ninja Gaiden… couldn’t beat Mega Man… or Super Mario Brothers. I don’t have the twitch coordination required to advance in those games… and the repetition of facing the same difficult scenario over and over again is not fun at all to me. When I finally do get past it, it’s more of a relief than a triumph.

Metal Gear was my favorite all-time NES game. Was it an action game? Yes. Was it a hard game? Not at all, but the action was still intense, despite it’s relative ease.

If you have an Xbox, you will fall deeply in love with Gun Valkyrie. Brilliantly difficult game with an equally difficult control scheme that actually makes sense from the game’s perspective. Of course, I never finished it because I’m not talented enough… but what I was able to play, I loved. ;-)

quote:

Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
Why do you all play?

For the same reasons you do, but the thrill is derived from different genres. You like action… I like progression without too much repetition involved. Thus difficult games turn me off. I’d argue that you are either more skilled than I at action games… and/or you have more patience for repetitious scenarios.

Understandable. I have a friend who can't stand RPGs that don't give you infinite time to consider your next movie.

Twitch reactions are very important in the kinds of action games I like. And it would get pretty frustrating if you just didn't have that kind of instinct.

I agree as well, I think games now have lots of story and by the time you get to the near end you still need to wait up for the part two of it (which needs lots of patience especially if it was taken from a movie) but the fun still counts in... I'd rather play a game that has more adventure and great graphics and easy to understand.

Some games are too complicated that you get to the point of getting bored.

I play cos its cheap escapism. Gameplay is a definate must. There's no use it being all style and no substance. Im an avid RPG fan first and foremost. Im always on the lookout for something new in an RPG format, which isnt too often on the Xbox... So I think character/story development is big on my list. I like accomplishing my goals in a not too linear path and I think my favourite games have always had that sense of open adventure about them. I dig a good FPS but the majority of them do lead you along a corridor. Thats why HalfLife 2 is rated so highly in my opinion. Even though it drives you forward it places you in so many varying situations along that path, so there is some nogging use required as well. Graphics and atmosphere are very important now days but theres no use in having that if the game doesnt have any intelligence i.e. Call of Duty 2 with the computer enemy A.I is akin to Lemmings. Dai Senrakyu VII has the poxiest graphics on the Xbox but its a gem to play.

I think the games that are a challenge are the ones you really feel strongly about afterward. For example Galleon was a real reward for effort and I still think of that game. I know a lot of people put that down in disgust but you are missing one of the best games on the Xbox. Hey Im no angle I put Ninja Gaiden down cos I was looking at the game from the wrong angle. It was more subtle and advanced than I gave it credit for. I put it down and didnt even look at it for 8mths or so as I was disgusted with it. But I kept reading these fantastic reviews and so I gave it another crack! So glad I did as it was just so much fun. It was the challenge in both those two games kept me going and the satisfaction of completion. And thats just the single player action...

There is nothing better than a room of mates sitting around playing Rocky or Soul Calibur, or Colin McCrae winner stays on championships.

And that leads me to my conclusion, we play to win, to feel a sense of accomplishment, with a splash of escapism, with reward for our effort in an environment that works, that looks good, and leaves us wanting to come back for more.

When I first started I got a fun and engrossing experience at the best especially when I first began playing RPGS. Lately not really too much because I haven't played many video games lately

i'm with rick - i play for the experience. i'm removed from the everyday hassels for a moment when i'm wrapped up in a good game. a mini break - hey if they deserve one, don't you?

I just love video games. Plain & Simple.

I play
RTS games mostly. Ones like Myth, Ground Control, Total War, Strength and Honour, require no resource gathering, mostly tactical battle games. I also play ones like Age of Kings, StarCraft, WarCraft, StrongHold, HomeWorld... ones that require resource gathering. I mainly like strategy type of games due to its problem solving type of mental exercise.

But I've also played racing games like Need for speed, FPS like Ghost Recon, Rainbow 6, Unreal Tournoment, Tribes. RPG games like "NeverWinter Nights" hack in slash RPG like Diablo. I guess I play all types.

The thing I hate since a couple of year, is that most of the people prefers very realistic simulated racing games than arcade-style games. You can't blame someone who just plays to sports and war games on the XBOX, but you can laugh at someone who likes more "childish" games and unrealistic nintendo-style games. But why people want video games to looks like in the real life? WE ARE in the real life...There is people who just want the power to do what they want in a video game like if it was in the real life, and these kind of people doesn't have great knowledge and creativity. They are too much focused about what we should like when we are adult and what's "in" right now and all. And that's why I prefer the 2D instead of the 3D, because it is unreal, you can't really see in the real life objects only in 2D... People without emotions only like games you can't feel something deep when you play to them, the people with emotions will like games that are fascinating, original and all. Animal Crossing and Pikmin are great examples of awesome games. It is really really disapointing that Nintendo only did great inovative games at the first year of the Nintendo Gamecube... The only one that is interesting me is the next Zelda, which was supposed to be in stores for 2 years...

Gaming is a release from real life the same way watching TV or going to the movies, reading a novel, watching sports.

In real life there are no saves, no redos, and once the game is over..... there's no starting over! Unless you count reincarnation.

I tried to explain to someone recently what I get out of gaming (since I've loved games all my life), and he ended up saying, "Isn't it really that you just want to kill time and end up feeling good about it?"

<gulp> I'm afraid he's got a point.

Still, I do get some things out of gaming that I find valuable. One is mental exercise, and another is escape. It's nice to be able to tune out of real life for a while and immerse myself in something fun and structured.

I'm old (53), so I grew up on board and card games. Video games didn't come along till I was well into my teens, and nobody had them at home till I was well into my twenties. To this day, I still prefer turn-based games to real-time. And when somebody talks about classic games, I immediately think of chess, bridge, and backgammon.

Oddly, I've never been competitive, and I rarely play games against other people. So, computer games are great for me mainly because of the single-player option. I can play anything I like without having to talk anybody else into playing.

Most FPS games and such are beyond the power of my reflexes, but I bought a copy of Mario Kart for my Nintendo DS, and it's great. Nice change of pace, for when I'm in the mood for a little more fast-paced action.

More often, I enjoy sitting back with a cup of coffee and losing myself in a game of Age of Empires or (most recently) Civilization Revolution for a couple hours.

RPGs and other story-based games are OK, but I don't like the fact that they're not really replayable. Once you're finished, you buy another game. I prefer a game I can keep coming back to and practicing at, getting better and learning more of the nuances. But I did just finish Zelda: Phantom Hourglass recently, and it was a good gaming experience.

As an old wargamer (board wargames and miniatures in my day), I like Advance Wars and Panzer Tactics and such as well. Kinda like being able to play with toy soldiers in the sandbox even though I'm all grown up now.