The Game Doesn't Suck, You Suck
View Large ImageForgive the caustic headline, but it best summarizes the subject at hand.
I'm not going to sit here and say there's a universal method to reviewing video games. Every source has its own style and chooses to place more emphasis on different elements of a game, and it's always advisable to look at multiple trusted sources before deciding on a purchase. Just see what reviews suit your gaming habits best.
But if there's one thing I despise, it's the belief that if a game doesn't cater to an individual's tastes, or if they find it difficult, the game "sucks." In other words, it's the idea that because a brutally challenging game causes you to tear your hair out, it's the game's fault. I've come across people who say Dark Souls is quite literally a "bad game" because "nobody wants to play something that's just frustrating and impossible." Same could be said for past Ninja Gaiden titles; I've heard similar complaints. And it gets annoying.
Now, if you keep dying because the camera is poor, or the controls are loose, or the enemies are cheap, or there are technical difficulties like collision detection problems, then yes, feel free to blame it on the game. It is the game in that respect. But if you keep dying because you suck, it has nothing to do with anything...besides the fact that you suck at it. I will freely admit that certain immensely difficult games have been beyond me, but I'm not about to blame developers 'cuz I didn't have the skill.
You won't see critics making this mistake (at least, not usually), but you will find mainstream and casual gamers bashing on a hardcore or niche title because it's "stupid hard" and only "people with no lives could play it." Suddenly, they're willing to give the game a 3 because they can't do it. Just as a final tangent, does anyone think this casual mentality contributed to the increased hand-holding we find in games today...?
9/30/2011 Ben Dutka
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Comments (53 posts)
godsman
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 12:01:47 AM
On the other hand, if I set the game to super hard instead of normal, then get frustrated over losing, then I clearly suck.
I heard David Jaffe in an interview in gametrailers that emphasize guiding the emotions of the gamer throughout the gameplay. If a game causes frustrations, then both gamer and developer is at fault.
2 up, 2 down
Clamedeus
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 1:52:17 AM
Some games should be difficult, what fun is it if the game guides you while holding your hand? No fun at all.
But yes, if it was developed badly then I agree.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 10/1/2011 1:53:32 AM
3 up, 1 down
Neo_Aeon666
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 9:45:52 AM
I get bored of all the mainstream games and once in a while it is nice to have a real challenge. As good as games like uncharted are, they don't really challenge me and if once in a while, if I don't get a Demon's Souls equivalent... I'll be sad. That is why I think games like Demon's Souls (and Dark Souls) should be looked upon as a challenge and a blessing in these times when most games will give you good entertainment but nowhere near a good fight. The people who can't complete them out of lack of skills should just hide in a corner (or keep playing other games) instead of saying the game sucks lol ...
So yeah we need a few games with a level of difficulty that is through the ROOF, Just like there are some Elmo games for kids... Real gamers need their share of awesomeness.
Last edited by Neo_Aeon666 on 10/1/2011 9:49:39 AM
2 up, 0 down
Doppel
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 12:41:08 PM
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/830/830708p1.html
"Specifically: it's ridiculously difficult in certain areas"
"The biggest problem with Eternal Night is just how damn pointlessly difficult it is."
"Just thinking about the part makes me want to punch babies; it's pointlessly difficult and absolutely unnecessary."
IGN, you suck.
2 up, 0 down
ZettaiSeigi
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:05:31 PM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
Riku994
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:21:19 PM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
ZettaiSeigi
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:39:42 PM
0 up, 0 down
Riku994
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 11:04:33 PM
0 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:39:11 PM
Reply
Yeah, I am old.
7 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 8:20:05 AM
Anyone remember Snake, Rattle, and Roll? I LOVED that game... never beat it.
Games used to be, "Oh I friggin' hope I beat it. nope... nope... not today... maybe tomorrow I can beat it...."
Nowadays, victory is assured as long as you continue with the campaign.
2 up, 0 down
bluedarrk
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:41:32 PM
Reply
2 up, 0 down
BikerSaint
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:47:59 PM
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The way I see it, most games do suck....
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.....but that's only if you're a "twitcher"
8 up, 1 down
Warrior Poet
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 10:20:51 PM
Reply
That does have something to do with gaming becoming more mainstream; we get niche titles and blockbusters just like movies and pop music and whatever. The difference is niche music doesn't cost much to make and there's a lot more of it than pop, and it's the total opposite with games. Too bad.
2 up, 0 down
Carlight
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 11:02:31 PM
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Hard games are rewarding, i can't wait for dark souls to kick my ass a million times and when I beat it I'll feel great about it.
That's what I want for my gaming experience
2 up, 0 down
Neo_Aeon666
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 9:53:27 AM
0 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 11:05:13 PM
Reply
For the most part I agree, I have no problem with taking the consequences for doing the wrong thing but we ARE in an age when the game should be able to tell what is happening with the controller and adjust properly. If I get the basic stick press right in Heavy Rain it works, if you do the same in Knights Contract you fail.
In an action RPG if you take a stab at somebody then it should stab them if the direction you aimed was reasonable enough, DS doesn't do that. It's all timed to a retarded extent and plays like its ancient predecessors. Games are supposed to be better than that now.
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 9/30/2011 11:06:16 PM
5 up, 7 down
Clamedeus
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 5:22:53 AM
5 up, 1 down
Neo_Aeon666
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 9:59:15 AM
DS has no flaws in gameplay. You have a flaw of orientation in 3D space.
The fact that the character doesnt auto hit/aim at enemy unless you use the targeting system (which it seems you are forgetting about) is good because if used right you can actually *stab* many enemies at once. It is part of the mechanic and there is no problems with it. The way DS is built is meant to accustom these controls.
5 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 9:35:48 PM
Your knights contract/heavy rain comparison is damn straight spot on.
But back to Demon Souls... if a game wants to be that picky and tough, fine. But since there is no way to change settings to something basic (even if that meant fewer rewards), the developer has to acknowledge the fact they won't get sales for that very reason. I know many people refuse to try that game because it's heralded as the toughest game on PS3. Some people just want a great experience.
That's why there are difficulty settings.
And it's why I've said for a long time, rewards should escalate with greater difficulty. Lock up some sweet weapons/equips to players who play on a simple mode.
These other folks are just purists, World. :p
0 up, 3 down
Claire C
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 10:33:25 PM
2 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Sunday, October 02, 2011 @ 7:41:41 PM
I put about 25 hours into Demon Souls. I beat a few bosses. And I did that all after starting out as a Mage... (Or magician... whatever it was called) not the royalty class. I'm sure I figured out "the ropes" a million years faster than you, anyways. I'm not unfamiliar with this sort of difficulty. But as I get older, I appreciate an adjustable difficulty for games I have less time with... again... even if that means fewer rewards. If I was a teenager, or even in university still, I'm sure I would welcome the high difficulty.. because I would have the time.
Here's the difference.... In WKC2, I actually make progress... because it isn't ridiculously hard. Although, it would be to a hack n' slasher... Any half-baked experienced jRPG player knows exactly how to master this game.
And a platinum will take a year or more for me. I never platinum'd WKC1.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you pay very close attention to everything I say... since you like to pull ideas from other threads out on me.
Having a baby in T-minus 4 weeks (approx.). So I'll have even less time. But since you pay close attention to what I say, you already knew that. (you also left out the part when I said a plat would take 1-2 years, but I'd still get it) Which means you are the kind of person that likes to make claims while ignoring other facts in front of you.
That has to be it... because if you don't pay attention to everything I say, you either just got lucky with that fact and feel overly proud of yourself, or you're just an ass... so either way... you're either prideful or an ass...
And since I'm sure neither of those fit you, I'd say you'd best go with "Makes claims about people while ignoring many relevant facts, JUST so you can sound ahead of the game in front of the other kids." ... Immature (and likely stems from childhood insecurities either from an abusive father or emotionally unavailable mother).... but at least you can still claim to be a nice person. (Which is worth far more than being intelligent. So you're ahead of the game.)
*insert winky-smiley face-to-make-what-I-say-impossible-to-be-accused-of-being-a-jerk here*
I will say this: I'm flattered you follow me around like a personal net-roadie. But let's be honest. You aren't the first either.... *insert pouty face*
Anyways, it's difficulty is subjective enough that even if you are right, World and I are still right.
Think about how much easier this could have been for you had you actually responded to the relevant points I made.... What's wrong with great rewards for high difficulty players, and limited or even non-existent ones for players who play on easy?
Last edited by Underdog15 on 10/2/2011 8:01:41 PM
2 up, 1 down
Claire C
Sunday, October 02, 2011 @ 8:40:21 PM
0 up, 3 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:26:25 AM
Embarrassed? Not a chance. If anything, I feel a sense of relief and I can finally move on while adding you to the same list as A2K, blankline, and The Doom.
Try not calling me a liar, and maybe I'll interpret future responses as "playful". Insulting someone with a brash insult as a "liar" is anything but playful.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 10/3/2011 8:31:15 AM
0 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:52:15 AM
0 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:38:03 PM
By the way, Claire... I'm -STILL- waiting for you to make an actual constructive counter point to support -why- you disagree with World... and you never answered my question about rewards based on difficulty. Nor did you acknowledge the fact that I have, in fact, invested enough hours into the game to make a fair critique of the game. Not once did I say it was bad. All I commented on was the difficulty in comparison to it's accessibility... A point I feel deserves merit...
But again... you avoid all points you hate to face.
And please say more than a smiley, this time.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 10/3/2011 2:42:31 PM
1 up, 0 down
PoopsMcGee
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 11:05:42 PM
Reply
10 up, 0 down
Shiva369
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 11:36:03 PM
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Shooters, however...man, I dearly wish I could apply the same formula, as there are some beauties (GoW, MAG,)...but no...I just suck at shooters.:-(
1 up, 0 down
PasteNuggs
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 11:53:01 PM
Reply
4 up, 0 down
JackDillinger89
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 12:08:37 AM
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7 up, 0 down
FM23
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 1:35:21 AM
5 up, 1 down
Clamedeus
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 5:37:23 AM
And upgrade things.
Last edited by Clamedeus on 10/1/2011 5:37:34 AM
4 up, 0 down
Excelsior1
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 2:19:13 AM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
Lotusflow3r
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 7:15:39 AM
It's a common phrase among casuals, i hear it all the time.
I even experience it on Lbp2, i make a game, give my sister a go, now it's too hard, rubbish and then throws the pad back at me. Give it my bro, the games audience, it's the opposite.
0 up, 0 down
___________
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 7:45:40 AM
Reply
i really miss the good old days of if you make a small mistake you die.
like the original PoPs if you got hit by a spinning spike you died.
todays PoP you loose .1% of your health.
thats why i loved splatterhouse so much!
not because it was hard, it was not, but it was brutal, it was unforgiving.
thats one reason why i was so disappointed with GOW3, it lost the brutality the original 2 had.
the games were so hard, i still have not got the plat for the first 2 because on the hardest setting i could not even get half way through!
GOW3 i finished on the hardest difficulty setting with my hands tied behind my back, upside down, and blindfolded!
i can see where there coming from, its not fun to do something over and over and over and over again for months.
but when you finally do it, well, nothing feels better!
i remember MK shaolin monks, i was stuck on the last boss battle in the arena for probably 8 months!
every day id sit down, cover my remote and room in foam so i dont break anything and try to finish it.
then one day i finally did, and i was over the moon!
then a friend of mine came over, and i started bragging about it.
thats when he showed me the little passage underneath that rises a platform and gives you a full bar of health.
suffice to say, i was PISSED!
spent all this time trying to finish it, then finally do so, then he tells me a easier way to do it!
oh well, at least i still have the pride of doing it the hard way.
some games are still hard, KZ2 for example i still cant get past the cruser level on elite.
the whole resistance series though i waltzed through on superhuman like red riding hood visiting grandmar!
0 up, 3 down
RX78Zero
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 11:15:58 AM
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I loved Demon's Souls because the game presented itself it's own unique medevil atmosphere with a variety enemies to face while providing flexability to over come the threat.Ah, yes and the invasion are fun too.
The others wouldn't understand, some will later, a few will never grasp it. I'll leave whats not been said to the rest of you.
0 up, 0 down
Teddie9
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 12:51:23 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Claire C
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 12:54:09 PM
Reply
4 up, 1 down
Axe99
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 3:26:29 PM
Reply
Actually didn't _mind_ the grind associated with Demon's Souls - it was the cheap deaths caused by the flaws in design combined with the grind that got me (on that note, the space between where you take zero damage from a fall, and where you die outright, is also poor - you can fall a long way and take no damage at all, but fall a metre further and bam, see you later).
I'm really glad it got a sequel, mind, and when I've got enough money to burn I'll check it out and see if they've fixed these issues. Am also very glad so many people could see past these and enjoy Demon's Souls, and will enjoy Dark Souls - just because these flaws got to me, doesn't meant they can't be overlooked, they were just too much for me :).
0 up, 0 down
Nick42
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 6:07:26 PM
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You couldn't put a game from 15 years ago in the hands of an average gamer from today, they just wouldn't deal with the level of difficulty we used to tolerate as routine.
I also think there is a case to be made for games being the right type of tricky - if a game just forces you to throw yourself relentlessly at a wall until you hit the right brick it is obviously hard, but not designed in the right way. A good type of tricky should encourage the player to better themselves. The player should always realise it is themselves at fault and not the game.
If anything this should be a case of 'don't hate the game, hate the player'.
This is in no way intended to divert traffic but if anyone would be interested in reading my further views on the matter they can be found here http://whyyoushouldbuy.blogspot.com/2011/09/do-you-enjoy-challenge.html
1 up, 0 down
sha4dowknight05
Saturday, October 01, 2011 @ 9:15:23 PM
Reply
Trust me I know.
There are people who just play for 15 minutes at a friend's house then say it's a bad game game because they died all the time or like another francise.
1 up, 0 down
Robochic
Sunday, October 02, 2011 @ 11:59:16 AM
Reply
1 up, 0 down
AbsoluteZer0
Sunday, October 02, 2011 @ 1:54:31 PM
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0 up, 0 down
Sol
Sunday, October 02, 2011 @ 8:46:46 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Coffeya
Sunday, October 02, 2011 @ 11:14:04 PM
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Also, you need to look at both sides of the spectrum. If a game is too easy for a player then they might feel it sucks. Hence why developers need to brush up on their options menu and that includes more than just your basic difficulty levels.
Something too add, it sad when you see players say a game is hard and sucks, but they won't bother to change the difficulty level.
0 up, 0 down
Palpatations911
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 2:54:25 AM
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0 up, 0 down
zutou
Monday, October 03, 2011 @ 8:41:16 PM
Reply
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0 up, 0 down
Clamedeus
Reply
Friday, September 30, 2011 @ 9:02:05 PM
I know a lot of people who played Demon's Souls and loved every minute of it. Dark Souls is going to be a lot more difficult but, I'm going to enjoy it still. :P