Guardian games writer Alex Gambotto-Burke touches on a subject close to my mechanical heart today - Difficulty, or lack thereof, in recent video games.
"Peter Molyneux, has been unapologetic in his aims. In his view, it was inconceivable that someone should pay for a game but be unable to complete it, as not only are they denied their money's worth, but they can "feel stupid and unskilled".
Is this true? Think back to the first game you were hooked on in your gaming youth, for me, it was Final Fantasy 7 (cliché i know) but when i got stuck on the roof of Shinra tower fighting Rufus and his Cat, aged what must have been 11 or 12 at the time, i did'nt wuss out and cry over the difficulty. (whats a Materia?) Call me old fashioned but i thought the idea of a game was to overcome a percieved challenge? Come to think of it, I'm almost positive the only game i ever clocked on the Sega Megadrive (my platform of choice for almost a decade prior to the PSX) was Streets of Rage 2, and even that limited success was fleeting.
I must point out that i adored Fable 2, but contrary to what Molyneux suggests, i felt short-changed by the ease with which i completed it. Being punished for sloppy skills is as essential as being rewarded for our accomplisments. His sentiments contradict everything that video games, in my eyes, represent.
People buy games to be challenged, to work for advancement, not to have it handed to us on a plate with a pat on the back and a happy ending. Bring on more ultra-hard games like Ninja Gaiden, there's more reward in overcoming something genuinely difficult than there is in trudging through something that could be so much more.
Guardian: Everyone's a winner in games' open world.
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What the f**k is Joikuspot i hear you cry?
Well, Joikuspot is an application i installed on my Nokia N95 which allows me to create a wireless access point that any wi-fi device can connect to (assuming they have the password), linking that device to the Internet via my phone, pretty nifty!
Now, the problem with Joikuspot and the PSP is that Joikuspot runs the wi-fi in ad hoc mode (Simular to a PC sharing Internet connection) rather than infrastructure (dedicated router/access point).
Now, why is this a problem for the PSP? For some reason Sony only allow the PSP to connect to the internet using an infrastructure connection, ad hoc seems to be reserved for connecting PSP's together in close proximity.
Annoying! DAMN YOU SONY!
Although Joikuspot does not work with the PSP, it is excellent if you have a laptop you wish to connect to the internet when away from home, though do note this will use whatever access plan you have with your provider, not recommended if you do not have unlimited internet.
Check it out here.
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Video Game Enthusiasts, (Aka Nerds) are all too familiar with "Collectors Editions", games laced with freebies and "long term" value, they are hard for any right-thinking dweeb to resist.
Unfortunately, some deskbound dic*lickers latched onto this concept and realised that by stamping "collectors" on a box and throwing in a piece of crap figurine with tits and some cards and shit, they could charge extra.
What we tend to get now is not a rare and elusive collectible (lame) but an ugly box of polished arse putty and a feeling of regret and lonliness that even This Guy doesnt recognise.
Having given away a little more than i would have liked about my miserable love for shiny boxes and treasure, i will leave my fellow "enthusiasts" with the following message.
My friends, This is a problem, not a goal.
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The Wire
Baltimore based crime-drama following a specialist detective unit as it pursues West Baltimores most notorious drug runners: The Barksdale Crew
I just finished up Season 3 and im broke. My need for Season 4 overides all my natural instincts, i dont want to eat, sleep, drink or dropkick fools.
One other thing that makes THE WIRE so amazing is that i just finished working at an organisation who publish all their news material on a News-wire. This means i got to say it about thirty times a day and it never got old.
"Is that story up on the wire?"
"What you say?
"Im just talking bout the wire muthafu**a"
"Thats Alright"
i digress.....GO WATCH IT!
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Guardian games writer Alex Gambotto-Burke touches on a subject close to my mechanical heart today - Difficulty, or lack thereof, in recent video games.
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