Are videogames getting too complicated?

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phatj

Golden Member
Mar 21, 2003
1,837
0
0
They may be.. I used to be able to play SNES gams with my cousin... now that I have an xbox, she gets confused because there are too many "things to do" or "too many controls". But she's a girl.

I guess they are more complicated for girls.
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
It all depends on the game. Some are only as complicated as you want them to be.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker takes about 20 hours to beat. But you only got 11 hearts. There's 9 more out there to get. That's half the game is finding everything.
 

amnesiac

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
15,781
1
71
Games are getting more lavish and complex because the consumer demands it.

You bring out a game that can be finished or mastered in a few hours and you get tons of complaints.

The more a gamer is challenged and the greater the rewards, the greater the perceived value.

 

moonshinemadness

Platinum Member
Jan 28, 2003
2,254
1
0
I often find myself having to use walk throughs which really p!sses me off, but when i have been stuck in the same place for 2 hours i see no other way...i didnt have that problem with duke nukem 3d ;)
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
yeah games are getting more complicated but i don' t know about "too" complicated
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,914
4,506
126
You are combining two topics: game complexity and game length.

I believe that I should be able to pop in any new game and know what to do. Unfortunately this is getting harder to do as companies try to make custom interfaces instead of the standards that we are accustomed to. I.E. you don't see a "file/save" menu anymore.

Game length is highly desirable. If I plop down $50 to buy a new game and beat it in 4 hours I think I just wasted a ton of money. In the late 1990s many games were just like that - a big ripoff that you won immediately. I want to get as much entertainment as possible out of a game. Even 80 hours is not worth it to me - I want to play this game for years if I'm going to pay $50+.
 

AmdInside

Golden Member
Jan 22, 2002
1,355
0
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Originally posted by: dullard
You are combining two topics: game complexity and game length.

I believe that I should be able to pop in any new game and know what to do. Unfortunately this is getting harder to do as companies try to make custom interfaces instead of the standards that we are accustomed to. I.E. you don't see a "file/save" menu anymore.

Game length is highly desirable. If I plop down $50 to buy a new game and beat it in 4 hours I think I just wasted a ton of money. In the late 1990s many games were just like that - a big ripoff that you won immediately. I want to get as much entertainment as possible out of a game. Even 80 hours is not worth it to me - I want to play this game for years if I'm going to pay $50+.

I agree. Don't know why but I never enjoyed reading manuals. Always thought it was good if I could figure out how to play a game without having to read the manual. As time has progressed, games have gotten more difficult but alot of games have training modes inside of the game which is good. But being an adult, I don't have time to devot 30 straight hours to playing a single game. I can play a couple of hours of gaming a week.

 

UncleWai

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2001
5,701
68
91
Originally posted by: LordJezo
Originally posted by: yellowperil
I wish there were more 2D games. SNES rules. That is all.

Castlevania: SOTN on the psx was one of the finest 2d games ever created

Agree. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow has potential, but it was way too short.
However, I still prefer NES classics like Contra, Jackal, Rush'n attack.
These oldies require more of hand eye coordination rather than brain power, which I lack.
 

Judgement

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
3,815
0
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Originally posted by: LordJezo
Originally posted by: yellowperil
I wish there were more 2D games. SNES rules. That is all.

Castlevania: SOTN on the psx was one of the finest 2d games ever created

Not just one of the finest 2D, but I would say one of the finest games ever regardless of the fact that its only 2D.