Give Me a Win Button

[pneuma08]

It's kind of interesting to look take all of this in context, for instance Guitar Hero + Rock Band. There are two major types of people who play those games, those who want to be challenged and those who like rocking out, and it's interesting to see how cheats, practice mode, and the like all serve to bridge the gap between the two.

But on the other end there are games that exist to serve as a challenge, and an "easy mode" or "win button" somewhat defeats the purpose of the game. Demon's Souls is the most recent example I can come up with - the game isn't about (theoretical) breathtaking vistas or the sweeping narrative, it's about an obstacle to be overcome. I mean, take away the challenge and what's left?

If Demon's Souls did provide an easy option, I do wonder how it would change the dynamic of the game. I wonder how many people would opt for an easier game, and of those who would be unable to beat the hard version and those who would have more fun at the hard version? (It should also be noted that, due to PvP constraints, something like Demon's Souls would have to work out a tradeoff system for the difficulty as well - something like worse loot for easier enemies, and switching difficulty on the fly would be difficult if not impossible, maybe at the level hub or something.) It seems like it would do more good than harm, but it's hard to tell.

Still, I do like the idea that most games should have an easier option (and a hard option that doesn't just give all the NPCs aimbots).

 

[Playbahnosh]

I agree with you on the difficulty part but not on the cheats part.
Back when most games had cheats, I would eventually reach a part in the game where it was too hard or too frustrating and cheat, and after that the game was basically ruined because I would just cheat the rest of the way through. I like the way it is now. Almost no games have cheats, but you can always get a trainer or a savegame if you can be bothered to look for one, download and apply it, which means I won't because I would rather lose 2 more hours on that level than 15 minutes to get a trainer on. That's how big a slacker I am.

If that was a reply to me, that's totally what I said. Cheats can ruin a game entirely, that's why I'm not so happy about incorporating them into the real gameplay. That's why cheats are meant to be hidden, only used when totally needed and only available through research. But I do know that some people couldn't get into certain games without them, so they are needed I guess. Hell, the first ever key sequence I learned when I started playing FPS games was IDDQD and IDKFA. It was fun for a while, but it got old quickly, since strolling through the game Rambo style, effortlessly ripping everything to pieces got boring after a while. Then some years later I started playing again, without cheats this time and I found a totally new and different, more fun game experience.

 

[clzark]

I completely agree. This is especially true for me in the GTA games, I loved breezing through Vice City and San Andreas using all the fun cheats and not having to worry about how much money I have or how much ammo I have left. The devs actually gave you freedom to pick and choose which missions you wanted to complete. Then GTA4 came along and the pissed off repeated mission attempts began, and after finishing the game I couldnt even mess around by rendering other people's cars weightless.

luckily I rented GTA 4 before I bought it. without cheat codes, it just wasn't a fun game for me. I used to play GTA games with cheats all the time. Say what you will, that game is more fun with cheats. Starting a huge firefight and not having to worry about running out of health or ammo just seems to fit the game so much better. I feel like, just like GTA, there are games where you're supposed to be this unstoppable force. but the whole experience can be ruined by some low level enemy getting a lucky punch/shot/whatever in while you're beating up a boss.
And I have problems with the difficulties in games recently, too. Games like Gears of War and Metal Gear Soild 4 is a great example. Play on easy, and they pretty much turn the A.I. off. Play on hard, and the enemies are like frickin demi-gods.
That's why I loved Crackdown so much. You were basically a God, but a well placed rocket-launcher could still do you in. and the A.I. adjusts to your skill. More games need to be like that

 

[pneuma08]

And don't get me started on RPGs, simulators and strategy games. THE HORROR!

At least in (most) RPGs you can grid your way through.

The sad part is when grinding isn't an option. =x

 

[SilentScope001]

Very nice article, I agree. Sometimes, the difficulty of a game is what I'm there for, but more often it's the story, or the setting, or the characters, you get the idea.

Then why not read the book? Or watch a movie? Or watch someone play the game for you?

You seem like a rational person so maybe you can explain why you are opposed to the "win" button as Susan described if it wouldn't affect you.

The more time spent helping out newbies by programming in a "win" button, the less time is dedicated to cuddling the "hardcore", or otherwise adding onto the gameplay by adding extra stuff to make it more fun.

Otherwise, I generally agree with the sentiment.

 

[Therumancer]

Gaming is a hobby IMO and it depends on what kind of game it is. If it's say a fighting game then it's SUPPOSED to be difficult that's like 99% of the point. That difficulty and depth is what makes the good games of the genere so competitive.

I'm all for the idea of basically earning your rewards as you play through games.

The lack of cheat codes is because as there are more games out there they have become increasingly competitive. You have things like "Gamerscores" and "Achievements" tied to everything from PC games to 360 games. The only format that doesn't have them yet is handhelds. While totally "pointless" a lot of people find them fun, and the entire ranking system (irregardless of what company runs them) is dependant on skill and your abillity to master games. To allow some "tourist" to get the same rankings as someone genuinely mastering the game is wrong and defeats the entire purpose of such systems (whether it should exist or not, which is another debate).

Cheat codes are not "gone", or "rare". Honestly I think you haven't played many games if you think that. Check out cheats on Gamefaqs and you'll see TONS of them. The thing about them though is that they tend to disable achievements/trophies/gamerscore. Sure, you can basically play Saint's Row 2 in god mode (to pick an example) but don't expect someone to claim doing so is an "achievement".

I get the impression on some level that what your actually talking about (without mentioning it) ties into achievements, with you considering them "part of the content" and honestly I have to disagree with you. *IF* achievements stay you should have to achieve something (like say winning without cheating) to get them.

Modern gaming has limited your abillity to play on the easiest level, turn on all the cheats you can find (which are NOT rare) and then claim your 1337. Today someone can call up your gamer score (somewhere) for most games and tell if your good or full of sh@t.

Now what I will spot you is that I do tend to think that the game industry is moving in the wrong direction to an extent. Let's face it, gaming is mainstream. A lot of the kids who grew up with it and helped MAKE it mainstream are increasingly turning into tired middle aged units. The same guys screaming "death to turn based", "real time rules", and "we need more difficult games for our 1337 skillz", just want to kick back and be able to accomplish something in a game they can play fairly casually. Unfortunatly the game industry is very much a young man's market right now, and has yet to "snap back" to older styles of games, or work on ones designed to appeal to an adult mind, with slower reflexs and time/inclination to deal with frustration.

Back in the days when eletronic dinosaurs roamed the internet, before such beasts were killed by 10 to 25 man raids of WoW players, there were these things called "Adventure Games" that were being produced by top flight developers as opposed to budget basement reject companies. Adventure gaming WAS a dominant genere in part because adults were playing a lot of video games and the youth culture had not really broken into it full force. Turn based RPGs and atrategy games also proliferated for similar things. Adventure games in paticular were designed for people who just wanted to play tourist. You could buy the game, and a strategy guide, and see all kinds of "purty" stuff and have your hand held through exciting moments without really any chance of getting lost of frustrated due to your trusty guide. In short pretty much the type of game your saying you want.

In general I think as the kids around now slow down you'll see a transition (gradually) back towards games for older folks. Everything is cyclical and you'll eventually see less mocking of turn based, and less of a demand for "it must do everything in real time and quick, quick, quick" at least in the mainstream gaming media. This is however still a ways away.

You either need to adapt to the current gaming trends if you want to game, or go grab an old 386, fire up Myst, and chase the kids off your lawn with your cane.

 

[jubuttib]

... Am I the only one who thinks that today "Hard" means Normal and "Normal" is pretty damn easy? Granted I haven't really played that many recent games and only own a PC and a Wii (the other consoles don't have anything that the PC doesn't have and/or that would interest me. Except for Gran Turismo.), PC is for proper gaming and Wii is for Tiger Woods and a media center (thank you Homebrew Channel).

Anyway, all the games I have played recently have been really easy. The most recent (Fuel) is almost laughably easy, and the only reason to play Mirror's Edge is to see how fast you can run through it, not if you can do it.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Bring back cheat codes? Absolutely. Weapons, ammo, restore health/infinite lives/infinite life, power-ups, costumes, money/gold, the works. Up up down down left right left right select start, anyone? Yeah. What's wrong with just wanting to coast through games to experience them? Nothing. If it's not your game type, then why struggle through something? Get the same experience, as long as you understand which parts are supposed to have killed you dead.

 

[jubuttib]

Then why not read the book? Or watch a movie? Or watch someone play the game for you?

Maybe they want to see that particular story? The last point is a good one though. There are many games I don't want to play but are really interesting to watch. The Silent Hill series comes to mind. Luckily we have YouTube and Let's Play videos. =)

 

[Bongo Bill]

I like hard games but sometimes it is too much. I feel confident in my ability to resist cheats when they are available and really savor the challenge, but apparently some people are not so confident.

 

[Playbahnosh]

You either need to adapt to the current gaming trends if you want to game, or go grab an old 386, fire up Myst, and chase the kids off your lawn with your cane.

Those damn kids, always gettin on my lawn...

I totally agree with what you said. When gaming became mainstream (and it's not an "if" anymore), all the games became increasingly easy and benign. Where are the hard games? I mean, trying to shield kids from the world around them doesn't do any good. When I was a kid, I watched bloody action movies, horror and gore flicks with my friends, "family" movies that had real violence and real nudity (bordering on porn) in them. We played games that had a lot of pixelated blood, guts and a lot of heavy cursing, and, again, nudity. Did we grow up to be mentally damaged psychopaths? No. We had the most cruel and explicit games, movies and music, and yet no one went on a killing spree in a high-school because of video games when I was a kid. Most of us have families and respectable jobs, and turned out to be nice people. And what did the overzealous censorship do the youth nowadays? They made them oversensitive, illiterate and emotionally unstable brats. Great job ESRB and MPAA!

 

[Shamus Young]

Cheat codes are not "gone", or "rare". Honestly I think you haven't played many games if you think that. Check out cheats on Gamefaqs and you'll see TONS of them. The thing about them though is that they tend to disable achievements/trophies/gamerscore. Sure, you can basically play Saint's Row 2 in god mode (to pick an example) but don't expect someone to claim doing so is an "achievement".

I get the impression on some level that what your actually talking about (without mentioning it) ties into achievements, with you considering them "part of the content" and honestly I have to disagree with you. *IF* achievements stay you should have to achieve something (like say winning without cheating) to get them.

Have you actually LOOKED at the "cheats" they offer on Gamefaqs? Check out the "cheats" for Overlord II:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/code/952370.html

It's just a list of achievements.

Fuel had no cheats, although I was able to cheat on the PC by tweaking data files.

Silent Hill: Homecoming had no cheats.

Velvet Assassin has no cheats.

Riddick: DA has no cheats.

And that's off the top of my head in the last couple of months. I know there are more. In fact, I can't remember the last time I played a game where I wanted cheats and was able to find some.

I think turning off achievements is the perfect thing to do when the user enables cheats. It makes sense, and it lets the competitive players do their thing and the tourists do their thing. Everybody wins.

 

[Caliostro]

I agree with some points, disagree with other points.

First, I'm going to say this complaint overall confuses me. Games these days are getting nothing if not absurdly easier for the most part... Games like Prototype, Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Mirror's Edge, Portal, Fallout 3, Crysis, are pretty much a breeze on normal. Then again, I'm not the best example of a "casual" gamer, having gamed most of my life, so I admit I'm a bit biased. Still, the difficulty curve has, generally, been lowered through the years making dying harder and less punishing.

That said, I do agree that games should have, at least, 3 difficulties: Easy (for people who just wanna site-see), Normal (the original experience and how it's meant to be played) and Hard (for the really masochistic crowd out there).

Cheat codes don't hurt either, as they're entirely optional. Although, to be honest I find them redundant... People generally want cheat codes for games they suck in (exception made to The Sims which is a pretty boring game/work without cheats), and if they suck in them they'd probably be happier playing through it legitimately on an easy enough difficulty, or playing a game they're more suited for.

Lastly, I'm going to disagree with:

" (And no, watching the play-through on YouTube isn't nearly as satisfying, for the same reason that your slideshow of Paris isn't nearly as exciting to me as actually visiting Paris.)"

Yeah, but when you put in the cheat codes you're not really "visiting paris" in your analogy. You're flying over it. You're not experiencing the game as it's meant to anyways, that's why they're called cheats. In that case, yeah I'd rather look at pictures, at least I don't have to pay for it, get the benefit of a really neatly framed and high quality picture, and don't waste nearly as much time.

 

[squid5580]

You seem like a rational person so maybe you can explain why you are opposed to the "win" button as Susan described if it wouldn't affect you. It isn't like such a function would be in all modes just easy and optional. I can understand saying no way if it was in all modes of all games and there was no way around it. I just don't understand the opposition over something that is available but optional.

I'm not against the WIN button (or some definitions of it anyway), like I said, I use trainers and cheats my selfm if and when I feel like it. The argument with Susan was about getting into bigger AAA and hardcore games as newbies, making them "accessible" to the more casual crowd, learning the controls like analog sticks on the console controllers, learning core gameplay elements in different genres, etc. But in some games, the "What should I do?" button defeats the purpose, when the game's goal is find that out yourself, like in certain adventure games and RPGs. At some point in the game, you might get stuck, that what walkthroughs are for, it's not a new concept. But when it's incorporated into the game, new players tend to overuse that feature, rather than try to actually think. And in some games, even that button is pointless, when there are multiple choices and different ways to complete the game, based on your decisions. When the game tells you exactly what to do (in a game where the goal is for you to think), it becomes a simple game of "Simon says", going from point A to B without any effort on the player's part.

That's the problem with god modes and all-access cheats. In some games, it might be even considerable to use them, but, again, in some games, it defeats the purpose, when the game's main concept is to try and stay alive, like in survival games. Sure, you can god mode yourself through Silent Hill 2, but takes the Silent Hill out of the game.

So, yes, these things have a place in games, but enforcing minimal use would be a good idea to prevent the abuse thereby prevent the players to ruin the game for themselves, since games get entirely different when you play with cheats. It's a double-edged sword, because if the new players get used to these crutches and constant help, cheats, they end up depending on them, and they will never learn to play for real. They won't experience any game the way the creators intended, and they will constantly play a different (bleaker, watered down) game, and never experience the "real" deal. Like they say, give the man a fish, and he is fed for one day, teach him to fish and he is fed for the rest of his life.

Remember, back 10 years ago, easy difficulty wasn't even that easy, you had to try your best to complete them, and even then, some games scolded or ridiculed you for playing on easy mode, and totally scorned you for using cheats, labeling you a cheater and you wouldn't get your score (like in Blood 3D). You had incentive to try and play on your own, in normal mode. In adventure games, if you got stuck, without internet, you had no access to walkthoughs, you had no other choice but pixel-hunting and rubbing every inventory item against everything to see if anything happens. And don't get me started on RPGs, simulators and strategy games. THE HORROR!

Yes, these games were difficult to play, let alone master, but once you did, that tremendous sense of victory and accomplishment was our compensation, our trophy. Once you finally won that two hour long battle in StarCraft, once you managed to defeat Diablo in nightmare difficulty after the 1000th try, it's priceless. Lame and arbitrary achievement points and gamescores cannot compete with that. And these WIN button elements just discourage effort IMHO.

Oh boy do I remember those days. Back in those days I didn't have a computer and if I got stuck it was no longer fun. There was no help unless I had a friend who had played it (and being the only kid on the block with an NES when they launched was rare) there was no help and no hope. Can you imagine playing Dragon Quest 1 and on every square tile going into your inventory to use the magic flute hoping that square would be the key you need? It just isn't fun at all. And what did I get for my effort? A sense of victory that faded faster than the game lasted. And the knowledge of the exact places I had to use it the next time I played through it. Which meant I didn't have to waste 100s of hours going through the process again. The second playthrough gave me as much satisfaction as if I had a walkthrough sitting on my lap (in other words not much).

That is neither here nor there though. There is a running theme running through your post that I can't help but notice. You are trying to dictate how someone else should enjoy thier game like it affects you. You say that this would be abused but so can a walkthrough. Heck I have abused walkthroughs myself. Print the entire thing off and just read where the game expects me to go next. Or what I should do next. Not with every game but the few where I was a tourist. When I didn't care about the gameplay but wanted the story and to see the sights. If that is how I wish to spend my 60 dollars and enjoy my game what is the problem? And why should the content that I see during my travels be any different than yours? Just because I don't have the time and patience to learn every aspect of the game to beat it on impossible why should I get punished by missing out on the "good" ending (which I can then youtube anyways and still get to enjoy it).

This is where achievements and trophies really prove thier worth. I beat a game on hard without cheats,skips, or invincibilities and bam I am rewarded with points. If I use any of them then I still get points but alot less. I really can't remember the last game that didn't offer more points for completing the game's higher difficulty. Alone in the Dark had the skip chapter thing (and I really hate to shine any good light on that awful game) where it was like a DVD. You could go to any chapter but the last one the moment you put in the disc. The catch was you got points for not using it. Most games with cheats disable achievements. So you are rewarded while not taking anything away from the "noob" who used cheats or whatever. All the while keeping the lifeblood of the industry flowing.

Otherwise the industry is going to run into a big problem and one that I encountered today. I went in to my local Gamestop with some money to burn and looked at the shelves. I looked at each title and either said played it or not my type of game for whatever reason. So now I am waiting til November at the earliest to buy a new game. That is the big problem with shunning the noobs. We old dogs are set in our ways, we know what we want and what we don't. Sure a noob might not pick the best game out there. Heck they might even pick a *shudder* bad game *shudder* in our opinion. If they pick a bad (for example) FPS but they enjoy it why next time they are out in Gamestop they might do a bit of research and find a better one.

I just had a thought (ya I know I should save it since I might need it for when I'm older) about the Wii. Without incurring any fanboy wrath I hope I can say it is meant for casual gamers. Which is both a good thing and a bad one. The positive is it is getting more people into gaming. I have a friend who works at a retirement home and they got a Wii for the residents. The negative is the sheer amount of shovelware associated with it. So they hook the noob but don't give them a chance to evolve. So Gramps who has never played a game before picks up a Wii, loves the few games and then thinks "well that is all to this gamin thing" never knowing about games like Bioshock or COD4 or Halo or FF whatever. If we could make these more accessible for them without losing the qualities that make them great we all win.

 

[batuea]

Well two words for you Game Trainers, of course they only work on PC titles *And no matter what anyone tells you they will not work on ANY console* made by people who feel the exact same way as you.... and me.

PS: I am like you friend, I will go crazier that a out house rat in sandbox FPS games, and there is nothing wrong with that, would you rather me do it in Meat Space?

 

[Cap'n Haddock]

I have to agree fully with Shamus; where is my god mode?
Now i used to play video games with god mode on mostly 24/7... when i was 8 years old and played FPS's using only the keyboard, but I loved that feeling of security you get when you run around and know that you're invincible, it lets you really unwind and mess around instead of worrying about health or ammo, about being confined to the esoteric rules of some game designer when the point of a game is really to have fun, not to live out a double existence within a computerbox.

I can say without a doubt the most fun i ever had was early on in Morrowind I just couldn't really grasp the concept of leveling up or how the world worked at all, all I knew was that I wanted some of the Guard armor because it looked boss. After many failed attempts to steal it from an armor's shop and also trying to kill a guard, I looked up the codes (and the Morrowind/Oblivion/Fallout 3 codes allow TONS of freedom) and punched in the TGM (Toggle God Mode) code into the console.

About an hour later cut back to me ingame standing over the corpses of most of Ald-Ruhn after I had killed them all mostly inadvertently after trying to kill a single guard. It was an utter blast (and as a side note: the Morrowind TGM code was flawed too, if you fired off a spell at someone with reflect up you can die from your own spells).

I really want god mode back in most modern games (Half Life and most Source/Unreal games will most certainly have them always.. hopefully) since it really helps you to enjoy a game more when you have the freedom to sit around and examine most of the game's assets and art at your own leisure.
For example, take Bioshock, which had no useful cheats whatsoever and even the trainer didn't give godmode, I didn't have as much fun playing the game because I knew I could die. (albeit the death system in the game was pretty lax, but still I didn't like that). Even with as many cheats as I could have enabled, I still couldn't mill about and just have fun with the enemies because I knew that they still had the capability to kill me, and that really kills the atmosphere for me, especially in a game like Bioshock where the setting of Rapture really just begs to be explored in its entirety, not just used as a backdrop for a shoot-em-up.

Other games guilty of no god mode that really would have been fun with it:
Lost Planet
Grand Theft Auto IV
Psychonauts for Steam, which somehow disabled all the cheats.

The seriousness of this issue can be illustrated with that abysmal show that became a segment on G4, Cheat, which never really gave good cheats or tips that couldn't be found online with much less effort. Hell, they did a Half-Life 2 episode that was utter bullshit, they spent most of it explaining how to fight through tough parts of the level and didn't even tell you how to turn on invulnerability, only how to get all weapons and do low level physics screwry. Turning on invulnerability would render most of that episode useless, and the stupid segment they have on now is just telling you how to get achievements and all this utter, useless bullshit which the idea of "secrets and hidden goodies" in games has evolved into.

 

[KingPiccolOwned]

For $20, I'll buy just about anything. It's a magic price point that shorts out my ability to make wise decisions.

I bet you wouldn't buy a

Spoiler: clicker discresion is advised

Acid laced codpeice.

 

[Swaki]

its been awhile since ive played a game where i hit a wall, and so i haven't noticed the lack of cheats, but i still enjoy playing unreal tournament 04 (btw this is as good as gaming gets, ive played hundreds of games but nothing beats UT04, this game is my "silent hill 2") whit god mode, flying and all the weapons, also developers should make a "skip this part" code, back in the days i often ran into walls and had to bribe a friend to come over to do it for me so i could complete the rest of the game (not every part can be defeated by god mode).

but i have never seen a game whit no easy difficulty, but, again back to the wall, it should be possible to change difficulty mid game in all games, i dont want to have to restart the entire game when i realize half way trough that its either to hard or to easy on normal.

 

[toapat]

the fact that there are permenant and irreversible penalties into GTA4's cheats, and the fact that they fully denighed giving us a tank is wrong

has anyone legitimately beaten SC:Terran Campain mission 8 legitimately? you are being fucking Hercules beetled that entire mission

 

[tehroc]

You can have your cheat codes but the whole your grandma can beat this game needs to go. Remember when games used to just be hard like Mega Man 1, Master Blaster or Bionic Commando? You either got better at the game or you didn't progress. Inputting a CHEAT code already implies shame just from its classification, sure you beat the game but you had to cheat to do it.