I like difficult games. Whether it's Dragon Age: Origins on Hard (PC), The Witcher 1 and 2, or any other game, really, I like when I'm challenged completing it.
However, I don't like all types of difficulty. Specifically, I like games where my reflexes, ingenuity, or critical thinking skills are tested. Whether it's managing my party skills and actions in Dragon Age, or diving, casting signs and using potions in the Witcher, the tougher the encounter is, the more rewarding it feels to complete it.
However, there are some tricks designers use to increase difficulty I absolutely hate. I call these "Adventure Game Elements." These are the times when you're presented with a situation that has one, and only one, solution.
Using The Witcher 2 as an example: The Kayran fight. The entire game up to that point consisted of encounters you could handle however you wanted. Some of them were extremely tough, but the approach was flexible. Not this one. I figured out the trick to the first part pretty quickly, but after the bridge fell and it was clear I couldn't get close to the thing on the ground, I just alt-tabed to a walkthrough. And didn't feel guilty at all.
The problem I have with these sections is that they're like the old Point and Click Adventure games (hence the name) in that the only thing that matters is that you manage to find the random train of logic that the developers were on. I don't feel like anything is being challenged beyond my patience since most of the time you're forced to resort to trial and error, until you find the one thing that works.
Note: I'm not referring to puzzles. Those are fun. I'm just referring to times, like I mentioned above, where games throw an encounter/scenario at you that has only one way forward. Another example would be a dialogue where the wrong response at any point kills you and makes you repeat the whole thing.
Incidentally, I've heard from a friend of mine that this is what Dark Souls is like, which is why I haven't been interested, so feel free to correct me if that isn't the case.
My question is, how many people actually like scenarios/boss encouters/etc. that have only one right way of doing them.
However, I don't like all types of difficulty. Specifically, I like games where my reflexes, ingenuity, or critical thinking skills are tested. Whether it's managing my party skills and actions in Dragon Age, or diving, casting signs and using potions in the Witcher, the tougher the encounter is, the more rewarding it feels to complete it.
However, there are some tricks designers use to increase difficulty I absolutely hate. I call these "Adventure Game Elements." These are the times when you're presented with a situation that has one, and only one, solution.
Using The Witcher 2 as an example: The Kayran fight. The entire game up to that point consisted of encounters you could handle however you wanted. Some of them were extremely tough, but the approach was flexible. Not this one. I figured out the trick to the first part pretty quickly, but after the bridge fell and it was clear I couldn't get close to the thing on the ground, I just alt-tabed to a walkthrough. And didn't feel guilty at all.
The problem I have with these sections is that they're like the old Point and Click Adventure games (hence the name) in that the only thing that matters is that you manage to find the random train of logic that the developers were on. I don't feel like anything is being challenged beyond my patience since most of the time you're forced to resort to trial and error, until you find the one thing that works.
Note: I'm not referring to puzzles. Those are fun. I'm just referring to times, like I mentioned above, where games throw an encounter/scenario at you that has only one way forward. Another example would be a dialogue where the wrong response at any point kills you and makes you repeat the whole thing.
Incidentally, I've heard from a friend of mine that this is what Dark Souls is like, which is why I haven't been interested, so feel free to correct me if that isn't the case.
My question is, how many people actually like scenarios/boss encouters/etc. that have only one right way of doing them.