jjuvenal - casual games: December 2005

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Video Games Go Boom - LoveToKnow Video Games

Friday, December 23, 2005

Something I hate about modern games - unlockables

I've put in my time playing games in eighties. No longer do I have four days non-stop to play a 60 hour game and obsess about every tiny secret like I did with the original Metroid.

Now I'm older, I find life more interesting then games, I have responsibilities, and the last thing I have is more then an hour a week to play games. I am infuriated by games that have unlockables. Case in point, read this description about a secret unlockable in King Kong:

"To unlock the alternate ending, players must complete the entire game and then go back and play through various maps and earn a total of 250,000 points. Other unlockable features include several Weta Digital concept art galleries, interviews with both Peter Jackson and Phillipa Boyens, an "old movie" filter, a King Kong theatrical trailer and more."
http://rss.slashdot.org/Slashdot/slashdotGames?m=726

When was the last time any of us actually finished any game we started?? Let alone bothered to keep track of points????

Who in the hell has the time, energy or desire to spend the time earning 250,000 points?? I paid for the game, I should get instant access to anything the game contains. If I don't then I feel cheated. It says a lot about developers who have the mindset that if we throw secrets into the game we can force people to play them. Um, does playing the game suck that much that you have to incentivize me to finish it? There's your problem and answer right there.