They Don’t Make Games Like They Used To: Difficulties

This past month I have been venturing through the kingdom of Hyrule, reliving the good ol’ days of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on my 3DS. As I entered Zora’s kingdom and tried to figure out how to rescue Princess Ruta, it dawned on me. This game caused me so much grief and panic when I was younger. I still have nightmares about the Water Temple. When I needed to open Lord Jabu-Jabu’s mouth to rescue Ruta I didn’t have anyone there to hold my hand, telling me exactly what to do. I didn’t have a tutorial mode or text popping up on the screen to show me the way. I had to figure it out on my own, with a little help from Navi. The point is though, they don’t make games like this anymore; games where you have to actually use your brain to figure out what to do. In my scenario I had to find a fish to wet Lord Jabu-Jabu’s appetite, but where could I find one? I remember seeing one earlier in the game, but for the life of me couldn’t recall the exact location. If this game had been made recently, the fish would literally be right next to Lord Jabu-Jabu. Gamers nowadays are lazy and they don’t want to have to trek all the way back to town to buy a bottle, then go to the lake and try to find a fish. Gamers want everything to be convenient, easy, and accessible. Oh, how the times have changed.

I remember playing through the Black Ops campaign when it first came out and getting to the second to last level on the ship. Overhead were two enemy helicopters that I needed to destroy in order to survive. Luckily for me, there was a missile launcher easily located a few feet away from me. Convenient, much? I miss the days where I actually had to travel somewhere on foot, had to search for items on my own, and didn’t have a tutorial system telling me what to do every 5 steps. I miss figuring things out on my own, not knowing how to defeat a boss or jump a chasm. Current games baby me too much when I just want to be set free to complete missions and play the game as I want to play it. Back in the days of SNES, N64, and PS1, cheat codes, word of mouth advice, and game guides were saving graces. I didn’t have Youtube videos showing me how to get past levels in R-Type. No, I had to memorize things like the way enemies moved, the layout of the levels, and ways to make sure my hunk-a-junk ship didn’t blow up every 10 seconds. I haven’t played that game in years, but I can still remember patterns.

To be honest I never beat Goldeneye. I couldn’t make it past the 4th level of Lion King on the SNES. I didn’t even come close to beating Battletoads, but did these things make me want to quit gaming? No! If anything, they made me love these games even more! The thrill of getting a stage further in Super Mario Bros. 2 or finally making it past the elevator stage on Donkey Kong kept me coming back again and again. I remember as a kid boasting to my friends that I knew where all the Warp Whistles were, and that without them I didn’t stand a chance at beating Super Mario Bros. 3. I wish more games prompted gamers to want to smash their controllers, yell at their tv set, or cry from utter frustration at not being able to get past the second dungeon.

Nowadays, games offer different difficulties, which help compensate for each gamer’s skill. I appreciate that games like Call of Duty, Uncharted, and Halo all offer difficulty settings, but these games are nothing compared to the days of yore when the challenges were more than just outlasting a wave of enemies and waiting for your health to replenish. Games back in the day just were less forgiving and didn’t have all the innovations we have come to expect. Players now have unlimited lives, can save wherever they want, and can sustain more than one hit before dying. Knowing how fragile your life was made you think before you jumped into danger’s way. Games like Ninja Gaiden and the Silver Surfer are notorious for being impossible to beat. I don’t know a single person who has beaten either of these games, let alone even made it to the last parts of the game. When were these games released? 1988 and 1990. When was the last time you couldn’t beat a game because it was too difficult? Also, remember the Nintendo Hotline? There’s a reason Nintendo had that hotline. Games used to be insanely difficult! Given, players didn’t have the internet or Youtube back then, but games like Mega Man, The Karate Kid, and Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! were unrelentingly hard. Don’t even get me started on Contra as well. Without a cheat code, you aren’t going to make it to the end of the game. If you did make it all the way without cheating, then you’re a God amongst gamers.

Now I’m not saying that all games on current gen consoles are so easy that a toddler could beat them. No, there are many games I have played recently that have really made my mind go numb while playing. Portal 2, both the single player and co-op, tested my resolve and ability to think things through. Other games like Braid and Dead Rising tested my patience and were difficult in their own ways, be it puzzling puzzles, or requiring me to survive for hours on end with little aid. I think the downfall of current games though, is that they are afraid to anger us. The perception seems to be that as gamers, we want everything to be easy and effortless. Heaven forbid I have to ride a horse for 5 minutes traveling from one location to another, rather than fast traveling there. No joke, I didn’t even know fast traveling existed in Red Dead Redemption until after I had finished the game. Did that anger me though? Of course not. I got to explore and suffer through the tribulations of getting held up for all my money every 10 minutes, or being assaulted by a hungry bear.

They don’t make games like they used to folks. I’m glad we have advanced with graphics and gotten more cinematic games, but I miss those days where I would struggle with games, not even being able to beat them to this day. So I urge you developers, don’t be afraid to make us scream in agony at the level of difficulty in your games. Trust me, we can take the abuse. Again, this is all opinion based off of the games I’ve played. If you’ve played these games before though, you share my pain.