Are retro games harder than current-gen?

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jobocan:

--- Quote from: shoryuken4u on October 19, 2012, 11:38:27 am ---My PS3 games have not been all that hard with the exception of the notoriously difficult Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.
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I wouldn't exactly call these games "really hard" as a lot of people have been saying. Rather, they're punishing, but as a whole they're not too tough if you don't rush it... though they're still above and beyond most other modern games in regards to difficulty, I just feel people over-hype the games' difficulty.

That said, most modern games are definitely easier than a lot of older games, if only because modern developers always feel the need to hold your hand and constantly tell you what to do, with the constant tutorial text, objective markers and overall difficulty-destroying game mechanics like cover and regenerating health. It's pretty bad as a whole. There's no exploration (some games kill you if you even think about not following the set path), no experimenting, no learning as you go, just "do what we tell you and enjoy our badly-written contrived storylines and HD graphics!", and it's pretty shallow if you ask me. The first 10 seconds of Super Mario Bros has more challenge than most of the current industry. There are exceptions, but they're very few and very far between.

kimimi:
I think it's more that gamer expectations have changed - gamers expect to be able to finish any game they purchase these days... and really, why wouldn't they? Gaming is increasingly seen as more adult than it used to be, and adults just don't have the free time that kids do. *I* don't have the time to invest in games like I want to, and pretty much all my free time is spent gaming.

I'd also argue that games are generally better designed these days. I don't mean better designed gameplay, but games (usually) no longer have enemies respawn if you move an inch to the left or expect you to play through 100 levels in a single sitting to complete a game.

darko:
Dark Souls & Demon's Souls are arguably the most difficult games this generation IMO. They require plenty of memory work, trial and error, and exploration. The games absolutely do NOT hold your hand and are very similar in style to some of the more difficult NES/SNES era offerings.

One of my biggest complaints with current gen games is with the lack of difficulty. Personally, I don't enjoy a game unless I feel like I've accomplished something by playing it. Simply seeing an ending doesn't get me there. I've finished very few current gen titles due to the simple fact that I get bored. No challenge = boredom in my book.

Admittedly I am a little tweaked when it comes to playing video games. The tougher the game, the more I get frustrated. The more I get frustrated the more I concentrate. The more I concentrate the better I get. Essentially, if I get pissed off I play better :)

scott:

--- Quote from: darko on October 25, 2012, 01:27:12 pm ---Admittedly I am a little tweaked when it comes to playing video games. The tougher the game, the more I get frustrated. The more I get frustrated the more I concentrate. The more I concentrate the better I get. Essentially, if I get pissed off I play better :)

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This is why my go to genre is shmups. Especially bullet-hell ones. And it's also the reason why I only play until I lose all of my lives and never continue. Sure it takes me forever to see the end of the game, but by the time I get there it provides a great sense of accomplishment. ;D

blipcs76:
I can't think of a modern game I haven't able to beat on normal difficulty (the exception being niche games, for example bullet hell shooters like Ikaruga or Deathsmiles). However, to this day I haven't beaten Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, TMNT or Ghosts N Goblins.

A big difference today is that you can quickly find a walkthrough of nearly every game ever made. If you were stuck on a game in 1986, you had to figure it out yourself or give up.

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