164 replies to this topic

[LegendaryMackioVirus]

Man, I tried this and I just couldn't have fun with it. The game is made to be an insult to the player; and I just don't find that fun. The difficulty curve is vicious. The second you walk in to several rooms, something kills you. Usually, there's supposed to be segments to lull the player into a false sense of security, balancing out the really hard segments. But, even at the start of a new game, you can't jump over one hazard without something leaping out to kill you.

I'm not talking about just holy's game. I'm speaking for all "I Wanna Be The..." games. The creative factor, sure, that's real nice. Coming up with rooms/games like this, where you have to come out with something new and interesting every single room, absolutely. But it's the surprise attacks after every step you take that I can't get behind. They're cheap kills and happen far too often. These games are intentionally made to be cruel, as opposed to the cruelty being incidental. I, personally, prefer the latter. One style of game is hard because it's a side effect of the game's difficulties; while the other is hard because that was its purpose.

Example of incidental ] La-Mulana: it's a difficult puzzle game with finicky controls where your actions solve puzzles somewhere; and the whole point is to explore how, what and where those actions/puzzles are. It entails the player reading monuments and hints carefully, remembering clues. Because, believe it or not, the answer to every puzzle in the game (Hell Temple excluded) is on a monument somewhere. Most of which are in the same area where the puzzle is. And, without a certain item, you won't even know if you solved the puzzle or not without looking. It's hard because of the game's nature.

Example of intentional ] Hell Temple: unlike the rest of La-Mulana, it was made as a colossal "fuck you." See DeceasedCrab's videos of his blind run through it. An hour in, he was screaming. The puzzles were purely trial and error, far more errors than not. What's worse is there are no save points for this place. You have to run through the whole thing in one sitting. If you're missing some ammo or weights, tough shit on you. It's hard because it was made to be that way, not as a side effect of the game's nature.

The readme says "only the most dedicated and skilled gamers will complete it". And, quite frankly, I don't think that's a height at which you wanna set the bar if you're shooting for fun. It says only the most skilled gamers will win; but that's not all together the case. The IWBT-games are based off the old, original Nintendo games that had the elements of trial and error to make your way through them. And like those games, Touhou counts on that too. It encompasses the players dying, a lot, memorizing what will happen, and when, and then going through it all over again. The difference between those games and IWBT-games is they blow the trial/error element way out of proportion, and make it the sole element necessary to beat the game. As a gamer since the old Nintendo days, this shouldn't be an essential element simply to get 5 minutes into the game. Sunsoft made Journey to Silius like this, and it's why they no longer are.

And I can see it now: "HAHAHAHA you just suck! QQ more, Razlo!" Well, if having a preference for games in which I'm able to progress at a steady pace, not killed for jumping over the first hazard, means I suck, then I'd rather be that and having fun than spending 10 minutes trying to figure out just how to work the controls right enough to get me past that first obstacle. And, for the record, I actually beat I Wanna Be The Guy, on Very Hard, got all the secret items, and I also got over halfway through I Wanna Be The Fangame, getting all of its secret items along the way before losing interest in it. So it's not for lack of ability; because I can beat these kinds of games.

[El_Richardo]

LegendaryMackioVirus, on 19 April 2011 - 10:35 PM, said:

An accurate and comprehensive summary of the entire point of all "I Wanna be The..." games.

That is all.

Also, I had no idea the creator of IWBTSM was on this very forum. I'll have to give it a try... after I try the original IWBTG.

[MassPower]

Go to 2Demotion and you can see holy's works

[ieatatsonic]

See my avatar? At some points, you can stand on the corners like that.

[LegendaryMackioVirus]

El_Richardo, on 22 April 2011 - 07:20 PM, said:

That is all.

Also, I had no idea the creator of IWBTSM was on this very forum. I'll have to give it a try... after I try the original IWBTG.

Ehm... the creator of IWBTSM owns this very forum.