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61 Frames Per Second

Continuing the Old-School Conversation

Posted by Bob Mackey

Boy, we here at 61FPS sure are thinking with a hive mind today--and it's all due to a lovable, fast-talking British fellow who's already popped up a few times on our blog in the past 24 hours. Needless to say, the reactions of our own bloggers have been intriguing, so I thought I'd continue the old-school conversation with my own post.

First of all, retro is undoubtedly back in style--if that isn't contradictory enough for you. I was going to begin this post by going through a list of the most recent retro remakes/revivals, but there's just too damn many. Right now, I'm completely stuck in the past with Mega Man 9 and the DS remake of Dragon Quest IV, and I couldn't be happier. As much as I try to resist the crippling powers of nostalgia, it does get to me; and, in some ways, I realize the tragedy of buying my childhood back, one game at a time.

It's safe to say that I'm on the same page as John and Nadia when it comes to Bionic Commando: Rearmed--but there are certain retro quirks that irk me when they appear in a modern-day game. Take the concept of "lives," for instance; it's something that I've wanted to write an in-depth article about for a long time (and I just may do that!). I'm completely against punishing a player with tedium (i.e., replaying long stretches of a game) for screwing up; but if Mega Man 9 didn't have a lives system, it would feel very, very wrong. Despite it kicking my ass up and down the block for a week, there are certain old-school ideas that work best in certain contexts.

On the other hand, a game like the Wii's Zack and Wiki absolutely did not need a lives system--especially when the developers seemed so keen on murdering you for experimentation and exploring; not a good idea when finicky Wiimote controls can screw you at every turn. And look at Super Mario Galaxy--what exactly were the point of lives in that game? I've never had a game over in Galaxy, but I'm sure losing all of my lives would provide me with nothing but a brief period of inconvenience as I loaded up my old save. Is that supposed to encourage me to play better?

I guess what I'm saying is we should keep the old mechanics where they belong, and revamp the ones that would be inexcusable today. Bionic Commando: Rearmed did a great job at this; what do you guys think?

Related Links

Bionic Commando is Love: Bionic Commando Rearmed is Out. It Matters.
One Crazy Summer of Arcade
Yahtzee Rolls With the Big Dogs, Takes the Piss Out of GTA4


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Comments

Roto13 said:

Kicking your ass for a week? You know it only came out like three days ago, right?

I think lives work if they're not just there for the sake of tradition. Mega Man works well with lives. You have three shots to make it from the beginning of the level to the end and beat the boss. There are checkpoints in the middle of the stage and right before the boss, so there's a little lenience, but screw up too much and it's back to the start for you. They add to the challenge (and there's no feeling quite like finally making it across a trail of disappearing blocks only to be smote by the boss and have to start the whole lever over. It's crushing.)

They were kinda pointless in Mario Galaxy, though. You're not going to get a game over in Mario Galaxy unless you try to get all of the stars, and even if you do it's usually just a matter of walking back to the correct level and picking the right star.

September 25, 2008 10:18 PM

Demaar said:

You know, the whole lives thing could be gotten around SO easy it's not even funny. With BC Rearmed you could still get the mission failed pop up, but they could give you the option to return to the map or restart the level saving you from having to suffer through at least two loading screens.

I still think having life limits in a game that is difficult is required (it gives you a break from retrying over and over again, giving you the option to try another level or take a break from the game before you're burnt out), but if someone wants to, they should give you the option of retrying with little to no set backs.

I forget where I read it, but I love the quote "a game isn't losing if the player is winning" or something to that effect. There're no coins for the machine to eat up any more.

September 26, 2008 3:27 AM

About Bob Mackey

For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.

If unsatisfied, please return unused portion for partial refund.

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about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Hooksexup, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia's prized possession is a certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.


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