SO HARDCORE

6 min read

Deviation Actions

Antimatter-Radius's avatar
Published:
849 Views
Lately the gaming world seems to be experiencing a retrolution of sorts; a 'retro revolution', where old fashioned, last gen style games are being made to cater to the so called 'core' gamers that aren't happy with the current roller coaster ride, QTE to win AAA games of this current gen. It's said that the graphics are good, and environments are better than ever, but the general experience is hollow and campaigns way too short. However I like to refer to this article to remind myself how long campaign doesn't equal good by default: uk.ign.com/articles/2012/03/26….


It's important to note of course that not all genres are the same, and to presume that all games nowadays are easy is the stupidest sweeping statement of all time. I'm pretty sure Tetris was as easy to get into back in its inception as it is now. Ignoring genre and context is the biggest pitfall of many a heckler's argument: "all games nowadays are easy". Gee, I dunno coach my playthrough of Halo Reach on Legendary on my own was sure a load of rabbits and rainbows >_> Similarly the statement ignores the individual; you can rant about how Super Mario Bros. is the most intense, core platforming experience ever but if your 5 year old cousin can clear the first 3 worlds without a hitch I'm pretty sure your statement falls flat. That said, I move onto the meat of my rant here, and it pertains to the somewhat gaming meccas that are occuring in this console gen that have all the purists claiming they've discovered the lost city of atlantis; the so called hardcore games.


Consider the following, well known games and scenarios: Dark Souls is THE BEST rpg/action adventure because of its difficulty and it's not a QTE fest like other RPGs and action games. Amnesia the Dark Descent is THE BEST horror game because it's actually 'scary' unlike most horror games which are just action games now that have lost all feelings of tension. And how the recently released Counter Strike: Global Offensive is THE BEST shooter since it's all about run and gun skill, you don't have scoping to save you and it's only for the true L337 and not stupid players of that overmentioned shooter that seems to be the crutch of ever hater ever to make an argument. We all know the name. Now to clarify, in no way am I knocking any of these games; they are ALL fantastic technical and design marvels which have huge followings and rave reviews. But the mentality that they are the best, objectively, without question and everyone who thinks so isn't 'core enough' is quite honestly, stupid.


It seems the knife is pointed most often at the throat of AAA games which the gaming 'L337' seem to believe have tainted what games should be, that games are no longer a 'pure, hardcore' experience with unforgiving challenges and infinite depth. But you see the problem with this, is as I've mentioned before, it ignores so many variables, most specifically preference. Gaming as a whole has grown, yes, it has attracted more gamers and people interested in gaming, yes, but has it lost its heart because games are easier? Of course not. The Ninja Gaiden series, the Devil May Cry series, and believe it or not, the Mega Man X series of games have ALWAYS been quite difficult, and even in the so called 'roller coaster ride' AAA shooters which the purists detest have hair pulling difficulty modes i.e. COD4 on Veteran, any Halo on Legendary, Gears of War trilogy on insane, etc. So difficulty exists if you look for it. But in my opinion that's not the issue here. Why ignore a person's preference? Maybe someone DOESN'T want to spend hours figuring out the best way to infiltrate a building in the previous Splinter Cell games, maybe they just want to experience an exciting story of an Assassin's tale of revenge, doing it with ease and intuitive controls. This isn't me trying to say that games nowadays having simpler, easier controls should mean anything, no way, that's a whole different argument. The problem is with the elitism itself.



There is absolutely nothing wrong with preferring Amnesia The Dark Descent over other horror games, but there is everything wrong with claiming it's THE BEST and that everyone should fall in line because it's the scariest and other horror games suck. If someone finds F.E.A.R 2 scary, and one of the most immersive and difficult horror games they've played then that's their opinion, which is valid and fair enough. A more restrictive and directly terrifying experience like Amnesia may do it for some, but not all, so putting it on some stupid pedestal and crowning it king doesn't mean anything. The horror genre is one waist deep in the murkiness of divided opinion, many claiming it's lost its appeal since it's only funneled action experiences with no scariness to it. I could write an article about it but here's my answer to that; get your head out of that place where the sun don't shine and accept other people's preferences.
If you don't like it, boo hoo play what you do like. You're not 'hardcore' because you prefer a certain type of game design, or because you believe "hard" games are the way to go, you're just a gamer like the rest of us with a PREFERENCE. Everyone has a right to have their game choice respected of course, but understand that there are thousands of DIFFERENT games all with different difficulties, design philosophies and fanbases. There has NEVER been a set standard which every game should adhere to to be considered 'pure', else there wouldn't be different series for different people to enjoy. There are no gaming meccas, there are no figureheads which everyone should play or else they're not true gamers. Someone shouldn't be forced to play Amnesia if they don't want to, maybe they PREFER to shoot zombies with campy humour in the game's plotline and jumpy scares. A set standard isn't what makes games great, but it's the varying experiences people get from different kinds of games, regardless of difficulty, that in my opinion is what is at the 'core' of gaming.
© 2012 - 2024 Antimatter-Radius
Comments4
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
markusman1's avatar
^my subjective opinion^