30 lives in Contra was a little more substantial than giant head codes. 
Stop coddling me Nintendo!
- Thread starter JirinPanthosa
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The funny thing about the Konami code is it was completely unnecessary and probably did more harm than good.
Contra has the erroneous reputation of being really difficult. I think the big reason for that is the 30 rests became such a crutch for most people that they never bothered to learn the game.
It's one of those games that simply take memorization through rote to master. Once that's achieved, clearing the game without dying (or at least on a single continue) is actually quite simple. I've done it many times myself.
Contra has the erroneous reputation of being really difficult. I think the big reason for that is the 30 rests became such a crutch for most people that they never bothered to learn the game.
It's one of those games that simply take memorization through rote to master. Once that's achieved, clearing the game without dying (or at least on a single continue) is actually quite simple. I've done it many times myself.
I wouldn't say Contra is about memorization save for maybe a couple parts. More about learning enemy attack patterns and training yourself to track where the bullets are going to be. Most of those NES platformers are all about learning how to deal with enemy attack patterns.
Konami code also gave you 9 lives and level selection in TMNT2.
There is a big psychological difference between having to go to a website to find a hint and just having to press a button. The latter feels like the normal course of playing the game and the former does not. That's what I mostly object to, when you don't have to make any effort to get the hint, you don't feel the same way about it.
Konami code also gave you 9 lives and level selection in TMNT2.
There is a big psychological difference between having to go to a website to find a hint and just having to press a button. The latter feels like the normal course of playing the game and the former does not. That's what I mostly object to, when you don't have to make any effort to get the hint, you don't feel the same way about it.
Well, it's all I ever did.30 lives in Contra was a little more substantial than giant head codes.
That and skipping to the last level in Sonic 2.
Mister Fandango
Fleet Captain
There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, either. If people find their system or their games unacceptable for whatever they decide their level of difficulty is, there's other platforms available.
The real question is why does the original poster think they all have to be hardcore? Games that have been around for centuries if not millenia -- and will continue to be popular long after everything currently on the market has been long, long forgotten -- aren't even remotely difficult to play.
Hard != Good.
I never said a game has to be hard to be good. But, right now the games with the best designed mechanics don't have any hard option. So it's like "I could be loving this game, only they decided to make it completely inaccessible to me". Where is my "Second Quest"?
And there is definitely a line. A Link To The Past as I said is not a hard game, anyone can beat it. But, there are some parts where you might get stuck for a bit and have to figure out how to get through. If there isn't a single point in the game where I ever feel like I'm at risk of dying or ever have to get better at the game or figure anything out to move through, am I really playing a game? Or am I just jamming buttons on a controller to pass the time? Those moments of frustration and subsequent overcoming of that frustration is what made me love video games to begin with. And you don't need 'Hardcore' level of difficulty to get those moments.
Also, I hate this trend in games that companies think every level of the game should be the same difficulty level. Instead of actual increases in challenge throughout the game, you get the perception of increased challenge through scaling up enemy strength and player level together. Why not have level 1 be super-easy and level 20 be hardcore? Scale up the challenge smartly, teach the player a skill in a context where it's easy, then pull out a situation where you have to apply the same skill where it's more difficult. That's difficulty scaling 101. That way anybody who beats the early levels will then be ready for the hard levels. That's how 80s kids learned to deal with challenging games, and there's no reason 00s kids can't learn the same way. And I bet if they did it this way they'd enjoy the games way more in the long run.
And there is definitely a line. A Link To The Past as I said is not a hard game, anyone can beat it. But, there are some parts where you might get stuck for a bit and have to figure out how to get through. If there isn't a single point in the game where I ever feel like I'm at risk of dying or ever have to get better at the game or figure anything out to move through, am I really playing a game? Or am I just jamming buttons on a controller to pass the time? Those moments of frustration and subsequent overcoming of that frustration is what made me love video games to begin with. And you don't need 'Hardcore' level of difficulty to get those moments.
Also, I hate this trend in games that companies think every level of the game should be the same difficulty level. Instead of actual increases in challenge throughout the game, you get the perception of increased challenge through scaling up enemy strength and player level together. Why not have level 1 be super-easy and level 20 be hardcore? Scale up the challenge smartly, teach the player a skill in a context where it's easy, then pull out a situation where you have to apply the same skill where it's more difficult. That's difficulty scaling 101. That way anybody who beats the early levels will then be ready for the hard levels. That's how 80s kids learned to deal with challenging games, and there's no reason 00s kids can't learn the same way. And I bet if they did it this way they'd enjoy the games way more in the long run.
Well, that just emphasizes my point. This current cheating here is no better and no worse than that. It's also unnecessary, but it's for those who struggle to succeed otherwise.
Well, I think the use of secret codes in the past made you feel like you were part of a secret club who was therefore entitled to get the advantages. I found out most game codes through word of mouth or Nintendo Power. But, since the internet has removed all effort anyway, I'm not sure why it should be hidden from those without the internet. To me, it's basically the same thing. On the other hand, 900 number help lines were bad. To me, they're no better than Zynga micro-transactions to give you an advantage in play. I'm glad they're gone.
I used the two whistle trick in Mario Bros 3 to warp ahead to the end of the game once or twice, but I certainly didn't normally see the point. I've also used the 99 lives trick in Donkey Kong Country 2 on occasion, but more as a curiosity than anything else. Likewise, I've done the same with the Barrel Code for 50 lives in the original DKC. Generally, I just do the down, y, down, down, y code to play the animal stages because those are a little more fun. None of the codes I've used to beat the game with because it isn't necessary, but I've certainly tried them out.
I like it when games include a bonus world of hell. Include tricky secret exits or devious trinkets to collect in the normal game that will unlock a hardcore bonus world at the end. If you want an easy game you can ignore the extra content, but there's a harder game hidden away if you want a challenge.
The Donkey Kong Country series did this very well. I wish more games did too.
I will give Nintendo credit for often including bonus levels that are actually hard. For example, 9-6 in Super Luigi U is brutal.
But, I hate it when I have to collect every little thing in every level just to open it up. Now, I consider DKC an exception to this, because in DKC2 all the Kremkoins and DK coins are really, really well hidden. But in Mario games they tend not to be very well hidden. In Super Luigi U there are some secret exits that you'll only ever find on your own by ground pounding every corner of the map. DKC2 is awesome but every other application of that I've ever seen is terrible. You should not have to do tedious crap to get to the fun parts.
When you find a DKC2 Kremkoin you think "Oh, COOL, I can't believe that's where it was hidden."
When you find a Mario star coin you're like "Oh REALLY, it was hidden in that stupid random place?"
You shouldn't have to explore every corner of the easy levels to get to the hard levels. Also in DKC2, the bonus levels were a natural continuation of the difficulty scale of the game, in Mario games they're the only remotely hard levels of the game.
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