Random Gaming Thoughts

[MrPopo]

That looks more like annoying than difficult.

Well, the difficulty comes from how balls-hard the combat is in Wizardry IV. In Wizardry IV you play a wandering group of monsters vs. enemy heroes. Saving restores every single fixed encounter. There's no town available. The very first room is inescapable unless you manage to summon some clerics and then in battle they cast a specific spell that reveals a secret door.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Credit-feeding rules.
Grinding is awesome.
Wizardry IV is hard as balls.
Y'all need to play The 7th Saga.

[Fragems]

So I was opening up some Mario Kart 64 carts today and noticed something interesting. Looks like the board got a pretty significant overhaul for the later releases. I'm a variant junky so I always find these things pretty interesting.

Original Release(although 1/3 I had is the revised board):



None player choice copy that also had the revised board.



Players Choice USA-1



Players Choice USA-2



Was wondering if any sites had records of the changes for the various versions.

[MrPopo]

That second screen is the one you get after you beat 150cc (or some similar accomplishment).

[Fragems]

That second screen is the one you get after you beat 150cc (or some similar accomplishment).

Oh lol didn't realize it saved to cart . Yeah looks like they golded the 100cc and 150cc.

[Exhuminator]

Even the hardest RPGs aren't that hard. (Does that make me an elitist?)

Depends... what are the most challenging RPGs you've personally finished?

But yeah, most RPGs require very little strategy and it can be replaced by grinding in almost all instances.

Yes there is a common misconception that RPGs aren't truly hard, because they can always be overcome by sheer grinding and strategy guides. That may be true most of the time... as a great many JRPGs are certainly piss easy. But even with more challenging ones, there are common crutches. If say the player is a wuss and plays an RPG with a strategy guide* and also merely grinds their way to victory because they lack the tactical wit to do otherwise. If you succeed in hard RPGs without a guide and without grinding, then you're actually doing something skillful.

But there are the other rare RPGs that do not reward grinding and have enough random factors that strategy guides aren't a saving grace. Classically designed roguelikes are perfect examples of this. In those you lose everything if you die, including your levels, and because everything is randomly generated, a strategy guide isn't helpful on a step by step basis. Then you have stuff like Wizardry and its ilk, where one misstep in issuing a single battle command can ruin the entire fight and see your whole party killed and all progress lost.

*This isn't targeted at anyone in particular, but it's one of my pet peeves. The first time through you should never play an RPG with a strategy guide. The "but I don't want to miss anything" clause is no excuse. If you can't generally beat the game using your own skill, than that's too bad. Play a more suitable RPG for your skillset. Now feel free to replay the RPG with a strategy guide after you beat it on your own, to see if you missed anything after all. Yes that's my personal asinine elitist opinion entirely. But I have my reasons.

[Ack]

Baldur's Gate is a great example, in my opinion, of a game that is still challenging even if you max out your characters. I got through the game, but the first time I fought him, the final boss slaughtered me. To defeat him, I decided to take a more tactical approach, inched my way around the room taking out his minions, used buffs effectively to build myself up, and went in using every skill I had. End result, I won and beat Baldur's Gate.

But after that, I figured why not have a laugh? I hacked a party, maxed them out, gave them the absolute best equipment possible in the game, and then threw them directly against the boss with no tactics whatsoever. You know what? He slaughtered them. There was no way in that battle to defeat the final boss without thinking critically and playing strategically, because levels and gear alone weren't enough to do it. Some RPGs, it really isn't how much you grind, it's how well you play.

Next I'll tell you about the glory that is Castle of the Winds, my favorite roguelike growing up, where you don't even know what stats your weapons have.

[BoneSnapDeez]

There are plenty of retro RPGs that require skills beyond grinding.

Look at the various old action-RPGs where the max level is achieved early in the game. No amount of grinding will help you through Darm Tower in Ys.

Others, like Hydlide, don't allow to the player to farm XP from weaker enemies as they'll eventually net 0 XP each.

Then you have games where (certain) enemies scale to your level such as (dun dun dun) The 7th Saga.

[ExedExes]

Next I'll tell you about the glory that is Castle of the Winds, my favorite roguelike growing up, where you don't even know what stats your weapons have.

That moment when you get a weapon that very strongly increases the character's chance to hit, very strongly increases the character's damage, heals every in-game hour, enchanted against giants, when wielded casts a useful spell, and very strongly increases a random statistic.

Yeah, I love that game. It's free nowadays too.

As for a random gaming thought, an in depth look at the Nintendo Power gossip gremlins from early issues. Don't miss "that distinctive LJN style".

[Flake]

I am sad that the Metal Gear series ends like this.