ac_90 wrote:i think you still need a life & continue system to add challenge to the game. look at all the side-scrolling beat-em-up ports that get released on xbla & psn; they all give you infinite continues so you never try you just keep mashing buttons its boring. i hear you though. i hate having to start over a section i passed already just cuz i died on the next part. i think theres just a way to do it well and a way to do it thats irritating.
I don't think such systems are "needed" to add challenge to games at all.
Nothing stops anyone from deciding to do a 1-life or a 1-continue run (or an x-lives, or an y-continues run). The most you have to do is to manually count the numbers of lives / continues used.
In contrast, if finite lives and continues are used to "artificially" make the game challenging, that very system stops those that want to play through the game without such a challenge.
In my opinion the best approach in games is to allow people to credit-feed if they want to, but provide some in-built mechanism for tracking this: that means people won't need to manually count it AND they also get something to show for "bragging rights" if they want to.
That could be any sort of high-score or ranking system that counts total time or otherwise penalizes "score" (e.g. reset to zero) whenever you die / use a continue.
When you finish Boktai, you get a counter telling you how many times you were spotted. y only objection is that you can't check this counter before completing (it is available on "New Game +" but not in the first play-through). Similarly, in Metal Gear: Acid for the PSP, each level ranking reflects how many times you get spotted.
Fire Emblem also have a ranking system counting on many turns you use up for missions, how much money you are using up on items (such as better weapons), and if you lose any units.
Ikaruga on the DC eventually gives you infinite continues. It doesn't mean it is not a challenging game and frankly I'm not sure what is accomplished by not giving infinite continues from the start. Those wanting a challenge have a lot of mileage to extract from that game if they want to get good enough to 1cc and also mastering the combo system.
Megaman Zero series gives a ranking at the end of the level that reflects how long you took to complete it, if you used (specific cyber-elf) power ups, and how many times you got hit. If you don't get hit, make a good time and don't use cyber-elves you get 100/100 on that level (and an "S" rank, which I think is from 95/100 or more).
Ivo.
