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Hey all, I am looking for some help with a new show I am working on developing for my youtube channel to help bridge the gaps between Game vs Game episodes. I'll spare you all the details, but what I am wanting to do is a challenge show.

Right now the idea is that it's 4 challengers head-to-head against random gaming challenges. Something like getting as far as you can in Contra without shooting, things like that.

Like I said, I'm still working on all the details, but I'm looking for ideas for challenges. I'd prefer to stay away from the straight-forward "finish this level as fast as possible" unless there were something extra like controlling with your feet.

Any way, any help or suggestions would be fantastic, and I'll be sure to keep you guys in the loop as this goes further.

Thanks everyone!

how about something with reversed controls? Find a way to tweak a controller. If emulated change button __ for button___. If using a real controller, hack it so that it may not have the same button each time? But you would have to hack a controller.

Go psychological. Find the hardest or dumbest game and count each time they curse or swear. Give points for the least or most amount of potty words.

If you have a genesis, put an atari 2600 controller on it. Limit them to one button. What does the button do? I dont know figure it out! If you use it on sonic games then one button is for jumping. But find a way to use it. Maybe some street fighter champion edition and they can only use the one button.

Make them use a fishing controller. Like the video from youtube a few years ago. When the guy beat soul calibur on the dreamcast. Make two people compete with a fishing controller.

Blindfold someone and put headphones on them. Have them play a game . have someone communicate via the headphones to tell them whats going on the screen. Play the first level of Mario brothers like this. Most everyone remembers this level. It would be fun to try to make your friend not die.

thats all I got so far!

There's lots of little challenges you can do. A few years ago, a popular one was for Mario 64. In the Japanese version, the 1Up Mushroom actually chases you (unlike the NA version). There were people seeing how long they could get away from the 1Up without dying or getting it and continuing to complete the stage.

It's probably a good idea to come up with categories of challenges once you have a handful and you can abstract them as to the type of challenge they are.

For instance, if you do the Contra one, that's a non-attacking challenge.
Mario 64 would be an evading challenge.

You could have an interesting challenge by using a cheat device to give invincibility and ultra powers and say, you can't kill this common enemy type.

A really hard one would be only allowing certain numbered enemies to be killed in a shmup (and you have to kill them). Just come up with rules for counting. Like, even or odds. Prime numbered enemies. Or the first of each wave type. Junk like that.

If you know how to solder at all, you could do a lot of really cool stuff.

You can take control of the controller pretty simply. Swap controls ... push the controls to another device. Invert them. Make access patterns that engage at some interval. etc.

You could mod a Simon Says and an SNES controller together (moving some buttons around so the colors match) so the simon says could be made to pause and then un-pause to spit out a pattern which the player needs to replicate on the face buttons, if successful, pauses the simon says and unlocks the controller ... if it isn't, the controller stays locked.

That might be a little advanced to pull off, though.

If you have control over the hardware you can do lots of stuff and you don't need to mod consoles or use emulators to do it (though it would be the easiest way).

Flipping the screen upside down, swapping color palettes, all that kind of stuff could work as long as it isn't too cheap.

great suggestions guys, love the swapped controllers thing and the simon hack would be awesome! also the 1-up chase challenge sounds like it would be a good time actually!

thanks and keep 'em coming!

In Mike Tyson's Punch-out!! is it possible to dodge all punches, hitting your opponent only once, and winning by decision?

Winning a game on one of EA's NHL games, with your team's goalie pulled the entire three periods.

Luke wrote:In Mike Tyson's Punch-out!! is it possible to dodge all punches, hitting your opponent only once, and winning by decision?

Winning a game on one of EA's NHL games, with your team's goalie pulled the entire three periods.

oh that'd be an interesting one to look into, i'll have to see about that one. the hockey one might be a bit too time consuming as an individual challenge, but perhaps if we did a team challenge or something. thanks Luke!

Try getting the Excalibur 2 in final fantasy 9!! Aha that unfortunately would take too long...maybe try beating the original contra without the konami code