Why are NES games so hard?!

[s0lidsnake]

Why are most of NES games are so freaking hard?

Like I understand that this was kind of the beginning of the gaming era and it doesn't have to be perfect and I'm all in for a challenge i can handle it it's okay but the gameplay is just plain suicidal.. like its so hard its frustrating it just makes me stop playing

How did people react to that back then?
I mean, shouldn't the developers have made it average so people would like it and all since they were just getting started? Why is it so insanely hard?

I may not be a hard core gamer so i could be wrong but im sure lots agree with me

[Warrior]

Honestly newer games are "hard".

Back in the day games were far simpler , if a game was meant to be difficult or impossible it was the dev doing it purposely so you could never beat the game.

Alot of arcade games for example had no end so they had to do that so you wouldn't see you got scammed.

Got any examples of what you attempted to play?

[Gypsy]

Newer games are really easy actually. Most new games totally hold your hand and treat you like a moron.

Anyway, on the topic of this thread lots of NES games are difficult due to poor design. It also took awhile for game companies to learn how to guide players along. This video explains stuff pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM

[Slacker Magician]

Newer games are really easy actually. Most new games totally hold your hand and treat you like a moron.

Anyway, on the topic of this thread lots of NES games are difficult due to poor design. It also took awhile for game companies to learn how to guide players along. This video explains stuff pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM

Spending too much time in JRPG land . I'm okay with any 4X holding my hand .

Ditto on the game design comments from Joey and Warrior. Some of it was bad design and some of it was purposeful.

[Zaladane]

Not to mention these days you have controllers with a bunch more buttons and generally a ton of combinations of moves/options/gear etc to help you along.

I can't think of too many really hard games that I've played in the last decade. Not counting some ridiculously insane very hard mode in a game where all they do is scale stuff up to make things frustrating of course.

[s0lidsnake]

Honestly newer games are "hard".

Back in the day games were far simpler , if a game was meant to be difficult or impossible it was the dev doing it purposely so you could never beat the game.

Alot of arcade games for example had no end so they had to do that so you wouldn't see you got scammed.

Got any examples of what you attempted to play?

I tried to play Mega-Man 1, which was a complete nightmare for me.. Also the TMNT game, Shadowgate and Nightshade were also frustrating

Newer games are really easy actually. Most new games totally hold your hand and treat you like a moron.

Anyway, on the topic of this thread lots of NES games are difficult due to poor design. It also took awhile for game companies to learn how to guide players along. This video explains stuff pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM

Mega Man..... I hated myself for playing it

This video

Not to mention these days you have controllers with a bunch more buttons and generally a ton of combinations of moves/options/gear etc to help you along.

I can't think of too many really hard games that I've played in the last decade. Not counting some ridiculously insane very hard mode in a game where all they do is scale stuff up to make things frustrating of course.

I kinda agree Most of the new games are easy

[Cookie Monster]

Kids back then were more skilled, smarter, wittier and even more handsome.

[s0lidsnake]

Kids back then were more skilled, smarter, wittier and even more handsome.

I'm so mad at myself...

[rexoz]

It was a way to make people feel like the games were longer; think about the amount of content they could actually put on a NES cart back in that time. Without the difficulty, you could blow through nearly any NES game in less than an hour. How many people would buy a game they can easily beat in 45 minutes and have no extra content/side stories?

[Slacker Magician]

Not to mention these days you have controllers with a bunch more buttons and generally a ton of combinations of moves/options/gear etc to help you along.

I can't think of too many really hard games that I've played in the last decade. Not counting some ridiculously insane very hard mode in a game where all they do is scale stuff up to make things frustrating of course.

Bane of my existence.

[Jazzmarazz]

Games were more difficult to beat so that they lasted for the players. Many only had three or four levels, but could easily take a beginner 60-100 hours to play let alone master. I for one find them more enjoyable and much more highly re-playable. Seeing as I grew up when I did and you grew up when you did, each of us are biased one way or another.

Just yesterday, I told my brother that Im getting too old for new games. If I can't jump right in and enjoy it, then I don't care. I hardly even buy many games outside of a select few genres anymore and the ones I do, I skip straight to the max difficulty.

I guess I could say that games were not too hard then, but games are too easy now.

Kids back then were more skilled, smarter, wittier and even more handsome.

It was a way to make people feel like the games were longer; think about the amount of content they could actually put on a NES cart back in that time. Without the difficulty, you could blow through nearly any NES game in less than an hour. How many people would buy a game they can easily beat in 45 minutes and have no extra content/side stories?

Exactly. Iv'e been playing my NES games for decades while most of my PSX and onward have been played once or twice and shelved. Sure, I put 30-40 hours into many of my RPGs, but have put weeks and months into a lot of my old platformers.

[Warrior]

I tried to play Mega-Man 1, which was a complete nightmare for me.. Also the TMNT game, Shadowgate and Nightshade were also frustrating

You need to time travel your brain back to the 80s and 90s while imagining yourself as a 8 yr old, thats the age I remember being while destroying NES games with my "mad skillz"

I was decimating games back in the day and now I'm sucking pretty bad at new age ones, strange indeed.

These may help - https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...nes+commercial

[LeftyGuitar]

I don't think NES games are that hard. Of course I grew up playing them. The more you play them, the better you get at them. A lot of new games are actually pretty easy, the hold your hand pretty much all the way through the game. Long ass tutorials you don't really need either. With NES games, you pop it in and you're ready to go. I've been able to beat Contra without dying, but its been awhile. SNES games can also be kinda hard, but again with practice you can get good. Or as the kids now-a-days say git good.

[Drakoid]

Because games were way shorter and simple back then so they were meant for multiple playthroughs.Harder games assured longer playtimes (At least on your first run) and a bigger sense of reward when you managed to master them.

[Slacker Magician]

Games were more difficult to beat so that they lasted for the players. Many only had three or four levels, but could easily take a beginner 60-100 hours to play let alone master. I for one find them more enjoyable and much more highly re-playable. Seeing as I grew up when I did and you grew up when you did, each of us are biased one way or another.

Just yesterday, I told my brother that Im getting too old for new games. If I can't jump right in and enjoy it, then I don't care. I hardly even buy many games outside of a select few genres anymore and the ones I do, I skip straight to the max difficulty.

I guess I could say that games were not too hard then, but games are too easy now.







Exactly. Iv'e been playing my NES games for decades while most of my PSX and onward have been played once or twice and shelved. Sure, I put 30-40 hours into many of my RPGs, but have put weeks and months into a lot of my old platformers.

Unless they're fighters .