Hi Dark, I know exactly what you mean. It isn't so easy to quantify that special something that makes you come back to a game again and again no matter how many times you played it, but you sure know it when you encounter it. I think it is hard to get that quality of game, because its not an exact formula. It just happens to be a well designed game that has a lot of fun and replay value.
Since we both like Shades of Doom that seems to me to be the logical place to discuss this issue of undefinable quality and replay value. To be honest I don't know that David Greenwood intentionally set out to make the game that addictive or it just happened to turn out that way, but it has a lot going for it. For one thing the sound effects are not fantastic, but are decent. The game has very good navigation aids which makes it possible to get around in an FPS environment with a little practice. Each level was designed as a maze which serves as a puzzle element so that new gamers won't finish it in one or two games. It took me at least a month to figure out where I was going which made it challenging as well as addictive. There are hidden rewards such as the ammo in the toilet on the second floor and the mesh armor behind the crack in the wall on level 4. Having hidden rewards like that really adds a bit to the initial replay value of the game. However, the thing I like most about the game is that super battle at the end where there are monsters all over level 9 and then I have to take on the Boss who is one tough son of a gun to beat. I get such an adrenaline rush playing that level I do it pretty frequently. So what makes it such a good game? I'm not sure but it is a combination of many good elements like random placement of items, decent quality sounds, plenty of hidden items, and a gradual increase from fairly easy monsters to that battle to end all battles on level 9. I would say most good games fits this formula pretty closely and are popular for that reason. I know the original Megaman slowly increased in difficulty and one of the things that made that game tough was in the final level you had to fight all the bosses at once which was certainly interesting to say the least. I'd play the entire game through just for that final battle sometimes because it was that fun. Cheers! On 4/16/13, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Tom. > > One crytical aspect i have noticed with games such as prince of persia, > Turrican, mega man etc is replay value, and I don't just mean in terms of > how much content a game has. > > There are several games that i have played and replayed many times, yet > still find myself returning to them over and again, even when I know every > single aspect of them intimately. Super Metroid is a primary example. i've > finished the game with every single item, yet still! I find myself returning > > to run it again, and finding I still get satisfaction from the enemy > placement, the puzzles, the design, even the basic atmosphere. > > The Metroid games on the gba however, fusion and zero mission I've perhaps > played through twice, since while they are fun, they just don't have that > element of surprise and really clean design that made super what it was, > indeed zero mission, which i really enjoyed back when i first played it in > 2005, I find doubly disappointing now since very little new was added to the > > game at all compared to what I'd previously seen. > > I'm told, with the first person prime series this has gotten even worse, > indeed I have a friend who hates the prime games with a passion, despite > being a huge fan of Super metroid. > > It's not however just! classics of the 90's that have this sort of quality > though. As you said in another reply, I've replayed shades and gma tank > commander more than several times, not to mention pipe 2, since the elements > > in those games, even in an arccade style game like pipe 2 were just so well > > worked out. > > It's this aspect that makes me want to come back and run through a game > again, even if I've finished it before. it's hard to say what this element > of design actually is, but certainly good planning, real judgement, and > challenging the player with more than just hear and react challenges all > come in to it. > > Beware the Grue! > > Dark. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
