Refusing to use overpowered attacks/power-ups?

[DefaultGen | 5,395]

If I need to make a game harder, I usually just find a different game. It's too hard to me to restrict myself from the "best" strategy or moves. If I'm trying to get good at a game, I usually just want to get good at it with standard rules.

I guess Pokemon is a slight exception, because I always use my favorite Pokemon rather than the strictly strongest, except those games are so mind numbingly easy it doesn't even matter.

Edited April 30, 2020 by DefaultGen

[dvertov | 205]

11 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

If I need to make a game harder, I usually just find a different game. It's too hard to me to restrict myself from the "best" strategy or moves. If I'm trying to get good at a game, I usually just want to get good at it with standard rules.

Where would you consider games with a non-default "hard mode" to fall on that spectrum? Is that still "standard rules"? Also thinking of games where the real hard mode doesn't unlock until after you beat the game at least once, etc.

[Estil | 1,261]

On 4/29/2020 at 11:19 AM, rdrunner said:

As EA used to say, "if it's in the game, it's in the game".

The key word is used.

[CMR | 518]

I like to play modern tetris games without holding a piece.

[guitarzombie | 923]

I think the best example honestly is Symphony of the Night.  When I first beat it, I had no idea you could use the shield rod with a shield and get a cool power up thing.  But when I saw what you can do with Alucards shield its hysterical.  It depends what mood im in, but if its against the computer, F-em.  They're cheap so YOU should be cheap.  But if you start to get really good and want to experience a challenge, so be it.  I feel that the developers put them in because they WANT people to complete the game at any ability, whether you cheese the game or not.  I watched a 2hour "Devs play" with Iga but they never mentioned that.  They did mention that they wanted the player to get the bad ending and because of certain elements, they felt that they could get a high 'completion' rate.  Id imagine thats pretty important to a game developer.  You pour all this hardwork into a game but its so hard no one sees it.

I love in the new doom you can turn on cheats and use them and they don't affect mission progress.  Its their for you to use IF you want it.  Even if its too hard, they WANT you to complete the game. After playing it straight on UV and Nightmare, I love turning on cheats to mess around or get weekly challenges done very quickly.

 

On the other hand, if its some glitch or exploit I dont like to use it.  Right now im doing a Nightmare run on Doom II, and there are a few levels you can rocket boost, or do some trick to beat the level quickly (like in a speedrun) but I want to see how the level is supposed to be beat naturally.

Edited May 4, 2020 by guitarzombie

[phart010 | 1,705]

My cat refuses to use overpowered attacks on all the small animals he brings back home. He likes to kill them slowly and delay their dying for as long as possible. 

[Tanooki | 4,929]

23 hours ago, CMR said:

I like to play modern tetris games without holding a piece.

I got used to it, but I don't like it and never will.  Too many hours, hundreds, thousands maybe playing the original Gameboy game set me in my ways.  A harder game because of it, but maybe not a fairer one since the hold gets you out of a bad run of pieces that randomly can ruin a game.

[DreamCuPS | 18]

I never refuse to use said means, but a few times I ended up not using them, cause I don't realized their advantages, or for lacking of experimentation. The best exemple was when I finished Castlevania (the Nes one) years ago, without worrying about those multiplier blocks (I, II and III). Afterwards some friend of mine told me what they do. I had a very hard time trying to get through the last part of the penultimate stage, and its boss, the Death. 

[Estil | 1,261]

18 hours ago, phart010 said:

My cat refuses to use overpowered attacks on all the small animals he brings back home. He likes to kill them slowly and delay their dying for as long as possible. 

Well he's been compelled by nature for thousands of years to do that.

What I can't stand is how in Super Mario 3D Land and New Super Mario Bros Wii is how just the "Easy Block" appearing in the stage will make you permanently lose your shiny stars in your profile...forcing you to go right back to your previous save if you don't want to lose them.  Luckily in later games that only happens if you choose to use it.

Edited May 5, 2020 by Estil

[twiztor | 847]

i tend to play old NES games in a sorta minimalist way. Not to make it more challenging, but just because that's the way i like to play. Here's some examples:

Mario 3- like someone said earlier, i'll use a flower/leaf/mushroom that i acquire, but pass on the P-Wings

Mega Man- i tend to play buster only, unless a different weapon is required to progress.

Castlevania (1)- mainly whip only. depending on how i feel, i may still cheese the bosses with holy water. 

in addition, i have a short attention span a lot, so i tend to play just a single run (no continues). again, not always, but it keeps me playing something fresh.

[dvertov | 205]

1 hour ago, twiztor said:

Mega Man- i tend to play buster only, unless a different weapon is required to progress.

With the exception of the Metal Blade, isn't that usually how everyone plays Mega Man games?

[twiztor | 847]

19 minutes ago, dvertov said:

With the exception of the Metal Blade, isn't that usually how everyone plays Mega Man games?

bosses and all?

[dvertov | 205]

4 minutes ago, twiztor said:

bosses and all?

Oh, right.

[DreamCuPS | 18]

The biggest problem of Mega Man for me is certain platform sections, not exactly the bosses. I just dropped that Mega Man powered-up (psp) mostly cause Iceman's and Gutsman's stages. Plus: in the "new" mode of this game there's no magnet beam. This game should be called Mega Platform, Platform Hell, or whatever. 

[NESfiend | 1,514]

On 4/29/2020 at 12:42 PM, TDIRunner said:

Another example is Super Mario Bros. 3.  I'm completely fine using the powerups that you save in between levels.  However, the one rule that I have is that I don't use the P-wings.  I don't thin it's cheating if you do use them since they are included in the game for that reason.  However, I just choose not to use them myself.  

P-wings were the only example I could think of offhand that I don't use. If I run out of items that make you big, Ill use it and the the first hit possible to have a big Mario. On top of taking the challenge to pretty much zero, the sound that the maxed out power meter is friggin mind numbing. 

Edit: mega man games I generally try to use buster all the way through, at least for the initial 8 levels and bosses. For special bosses, after that, I'll mix in some weapons if Im having trouble getting through with the buster. 

Edited May 6, 2020 by NESfiend

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 697]

Does Pokemon count? I tend to not necessarily use the most uber/OP Pokemon, or just sometimes go for playthroughs with w/e is random just because.