an indication that true hardcore gaming is dead

try memorizing Left 4 Dead's patterns.
I don't think you can.

hardcore gaming shouldn't be based on memorizing enemy patterns/positions.
it should be based on skill.

 

"memorizing enemy patterns/positions" is a gaming skill you know

 

not all games require the skill of memory and reflexes. left 4 dead challenges the user to survival. but there is a pattern. resident evil 4, for instance, has a pattern and resident evil 4 on wii challenges your reflexes and precision.

street fighter is probably the best hardcore game that's out there and it sucks that it's only for 360/ps3 and should have also been released for wii. it challenges the players quick reflexes into making quick combos and moves against the computer and challenger. it also challenges the useres memory of the computers skills.

if you assume that reflexes and understanding patterns isn't skill then i don't know what to tell you. here is an example of both, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3V2eacPUko. all those people screaming aren't screaming because the game was easy but because the person had skills.

 

Left 4 Dead can be hard, sure, but a lot of that difficulty stems from the skill levels of your teammates as well as your own.

 

that's the pattern, understanding each others pros and cons to use them for your advantage.

 

You can't memorize something that is random. lol

Also, I never said that reflexes isn't a skill. It is.

And as a side note, I'd rather have a game that is truly hard, instead of being "Nintendo Hard" and be a cheating bastard. Rubberband AI pisses me off especially.