Nintendo is hardly a videogame company anymore

where did you get the information about the stage "fast forward" feature?

btw, i don't think it's a bad thing and games were never easy to begin with.
the reason why that auto-stage thing is a good thing is because it's like the warp pipes in super mario brothers. if you're assumption that this idea is bad, then the warp pipes in super mario brothers is bad. can you imagine having to play through all the stages in the classic super mario brothers game. it's possible but it would be very hard and frustrating.

 

this is how the idea of having the warp pipe not cheating.
can you play like this, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv6_JrWHFV0&feature=related and the other mario game speed run the guy has done? so you see, it doesn't really ruin the game at all as long as there are ways for the player to be challenged. now go and try to speed run like this guy.

btw, this is what it means to be hardcore, not the amount of time spent on trying to beat a game. do you see the difference in a players skill from today to those from the past. real hardcore gamers existed back then, today all that exists are just whiners.

 

At least the warp pipes were somewhat hidden...and you were rewarded for finding it, not given.

@Loony: Sure you can plow through SMB no problem, and in fact some people can do it in 8 minutes, but without the crazy youtube video, there is no evidence or record that he did it. It doesn't say anytime after that when you start it up that you beat it with this score, in this amount of time, with this many lives, and you died this many times, etc. At least arcade games have the high scores, but that only lasts until someone pulls the plug...or resets them.

I mentioned somewhere on another thread that I need some sort of evidence or trace that I've been there. Fighting games are nice because when you go to a character select screen, most likely there will be unlocked characters. It's somewhat a way of bragging rights to your friends. Oh! You've unlocked every character from Marvel vs. Capcom 2! How cool! This doesn't really work that well on veteran gamers, but the total noobs are impressed...

EDIT: Back when I was designing my little fun game for RPG Maker 2003, I filled that place with secrets, and with each secret, you got something that would make the game easier, such as learning Ice2 before you were proper level to learn it, making Fire elementals a joke. Also, if you knew a few secrets like one of the bosses had massive attack and pretty much OHKOs most of time, you could cast Berserk and Confuse, doubling his attack, but also causing him to attack himself. You could then sit there and watch him rip himself apart.

It is my nature to find secrets in games and you might say that Warp pipes are cheap, but really it's a reward for finding a secret. You might think that casting Berserk and Confuse (or a Phoenix Down ) on a boss is cheap and takes away the challenge, but wouldn't you do the same?

I also find it really odd that my friend who has played games all his life, did not know to keep Falco alive and fly under the arcs to get to Sector Y in Star Fox 64. I thought that was a given! You can't beat the other half of the Star Fox world without that knowledge. You're limited to the 7 or so planets and then you're done.

 

Oddly enough I dont see any "unsourced facts" in the post that the timestamp on your quote equates with. (or the one above that either) so what are you on about?

 

I agree with Nintendo becoming money-grubby and less fan-biased. I mean come-on! Spinoff after spinoff! Why not just make a sequel!? I want more MARIO, ZELDA, POKEMON, and METROID! No more Wii-SHIT!

*Rule for Wii Games; If it begins with "IMAGINE" "WII" or "WE PLAY..." then AVOID IT AS IT WILL SUCK!