GS home and video games: what you DIDN'T like.

[TLEberle]

Did anybody own the game and get directions from the instruction booklet. Whenever I played it was via rental and therefore it was sixty seconds of guesswork. (Seriously, in what universe do you propel your guy forward by alternating left-right-left-right? I thought GameTek made the game, not Konami.)

[clemon79]

Seriously, in what universe do you propel your guy forward by alternating left-right-left-right? I thought GameTek made the game, not Konami.)

I cannot tell you how many joysticks I broke playing this. Konami wasn't the only offender.

[PYLdude]

Seriously, in what universe do you propel your guy forward by alternating left-right-left-right? I thought GameTek made the game, not Konami.)

I cannot tell you how many joysticks I broke playing this. Konami wasn't the only offender.

Also the NES version of Winter Games.

Track & Field II had issues too. I found the hammer throw particularly frustrating.

[clemon79]

Also the NES version of Winter Games.

That was more rhythmic than frantic, though, wasn't it? (I'm thinking biathalon specifically.) Was there a jiggle event in Winter Games? (I played it on my Apple II.)

[PYLdude]

Also the NES version of Winter Games.

That was more rhythmic than frantic, though, wasn't it? (I'm thinking biathalon specifically.) Was there a jiggle event in Winter Games? (I played it on my Apple II.)

The speed skating event. The NES didn't have all the events that other versions did apparently either.

[Dbacksfan12]

(Seriously, in what universe do you propel your guy forward by alternating left-right-left-right? I thought GameTek made the game, not Konami.)

Try walking down the street only using your right foot and tell me how far you get.

[TLEberle]

Try walking down the street only using your right foot and tell me how far you get.

Super Mario Brothers (and all games after it) have your guy move in the direction you enter on the keypad. As does Contra. And Mega Man. And Legend of Zelda. Just about every game uses a sensible means to direct your guy because to do something that's more realistic (and if you want realism I point you to QWOP, a game where you run a 100m "sprint," and each key press exercises a thigh or foot muscle) would detract very much from the game-playing experience.

[pacdude]

(Seriously, in what universe do you propel your guy forward by alternating left-right-left-right? I thought GameTek made the game, not Konami.)

Try walking down the street only using your right foot and tell me how far you get.

You're shitting us, right? Jesus Christ, standard video game trope: hit the button in the direction you want to go to. Pac-Man does it, Mario does it, Madden does it. When games don't do it (Resident Evil) people bitch.

[clemon79]

The point of jiggle-to-run (or pound-the-buttons-to-run in the case of Track & Field in the arcade) in these games isn't meant to simulate actual movement; it's meant to simulate the *fatigue* of actual movement. To that end, it succeeds pretty fantastically. The first time I got the "SPRINT!!!" message after pacing myself for 1300 meters at the end of Activision Decathalon was a pretty good gaming moment in my formative years simply because it fairly accurately portrayed the dig-deep-now-dig-deeper feeling that I would imagine an elite athlete has at the end of a long competition.

[pacdude]

The point of jiggle-to-run (or pound-the-buttons-to-run in the case of Track & Field in the arcade) in these games isn't meant to simulate actual movement; it's meant to simulate the *fatigue* of actual movement. To that end, it succeeds pretty fantastically.

Absolutely agree, and the distinction should be made clear.

[clemon79]

Track & Field II had issues too. I found the hammer throw particularly frustrating.

Thinking about it, Track & Field II was relatively unplayable unless you had a controller with an autofire function, at which point the records started falling like distance runners near Zola Budd.

[PYLdude]

Track & Field II had issues too. I found the hammer throw particularly frustrating.

Thinking about it, Track & Field II was relatively unplayable unless you had a controller with an autofire function, at which point the records started falling like distance runners near Zola Budd.

The main problem with Track & Field II, to me, was the completely out of whack control scheme. I understand that kind of was the point, considering the varied amount of events they had (from track to gymnastics to shooting to fencing). But I think what it boiled down to was two basic control schemes that worked- impossible tasks with the D-pad or overreliance on button mashing. The diving and highbar events were really notorious for that IMO.

I didn't mind it when I was seven but now that I'm 31 I like to think I know better.