Yes you read that right, though maybe its slightly deceiving depending on how you view the idea of "cheats" in a game. Star Fox Zero was a game I was a bit on the fence about. I spoke about it as one that may not make it into my hands from a list of probable games I'd love to buy this year. It was loosely there, and to quote a snippet "I don't like rail shooters, and similar reflex based arcadey junk, but at the same time Starfox is just one of those games". That still holds true. I don't particularly care a lot for rail shooters, and starfox/star fox (one of those mysterious space or no space titles) is one of those games that just strikes me as odd, fun, but ultimately that amazing. I'd love to play it, I'd love to just see it as so much fun, and I envy those with special memories of it, but I'm just not that guy. I can only sit through the same starting two levels but so many times before I feel like I'm just throwing away time if I just lose again. So Nintendo realized "hey, not everybody wants to just play a rail shooter on a repeating loop over and over again" and decided to not only give us a save & level select format in the SF64 3DS remake, but now an invincible mode in the upcoming entry Zero. Yes, full invincibility. I'm not entirely sure if there's a catch, save for probably rank and bragging rights, and maybe its something that only chimes in when you die too much, but its there either way. My response is... excellent! No, its actually more than that. I think this is the first time I've ever been sold on a game just by hearing it had a work around its difficulty. This is fantastic news!
I know, its probably kind of strange. I was never that so-called "hardcore" guy that demanded everything pulled my teeth out with raw power and difficulty, and I never got on the bandwagon for hating easier strides like what happened with Mario games or even Kirby's yarn, but I always felt like I partially understood that area of thought on some level. They didn't want the integrity of the game being messed with, or their determination faltered by the option of an easy mode. They wanted a streamlined, ready, and perfectly balanced challenge to meet and beat. Likewise I totally understand and still side with the idea that Dark Souls shouldn't have an easy mode, as the difficulty is actually a part of where that game stands not only with its reputation, but its very message and being. Even as a guy who wants to see it all, and yet hasn't beaten one, I still believe those games hold their difficulty to their very heart and being, and even inside the story. Dark Souls aside, I've turned to like these easier or outright cheat forms because they typically help players out in games that are mostly about reflex more so than actual skill. Games like Mario are now more progressable because you can advance it even if this one specific mean spot keeps getting you every time. So that's been mostly an okay area for me. Even if it happened to a game with more depth, like the ability to make Killzone 2 feel "lighter" in single player, that'd be great (even though I love the heavy controls). However I've never been on the other side of the fence where a super easy mode has actually made the game a purchasing point.
In case you've been completely ignoring all my articles up to this point, you'll know I'm not exactly a "casual gamer" in most regards. I prefer shooters with a big mechanical edge, games with depth and input, and have been gaming for years, yet here I am planning to use a function that lets me fly around invincible. This isn't just something for your mobile gamer to just pick up at random, this is actually something that can just be there for us as gamers... and kind of has been, it just came through a gameshark or cheat code in the past. I also still plan to play the regular mode a lot, if not more than this convenience. I still understand and want to experience the challenge this game was built on, I want the occasional stakes to know that messing up may throw off my progress, and I want that success that comes with overcoming it all. I just don't want that to be the only thing this game has to offer, and there may be a mellow or even bad day where I just want to enjoy the characters, blasting up ships, and cruising through a favorite level of mine. I'd like to think we're beyond the point where all you got for a heavy investment was a game that threw you on rails, expect you to win based mostly on timing, and ask that you beat it all right in that one sitting or lose and go back to the start screen. We're kind of beyond that point, and even the meanest successful games out there are nicer than that, or at least don't charge you as much to play. Getting more out of your game is not just a nice thing, but rather its a competitive evolution that we have more than that. Now if you make a game based on reflex and timing, chances are its either cheap, or its got alternate modes of play to help or challenge the core experience to go beyond the default. In Zero's case, there's a new glass cannon style hard mode as well, and that sounds like a lot of fun even from a guy that already finds these games tough.
If you still have doubts, and bet that this will ruin the game, here are some points to consider...
- The consequence is still present and mostly natural. In addition to losing a core part of the challenge and thus fun (you can only enjoy god mode for so long), you're probably going to lose out on extras and unlocks. There's always going to be something there purely for the hardcore fans to get to, and I don't see zero and its invincibility mode changing that.
- Its not going to hurt future generations, because the market is already providing the easy and hard way for those that seek it. Either challenge and bragging rights players will be going to rogue-likes, Dark Souls, and hard mode, or those afraid will ignore any game known for its tough difficulty. Much like how in the past the market provided cheats for people who weren't ready to sink their full mind into beating an obstacle. You're not forcing a kid to achieve just by taking the option away within one game, the entire market is their option and they will take whatever way they feel like and can afford.
- This is actually a step up from past Nintendo easy alternatives. The recent past games literally played themselves. You actually sat and watched an alternate colored DK or Mario fly across the basic stage for you. Yoshi's mellow mode and Star Fox Zero's invincible mode at least still tell the player to pay enough attention to actually fire back at the obstacles even if they aren't real obstacles. So Star Fox isn't setting any deadly trends.
- Even if the above was wrong and Star Fox did set a new trend, its hell of a lot better than paying microtransactions to pass stuff like other games are doing. Actually please tell EA and WB to copy Star Fox.
- Finally, and the most obvious answer, this is all entirely optional. The only way this should bother you is if it manifests in some form of an intrusive losing streak message. Those actually are annoying. Meanwhile what I do in my single player game is up to me, and likewise for you.
So now Star Fox is no longer that game I'm on the fence about. its not going to be that game I have to play only when I'm alright with a struggle, and ready to grit my teeth through the finish. Instead it'll be a normal $60 game that I get and play because it'll be fun. Whether that fun will come from just blasting some enemies or casually experimenting with the level design, or if I actually dare to take on the normal or harder modes to the end, it'll all be there and part of the complete experience. If I'm sick, feeling down, feeling experimental, or just want to pop in and blast enemies, this game has me covered whereas Star Fox 64 would be entirely out of the question. Its empowering the player, and rarely is that such a bad thing. I'm still going to do my best to play the game the proper way. I'm still going to try and earn my credit screen with a real victory. I still want that feeling much like Fox himself of having such a drive of instinct and determination that at some point Andross and his army just has to fall, without the need of a cheat code. Its just great however that in the end, that cheat code is there when I just don't care about anything but having fun. If that wasn't available, between the tough mode and Nintendo's strict $60 sticking point, I don't know if I would have ever seen this game beyond the shelves. Now, I'm mostly certain I'll be putting the latest and hopefully greatest Star Fox game to the test... and giving my Wii U one more game so that it stops feeling so lonely beside the PlayStation machines.
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| At the end of the day, we pick up the controller for fun, and this helps get that done. |
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