I'm a forgetful gamer...

[Murr]

Chatting with some friends last night about gaming memories and big moments in games.

 

It then dawned on me that I can't remember much about the games I've completed.

 

Epic, massive, games, games adored by generations of gamers and gamers the world over... I tend to not remember much about them...

 

Examples...

 

Gears of War Trilogy - Okay not everyone's idea of stunning game, but it's held it's own this generation, built a fanbase and people are often praising it and the story.

 

I completed all 3, I can barely remember, the highlights...

Where Dom find's his wife? I remember that scene, but that's about it really, from the whole trilogy.

 

 

 

Metal Gear Solid 1 - I remember next to nothing of this, And completed it on PS1. Perhaps this is why I can't remember, it was so long ago.

 

Star Wars: Knights of the old republic - I sank hours into this game, completing it twice both dark side and normal, can't remember character names, endings or anything?

 

Halo Series - Completed everyone of them... even the spin offs like ODST, Reach... I just can't really remember any massive moments from the series. Remember the ending of Reach, but that's about it.

 

And possibly the most embarrassing - Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Yep, really. Completed this, again a few years back, but I remember very very little about it, In fact playing it again on the Wii U next month will be like a new game to me.

 

 

There are many more, FFX, Read Dead, First Splinter Cell Trilogy on Xbox...

 

I've completed a shit load of games like many people have, But somehow fail to remember the epic moments of the games I've completed, I forget alot of the "Holy shit" moments. Am I the only one here?

 

I never skip cut scenes, so it's not through just missing out on the story, Maybe I rush games, maybe I'm playing it but not really concentrating on it, but I swear at the time when playing these games i'm fully focused on them.

 

Any mega gaming moments you've forgotten about? Or is it just me?

[Dog-amoto]

Nope. Funnily enough, I was just thinking that even though I've completed it twice and attained 100% completion, I remember very little about GTA IV's story. Apart from the two endings.

[Cube]

Half-Life 2. I remember a couple of bits, but there are massive blanks. Probably mainly the few really long bits which are rather dull.

 

Twilight Princess. After GOAT IN!, I barely remember anything.

 

Halo 3, OSDT and Reach. I remember Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin being awesome. I also remember the worst final boss ever and the escape in Halo 3.

[Ville]

Well, I don't think it's such a weird thing. Just like with real life, you remember certain memorable moments, not everything in perfect detail. More important is the general vibe crammed in your head: was it a good or a bad experience?

 

For example, Wind Waker: I remember certain parts from here and there, but more than that, I still remember the moment when I went to pick it up from the post box. It was early summer and a lovely blue sky, the game arrived one day early, and the sailing and exploring was just great fun.

 

With San Andreas, I remember certain songs playing at certain parts as I made a custom 90s soundtrack for the PC version. Same with Vice City and V-Rock.

 

So personally, I'd say it's the opposite. You remember the moments that matter. Although I do have memories of bad games too, so it's not only positive stuff...(Zelda II I'm talking about you)

[Shorty]

Seems like a good thing to me You know sometimes you play a game a few times and you think "I wish I could play this again for the first time, to get that feeling back". Well, you can!

[Charlie]

Halo Series - Completed everyone of them... even the spin offs like ODST, Reach... I just can't really remember any massive moments from the series. Remember the ending of Reach, but that's about it.

 

There's nothing to remember. Halo has no story.

 

I got banned from an Xbox forum once because I explained that the Halo series single player was incredibly linear, you were fighting in the same places over and over and it was boring compared to other FPS. I praised the multiplayer highly. I got banned because the admins wanted to save me from being flamed...

[Dog-amoto]

There's nothing to remember. Halo has no story.

 

I got banned from an Xbox forum once because I explained that the Halo series single player was incredibly linear, you were fighting in the same places over and over and it was boring compared to other FPS. I praised the multiplayer highly. I got banned because the admins wanted to save me from being flamed...

 

Just to be on the safe side...

 

 

[Helmsly]

For some reason I can vividly remember all of the games I played when I was younger but not games I have played as recently as a couple of years ago.

 

For example I remember everything about GTA Vice City, but almost nothing about GTAIV missions.

 

I switched on Super Mario World recently for the first time in years and I remember the stages as if I had only played them a day before. Meanwhile, when I played New Super Mario Bros U recently, which I only completed at the start of this year, it felt like I'd never seen half the stages before.

[nekunando]

For some reason I can vividly remember all of the games I played when I was younger but not games I have played as recently as a couple of years ago.

 

I switched on Super Mario World recently for the first time in years and I remember the stages as if I had only played them a day before. Meanwhile, when I played New Super Mario Bros U recently, which I only completed at the start of this year, it felt like I'd never seen half the stages before.

 

That's exactly like me : peace: I've mentioned before, though, that part of the problems with New Super Mario Bros is that each game in the series seems to be difficult to distinguish from another, unlike Super Mario World which is very much it's own thing.. and all the better for it

 

There's also the fact that I had a far smaller number of games to play when I was growing up, only a couple a year. Therefore, the games were played so much that everything was explored and you knew each game intimately

 

These days, there's always something else to play so you maybe don't dedicate the time to each individual game unless they're one of those rare gems that demand your attention. Super Mario Galaxy 2, for me at least, was probably the most recent example of something magical that could compete with childhood memories of untouchable classics. Even then, though, I don't remember it as vividly as other games.. and certainly wouldn't be able to tell you any names of the levels other than the one that was lifted from Super Mario 64!

 

I guess it probably takes more for a game to stand out in my mind these days. Perhaps that is why I feel less enthusiasm for games that others rave about..

[Hero-of-Time]

For some reason I can vividly remember all of the games I played when I was younger but not games I have played as recently as a couple of years ago.

 

For example I remember everything about GTA Vice City, but almost nothing about GTAIV missions.

 

I switched on Super Mario World recently for the first time in years and I remember the stages as if I had only played them a day before. Meanwhile, when I played New Super Mario Bros U recently, which I only completed at the start of this year, it felt like I'd never seen half the stages before.

 

I'm a bit like this and one of the reasons, I think, is what Nando said.

 

There's also the fact that I had a far smaller number of games to play when I was growing up, only a couple a year. Therefore, the games were played so much that everything was explored and you knew each game intimately

 

I was very much like this. I grew up in large family ( 2 brothers 2 sisters ) and we weren't exactly well off. I would only get a few of games a year, usually second hand, and I would play the hell out of each of them. I would search for hours to find ever secret and unlockable and got a stupid amount of playtime from each game.

 

These days I can blitz a game in a weekend and then move on to the next one. The problem is that there are that many great games spread out across all the platforms that I don't take in things as well as I used to because I play that many games.

 

I think another reason for remember retro games is due to the lack of the internet. If you got stuck you really had to sit there and figure it out for yourself and once you did that section really stuck with you. These days I give it a few attempts myself and if I find i'm starting to get frustrated then I head over to Gamefaqs.

[bob]

I struggle to remember game storylines. I even try and concentrate when the cut-scenes occur, but halfway through the game i realise that i haven't really been following and i have no idea what i'm killing X, Y and Z for anyway.

 

I'm not sure why.

[The Bard]

Half-Life 2. I remember a couple of bits, but there are massive blanks. Probably mainly the few really long bits which are rather dull.

 

Oh man, really? The only bit that I found boring was Route Canal and that was only because it was so fucking long. I think that's one of the games that I can literally imagine the entire floor plan for from beginning to end, from when you arrive in City 17, to Breen's monologue, to the tenements, all the way to fucking Nova Prospekt and the Citadel. That whole game was made out of unbelievably anecdotal moments that made for awesome stories. Although I've played it four times through, so I suppose that's why .

 

I don't tend to remember games that have a lot of written narrative, just because I don't like reading in games. I also hate cut scenes, so shit like Metal Gear is just without narrative for me, although I remember pretty much everything that happens from a gameplay, interactive standpoint.

 

Shit I don't remember much of...

Skyrim: I've absolutely no idea how I spent 200 hours on this game and got to level 70, seeing as I remember very little in terms of the quests and actual scripted moments. I do remember the wonder of exploring the Dwemer ruins, especially Blackreach, which was the most awe inspiring thing in that whole game.

Condemned 2: What the fuck was this game?

 

GTAIV: I really dislike this whole series, so it was always going to be in one ear and out the other.

Batman - Arkham City: Once again, no idea what occurred from a narrative standpoint, since I spent most of the game hunting for collectables and beating the shit out of mobs.

[Daft]

There's nothing to remember. Halo has no story.

 

I got banned from an Xbox forum once because I explained that the Halo series single player was incredibly linear, you were fighting in the same places over and over and it was boring compared to other FPS. I praised the multiplayer highly. I got banned because the admins wanted to save me from being flamed...

 

Halo is a love story between a lonely boy and a broken girl, but that's not even the main draw.

 

Your definition of story has to be pretty narrow to not appreciate the macro-narrative that happens as a result of the discourse between the player and the AI (Heroic difficulty upward). While that might not appeal to you, not recognising its existence is pretty facile. You only need to consult The Illusion of Intelligence article on Bungie's site to begin to appreciate this method of procedurally generated narrative.

 

In this respect, no other game has come even remotely close to matching the prowess demonstrated in Halo.

[Cube]

Condemned 2:[/b] What the fuck was this game?

 

Well, first you're a bum. So you beat up other bums. Then you randomly do an investigation, then you can shriek at people and they explode.

[The Bard]

Halo is a love story between a lonely boy and a broken girl, but that's not even the main draw.

 

Your definition of story has to be pretty narrow to not appreciate the macro-narrative that happens as a result of the discourse between the player and the AI (Heroic difficulty upward). While that might not appeal to you, not recognising its existence is pretty facile. You only need to consult The Illusion of Intelligence article on Bungie's site to begin to appreciate this method of procedurally generated narrative.

 

In this respect, no other game has come even remotely close to matching the prowess demonstrated in Halo.

 

Lol. I feel as if I'm being trolled.

 

Also, I don't buy the whole idea that Heroic or Legendary present greater AI challenges, because if you're going to put a great deal of effort of into superior AI programming, you'd want the entirety of your player base to experience it. Bungie do what literally everyone else does on higher difficulties, which is increase enemy accuracy and health, while the AI routines remain absolutely identical, which allows enemies to remain alive longer, but it does fuck all to the way they behave. Literally nobody designs their game on the basis that only a minute fraction of their audience will get an authentic, full experience out of it.

 

That's not to say that the meta-narratives that emerge from playing the game are negligible; they're actually the best thing about it (the same goes for any other game based largely on arena combat). I just think it's silly to insist that those narratives only emerge on Heroic upwards. The sort of person that typically makes that sort of statement is the 13 year old Xbox and Halo fanboy, who by sheer insistence and the drudgery of repeating this on every forum he can find, has somehow caused it to pass into accepted fact, when, really, it's just his way of thwarting argument by telling people who complain about the game that they didn't play it right unless they played it on Heroic or Legendary, and furthermore to state that they're somehow more of a man because in their infantile minds, completing a sci-fi shooter on a higher difficulty is a sign of cojones.

 

The actual narrative is mired within an unconvincing, rectilinear purple world, with daft shit like Gravemind (I literally could not get "FEED ME SEYMOUR" out of my mind through that entire section), and narrative devices like Sargeant Dickthroat (or whatever his name is) yelling at you at regular intervals to propel you to the next arena battle.

 

I call bullshit dude.

 

Well, first you're a bum. So you beat up other bums. Then you randomly do an investigation, then you can shriek at people and they explode.

 

I thought I'd dreamed the whole shrieking thing. You know, I thought the whole twist at the end of Condemned was absurd, like, that the dude I was after was a serial killer of serial killers. Boy was I in for a treat with the sequel.

 

The bumfights were amazing doe.

[Daft]

 

Lol. I feel as if I'm being trolled.

 

Also, I don't buy the whole idea that Heroic or Legendary present greater AI challenges, because if you're going to put a great deal of effort of into superior AI programming, you'd want the entirety of your player base to experience it. Bungie do what literally everyone else does on higher difficulties, which is increase enemy accuracy and health, while the AI routines remain absolutely identical, which allows enemies to remain alive longer, but it does fuck all to the way they behave. Literally nobody designs their game on the basis that only a minute fraction of their audience will get an authentic, full experience out of it.

 

That's not to say that the meta-narratives that emerge from playing the game are negligible; they're actually the best thing about it (the same goes for any other game based largely on arena combat). I just think it's silly to insist that those narratives only emerge on Heroic upwards. The sort of person that typically makes that sort of statement is the 13 year old Xbox and Halo fanboy, who by sheer insistence and the drudgery of repeating this on every forum he can find, has somehow caused it to pass into accepted fact, when, really, it's just his way of thwarting argument by telling people who complain about the game that they didn't play it right unless they played it on Heroic or Legendary, and furthermore to state that they're somehow more of a man because in their infantile minds, completing a sci-fi shooter on a higher difficulty is a sign of cojones.

 

The actual narrative is mired within an unconvincing, rectilinear purple world, with daft shit like Gravemind (I literally could not get "FEED ME SEYMOUR" out of my mind through that entire section), and narrative devices like Sargeant Dickthroat (or whatever his name is) yelling at you at regular intervals to propel you to the next arena battle.

 

I call bullshit dude.

 

You're an idiot if you can't see a clear difference between Normal and Heroic. It's night and day.

[Charlie]

Never played a Halo game on Normal, I always jump straight onto Heroic or even Legendary. Far too easy on Normal, even Heroic is verging on easy for the most part.

[The Bard]

You're an idiot if you can't see a clear difference between Normal and Heroic. It's night and day.

 

Lol

 

Never played a Halo game on Normal, I always jump straight onto Heroic or even Legendary. Far too easy on Normal, even Heroic is verging on easy for the most part.

 

The point isn't whether it's easy or not, it's the ridiculous idea that AI routines become more sophisticated; they don't. They just become more accurate, and have more health, which lets them live longer - which, perhaps for players that are a little better at Halo, allows them more time to express their programming.

 

A person of average skill is likely to have a similar experience on normal as a skilled player will on Heroic.

[Charlie]

 

The point isn't whether it's easy or not, it's the ridiculous idea that AI routines become more sophisticated; they don't. They just become more accurate, and have more health, which lets them live longer - which, perhaps for players that are a little better at Halo, allows them more time to express their programming.

 

A person of average skill is likely to have a similar experience on normal as a skilled player will on Heroic.

 

Yeah I realise that. My point was that because I've never played on Normal I wouldn't know if there was a difference.

 

I'm with you though.

[Jimbob]

I think H.O.T summed it up right, i can more or less recall a heck of a lot of Retro titles over the modern titles. I've recently started replaying Super Mario Land, and i know where all the enemies are going to spawn from, the timing of some platforms etc. I can recall levels of Perfect Dark, Banjo Kazooie, Sonic the Hedgehog, Ecco the Dolphin etc.

 

Where-as i can't remember a thing about some newer games like Tomb Raider, Max Payne, Hitman Absolution. Heck, i can't even remember GTA IV. But i have some memories of GTA San Andreas, so i suppose that will be beneficial to GTA V in 2 weeks time.