Basically the moment you start gaming, you toss the standard rules of logic and common sense out the window, because most of the time, they're no good here. I always thought everyone did this consciously, so I'm surprised about the surprise about the dumbing of games and implied dumbing of gamers.

I blame the games. Yes I said it. Games use their own logic, antilogic.

Looking for a secret? Jump into a wall, it might be fake! You have a bucket of water? Too bad you need the ice wand to put out the fire! (Or other way around). Don't bring ammo/health, you'll find some laying around.

Reminds me of my roommate Freshman year. I let him play my Dead Space, and he skipped all the instructions and tried to figure it all out himself.

Halfway through chapter 1, he found out right click set him to fire mode. "So that's why I'm carrying this ****ing can opener!"

And then more experienced players complain about hand-holding. Of course, the less experienced players are not likely the sort who complain about this sort of thing on the internet, so the vets are disproportionately represented and get the idea they're a majority.

custcenes?

@:(
That post was less than halfway through last year. Either she's dead, or she's got fingers made of static electricity that destroy all computers within 5 kilometers. Possibly both.

Is it sad to say that that middle pannel describes me on the first dungeon of Skyward sword, even though id seen the e3 demos? :P

"I'm surprised games aren't just a sequence of custcenes linked by railroad sections where you can't do anything but shoot what is on your front."

It's called Area 51.

That Hyperboleandahalf blog has a really depressing final post, I hope she didn't kill herself...

Kudos to Jo for taking the time to do the right thing and link the comic (Hyperbole and a Half) used for this joke.

Guy, guys! Just remember that he's making these comics just to look at the burning comments section!

Or that's what I think he did.

"I'm surprised games aren't just a sequence of custcenes linked by railroad sections where you can't do anything but shoot what is on your front."

Well Mass Effect 3 seems to be going there...

[url=#user_comment_130949]@Vulpis[/url] No kidding. At least the Half Life series feels like an "interactive" movie... And interactive movie that gives you a test at the end!

[url=#user_comment_130869]@24[/url] "And lets not even get started on on trying to find all the secrets in Doom(before you had online guides :P)." ...this would be why they were called *secrets*, one would think.

'I'm surprised games aren't just a sequence of custcenes linked by railroad sections where you can't do anything but shoot what is on your front.'

....isn't that pretty much what most FPS games *are* anyway?

I blame this more on children and the state of the human race in general (think Idiocracy)

[url=#user_comment_130849]@Kazmohdim[/url]: Except the MGS series isn't about shooting everything in front of you. Unless you're a CoDfag.

[url=#user_comment_130932]@Izick[/url]: My opinions = facts

What a fucking tosser.

Go back to the TF2 comments, your "humor" on the game industry is shit

Riddler* stupid auto correct

Lots of darwin award winners had trouble with even the simplest of riddled trophies in Arkhams city

[url=#user_comment_130827]@Alex[/url]: School having achievements is actually something they're working on to keep kid's attention in the media-blitz age. It's actually kind of interesting, since they're taking a step away from the 1800s prison method of teaching.

Maybe we should just explain some basic commands and let the kids experience some game overs so they will learn by trial and error

[url=#user_comment_130897]@usbfridge[/url]: Maybe, but often small kids surprize me when I realize how they can learn how to play some game by themselves... but they still can't read so you have to tell them what they are supposed to do in missions...

You have to break the crystal... TO GET ACHIEVMNETSZ?!? OMG I IZ TEH PRO L33TZ MA5TUR NOW

Oh wow. Another "brilliant" gaming commentary by Jo.

Stick to humor. This kind of comics make you look like a condescending douchebag. Or a nostalgia-driven grognard, so still a douchebag.

My friend came over one day, so I brought out the atari. after messing with a few harder games for awhile, he seemed thoroughly confused. so I decided to play pong. he didn't know how to given 1 button and a spinney thing.

My sister is exactly like this, whenever I try to teach her a game, she screws it up somehow. Assuming to know how to play, she skips the instructions, ignores hud updates, and is clueless forever. I have to hold her hand through every little detail, from moving in Prototype to building in Minecraft

WAIT!.... wait!
The "X All the Y!" meme was a girl?!
My whole life has been a lie!

@Javier Paissan: I always assumed that was meant for people who didn't happen to have a fire spell so they wouldn't have to run out of the dungeon just to get a spell that they never use again.

You've never played Metroid Other M, then?
That game even has a Theater Mode where it plays all the cutscenes for you with tiny prerecorded gameplay sections so you can "enjoy" the "quality" "story" of the "game".

Achievement unlocked: Stood still for 5 seconds!

I guess you missed Azura's Wrath

I don't understand this comic. Make it simpler for me.

And lets not even get started on on trying to find all the secrets in Doom(before you had online guides :P). Some older games where unreasonable hard to figure out, but many where well designed so you can figure them out with logic. People either forgot what logic is, or just assume no one has it.

Nice cameo there by Allie Brosh. Does she even know? ;)

RAGE was like that.

Segway from "quest" to "quest" and every fight was a shooting gallery with enemies coming only from the front. Snore-inducing.

Sad but true... Sad but true.

But wait Jo, how did you know to shoot in front of you on the rail? Did you read that from Gamefaqs?

It wouldn't be Nerfnow without "POW! Haha!" and "Spy here." photo notes. "Mine!" and a few others also, but to a lesser extent than those two in particular.

I love how most everyone that frequents nerfnow tags any hand with the index finger slightly extended with "pow haha". I know it's a meme but it's been overdone to death.

Re: I'm surprised games aren't just a sequence of custcenes linked by railroad sections where you can't do anything but shoot what is on your front.

We have something almost like that and its regarded as one of the best games ever made.

Metal Gear Solid 4

Kids these days >:|

Kinda like how in some video games there's some puzzle that none of the NPCs can solve and you, the player, comes in and solve it in 5 seconds.
games(assuming not lightgun shooter) where you only shoot whats in front of you and cant do anything else: Onslaught for the Wii is definitely one of them.

While replaying old games I'm surprized on how I managed to enjoy playing those games where sometimes it is very hard to find out what you should do even reading all the clues AND that they were in a language I didn't understand back them...

It surprises me Final Fantasy isn't more popular, since that's all it is... But then I remember how horribly confusing all the tutorials always are. Makes the games very difficult to understand until you realize that you can just completely ignore the tutorial and you'll figure it all out.

"I'm surprised games aren't just a sequence of custcenes"... You haven't played CoD, have you? ;)

Jo's english seems to be getting worse with each comic.

School education should have achievements.

Actually, I think a better way to do the crystal door puzzle would be to have the first door you encounter have its crystal within your field of vision. You then shoot it, because what else are you going to do with a big glowy thing, and it opens the door.

THEN they can be sneaky with it

@Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: That, and the rapidly dwindling education system.

I blame developers for the lack of critical thinking the average gamer has. Years of hand holding, unskippable 30 minute tutorials, and assuming gamers are idiots has actually made gamers into idiot.

[url=#user_comment_130805]@Bob[/url]: how often do you look up in real life (assuming you are not an air traffic controller)? Probably not that often, this is why players rarely look up - they do not expect to find anything interesting there, just like in reality.Still, some confusion is OK. The really confused can read a guide:)

Explore dungeon in Skyrim
See a door blocked by an ice wall
Turn around
See a altar with a fire spellbook on it
are you fuckin kidding me?

egoraptor

Reading.

Bob's Portal example is a good one.
Also, I guess you've already seen Sequelitis's video on Megaman Classic and Megaman X on youtube. If you haven't, go search for it!

Makes me think of the Developer Commentaries for Portal where they talked about incidents where the players just wouldn't grasp something as simple as looking up.

@My Name: Same. What is Jo complaining about this time?

Have you played Final Fantasy 13?

what you just described down below jo is dukenukem forever

I think... to get through the door, we need to shoot the door some more.
That's definitely it.

Allie Brosh in panel 3.

Apparently this means Valve is doing it wrong.

I'm confused by this comic

I feel threatened by this comic.