eye-gougingly hardcore...

when you look at games today, you'll realise that they're actually pretty easy. if you die, there's always a spawnpoint somewhere nearby. or if you saved, it's just a matter of reloading when you're in a jam. missed a power up somewhere? you'll probably amble along, just that you might take a moment longer or need a tinge of good luck.

in other words, gaming has generally gone SOFT.

well, i guess that had to be. it's pretty hard encouraging the casual gamer to keep coming back if they keep dying at the same point again and again and again.

thankfully, capcom has decided to go back to the days of hardcore gaming with the release of mega man 9.

he looks cute, but mega makes casual gamers cry for their mommas.
screen nabbed from mmhp.

yep. the blue bomber is back and boy, are the days of old back.

what? mega's not next gen enough for you? of course he's not next gen enough. HE'S OLD SCHOOL. and like his japanese name, he rocks.

yeah, i've come close to clawing my eyes out whenever i get thumped into a pit by a surprise attack. and i've felt like flinging the 360 controller at the screen whenever i missed a jump by this little bit and ending up on a spike. both means result in death and a backtrack to the start of the stage or the halfway checkpoint if you've somehow made it there.

yes, this game will leave you frustrated. it will leave you cursing and swearing. it will leave you gutted and absolutely devoid of hope at times.

but when you finally manage to clear a stage in mega man, you will feel the real satisfaction of what it's like to play a proper game.

multiply that by 8-10 times and you'll know what it means to have completed a challenging game like this.

i'm still working on it, but i am sure victory will taste as sweet as the raw gaming goodness i'm getting.

animated sprite taken from gsa.