Cheap Does NOT Equal Challenging

[veloper]

The cheapest time waster is when a game will kill your character at random chance that is completely out of your control. Example of that would be Ninja Gaiden stage 6-2 on the NES. This is pretty rare in games though.

More common is pixel perfect difficulty, which isn't technically cheap, but just very hard.

Then there's cheap difficulty, that is also easy, once you learn some counter-intuitive tactic that works. This both wastes your time and offers little challenge.

Reliance on sharp timing and accuracy makes for good difficulty, which makes a good action game.

 

[Danceofmasks]

I hate fighting game end bosses.
Not 'cos they're hard to beat ... it's just figuring out what to like a freakin' puzzle game.

It's 'cos whenever I get to an end boss it's 'cos everyone else is too freakin' jelly to challenge me.
(Read: I always get beaten eventually, so it's not like I'm that scary)

 

[Limecake]

I used to get negative reviews on Xbox when I'd play soul calibur IV,

Just because I can sweep the legs and dodge an attack doesn't mean I'm being cheap :/

 

[Akihiko]

I actually didn't mind the move spamming on No More Heroes 2. Most of the time they could be dodged, or guarded against. What pissed me off was their insta kill moves. Happens in the first game too. For example in the pizza bat boss, if you stood somewhat near the window, he could knock you out of them - game over, no avoidance. Worst thing? He could use his moves to 'push' you into those locations, and then insta kill you. The first game I remember the girl with the base ball bat, and she crouches down, staggered. First time you see that I guarantee you'll think "Oh, shes staggered, time to go hit and kill her!!". You run in to hit her, and she insta kills you in a cutscene. The latter one isn't quite as bad, as once you've seen it once, you know what not to do. Unless of course she crouches down near you, and you have to hope to god you get away before she does it. But the former had me ripping my hair out, because it just came down to luck whether you landed there and he'd do it.

I agree with Shao Khan though, spamming spear and hammer. But as others have said, he's always been that cheap in every MK game.

That's my problem with a lot of the higher difficulties too. They don't make the AI smarter, and do more attacks which requires skill to beat. Instead they make the AI 'cheat' to add difficulty. For example the infamous AI on SHogun 2 on higher difficulties. Where they have a ridiculous supply of cash, and can create a full army stack in a few turns, which is much quicker than you can.