Does anyone miss Unlockables in games?

[Ranchcroutons]

When I was a kid growing up I could only get a game every once in a while and because of this would play the same games over and over again. Fun unlockables would make these replays more enjoyable because the game would reward you for accomplishing a set challenge. The best example I can think of this is the Timesplitters series where almost everything has to be unlocked and there are so many cool characters to win over the course of its many challenges. Unfortunately I have noticed a great decline in the amount of games that can really say they have a lot of unlockable cool content. I suspect this is do in part to the Achievments which are rewarded for performing the same actions that used to win us unlockables. So are developers being lazy these days or do you believe there is another reason?

 

[Ranorak]

I loved the idea of unlockables.
I just hate it when fighting games keep the most awesome characters away, so when you play it with a friend for the first time, you can't bloody use Tekkeman Blade or Zero yet!

 

[New Troll]

Unlockables are definitely more rewarding than Achievements or Trophies. I don't really care about showing off my accomplishments to others. I'd rather recieve cool game content any day!

Though I do admit complaining about unlocking the characters I really want late in the game when I'm already getting bored of it. But they do add some more gameplay if only to try out the new stuff.

 

[GamemasterAnthony]

The only problem I have with unlockables is the fact that many times the reward you unlock doesn't exactly match the effort put into to unlocking it.

The 100 Man Melee from SSB Melee and SSB Brawl illustrates this perfectly. You grind through all those enemies...your hands are crippled to the point where it feels like a combination of Carpal Tunnel and arthritis...and you STILL have to fight the character you are trying to unlock to win him. Your prize?

Falco.

A character who is nothing more than a Fox clone with a bird fetish. Essentially, a copy of a character you ALREADY HAD right down to the same Final Smash in Brawl.

I think this is the main reason most people broke out the Action Replay for Melee. They didn't want to have to go through all that malarky.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Unlockables are cool, but so many games handle them badly that I tend to remember them badly. Things like leaving characters locked until you basically done everything in the game. Its frustrating, especially when you just want to play a game without investing a ton of time in it.

Thats why achievements work for me. Its the same stuff I would be doing for unlockable stuff in older games, but its optional.

 

[Lovelocke]

How old are you now? I'm pretty sure I've played tons of games that came out this year (less than two months in) that have unlockables... what would make more sense to say would be "I remember when the most popular games were split-screen"

 

[Ranchcroutons]

The only problem I have with unlockables is the fact that many times the reward you unlock doesn't exactly match the effort put into to unlocking it.

The 100 Man Melee from SSB Melee and SSB Brawl illustrates this perfectly. You grind through all those enemies...your hands are crippled to the point where it feels like a combination of Carpal Tunnel and arthritis...and you STILL have to fight the character you are trying to unlock to win him. Your prize?

Falco.

A character who is nothing more than a Fox clone with a bird fetish. Essentially, a copy of a character you ALREADY HAD right down to the same Final Smash in Brawl.

I think this is the main reason most people broke out the Action Replay for Melee. They didn't want to have to go through all that malarky.

I can see where your coming from but the same could also be said about Achievements and Trophies. You can work for hours just to get a 20pt achievement. Thats why recently I just play games without trying to get every last achievement. It's just not worth my time anymore.

 

[GamemasterAnthony]

The only problem I have with unlockables is the fact that many times the reward you unlock doesn't exactly match the effort put into to unlocking it.

The 100 Man Melee from SSB Melee and SSB Brawl illustrates this perfectly. You grind through all those enemies...your hands are crippled to the point where it feels like a combination of Carpal Tunnel and arthritis...and you STILL have to fight the character you are trying to unlock to win him. Your prize?

Falco.

A character who is nothing more than a Fox clone with a bird fetish. Essentially, a copy of a character you ALREADY HAD right down to the same Final Smash in Brawl.

I think this is the main reason most people broke out the Action Replay for Melee. They didn't want to have to go through all that malarky.

I can see where your coming from but the same could also be said about Achievements and Trophies. You can work for hours just to get a 20pt achievement. Thats why recently I just play games without trying to get every last achievement. It's just not worth my time anymore.

Hear hear. I don't try to get every achievement either. I just play normally and those achievements usually just HAPPEN. (I swear to all things fwabbled the Master of Disguise Achievement in TF2 was WAY too easy to get!)

 

[RollForInitiative]

I still play plenty of games with unlockables. Working through some of the last of the Bayonetta unlockables right now, of which there turned out to be quite a few. I enjoy them, within reason. I prefer if the unlockables also line up with achievements, if only because it makes it feel like the effort is worth it a little bit more. Double the reward, so to speak.

 

[Ranchcroutons]

I guess I must be playing the wrong games then because I have noticed a great decline especially in shooters.

 

[Batfred]

Don't most games still have stuff that is locked till later in the game or not accessable till you have reached a certain level? Maybe just the ones I play, but if you can't get the sword of kicking everythings butt until you have defeated the forest of scary shit, then even though it is not listed as an unlockable it still is I think.

 

[Falseprophet]

One thing I hope dies a painful death and never returns: making any element of local multiplayer unlockable.

Any game with local multiplayer should have all multiplayer options available out of the box. You shouldn't have to play for several hours solo just so you and your friends can play multiplayer.

 

[Batfred]

I guess I must be playing the wrong games then because I have noticed a great decline especially in shooters.

So what about Black Ops where you can't open the guns in Multiplayer until you get to level x? I think most FPSs adopt something similar.