Poll: Who the hell does Super Meat Boy appeal to?

[Caliostro]

When I heard about it I wanted to get it because of the quirky aesthetics and seemingly smooth gameplay. Also because PETA hated it. But alas, it's not for me. It's for people who enjoy hard platformers. I'm not one of those people. I know people who are, and loved Super Meat Boy for it.

From what I've seen, Super Meat Boy isn't even "proper" bullshit. Okay, definitely some designing dick moves, but it's still fair, just murderously punishing, which makes it frustrating if you're not the hardcore platformer type that gets a boner when he thinks of I Wanna Be The Guy, instead of the mixed expression of disgust and rage the rest of us get.

Hell, it's not even the hardest type of game. Danmaku (bullet hell) games like Touhou got their names for a reason. You often have long periods of time during which you're not allowed even the slightest mistake. It's pixel-precise perfection of death.

Jinpaichi Mishima in Tekken 5, with the ability to stun lock you to death against your best efforts at any point he so decides, even if you're playing the perfect game, is bullshit.

Braid's "you have two keys, but only one works, and you have no way of knowing which except trial and error, and error sends you to the start of the level" mechanic is bullshit.

I Wanna Be The Guy is a constant cavalcade of bullshit.

Super Meat Boy is just murderously difficult and punishing.

 

[LazyAza]

Super Meat Boy is purposely designed to piss people off, that's the point. Its deliberately designed to be one of the most hardcore platformers ever made. Only people who enjoy extreme challenge in their games will truly get alot out of it. If you can barley do well at Mario for example Meat Boy is not the game for you.

 

[Something Amyss]

Super Meat Boy is purposely designed to piss people off, that's the point. Its deliberately designed to be one of the most hardcore platformers ever made. Only people who enjoy extreme challenge in their games will truly get alot out of it. If you can barley do well at Mario for example Meat Boy is not the game for you.

I completely disagree. nothing about this game pisses me off. I'm not even an awesome super leet platformer, it's just that I enjoy the challenge and find the levels to be compelling and addicting.

 

[LogicNProportion]

If I had to guess who Super Meat Boy appeals to...

It would be Invader Zim fans.

 

[II2]

My money's on fans on Jhonen Vasquez's work. (Knowing dude's work, but nothing of super meat boy beyond some video clips)

 

[Amphoteric]

KotOR for 1.75??? Great now I'm going to HAVE to play it again. Thnaks for using up another 20 hours of my life Steam.

And Danm all of Valves games for less than £30?

 

[DazZ.]

If I had to guess who Super Meat Boy appeals to...

It would be Invader Zim fans.

I like them both, so you're right, but why are you right?

 

[tsb247]

Super Meat Boy = Hard platformer

I Wanna Be the Guy = Torment and agony

Having played the ladder, I don't see Super Meat Boy as being that bad. Coincidentally, Super Meat Boy GREATLY resembles an old freeware game known as, "Jumper."

http://www.gamemakergames.com/archive/jumper

The PC version of Super Meat Boy has Ogmo as a playable character.

And I haven't finished SMB, but it's quite long and I wouldn't call it bad. While I do get frustrated very easily, SMB only made me frustrated twice. While I was hunting for a bandage in a dark world (the harder version of normal levels).

And I've seen my brother play IWbtG, and that did not seem very appetizing. Also, The Guy is in Super Meat Boy. After you beat his painstakingly hard level [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FwcOP3dI3o], of course.

Or, if you wan't to see all of them and not the frustration, this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTPT2kv6PXw&feature=related].

I have tried for like two hours in total and haven't managed to pull it off.

Wow, that's pretty awesome! I had no idea that SMB payed homage to the two games. To be honest, I only spent about 20 minutes playing the game at a buddy's place. Now, I may just go out and buy the game myself!

 

[LogicNProportion]

If I had to guess who Super Meat Boy appeals to...

It would be Invader Zim fans.

I like them both, so you're right, but why are you right?

The title and idea of Super Meat Boy almost sounds like something out of Zim.

Association of General Interest, is my guess.

However, I like Zim, and never thought of playing Super Meat Boy....though I will admit that I do love the title.

 

[Anstrup]

Well all of the behemoths games has been hard?

maybe with the exception of castle crashers, but that was kindda hard on insane mode.

 

[SlyderEST]

Wow, that's pretty awesome! I had no idea that SMB payed homage to the two games. To be honest, I only spent about 20 minutes playing the game at a buddy's place. Now, I may just go out and buy the game myself!

More so, SMB also has Mr. Minec [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IZG-20FpT4&feature=related]-God, that guy is awesome. Also, captain Viridian and a headcrab. Also, someone called Commander Video, I think that also Tim for Braid, Flywrench and Jill. I might have missed some, though.

 

[Hazy]

It is not worth the £11.99 they're trying to sell it for, and it does not deserve all the praise. Hard my arse, if the levels weren't so cluttered with shite and unpredictable obstacles then it'd be fine.

Though, in doing so, the entire purpose is defeated.

Like the post below me illustrates...

Super Meat Boy is purposely designed to piss people off, that's the point. Its deliberately designed to be one of the most hardcore platformers ever made. Only people who enjoy extreme challenge in their games will truly get alot out of it. If you can barley do well at Mario for example Meat Boy is not the game for you.

...it is a very unforgiving, very uncompromising platformer catering to people who know and love the genre. You're supposed to die hundreds upon hundreds of times until you memorize every square inch of every single level, and then die more and more times on your conquest for the bandages. And there's really no getting around that - if you're gonna play, you've gotta pay the price of admission. And depending upon how much you like platformers, that will determine whether or not Super Meat Boy is the right game for you.

Coming from someone who paid full-price for SMB, I do not regret it for one second.
Sadistic? Hell yes, but fun every step (or jump, heh) of the way.

 

[Senaro]

Can you send me your copy, then? I'm the one they're appealing to.

I don't get how people can enjoy a game that, statistically, you will not beat. As only 4.5% of the people who own this game have beaten the light world, according to Steam.

4.5% of all the people who bought this couldn't beat it. And I don't think it's because all 95.5% of those people suck at platforming games. I think it's because towards the end of the game the amount of bullshit overpowers the game's redeeming features.

I don't see how "Beating the game" is supposedly synonymous with "having fun." Sure,I haven't beaten Super Meat Boy yet, but I also haven't beaten Ninja Gaiden 2 or Punch Out, but those are two of the funnest games I can recommend to people.

 

[scorptatious]

Super Meat Boy was both a damn good and a damn hard game. The levels were really hard yes, but at least you can see where they are and you can eventually figure out a strategy or pattern to get past them.

Super Meat Boy = Hard platformer

I Wanna Be the Guy = Torment and agony

Having played the ladder, I don't see Super Meat Boy as being that bad. Coincidentally, Super Meat Boy GREATLY resembles an old freeware game known as, "Jumper."

http://www.gamemakergames.com/archive/jumper

Funny thing, the main character of that game, "Ogmo" is actually a hidden character in Super Meat Boy.

 

[tlozoot]

What you're describing isn't bad level design, it's just very challenging platforming. The game sells itself as being very very hard. Can't handle that? Fair enough, but don't cry about 'bad design' because you can't do it.

 

[LeonLethality]

The game could have honestly taken a page out of the VVVVVV level design book in hard obstacles but generous checkpoints.

Games are about fun not being aggravating, I have fun trying to overcome an obstacle (VENI VIDI VICI!) but having to start all over again from a single death would be horrible (imagine having to do a whole VVVVVV stage over because of one death)

 

[ajemas]

Before playing this game, I went all of the way through I Wanna Be The Guy. (I still haven't beaten the final boss, though.) For those who don't know, that game is, without hyperbole, one of the most difficult games ever made. Everything can and will kill you, and the game itself is hours long. Give it a try if you want to.
I still made it to the last boss, after dying thousands upon thousands of times, of course, because I felt that the controls actually worked. I could chalk the deaths up to environmental hazards or my own ineptitude.
With Super Meat Boy, however, the controls just don't fucking work[i/]. The way gravity pulls you don't doesn't make any sense, and you slide after landing like you're on a fucking hoverboard. Even something as simple as "land on a platform" becomes impossible simply because you jerk, turn, and slide without any logical basis.
So I share your dislike about the game, but for slightly different reasons.

 

[Dexiro]

Super Meat Boy = Hard platformer

I Wanna Be the Guy = Torment and agony

Having played the ladder, I don't see Super Meat Boy as being that bad. Coincidentally, Super Meat Boy GREATLY resembles an old freeware game known as, "Jumper."

http://www.gamemakergames.com/archive/jumper

Here's a better link :3
http://mattmakesgames.com/games.php

There's 3 Jumper games now and he's still making similar stupidly difficult platformers!

Ogmo, the main character, and the temple theme from Jumper 2 both make an appearance in Meat Boy so I'd say it's a pretty clear source of inspiration.

 

[IMakeIce]

The game could have honestly taken a page out of the VVVVVV level design book in hard obstacles but generous checkpoints.

Games are about fun not being aggravating, I have fun trying to overcome an obstacle (VENI VIDI VICI!) but having to start all over again from a single death would be horrible (imagine having to do a whole VVVVVV stage over because of one death)

Not quite sure we're talking about the same Super Meat Boy...the levels last less than 2 minutes when you actually get through them. Where exactly did you want the checkpoints? Many of the levels fit on the screen without scrolling. Did you want it to auto save every 5 seconds for you so you don't have to redo one saw blade?

 

[LeonLethality]

The game could have honestly taken a page out of the VVVVVV level design book in hard obstacles but generous checkpoints.

Games are about fun not being aggravating, I have fun trying to overcome an obstacle (VENI VIDI VICI!) but having to start all over again from a single death would be horrible (imagine having to do a whole VVVVVV stage over because of one death)

Not quite sure we're talking about the same Super Meat Boy...the levels last less than 2 minutes when you actually get through them. Where exactly did you want the checkpoints? Many of the levels fit on the screen without scrolling. Did you want it to auto save every 5 seconds for you so you don't have to redo one saw blade?

That'd be nice, actually. Many challenges in VVVVVV can be tough to overcome and it would be rather annoying to have to go through many challenges again just to get where you were and fail, again then have to redo it over and over. I like a challenge and a game making you work for your reward but there is a fine line between challenge and bad level design.