value

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

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Paper-Mario-Sticker-Star

I’ve had a Nintendo 3DS for a while and lately I’ve actually played on it more than my other consoles, most likely because it’s just easy to pick up and play. About a month ago I purchased Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

Surprisingly, I actually finished the game. This has been a rare thing over the past few years. Often, I purchase a game and take my time working on it. Even Mass Effect 3, which I was anticipating for some time and pre-ordered, was a game that I spent several months playing off-and-on before I finished it.

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Halo: Combat Evolved – How To Make A Game Better

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I’m looking forward to the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and even reserved a copy via Amazon.com. Why? Well, playing the game with updated graphics is incentive enough. However, there are other reasons. Reasons that made this game great to start with. And hopefully, will be carried over into the re-release.

Some of the best games have great replay value due to their implementation of physics and the ways they can be exploited. If you never played Halo: Combat Evolved or just never toyed around with Warthog jumping then perhaps you should take a look at this video, which is what really started it (at least for myself):

Enhancing Replay Value In Console Games (And How To Kill It)

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In this post I’m focusing on console gaming. PC games have provided extras, add-ons, mods, etc for nearly as long as they’ve been around (at the least it was often possible to hack game RAM). Typically, it’s been much easier to modify a game on a PC regardless of whether it was what the developer intended (or expected).

I’ve played countless games over the years. There were times when I may have averaged 20+ hours/week playing. For the past couple of years I’ve probably averaged only about 15 minutes/week. Most of my reasons for playing less just have to do more with an increase in “adult” responsibilities, though a lack of interest in available titles and the replay value of many games are also factors.

A simple definition of replay value is the amount of interest and time a gamer will dedicate to a game after it’s been completed. That’s overly simplified – the characteristics of a game that determine replay value can vary from game to game and genre to genre.

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