This is a thread that's a work in progress, so I'm gonna do my best here to explain at what I'm trying to explain.

These are skills old NES games(and maybe even SNES) that you learned that, for one reason or another, still keep us pretty good at any game we pick up today. You know, despite the dramatic lowering in skill level in most games out today This is NOT a cliche list, though I'm sure a few things will come close to that area.

Also, I wish I had good screenshots to illustrate these, but that would put this thread off for about 2 months getting things together, in the right places, to use. Syd may have some ready made from his own articles, I don't know, we'll find out. So, with that, away we go.

Platform Jumping: This is a rudimentary skill and people eventually pick it up. I DO know someone who hates platform jumping. The training grounds for these games are things like Mega Man 2's disappearing platforms in Heat Man's stage, Adventure Island, Double Dragon 2's Mansion stage, and so on.

Grinding: Perhaps patience would be a better word, but chances are you're playing an RPG when you're required to grind, so I'm assuming patience is a given. Attention spans are shorter and people don't like to do it. I'm also of the overpowered sort of player. Grinding is apparent when you realize you're not strong enough and keep dying. DYING? Oh my God! What a concept! You've got to die a lot before you learn the proper line, and when you're above it. This is missing out of a lot of new games, maybe because it's "unfun".

Problem Solving: Thankfully, this still exists in games today. However, I don't think it exists in the same fashion it once did. Take Deja Vu, Shadowgate, and Wrath of the Black Manta. In the first two, you really got to put things together, even TAKE NOTES during play. In Wrath of the Black Manta, you got to do a lot of thinking to remember the correct way to beat that last boss. Zelda has always been a lasting testament to puzzle games disguising them in different ways throughout the years.

Creative Approach: There MUST be another way. If there isn't , you'll make a way. Games today are often linear stories with certain events needed to unlock the next section. I guess because they can't put in 50 different videos to allow for a split off the main path, even if you plan to return back to it at some point Without being held down by detailed graphics and tons of space reserved for animation today's games can really only put you on one or two paths to the same goal. Doing things out of order seems to have gone out of style.

I think that's a good start. Feel free to add on and buy me a beer

DarknessDeku wrote:

I like recent games better. At least when when I'm stuck I can spend my time figuring out how to beat that part of the game. With old games I usually lose all my lives and I waste my time playing through to the part where I'm stuck, just to lose my lives again. And you shouldn't have to take notes to play a game.

This reminds me I forgot the cardinal, biggest skill tester those old games had. The biggest "When I was your age..." moments.

Unforgiving: Older games are MUCH more unforgiving. These games throw everything they have at you and when you're done with that you might get a break if it happens to be the end of a level too. Ninja Gaiden and Battletoads shine brightest here in being brutally unforgiving. All we had was 3 lives and 3 continues and that was it! Ah, Donkey Kong Country nostalgia... anyway, I think this makes a better player. The stakes are higher when you know you have to pass it NOW or you have to do a great amount of the level over, even being forced back to the game's beginning due to being out of Continues.

docinsano wrote:

Reading and Translating poor english: Back in the day, people had to read the game's intro or story because voice overs were limited to "Strike!" "Ball!" and "You're Out!".

Final Fantasy Baseball? Sorry, maybe you just used a bad example, but thinking of those in any game's story is pretty funny

Hero: I want to get into the castle to save the princess.
Voice Over: "You're out!"
<talks to him again and picks the other option to talk to that man>
Hero: How do I get into the castle?
Voice Over: "Ball!"
<last option left, let's see what the man says>
Hero: What happens if I don't get there in time?
Voice Over: "Strike!"

Milhouse wrote:

World 4 in SMB2 (Icy Levels) were the first thing that popped into my head. It's slippery and you have to jump and duck from memory to avoid getting hit by fairies with pitchforks and white blobby things. I think learning those memorization skills certainly help with modern games and S.A.T. prep.

I agree with this one. That level taught a lot, more than just sequenced button pressing at the time.

A Time Attack on Mario 2 level 4 would make a great NES Championship '09 round.