Zathras Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Ok games have gotten a little too collect happy lately. It used to be grab 100 coins and get an extra life - That's it. There you go. Now you have to practically take notes as for what everything does. So I need to collect 17 key shards to open up the enchanted safe to get a fuscia gem fragment which when completed gives me a new hat that gives me the power to jump higher and collect more things. So we need a term to describe this trend in video games and maybe even a scale to describe how collect crazy a game is. Any suggestions? Or even examples of games that exhibit this wonderful feature... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I'm pretty sure that they call that kleptomania . All hail the kleptometer! Collecting in games is really something that has to be done properly. If you are actually rewarded with a magnificent power-up or neat thing then minimal (and I emphasize minimal) collecting isn't so bad. Metroid Prime has only one collecting segment that is mandatory and I think it's done quite well (I won't give it away to be totally spoiler-free). Other games, well, not so much. The best example of collecting that I personally like would be in Super Smash Bros: Melee, where the collecting has nothing to do with the main game. If I want to get all the trophies then I have to work at it, but I can ignore it. Better yet, I can win the trophies just by playing the main game for a few hours with friends. Thumbs up on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainl Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Well, I've not enjoyed anything other than Goldeneye from Rare for years, thanks to their insistence that I keep trawling the area for everything. Feels far too much like work, frankly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogbert Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 The best example of collecting that I personally like would be in Super Smash Bros: Melee, where the collecting has nothing to do with the main game. I don't think that's a good example of kleptomania in games. It's more like the collecting in Star Fox Adventures that's a symptom of lazy game design in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhawk Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Donkey Kong 64 anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I don't think that's a good example of kleptomania in games. Exactly my point, Brian. I agree that's a terrible example of klepto-collecting, which is why I like it. The StarFox level of insanity is annoying and I don't care for it at all. I believe this classic Penny Arcade sums it all up nicely... :green: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTello Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 I'm pretty sure that they call that kleptomania -I dunno about using the word kleptomania, isn't that like stealing? And heck, if I find a giant gold coin just sitting in the middle of a road you bet I'm gonna take that sucker to the bank, and if someone asks if it's stolen I'll say nope, it's more like finders keepers losers weepers. We'll have to call if findomania! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyjaw Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 How about Colleptomania, or Collectomania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamsappel Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Originally posted by EdR@Oct 28 2003, 02:36 PM Collectomania Yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Rare is by far the most guilty party of "collectomania." I O.D.'ed on collecting while playing Donkey Kong 64. I went through the entire game, found every Golden Banana, and earned a completion rating of 101%. Once that was done, I never touched the game again. I also stayed away from Banjo-Tooie, a game which I had been looking forward to with a great deal of anticipation, because I didn't want to engage in another super collect-a-thon. Recently, I've played a few platformers that have done collecting right. Namely, Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank. With Jak, you collected three things: Precursor Orbs, Power Cells, and Fruit Flies. Not only that, but you didn't have to find every Precursor Orb to finish the game with the good ending. Couple that with worlds that are big, but not overly huge and sparse like Rare's recent efforts and you get a collection game that remains fun and interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 you didn't have to find every Precursor Orb to finish the game with the good ending. That's a big plus in my book, because then it feels less like the game is arbitrarily tacking on things in order to pad out its running time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrik Draven Posted October 28, 2003 Report Share Posted October 28, 2003 Well, following in the collecting trend, EA Big has loaded SSX3 with tons of little snowflake icons that you find/collect while going down the mountain. Still...if you find a certain amount, you're rewarded with certain items, money, ect. So, it's not just worthless, gratuitous collecting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam P Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 Still...if you find a certain amount, you're rewarded with certain items, money, ect. So, it's not just worthless, gratuitous collecting. I guess it's a matter of perspective. Insofar as collecting coins or bananas are gratuitous, collecting snowflakes to unlocks stuff is pretty much the same deal. However, I think you might be suggesting that collecting snowflakes gives you rewards but you aren't forced to take part in the collection because you can still progress through the game regardless. That I agree with. Let the hardcore players indulge in collectomania, but let use finish the game without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrik Draven Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 "That I agree with. Let the hardcore players indulge in collectomania, but let use finish the game without it. " That's exactly the way it works in SSX3. Although, you won't "completely" finish without finding them. ...kinda like GTA/Vice City's hidden packages. Can finish the game but, you'll never get the 100% rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam P Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 ...kinda like GTA/Vice City's hidden packages. Can finish the game but, you'll never get the 100% rating. Right. I played Vice City to death, but didn't bother with beating all the Firetruck/Ambulance/Police/Taxi missions or collecting all the packages. I guess if I had too much time on my hands... I had far more fun with the rampages and finding new, inventive ways to hijack a tank with a full wanted level... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kain rising Posted October 29, 2003 Report Share Posted October 29, 2003 Originally posted by Pharmboy@Oct 28 2003, 10:18 AMMetroid Prime has only one collecting segment that is mandatory and I think it's done quite well (I won't give it away to be totally spoiler-free). If I'm thinking of the same thing you are when you say "mandatory collecting" in Metroid Prime, I agree, that was well done and almost not even noticable, given how it fit in with the story of the game. As for the other "collecting" (or scanning) in MP, I liked the way they did it - not mandatory (not most of it anyway) but it did add depth to the game... and make it easier to win... and gave you the 100% rating at the end Not essential, but enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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