How do the FPSs rack up as far as difficulty?

[martiniii]

It's struck me that all of the first-person shooters I've played on the Saturn thus far are on the tough side. Powerslave/Exhumed really works your brain as you have to think your way around the levels in three dimensions. Quake arms you with weapons that are underpowered and in many cases can blow up in your face (if you run out of nails in an underwater fight, it's an instant game over). Doom was pretty easy on the PC, but the Saturn version throws on a whole bunch of tough new levels and enemies, and just like Quake it removes the ability to save mid-level. And Robotica's difficulty is positively insane, thanks to the randomized levels and complete inability to save progress.

Tough seems to be the norm for first-person shooters, but it's clearly not universal: for just two examples, Conduit 2 for the Wii is pretty easy, and the difficulty in Iron Angel of the Apocalypse: The Return for the 3DO is a complete joke. So I put it to those of you who have played all or nearly all of the Saturn's first-person shooters: How do you think they compare to others in the genre, difficulty-wise?

I threw in a poll for fun. I left out games such as Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels, Defcon 5, and Magic Carpet, because while many would call them first-person shooters, there's a lot more to them than just shooting; besides, there are more than enough options to pick from as it is.

[captainkael]

I have only played a few FPS on the Saturns but its typically my genre. I find current FPS games are a wackton easier then any retro (like n64, ps1, saturn gen and back) FPS games. I find the Saturn ones especially tough. Alien trilogy has a wackton of levels and some of them are dam hard (though if I recall it has a password so you can start at your unlocked levels). Quake I can never finish a level unless I put the difficulty on easy. For me, the lack of being able to aim (due to the lack of a second stick) makes old FPS games way harder, but also adds a cool dimension. Also sometimes it can be hard to figure out what the enemies are in old FPS games.

So I didn't really answer the question but o well

[sych]

From that list I'd probably go with Alien Trilogy being the easiest, only because I seldom ran out of ammo. Still a great game though. Duke Nukem 3D & Quake are decent challenges same with Ghen War. But Ghen War can be quite confusing at times when following the map. The toughest of them all in my opinion is Exhumed. It's the only FPS that occasionally gives me palpatations of the heart.

[tempest]

The early levels of Alien Trilogy might be easy-ish, but later levels can be very hard.

I wouldn't classify Exhumed a first-person shooter. It's a first-person adventure or first-person platformer that has gunplay in it (like Metroid Prime).

[tomtmnt]

I have only played quake from the list. So voted for it anyway!

[xDerekRx]

Oct 26, 2015 4:50:49 GMT tempest said:

The early levels of Alien Trilogy might be easy-ish, but later levels can be very hard.

I wouldn't classify Exhumed a first-person shooter. It's a first-person adventure or first-person platformer that has gunplay in it (like Metroid Prime).

Powerslave is the definition of an FPS It 100% is Its just a smarter one.

[xDerekRx]

As someone who has played all of these games dozens of times on Saturn (except for J-Swat, and I exclude Robotica as being a mech game. Not saying thats fact but just the way I think of it)

From hardest to easiest: (im using the Normal difficulty to compare them all)

1. Hexen
- Long game with some difficult levels, backtracking and confusing puzzles.

2. Congo
- Controls make it tough in spots and having to play the game on HARD mode just to advance past the 2nd episode (bad design choice)

3. Alien Trilogy
- This game kicked my ass when I was younger. It starts out easy but the last episode really ramps up. Every alien takes 5-6 shotgun blasts at that point. Ammo management is the only way to beat this. I didnt realize that when I was younger but playing it when I got older you need to 100% the early levels to get the bonus ammo levels. Only way.

4. Quake
- Fewer enemies but harder ones. Good challenge with some very difficult bosses and levels. Ammo shortages add to the difficulty. But its a game that I can get through with a fair challenge on normal.

5. Powerslave
- The best designed FPS on the system. Its a big game with great enemies and puzzles but its never too difficult. If you want the ultimate challenge, try to get all of the team dolls. Some of the most impossible puzzles youll ever encounter. When I personally collected them all I felt like a gaming expert lol

6. Duke Nukem 3D
- Never too difficult, plenty of ammo make this one never to difficult to run through from start to finish. Great game but I beat it every couple years in a 2 day span.

7. Doom
- This one is kind of unfair because the horrible frame rate makes it harder than it should. Not really a fair way to rate it. A normal version of the game poses a good challenge but its the game Ive played the most in my life and I can hulk through it.

[saturnfan31]

Prefer Alien trilogy over Duke Nukem 3D. More of a challenge. Love blasting alien shit after a hard day's work with a bud!

[pogogacy]

I'm surprised Exhumed doesn't have any votes.

Levitating down a narrow twisting volcano where the slightest brush against the wall causes your health to plummet is one of the most brutal but brilliant video game memories for me. I remember playing the game as a kid with my Dad. The sheer cathartic joy we got from finally getting through that part ("YES! YES! FUCKING GET IN!" ETC.) was pretty awesome. Don't even get me started on Sunken Palace...or floating through all those instant-death lasers on the penultimate level.

That said, I suppose Duke Nukem 3D is possibly even harder. What I like about Exhumed in particular is that its challenge never feels cheap or unfair and you get a real sense of achievement from negotiating through the tougher sections of that game. It sort of reminds me of some of the great Arcade shmups in that respect, although its mechanics and design are obviously totally different. It's sad that many newer gamers probably won't experience that, as most games today are much easier.

[xDerekRx]

See I find Duke pretty easy because it gives you plenty of ammo to hulk through it. But this could also be because Ive played through so many times. Powerslave is never an unfair challenge which is why I never considered it "hard" necessarily.