Old School games and the CONTINUE option......do you use it?

[Anthony1]

When playing old school games, you often find that after your character has died, that you have the option of using a continue. Sometimes the continues are unlimited, other times you only get a limited number of continues. The question is, do you use the continues? Do you only use a few, or do you use them over and over again with reckless abandon? Do you feel that using the continues are like cheating?


Since I started playing the old games again, I've been encountering the dilema of continues. For some reason, I feel guilty when I use them. I think that I should be able to get to the next stage without using them. But sometimes it seems that you could never finish certain games without them.

I guess alot of it depends on the particular game.

[digitalpress]

I use continues whenever I want to win. Since that is ALWAYS, I always use continues.

Here endeth my answer.

[Dire 51]

Give me continues any day.

edit: should have specified - give me continues in any games, but almost never in shmups (see my next post for more details).

[Captain Wrong]

Credit feeding (aka "Push Start to Continue") is for the weak.

[scooterb23]

I'll use continues on games that have an end, because I'd like to see the end. If there is no real goal to a game...I'll generally not use the continues.

[tssk]

I'll do it when I want to see the entire game. If I'm playing for highscore then I won't.

For me the highscore only counts if you play from beginning to end on that credit.

[davidbrit2]

If it resets your score, no. If not, sure. But I really dislike games that go on endlessly, and let you basically buy a high score. I absolutely loathe the continue feature on the new Ms. Pac Man + Galaga machines. But still, games like Time Crisis let you continue to the end of the game without resetting your score, though the game has a definite end, capping your score based on skill.

And remember, this is only for arcade style games.

[maxlords]

I use continues if the game is unfeasibly hard (Dodonpachi, Giga Wing, etc) and I don't feel guilty about it. The only time I don't is if the continues make the game SO easy you whip thru it with no effort. But I try not to credit feed if I can help it. I suck at most shumps though, and do it shamelessly, especially on vertical arcade ports!

[bargora]

Credit feeding (aka "Push Start to Continue") is for the weak.

Preach it, captain!

Of course, if it's not a shmup, then color me weak.

[Dire 51]

Ditto.

I'll still use continues from time to time while playing shmups, but not as often as I used to waaaay back when.

[Anthony1]

I think the best way to go about it, is if it becomes obvious to you, that without using the continues, you won't get anywhere, and you would like to see all that game has to offer, then go ahead and use them, but otherwise, I think it's best to avoid it as much as possible.


Because then, when you finally get past that Boss or whatever, and you make it to the next level, it just FEELS so much better.

But if you use Continue after Continue, and you end up seeing a level that you've never seen before, it almost feels cheap.

[Odin]

I'll use a continue if I can, and won't feel guilty about it.

[zmeston]

During my stint at Working Designs, we always considerably lessened the number of lives and continues in the shmups we localized. Victor, like Captain Wrong, believed that continues are for wussies who have no business playing shmups to begin with. I agree with that; anyone hardcore enough to still play shmups in the modern gaming era doesn't need any assistance.

I can't remember the last non-shmup I played with the option to continue; how about anyone else?

-- Z.

[chadtower]

If they coded it into the game it was intended to be used, and therefore available to all. That is not cheating.

[ROBOTRON]

It really depends on the game, but yup...I use it.

[bargora]

If they coded it into the game it was intended to be used, and therefore available to all. That is not cheating.

Like IDDQD ?

I continue in fighting games. I continue in shmups only if I'm BURNING with curiosity to see the next level.

[Kid Fenris]

If a game allows it, I'll usually abandon all self-control and credit-feed it to the end. If I want to return to the game later, it's usually a sign that I've found something good.

Of course, I usually prefer when games don't permit constant continues. Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun use a rather clever method that awards more continues as one's total playtime increases. As you get a better feel for the game, you're given more chances to explore it. Brilliant.

[davidbrit2]

That kind of reminds me of Parasol Stars. There was some way to open a secret room with a giant coin that would give you about 50 or 99 credits or something obscene like that. It pretty much guaranteed that you could finish the game. I can't remember how to do it exactly, but it involved something like collecting three star emblems.

[atomicthumbs]

God gave us all continues for a reason.

Though someone else limited those continues...

[DDCecil]

That kind of reminds me of Parasol Stars. There was some way to open a secret room with a giant coin that would give you about 50 or 99 credits or something obscene like that. It pretty much guaranteed that you could finish the game. I can't remember how to do it exactly, but it involved something like collecting three star emblems.

\

I did that, and I still couldn't finish the game (though I did something to unlock bonus levels after I beat the game, and the levels were HARD!)

If I die on a game, I will use the continue function. If I die on the final level, you bet your life I'll contunue!