Playing Alone in the Dark atm and it has something similar in that you can skip certain sections of the game if you're stuck. It's structured so that if you're flumoxed by a certan puzzle or boss, the game will skip that section and move on to the next area. The tag-line on the box reads: 'Never get stuck: DVD-style chapter select lets everyone reach the game's climax.'
In fact, the whole game is structured in 'scenes' like a movie and every time you continue your game there's a brief video recap of the story so far. But the plot is so nonsensical that you can't help but feel this is a wasted concept.
I'll never use the feature, as the sense of achievement will be gone. Even if I only use it once, when I finish the game, I know there will be no feeling of completion. I'd rather wait a couple of hours and figure something out than skip it right there, maybe I'm just used too doing it that way. There is also the fear that if I use it once, the game might lose it's relative significance, in which case, why bother playing it at all.
Saying all that, I believe this to be a natural progression for games though - the checkpoint system, rewind features (
PoP, GRID
), objective markers and even the GPS style glowing trails/waypoints found in Saint's Row, Fable 2 etc. It's all simplifying the way we play, but not necessarily making it unchallenging. I'm all for more accessibility, and the fact that more people can enjoy the games I enjoy. Just don't skimp on my nitty-gritty afters, please.
