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Taking The Survey

There are a few things you should know about the survey before you begin:
  1. You only need to take the survey once. After you complete it, you will get a personalized score for every game on the site. Any game that is added to MeterBreak in the future will also be scored.
  2. If there is a game that you don’t see on our site, but would like to know the score, please go to the Forums and request the game that you would like added.
  3. Your scores for games are meant to reflect your actual preferences, so be careful and honest when taking the survey.
  4. If you don’t know what a certain Genre is (for example, when it asks you to rate “Endless Runner” but you don’t know what an “Endless Runner” game is), just hover over the Genre with the mouse. A brief description of the Genre will appear, along with several examples of games for that Genre. While the survey generally takes about five minutes to complete, there are a lot of selections to make. If you skip one by accident, we will let you know which questions you skipped. Simply go back to the question using the Previous button and answer it. Then hit the Next button until you are at the end of the survey to complete it.
  5. After you have completed the survey and clicked the Submit button, it may take several minutes to see your scores. This is the ONLY time you should have to wait for results on the website. Once this is finished, you will be ready to enjoy your time on the site.
  6. Once your scores are calculated, you will notice your top 10 games on the left. These games are your overall top 10 games on our site. If you would like to see the top 10 games for a specific console, hover over the “Consoles” link at the top of the page, and choose a console from the drop-down list.
  7. If you decide that you want to change some of your choices, you can re-take the survey at any time by selecting the "Retake Survey" option in the Profile.

The 3 Questions

Each game has been given three questions. Answering the questions will either raise or lower your score. Click any game on the site and you will see this character next to the game's title: Thermometer Zoomed In If you HAVE NOT answered the 3 question for a game, there will be a thermometer in the mouth. But, if you HAVE answered the 3 questions, the thermometer is no longer there, as seen here: No Thermometer If you want to reset the 3 Questions, there are 2 ways to do this:
  1. Click the character for the game you would like to rest. Click Reset and the score will reset. You will also notice that the thermometer will reappear in the character's mouth.
  2. If you have completed the 3 questions for more than 1 game, you can reset them all at once. To do this, click the Profile button that is in the very upper-righthand portion of the site (next to your user name). In the profile, there is a button that says Reset 3 Questions. Click that button, and every game that you answered the 3 questions for will be reset.
If you would like a different character, we have several characters to choose from. Click the Profile button that is at the very upper-righthand portion of the site (right next to your user name) and click Select Character. Click a new character, and then hit Submit, and you're ready to go!
No FAQ has been submitted for this game yet. Be the first to submit an FAQ by contacting us!
TravisTimmons@meterbreak.coml

  
 

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Games that earn the “Hardcore” Label

Games that earn the “Hardcore” Label

The current generation of gaming consoles have demonstrated an unprecedented level of success in terms of customer sales. Games have a mass appeal. Gamers are drawn to the technical spectacle and the potential challenge each game presents. It is in that depth of challenge, that willingness to chuck hour after hour of playtime into a single that defines the player’s relationship with games.

A few developers like From Software, Bethesda, Capcom, and Konami (until recently) have stood out from usual triple A pack by releasing games catered to the patient, methodical gamer. These particular games feature numerous systems and mechanics to master and dozens sized chunks of gamers’ lives are spent in devotion to games. A task as simple as a player wielding a spear can be featured in three game mechanics simultaneously.

Games with features appealing to the nit picking aspects of a gamer’s personality, those that will discern the tiniest detail, will freely change tactics to occur in order to clear seemingly insurmountable goal.

These gamers are more patient than others. These gamers need to learn and adapt many mechanics and systems into their play style to properly engage the challenge developers align together for their target audiences.

But what makes a game worthy of the label “hardcore?” What makes a gamer a“hardcore gamer?” Are numerous mechanics too hard for the casual gamer to learn or are some gamers just not patient enough? Do games ever cross a line beyond “casual?” If they do what makes those games susceptible for the “hardcore” label to be bestowed upon them?

5: Dark Souls: Gaming became firmly established in the mainstream by the third console generation of major consoles. The series that became synonymous with the term “hardcore gaming” ended up being From Software’s Souls series and Bloodborne by extension. Contending with any From excursion means a sacrifice is needed in terms of patience.

I remember what it took for myself to undertake an odyssey like Dark Souls 2, my first Souls experience. Prior to playing Dark Souls I sunk in hundreds of hours of Monster Hunter and some of the movement and attacking felt similar while juggling the stamina gauge with every move. I still did not anticipate the sheer volume of deaths my character experienced, no the death I experienced.

I think straight up dying over and over revealed a masochistic side of myself to appear that I did not know to have existed. Part of me liked dying to a massive extent. Part of me had to shrink into little bitch size and be punished over and over for a while in order to beat Dark Souls 2. I remember being cornered by those three Sentinel Knights in the boss fight and my college roommate at the time laughing his ass off at my angry screams. At times the challenge was a boss, an obstacle in a level, a gang of enemies but I did not know a time where I thought I had defeated the biggest challenge upon defeating any given enemy.

Divulging the weakness of an enemy may mean utilizing slashing damage instead of impact. What it means is sacrificing a favored weapon in favor another with the goal of the developer to train a versatile player. Introducing constant, varied, and most of all difficult challenges to overcome in an operation of simple minute-by-minute experience. Even low tier creeps pose a threat when a player approaches with a reckless blade.

Such an experience begs a question for the casual gamer: “Why bother?” The constant scepter of death may seem imposing. Indeed death happens much more than the average game. Some choice game3rs possess the willingness to try a different tactic after much repetition but most will be off putted. Attention spans are shortening and brands like the Souls series are at risk of attracting new gamers if attention spans decline any more. Rest assured any thing else From puts out will be met with the same reverence as any of their other games. From has not been known to disappoint.

4. Fallout 4

I would argue Fallout 4 appeals to a wider range of gamers than Fallout 3 beyond merely casual gamers because of the introduction of many mechanics. The Fallout 4 crafting and upgrade loop mechanics are enough to keep the hardcore players happy while they finagle with dozens of perks juggling many more mechanics. Dense upgrade systems are fresh meat for hardcore gamers have been known to sink their teeth in these for hundreds of hours.

The difficulty isn’t evident until the extreme “survival” setting. This lack of difficulty might defuse any notions of calling Fallout 4 a hardcore game but I disagree. The game appeals to the hidden control freak hidden in a lot of people. The Rupe Goldberg devices are an OCD dream. Yes, I would argue the game appeals to those with certain mental illnesses. The thousands of items can be arranged in a room to the gamer’s own specifications.

3. Monster Hunter

Veteran developer Capcom have been trucking with a relatively under-the-radar hardcore action RPG for over a decade now, even longer than any From Software production. Monster Hunter, the current, most well known variants, are the 3DS titles.

The franchise has roots in the PS2 era and it took to the PSP for a while with a few good games before really taking off on the 3DS. The integration with Nintendo proved to be a natural fit and with another 3DS iteration comes several additional layers of complexity are added. Recent layers have been a nifty overworld map and an entire frontier space where players can encounter random monsters in the wild. Plans are in motion to move the system back to PlayStation.

For newcomers the tutorials are essential to understand the numerous mechanics. Every piece of gear a hunter might need become essentials in Monster Hunter. The player has access to traps, bait, cat companions, bombs, poison throwing knives, etc. The player needs to maintain the life and stamina bar and then there are the monsters.

Each environment has mechanics of its own. Deserts drain health. The Tundra saps stamina. Collectible items are stashed in dozens of locations in the 10 or so zones on every map.

The monsters are notoriously difficult to put down. Included are giant birds of prey, giant dragons, wyverns, and all a matter of dino creatures and paleo mammals. They are all spectacularly animated and possess endless strings of attacks and beam attacks and states of rage. If the player or various player and cat companions slaughter the critter than they can carve it up a few times and buy gear to hunt bigger critters.

The player has access 14 weapon types and 4 different styles to choose from (6 as of most recent version released in Japan for the 3DS) and special hunter arts (think of hadoken-like fighting moves) and many combo combinations to learn. The tutorials do an okay job of welcoming newbies into the active fold of gamers. To understand to the level of an “expert” one might look online at the numerous sites devoted to MH knowledge, there’s a few cool apps to download to facilitate easy searching.

 

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