@Onyxmeth: The thing that has changed in games is, that you need to master the controls/controller today, when 20 years back the issue was about mastering the game, since the controls were so simple and easy to learn.
And yes, games were indeed harder to beat back then, in general, but the fundamental difference between games back then and games today is, that in games today, you're just supposed to "clear objective", when games like Megaman 2 had the idea of playing for fun. Megaman 2 managed in this case almost as well as Super Mario Bros.
The question isn't about whether the game is hard or not, since it had only one purpose; to aim people who wants to have fun while playing it. Besides, it's mostly a pick-up-and-play type of game.
But why is Megaman 2 "hardcore" today but wasn't "hardcore" back then, is how the audience have changed. When the games have changed, the old audience have disappeared or atleast became minority, the "casual"/non-gaming/blue ocean audience have become the core and since the core is defining the "hardcore", the "hardcore" have changed along. What Malstrom wants to point out, is the "moving" goals and "moving" definition to fit current consensus. Megaman 2 was a blue ocean game back then for it being so easy and Megaman 9 is a blue ocean game today, for it being a game for the lapsed gamer, the gamer that grew up with 2D Megaman, to who the market haven't catered in a decade.
Ei Kiinasti.
Eikä Japanisti.
Vaan pannaan jalalla koreasti.
Nintendo games sell only on Nintendo system.
