Growing trend? Little to no penalty for dying in a game.

[HappySqurriel]

I first noticed this type of thing in Conker's Bad Fur Day for the N64 ...

When you died in that game you would respawn at a check-point that was just moments before you died. Personally, I loved their implementation in that game because they could make elements insanely difficult while not making the game feel impossible or like it was cheating.