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[Luckett_X]

Ugh. This is becoming one of my major annoyances from a game that requires a bit of control/skill learning.

Games that offer a tutorial as you play are fine, as is having a tutorial mode where youre guided baby-steps through the games mechanics. But just slapping a video file in there thats just a running movie is NOT a tutorial.

Major offenders so far are DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi and now Sonic Riders. I'm sure theres more, but it just seems to show an obvious rush job and no care taken to help the player.

Dont want this topic to rant about Sonic Riders, but the control system (at least on the PS2) is pretty shitty. Pressing X twice to grind a rail seems... completely non-sensical and I only just managed to do it now after watching the godawful tutorial.

What other games have recently just spewed a movie file onto the disc and labelled it Tutorial, GAF?

 

[Nintendo Ate My Children]

Games that offer a tutorial as you play are fine, as is having a tutorial mode where youre guided baby-steps through the games mechanics.

No they're not. If you're too dumb to play video games, don't.

 

[Xrenity]

No they're not. If you're too dumb to play video games, don't.

They are.

I agree with the TS, I usually just stop the vid right away; it doesn't help anyway.

Playable tutorials ftw. Every good game has one.

 

[Community Forum]

Flipnic had awesome video tutorials.

 

[jarosh]

No they're not. If you're too dumb to play video games, don't.

that was unnecessary. it's nice to have a tutorial. not every game is self-explanatory. it can be implemented very subtle into the first level/mission/whatever.

 

[Community Forum]

Okay, trivia time. What was the first console game to have a video tutorial?

 

[Variable]

I think Splinter Cell 3 had video tutorials.

 

[{Mike}]

Burnout has video tutorials, and they're lame.

 

[Xrenity]

I think Splinter Cell 3 had video tutorials.

Hmmm, you're right.

They we're kind of alright though, and the first 2 splinter cell games had tutorials.

I think the game had some 'press C to crouch' stuff in though.

 

[human5892]

I like the playable tutorial integrated into the game, but I wish that it was skippable in all games so you'd have that option. I played Splinter Cell at a friend's house and got the controls down, but when I got a copy for myself I had to go through the training level anyway (unless you could skip it somehow, but I didn't see any option to).

 

[Luckett_X]

I just find it alarming from a Games Design point of view that a game can be made where there isnt a clearly exhibited learning curve at all from the 1st level. The player shouldnt have to "muck about with the buttons until they understand", thats NOT good work at all.

I found the Budokai Tenkaichi tutorial disgrace very ironic, since the earlier Budokai iterations had quite in depth elaborate interactive tutorial's.

To me, a video tutorial is the equivalent to that pushy friend that doesnt let you play a game yourself from the start and discover but has to show you him/herself by playing it and making you watch, scowling.

 

[:Motorbass]

Whenever I show the video tutorial of Super Smash Brothers Melee to a newcomer, they go "wtf". :]

But then, there's really much to learn in this game.

 

[Tarazet]

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour's lengthy series of ultra-slow, non-interactive, and poorly written tutorials made me want to scream. I actually decided to just read the manual instead.

 

[Pharadigma]

I really dislike how they threw in a tutorial in SotC. It really ruins the mood as you're riding and climbing your way to the first colossus. Sometimes a lack of a tutorial can be a good thing (ICO) or a special tutorial section in the start menu that you play outside the regular game like Red Ninja (yes I bought it and kinda liked it). Splinter Cell (the original) would have needed this kind of tutorial and not some kind of training mission where Lambert tests if Sam remembers how to crouch.

PoP: Sands of Time has the best tutorial ever in my opinion though. It integrates very well into the game's plot and can be turned off if you like.

 

[C- Warrior]

I like games with quick tutorials. At most bring up a screen prompt or two of text that gives you the tools and BAM!, set you free to build your house.

I mean, jeez -- start pressing some buttons, start pressing them with others with / without analog stick and there ya go, you've just initiated your own tutorial.

 

[GeoNeo]

I try to just skip poorly done tutorials. Which is much easier said then done sometimes. :lol

Thank the gods for VF4:Evo and its godlike tutorials. If only ever dev put in the work like AM2 did.

 

[Blackace]

When I was a boy we did things like read Manuals!

 

[Sho Nuff]

WWF Raw for Xbox had one incredibly long video tutorial that taught you everything that was never even touched on in the manual. Like, you know, how to actually do a special.

 

[AdmiralViscen]

Kirby: Canvas Curse did it right. The Tutorial is a seperate option in the menu, and it goes through every action you can perform one section at a time (with a handy numbering system in the corner). They demo each action for you (skippable), and put a text description in the top screen.

My girlfriend just opened her copy yesterday, and I watched her go through it. Really excellent.

 

[Totz]

If UNLIMITED: Saga had some sort of tutorial, maybe more people would play more than 10 minutes of it.

Spoiler

But it would still suck ass

 

[MoxManiac]

Some games are too complex not to have tutorials. The tutorials in Romancing SaGa were a godsend, considering how obtuse that game (hell, the series) can be.

 

[Scrow]

When I was a boy we did things like read Manuals!

that doesn't always help

 

[Prince]

i hate playable tutorials that are like training missions always want to skip them (splinter cell), i prefer the system where they show you the basics in the first level that's actually part of the story.

I really liked the video tutorial system in Dark Cloud 2.

 

[ghibli99]

When I was a boy we did things like read Manuals!

...back when they would just drop you into a game with no direction. Back then, the manual was in integral part of the game, both in terms of learning how to play and enjoying the finer points like storyline, etc. (Somewhat) non-invasive tutorials integrated into the game are the way to go, but yeah, video tutorials are terrible.

 

[jooey]

i watched every tutorial in kirby air ride and I still don't understand that shit!

Spoiler

half-kidding