Do we still need unlockables in games?

By DrRandle November 10, 2009 19 Comments

Character Unlocked: Someone You Should Have Had 8 Hours Ago

by Randy Marr
 

Because my boyfriend and I are creatures of a random nature, we picked Street Fighter IV off the shelf for the first time since April and had ourselves a few matches. Aside from the fact that the game's mechanics continue to be impenetrable, I began to question why half the game's roster was locked away. "Why can't we just play as the characters out of the gate?" I thought. "What are the upsides to them being secret characters?" I still can't find an answer for that question.
 
The first thing anyone does in a game like this is try to unlock all the characters as fast as possible. I did it for Smash Bros. Brawl on the night I got it... when really my friends and me just wanted to hang out and play some regular Smash Bros., not go through the story mode. I appreciate that there wasn't a need to spend 20 combined hours playing to unlock a character like there was in Melee, but the fact remains: Why aren't these characters unlocked from the beginning?
 
Sure it's fun to unlock little goodies or extra costumes or what not, that's fine. Progressive stage unlocking in a Mario game or finding secret weapons in Fable II, that sort of stuff. But in a fighting game, or in Mario Kart, what's the point? If you have a secret character who is clearly overpowered, than why even have his game-breaking self in there? And if said character is just as balanced, what is the point of locking him away? Why should somebody have to play the games as characters they don't like to get to the character they want? What's the reward?
 
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, for Multiplayer, all of the stages are unlocked so you have free reign to play what you want. Don't forget that you can play through Story Mode with multiple players, and the stages aren't unlocked there, this is just for the specific coin battle mode. To me this seems like the right idea if you just want to goof around with some Mario games with friends if you're focusing on the single player for yourself.
 
So what about you, dear readers? Are there any games you wish had all playable characters or levels unlocked from the beginning? Or do you get a thrill from having to rush through the game as fast as possible to get all that big content? What games do you think would be better this way, but also what games do you think are made better by having hidden characters or stages? Love to hear the feedback.
 
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