Topic: Stop it with the secret collectibles!

[KDR_11k]

Way too many games these days have hidden items that give you permanent bonuses, be it a heart container, a weapon upgrade or whatever else comes along. Rewarding exploration sounds nice but in the end it hurts the game in my oppinion. You see, when a game has permanent rewards (i.e. they apply for the rest of the game) you end up crippled for the rest of the game if you miss them so you have to search every nook and cranny and by all means avoid progressing through the level before you're done. I hate that, it makes me spend more time on searching treasure than actually playing through the game. A game with no permanent collectibles simply allows you to blast through without worries about missing anything, without having to think "did I look everywhere?" before going through the exit door. Less worries = more fun.

This only applies to linear games of course, a game where exploration is a part of the regular game completion can hide as much as it wants to, just a linear game that never has you go back to any spot forces you to be extra careful about everything.

[Nick DiMola]

It seems to me the issue is with the game design itself and not so much the secret collectibles. If you can't beat the game properly without the collectible than the game was designed poorly. I know people hate collect-a-thons in gaming, but typically for me, it gives me reason to continue playing the game for quite a while after I have already beaten the main chunk of the game.

Secret Collectibles can definitely be a double edged sword, and far too many games rely on them to extend the initial play through of a game. I blame poor game design, not secret collectibles as a whole.

[vudu]

I want secret collectibles that make you weaker.  The biggest problem with Zelda is that I feel the need to collect every heart container.  But by the end of the game my life bar is enormous and I stand very little chance of dying.  The people who get the secret collectibles are the ones least likely to need them.