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Sequence Breaking

CrimsonCavalier

Fuzzy Pickles
Joined
Mar 27, 2015
Location
United States
Gender
XY
Recently I've been really into Super Metroid. The game is so freaking good. The first time I played it, it took me 8:30 (that's 8 hours, approx 30 min.) to beat, and I only got 88% of the items. The second time I improved my time, but still didn't manage 100% items.

There's just no way someone can get 100% and still have a decent time without knowing where the items are in advance. Some of them are just way too hidden. So after a few playthroughs, I looked up an item guide.

This is when I discovered that some people use glitches and other in-game tricks to do what is called "sequence break"; essentially, playing the game in a different order than the developers intended. Some people use in-game techniques like wall-jumping to get the Super Bombs early, or even tricks the devs did not intend, such as the mach-ball technique.

I have no problem with sequence breaking, but it can't be considered anything other than cheating. However, I do think that people should play the game as it was intended to be played before they try their hand at sequence breaking. I think it definitely takes away from the experience. If you're playing the game just to be good at it, you're missing out on a key element, which is the experience itself.

So what about you? Do you sequence break? Do you not? If you do, do you play the game normally before you try to sequence break, or do you look up every glitch beforehand?

There's no "right" or "wrong" way to play video games, but I think that cheating does take away from the experience, which is (in my opinion) one of the most important aspects of gaming.
 
Joined
Aug 9, 2015
Generally, I'd play a game first of all and just aim to finish it without searching for every single item and collectible. (So just bascially enjoy the story and gameplay) On the second time, I would try to aim for 100%, but I don't use any cheats. I think it is a lot more fun this way than to glitch and find everything within half an hour! 100% takes ages, to be honest I've hardly fully completed many games since there's just so much to look for ;) Sequence breaking would totally ruin this and I would never feel like I had achieved anything, so I'm not planning to give it a go anytime soon.
 

Kylo Ken

I will finish what Spyro started
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Location
Ohio
I wouldn't go so far as to say sequence breaking is cheating. If I was to go to the Spirit Temple before the Shadow Temple, that wouldn't be cheating, but it would be sequence breaking (or Shadow before Spirit, depending on how you look at it. It still doesn't change the point). Usually, what I would do, is get to the end of the game, then go back and collect everything I can find. With Zelda, it's easy, because they don't erase your game. But with recent Metroid games, like Prime, if you don't KNOW when the final boss is going to appear, or when you reach the point of no return, then you can't go back and get items, you complete the game, and it makes you start over.

Also, if you think Super Metroid is that good, then you gotta play the others, they give you even more.
 

Dan

Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Gender
V2 White Male
Of course I "sequence break" it's fun to experience the game in numerous ways. I play the game how it's meant to be played beforehand.

There's no "right" or "wrong" way to play video games, but I think that cheating does take away from the experience, which is (in my opinion) one of the most important aspects of gaming.

True but after you've completely the game cheating afterwards can add to the experience, it can be fun to find glitches, see how mechanics work, what's really a solid surface.
Spyro the dragon was one of my favourite games to cheat with only for its infinite jump cheat that allowed you to venture the entire game and finding inaccessible areas.
 

CrimsonCavalier

Fuzzy Pickles
Joined
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Location
United States
Gender
XY
I wouldn't go so far as to say sequence breaking is cheating.

I guess I should have clarified. When I mean sequence breaking, I don't mean doing things out of order because you can, I mean glitching the game in order to do things out of orded (i.e., mach-ball in Super Metroid or jumping through walls in Metroid Prime). Using mach-ball is 100% cheating. It's a glitch. I do it now, but when I first played it, I obviously didn't know about it, because you're not meant to do it, ever.

Also, if you think Super Metroid is that good, then you gotta play the others, they give you even more.

I haven't played the original Metroid or Zero Mission, Fusion or Other M, but I've played the Prime Trilogy. Love Metroid.

True but after you've completely the game cheating afterwards can add to the experience, it can be fun to find glitches, see how mechanics work, what's really a solid surface.
Spyro the dragon was one of my favourite games to cheat with only for its infinite jump cheat that allowed you to venture the entire game and finding inaccessible areas.

I don't disagree. I actually have been sequence breaking Super Metroid. I don't think doing it is wrong. I just think one should play the game the "right way" before one tries to take advantage of glitches.
 

Kylo Ken

I will finish what Spyro started
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Location
Ohio
I guess I should have clarified. When I mean sequence breaking, I don't mean doing things out of order because you can, I mean glitching the game in order to do things out of orded (i.e., mach-ball in Super Metroid or jumping through walls in Metroid Prime). Using mach-ball is 100% cheating. It's a glitch. I do it now, but when I first played it, I obviously didn't know about it, because you're not meant to do it, ever.



I haven't played the original Metroid or Zero Mission, Fusion or Other M, but I've played the Prime Trilogy. Love Metroid.


Ah, that clears things up, thanks. Also, you can ignore the original Metroid. Just play Zero Mission, it's the whole original plus more. Fusion is my second favorite, just under Prime 1. And Other M, just youtube the cutscenes for the story. Or not, either way, you'll still be disappointed.
 

SavageWizzrobe

Eating Link since 1987
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Location
The Wind Temple
I do think sequence breaking can add a lot of depth and replayability to a game, but by the same token, sequence breaking is something that you should only consider attempting after playing the game the intended way at least once. You should experience the entire game first before you start breaking it.

While sequence breaking is technically not considered cheating, many sequence breaks in games use glitches. There are exceptions, like in Super Metroid, where some sequence breaks use intended moves in the game (ex. skipping Hi-Jump/Grapple Beam, getting early Spazer/Wave Beam/Power Bombs), and hence are not considered cheating. On the other hand, there are many sequence breaks in the same game that require glitching (ex. early Super Missles/Ice Beam). The same thing can be said about Ocarina of Time: you can finish Fire before Forest and Spirit before Shadow without using any glitches, but the game contains a lot of sequence breaks that require extensive glitch abuse (ex. getting Bombchus early, skipping the first 3 dungeons).
 

CrimsonCavalier

Fuzzy Pickles
Joined
Mar 27, 2015
Location
United States
Gender
XY
I do think sequence breaking can add a lot of depth and replayability to a game, but by the same token, sequence breaking is something that you should only consider attempting after playing the game the intended way at least once. You should experience the entire game first before you start breaking it.

While sequence breaking is technically not considered cheating, many sequence breaks in games use glitches. There are exceptions, like in Super Metroid, where some sequence breaks use intended moves in the game (ex. skipping Hi-Jump/Grapple Beam, getting early Spazer/Wave Beam/Power Bombs), and hence are not considered cheating. On the other hand, there are many sequence breaks in the same game that require glitching (ex. early Super Missles/Ice Beam). The same thing can be said about Ocarina of Time: you can finish Fire before Forest and Spirit before Shadow without using any glitches, but the game contains a lot of sequence breaks that require extensive glitch abuse (ex. getting Bombchus early, skipping the first 3 dungeons).

Exactly. If you have the skill to get the Power Bombs early, and can wall-jump up that red shaft, by all means. And I always get the Spazer early. I mean, I do now. And yes, I even mach-ball that first shutter door room and get the smorgasbord of items there (early Super Missiles).

And something that bugs me is when people say, I'm going to do a really fast time on a game, and then claim "world record" bc of a glitch. I saw this on a DKC speed run. Glitched right through the entire game. That's not skill. That's breaking the game and "winning" ...

And re: Ocarina of Time, I never knew about any of those things! I'm going to have to look them up.

Ah, that clears things up, thanks. Also, you can ignore the original Metroid. Just play Zero Mission, it's the whole original plus more. Fusion is my second favorite, just under Prime 1. And Other M, just youtube the cutscenes for the story. Or not, either way, you'll still be disappointed.

I've heard either great things or horrible things about Other M. I actually want to play it. And I've seen a LP of Zero Mission. Looks awesome to be honest.
 

Kylo Ken

I will finish what Spyro started
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Location
Ohio
.
I've heard either great things or horrible things about Other M. I actually want to play it. And I've seen a LP of Zero Mission. Looks awesome to be honest.

The gameplay of Other M is not so bad. They got a quick-draw kinda thing for missiles with the wii remote. But it's super linear, more so than Skyward Sword, which is a no go for hardcore Metroid fans. Couple that with the infamous plot, and you got a recipe to piss them off. I don't blame you for wanting to play it, though. The game looks really, really good. And it kinda merges the 2D of traditional Metroid with the 3D of the Prime series, I just think it was used incorrectly.
 

MW7

Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Location
Ohio
I do agree that people should generally play a game the "normal" way first as they learn what they are doing, but I am a huge fan of sequence breaking. Exceptions to your idea of playing games the normal way first do exist though because of games that are so open-ended that there isn't any hint of an intended order (like Elder Scrolls games) or that player choices are so plentiful that going "in order" seems silly (like Super Mario 64). For instance the first time you play Super Mario 64, not only do you not actually know what the numbered order of the levels are until after entering them, but you also might not even find a level until you realize there was a gap in the sequence (Shifting Sand Land for instance).

I sequence break almost always when the choice is available to me. I've beaten Ocarina of Time hundreds of times, but only probably 10% of those times involved the "intended" order of the game. I am currently playing through in the adult link order of Ice Cavern, Forest Temple, Water Temple, Spirit Temple, Fire Temple, Shadow Temple, and skipping the Bottom of the Well. The variety that sequence breaking provides has caused me to play several games countless times more than I would have if there was only one way to do things.
 

Johnny Sooshi

Just a sleepy guy
Joined
Nov 1, 2011
Location
a Taco Bell dumpster
I follow a guy who is probably one of the biggest known sequence breakers in the Metroid community. He's mastered the 19% and 6% runs of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 respectively, as well as the 100% runs, and has gotten the best times on each one. I think it's awesome.

Personally, I have nothing against sequence breaking. Most people play a game through completely before trying to sequence break just because you gotta find all the breaks, and they usually still want the story. Overall, it's cool and fun if you try it for ****s and giggles.
 

CrimsonCavalier

Fuzzy Pickles
Joined
Mar 27, 2015
Location
United States
Gender
XY
I follow a guy who is probably one of the biggest known sequence breakers in the Metroid community. He's mastered the 19% and 6% runs of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 respectively, as well as the 100% runs, and has gotten the best times on each one. I think it's awesome.

Personally, I have nothing against sequence breaking. Most people play a game through completely before trying to sequence break just because you gotta find all the breaks, and they usually still want the story. Overall, it's cool and fun if you try it for ****s and giggles.

Who is this guy?

I'm really into Super Metroid right now, and I've always been a fan of the Metroid Prime series.
 

Manaburn

Graphics Artist
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
I've seen a bunch about sequence breaking as of late. After I finish my first playthrough of OoT glitchless, I would like to learn sequence breaking & other handy glitches for speed running.
 

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