Is rewinding your mistakes good or bad?

Our Featured Poll of the Week at Gamertag Nation

There are many gamers today who feel as though games have become too easy over the last few years. This attitude is perpetuated by the addition of features such as the ability to rewind the game if a mistake is made. Wrecked your Lamborghini on a hairpin turn in GRID? Just revert back to seconds earlier and give it another shot. Failed to convert on 3rd down in Madden 2009? Go ahead and run the play again without wasting a down and settling for a field goal.

The question is, do you believe the rewind feature in video games is good or bad? Some say it's convenient while others simply want a challenge. What do you think?

I, for one, feel that the rewind feature in video games has some potential. I think that Madden 2009 executed it very nicely. They have options at the start of each game which allow for a certain amount of rewinds per game. GRID took another approach by giving you a certain amount of rewinds in career mode. I believe you unlock more rewinds, or flashbacks as they call them, as you progress.

In terms of learning your mistakes, I really don't think the rewind feature helps you there. I guess it would all depend on how the feature evolves as new game titles are released.

I must say, technically speaking, it is awesome and impressive. To think this would be possible 10 years ago, it's a testament to programmers to see such progress. When you get down to the moral issue, it's much trickier. To be honest, I didn't do much Madden research before buying the title, my very first game was online and my opponent used rewind, i was like WTF. From that moment it left a little bad taste in my mouth. I can see where it could be used in games when there aren't appropriate save locations and you don't want to do 3 million things to get back to that location, maybe. In a game vs. an opponent, I really don't like it.

it depends on the game and if the feature is meant for it...eg prince of persia. having it everywhere would be bad. While it could be useful in some situations it could be far too much abused in others. Like how every game felt that had to use bullet time because max payne did it.

I'd love it in some Rhythm games (like Rock Band/DDR) but that somewhat defeats the purpose of those kinds of games.

I agree with it's potential. I just got GRID today, and man is it fun. The rewind is helpful as hell, as without a wheel, it's pretty odd to control. A pity wheels cost around 99 quid here.

GRID was awful in my view. i got the demo and was turned off by the menu screen. sure the rewind is helpful but its just to make up for the fact that all the cars handle like legless cows. But then again it was made by codemasters who are known for average games.

Give it a chance. I'll even lend it to you. Trust me. If you floor a lambourghini at 200 mph, the handling's gonna be shit.

i did...i got the demo.

After playing GRID for ages and realising the handling doesn't improve with skill, I concede to Billy's point. So I got Full Auto 2 instead.

Love that game... Love it!

i cant remember if the 2nd had rewind but the first did, very useful for avoiding rockets.

It does mate. I like the way you have to earn every millisecond of that rewind through extended killing. Made it much harder and strategic then GRID's system.

becasue Grid didnt have missile launchers.

If it did, then it'd have been much better.

Depends what type of game you're playing, I like the idea of this, but then I think it'll make games really short, as when you die or crash, you'll rewind and correct your mistake, then carry on with your game. It's like using the 'Invincibility' cheat.

i said it was bad. it's as if developers are more and more afraid to punish players. i don't believe crutches like this are necessary.

With the rise of modern, impatient gamers, it seems many have lost the patience to be able to do a race over and over and over. I like Burnout's system. It throws you right back into the action after you crash, but with a sufficient lead penalty.

games made by EA are always easy to win. I remember SSX Tricky for PS2. They made it really easy to get to first place and only bumped up the challenge once you were there but not enough so that you felt under pressure. In fact its been the same formula since unless they changed it after NFS Carbon.

I remember SSX3 being DAMN fun, but as you say, pretty nonchallenging. I still think the later races on Burnout 3 were MENTAL. Like the ones in Formula 1 cars.

Bit of a bump but NO there shouldnt be a rewind feture in games. If you want to learn from mistakes watch the video and practice.