THOUGHTS ON ATTRACT MODES:
...but what I find ridiculous is the attract modes that end within a few seconds, before you can get a feel for a game. What's the point of having one at all then?
Ha! I know.
Perhaps the point is to truly TANTALIZE you by only offering the briefest glimpse of the action. You had to play it to get a feel for it. QUARTER NO LONGER IN YOUR POCKET.
Also, ephemeral attract modes help curb crappy players from claiming they have the "skillz" to get to later stages and simply describing the attract mode as proof. I'm talking about BACK IN THE DAY, of course.
MAGICAL CHASE HUNTER: Dude, I got really far in Rush-N-Attack yesterday at the arcade. You should have seen me! I was on fire. HOT DAMN, I was on fire.
ARI: No shite?
MAGICAL CHASE HUNTER: Hellyeah! I dominated that game. Konami can suck my left one.
ARI: I think you are full of shite.
MAGICAL CHASE HUNTER: DUDE! I slaughtered Rush-N-Attack. Slaughtered. There were ICBM's and lasers and all this crazy shite in the last stage. I WAS DODGING LAZER BEAMZ. Slaughtered that bastard of a game.
Not PC Engine but the attract mode for Highway Star (Rad Racer) for the Famicom is pretty terrible. The car accelerates and just keeps going straight, no turning at all. It just keeps wrecking and driving off the road.
In the arcade, the subliminal message would have been, "You know you can drive better than this! You will get your money's worth...STICK THE QUARTER IN ME. DEPOSIT IT IN ME."
A corollary to this...YOU DON'T WANT TO PROVIDE FOLKS WITH STRATEGIES FOR EASILY DOMINATING A GAME...it's a total spoiler if the demo/attract mode reveals too much. Allow the player to discover the best method for advancing in a game. Lot's of games, for example, have a weak/ineffectual weapon activated during demos. IN AN ACTUAL ARCADE: Attract modes that revealed crucial strategies would cut into the revenue stream.Wow the JJ and Jeff attract mode player is worse then me....
This is to encourage you to jump off ledges to discover hidden springs. WHICH BRINGS UP A NEW QUESTION: Have attract modes ever revealed secret rooms or easter eggs?
I am happy to enlighten you with my brilliance and humility...