tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post126134258640937249..comments2024-02-26T00:27:47.712-08:00Comments on Cross-Up: Of Batman and “Predator Games”Voltechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01038586008627390463noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post-42874363777761347212013-11-14T20:36:44.054-08:002013-11-14T20:36:44.054-08:00You know, I've actually been wondering about m...You know, I've actually been wondering about multiple difficulty levels in games. I've heard people sing praises about The Last of Us for having (what I hope must be) a much more difficult and satisfying adventure on higher levels, which in some ways is pretty good. Something there for people who want a challenge. But my question is, if a game only starts to be challenging AFTER you crank up the difficulty, then doesn't that mean the game on Normal mode is too easy? <br /><br />Once again, Metal Gear Rising is a game that I think got it right. It's a tough game from the outset, but it's also a pretty fair one. You either have or unlock all the tools you need by game's end, and the game teaches you how and when to apply them so that the difficulty is on a manageable curve. There were times where I got my face kicked in, but it never felt frustrating. It never felt like I had to go "No, this is too much. I can't go on." And the game was stronger for it, because it trusts the player's ability to learn and adapt in a context that's meaningful to the story AND to the player.<br /><br />...Jeez. The way things are looking, Rising's gonna be my game of the year. Imagine that. But anyway...<br /><br />"You probably addressed the biggest reason why I despise the obsession with gunplay in games in recent years."<br /><br /><br /><br />That's something else I've been thinking about. I'd like to think that idealizing guns and warfare are tings that have some SERIOUSLY deep roots, but it smacks of a lack of imagination and effort to just scream "THIS GAME HAS GUNS!" and leave it at that. (So I guess that makes the upcoming The Order: 1886 another target for pre-release cynicism, considering that one of its first screenshots features a gun-toting soldier hiding behind chest-high cover in a colorless world.) There are so many, many weapons and skills that can be created and fine-tuned for use in a game, and the fact that devs keep going back to guns -- or bows, or some kind of knife, or a copy of Kratos' chain blades -- feels like a flat-out refusal to explore the possibilities. I can think of a few right now...but I suppose that's a topic for another day.<br /><br /><br />RE: Sheeper, though, I'd like to think the best fit for his game/gameplay would be some kind of action game, a la Devil May Cry (the good ones, of course). There'd probably have to be some kind of unique targeting system so Sheeper could hit certain body parts, so I suppose the challenge would be working in the VATS system from Fallout 3. Or one of the challenges, at least..Voltech44noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post-79784888830403768782013-11-14T08:43:56.934-08:002013-11-14T08:43:56.934-08:00You probably addressed the biggest reason why I de...You probably addressed the biggest reason why I despise the obsession with gunplay in games in recent years. Ignoring the brown-haired stereotypical Sheploos and Joels that plague the market, offing enemies and NPCs constantly with little challenge or variance disturbs me. From my admittedly generalized perspective, several games with "predatory" elements only have violence for the sake of violence. I can't think of Call of Duty as anything other than an online contest over who has a bigger shoe size. Sure, it's what players and the developers want to show me and brag about, but I doubt the gameplay itself is more challenging than badass.<br /><br /><br />At least when I see someone play God of War, the player can get his/her ass kicked many, many times before making progress and having enough energy to face the next horde. Even DmC (or at least the demo I played), didn't make Donte as badass as he always thinks he is. He's not that grand [or consistent] a killing machine, especially in the beginning. Neither is Kratos.<br /><br /><br />If there's anything about Assassin's Creed, at least I feel like I have to be careful where I tread. A successful killing when you cause as little disturbance along the way as possible feels more rewarding than going in with knives flying. Does it still make it "predatory"? Yeah. It does. But nowhere near as much as how you described Origins.<br /><br /><br />I dunno. Maybe we've just grown to be wusses when we game. Maybe it's because we're appealing to non-gamers now too, so difficulty has to be nerfed. But that's why some games offer three to five levels of difficulty. Heck, other games automatically amp up the difficulty on a second run. Even then, normal mode can still be a mindless cakewalk. If the Shin Megami Tensei games taught me anything, it's that I really have not experienced much gameplay challenge on normal mode as I once believed. Most of all, it's perfectly okay to cry, rage quit, and run to mommy when the same cheap enemy kicks your ass until your dignity is crushed. Sure it's for a niche audience, but even a younger gamer like me can see that modern games seem a bit too hand-holdy and generous.<br /><br /><br />Anywho.<br /><br /><br />By the way, I would love to see a game with Sheeper. Though I'm not sure which genre will work well for him. A fighter? Action-Adventure? Platformer? RPG? Add in some puzzle solving? Dunno.Melanie Lightnoreply@blogger.com