My overview of the status of PC Gaming genres

[tempuraki]

I would say games like GTA are better example for modern adventure games than splinter cell. sure they are dumbed down to the point that you just press buttons instead of figuring out what verb to type, but the freedom to explore and to do things is more adventurous than the classical adventure games.

And to echo the other poster, there are some glaring ommissions of genres like puzzle games, a genre that is in a golden age. And how can you write about "intelligent games" without mentioning non-RTS strategy games, the ace card that wins any "PC gaming is dead" debate? (MMO being the trump)

 

[PingSpike]

Here's an antecdote about HL2 that sort of sums up the whole game for me. On my first play through I spent a good deal of time playing with that physics prop playground near the begining of the game. I piled cinder blocks on the seesaw and jumped on the other end to propel them upward, ran into the swings, spin tossed the doll. I thought "Wow, you can really manipulate stuff in this game instead of it just being shit that gets in your way when you're shooting!"

Fast forward to the beginning of ravenholm. There's a part where you come around a corner and your path is blocked by one of those spinning fan blades on its side. I tried jumping over it and died. Ok, cool, I reload. So I notice to my left there's a high wall, with a bit of a gap at the top. Thats my way out I thought! So I stacked a whole bunch of barrels up into a stair case and climbed them. Then I tried to jump through the hole at the top...it had an INVISIBLE FUCKING WALL to block me.

I then ducked and walked under the stupid blade, becoming frustrated at the whole game. I wasn't frustrated that "the way" as devised by the game designers was different, unelaborate and of course not my own. No, I was frustrated that a game designer had actually THOUGHT of my way and went out of his way to actively BLOCK it for the player. The only thing I would have missed with my shortcut (actually took way longer) was two zombies. There was no G-man cutscene or anything...just more saw blade fodder. What the fuck?! The game had setup this world with all these possibilities and then said "naw, there's only one way to do it, and we'll just put fake blockades in the way of anyone who tries the different ways"

 

[PingSpike]

I think you do have a lot of unnecessary hate for the FPS though...I think what you mean when you say FPS is "Quake/Unreal" FPS...probably you mean counterstrike as well though.

The trouble is FPS has so many sub-genres and cross-genres that its all muddy waters. I agree there is a feel that most designers seem to hold changes to the "core" of FPS gameplay at arms length more then they did in the what I think of as the "golden era" (time immediately proceeding the dot com bust and slightly after). But I think you want to think all first person games are "stupid" when first person is really just a viewpoint. Parts of other genres, including the long dead adventure game exist in these games. Not all of them of course.

SS2 is a great game with RPG and adventure elements...but its core gameplay isn't all that different. You spend time managing skill points and your inventory, but thats secondary to main goal of the game, which involves shooting robots and flipping switches to advance the levels.

Thief may be a better example. That game sort of defied classification. You could try to fight it out, but you just end up throwing your keyboard at the wall in frustration. Each room could be a puzzle to be analyzed. Never before had I played a game where I sat in a dark corner holding the crouch button for 5 minutes, watching gaurd patrol patterns and had fun doing it!

 

[irishScott]

Originally posted by: Skacer
1. Deus Ex and SS2 are FPS games, whether or not your bias allows you to admit it.
2. While Adventure games may have come close to dying, your summary fails to acknowledge several recent entries, while instead, choosing to mention a 3rd person shooter: Splinter Cell. Some worthy mentions would have been Uru Live, Sam and Max Episodes, the new Penny Arcade game coming out, Fahrenheit, and Dreamfall.
3. Diablo2 is not a traditional RPG. It is a hack-and-slash, Action RPG with monty haul style loot rules.
4. Why are you making a list of genres when you don?t even understand a monthly subscription? If a person can be entertained by WoW for several months in a row, they have actually saved money in the long run. The only person subscriptions probably don?t make sense to is someone who steals their games and thus doesn?t really understand the costs associated with their habit.
5. You?ve completely ignored puzzle games, Non-RTS strategy games, Non-FP shooters, and a whole host of other genres.

What? Anyone who's willing to pay $15/month for social activity needs to get a life. Like I said, I doubt many people enjoy the game for itself. Take the MMO out of WoW, and from what I've played you've got a pretty mediocre game.

Also, I had one hour to kill, not several . I'll probably expand/add detail the next time I get bored.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally posted by: irishScott

FPSs:

Intelligent gamers are a minority. Thus unintelligent games (Halo, CS, etc) that involve nothing more than running and shooting are fun enough to engage most people without requiring mental stimulation. Add the fact that intelligent gamers also enjoy these games (who doesn't enjoy a huge Halo/CS/TF2 LAN?) for the social aspects, and you appeal to virtually the entire gaming audience as opposed to the minority, thus raking in more $$$.

To Valve's credit, they attempted to add some elements of traditional adventure games to the HL2 series (engaging NPCs, creative maps/placement, and a few puzzles), but given that these elements take up about 40 minutes tops out of the multitude of hours you'll spend playing the thing, and that the puzzles are pathetically easy, the point is appreciated but moot.

What makes you say that relatively intelligent gamers (relative to gamers in general) are a minority in FPS?

I can't speak for other FPS games, but I've played Unreal Tournament online multiplayer heavily since 2001 and I totally disagree that it is a mindless game. To be an impact player, you need to be able to predict your opponents' movements and tactics. You also need to develop a good sense of timing and strategy, and you need to be able to remember your opponents' locations and directions. You also need to have thought about which weapons would be best for a given geometrical space. Essentially, you need to outsmart your opponents in some sort of a way. Anyone who's become a good flag runner or a solid clan-level player knows that it's about much more than mindless button mashing.

I've also managed a clan and designed and published my own maps. Map-making is a very cerebral and rather challenging hobby. It's also potentially competitive. I've seen a great many user-made FPS maps that were almost works of art. In clan matches, communication, teamwork, coordination, positioning, planning, and knowledge of the other team's tendencies are very important.

Mindless my a$$!