So, I’ve noticed some elements of games that I find myself looking forward to. When I play a game lacking these, I sometimes find myself thinking that if the game had these items, the fun quotient would go up significantly.
These are:
A pump action shotgun, jetpack, flamethrower, zombies (arguable), powerfist, chainsaw, chaingun, powerarmor, mech suit (think Warhammer’s dreadnought or Aliens’ humanoid powerlift), ninjas, the ability to disguise yourself as an enemy.
That’s all I can come up with at the moment. How about you?
Yup - grappling arms are cool in every game. Bionic Commando, Metroid Prime series, Mario Galaxy 2 (Yoshi as well as the blue stars), Jet Moto - I can’t wait for LittleBIGPlanet2, it’s going to have a grappling arm.
Yeah, but if I play your type of game, how am I gonna get 9 year olds to call me a gay haxxor?
Incidentally, most of the things you like most are in Civ5. What’s the ultimate unit in Civ5? That’s right, the mech.
You’re right and yet the game fails on so many levels. Perhaps theres a lesson here, a great game can and should be more than the sum of its parts.
I don’t like flying games but Xbox’s Crimson Skies is great.
I’m not really into pirate games but Sid Meier’s Pirates is a great game.
I don’t like RPG’s but Diablo and Baldur’s Gate II are fantastic.
Can you think of elements these games have in common? When I say “elements”, I don’t only mean items like shotguns or rocket launchers but anything, up to the highest levels of abstraction.
[del]A pump action shotgun, powerfist, chainsaw, chaingun[/del] = none of these exist, but it’s not really that kind of game. (Bow & arrow works fine.) jetpack = minecart boosters flamethrower = buckets of lava zombies (arguable) = check powerarmor = diamond armor (not really useful IMHO) ninjas = creepers mech suit (think Warhammer’s dreadnought or Aliens’ humanoid powerlift) = doesn’t exist, but since you can carry 1,024 blocks of granite w/o breaking a sweat, it’s not that necessary. the ability to disguise yourself as an enemy = you can wear a pumpkin on your head.
Camera guided missiles; I’ve loved those ever since I first encountered them in PO’d.
Freedom; run-on-rails gameplay is both irritating the first time though and greatly lowers replay value.
Customizability. Modding as previously mentioned is part of that, but I also like games where you can change your looks, how your powers work, what weapons/tools you have, etc.
A 1994 game for the 3DO, later released on the PlayStation. I found a page with a few screenshots here. A first person shooter where you are a psychopathic cook on a spaceship; everyone else is killed and you have to slaughter your way through hordes of aliens. You start with a fry pan, then get a cleaver, and as you play get a variety of interesting weapons. A drill (that bloodies the screen as you drill enemies, and your hand wipes it off when you stop); a gun that rapidfires purple balls called “meat seekers” that bounce randomly along. Plus you get a jetpack; several levels include extensive flying. Oh; and you find Elvis on a hook in a meat locker.
It was a fun game. It had a variety of features I didn’t see in other games until much later.
Regarding other games…it’s my belief that any RPG worth its salt must contain the following:
(1) The ability to defeat the game’s biggest, baddest monster with your bare fists.
(2) If you strip naked and walk past an NPC, the NPC must comment on that fact.
(3) Lots and lots of mini-quests that have nothing whatsoever to do with the main plot, including many circumstances which appear to be potential quests at first, but instead lead to thematic dead ends.
(4) At least one character who breaks the fourth wall (e.g. M’Aiq the Liar)
(5) At least one secret society which exists outside the main plot (e.g. The Dark Brotherhood from Oblivion, or Reilly’s Rangers from Fallout 3.)
I meant in the sense of minigun which is what I should have said.
I thought about including the katana. If it slices heads clean off, I’m in.
Cars good. Bombs good. Car bombs better. Bonus points for being able to jump out at the last moment.
A sledgehammer has the level of subtlety I’m most comfortable with. I wish games played a Peter Gabriel sample when you fought with one.
So I’m not the only one who’s been playing Fallout.
