Friday, February 20, 2009
We Need a Good Horror Tactical Shooter
I really enjoyed F.E.A.R. a few years back. It sounds like F.E.A.R. 2 is regrettably just more of the same. A very competent FPS with not much more going for it.
When I first heard about F.E.A.R. (the original), I was really excited because it sounded like a game I really wanted to make (mainly because I wanted to play it). The end product wasn't even close.
If I could whip out a game every single year, I'd totally do this one - but as it is, I'm pretty much overwhelmed with back-burnered project ideas as it is. So I thought I'd unload this one.
What I'd really like to see is a good (indie?) tactical shooter HORROR game. Think the early Rainbow Six series meets the first two X-COM games, and then they all get drunk and have a fling and a baby supernatural horror tactical shooter game is born nine months later.
Yes, I know, I never got over the movie Aliens. And tactical squad-based control is very hard to do with a first-person, real-time game. And horror - which often relies upon feelings of helplessness - is hard to sustain in interactive games which are all about TAKING ACTION. Look at how many games fail at sustaining it (though a big part of it is that you simply can't remain scared / horrified for as long as a game takes to complete - those kinds of emotions are notoriously short-term).
Which is why I may be waiting a long time for a game like this.
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 10:16 AM (Permalink)
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Just played the FEAR 2 demo -- it was just as non-compelling as FEAR was. It had a couple moments, but for the most part I was just like, "Seriously? Are you freaking kidding me??? LAME." But then, I've been spoiled by quite a few good FPSes over the years so maybe that's just me. =P
A tactical horror shooter -- interesting concept... that has pretty much already been done with Left 4 Dead. While not "tactical" in the sense of the Rainbow Six games, L4D definitely requires a high degree of team work and tactics, expecially on the Advanced and Expert skill levels.
I'm also of the opinion that a good shooter -- tactical or otherwise -- should have firearms that feel realistic. In this case, L4D excels; FEAR 2, not even close -- Airsoft comes to mind.
A tactical horror shooter -- interesting concept... that has pretty much already been done with Left 4 Dead. While not "tactical" in the sense of the Rainbow Six games, L4D definitely requires a high degree of team work and tactics, expecially on the Advanced and Expert skill levels.
I'm also of the opinion that a good shooter -- tactical or otherwise -- should have firearms that feel realistic. In this case, L4D excels; FEAR 2, not even close -- Airsoft comes to mind.
This may be a dumb question, but what do you mean by "tactical shooter"? If you're talking about X-COM: UFO Defense, you bet! As far as I'm concerned, that was one of the top two games of all time.
On the other hand, I have no interest at all in first person shooters. (I never played FEAR, so I have no idea what that was like.)
Regarding the horror part, I'm indifferent. I'm a bit burned out on all kinds of fantasy, so I'd probably prefer science fiction (with no magic, psionics, ESP, telepathy, etc.), but it just depends on how well it's done. Certainly, X-COM had a lot more going for it than just the combat mechanics.
On the other hand, I have no interest at all in first person shooters. (I never played FEAR, so I have no idea what that was like.)
Regarding the horror part, I'm indifferent. I'm a bit burned out on all kinds of fantasy, so I'd probably prefer science fiction (with no magic, psionics, ESP, telepathy, etc.), but it just depends on how well it's done. Certainly, X-COM had a lot more going for it than just the combat mechanics.
Derelict looks interesting - thanks! I'll have to check that out. I keep hearing about Left 4 Dead, but I haven't played it yet. In generally, I'm not a huge fan of "just" an FPS, so I haven't been sure what it offered over a generic FPS.
WCG: "Tactical Shooters" are more realistic first-person shooters that emphasize things like teamwork, cover, covering fire, stealth, etc. I sometimes call them the "thinking man's shooters." Rainbow Six, Operation: Flashpoint (now available REALLY cheap from GOG.COM - I recommend checking it out), ARMA, Ghost Recon, and several others would fall into this category. They are as different from traditional FPS games as Thief, though they share a lot in common.
As a big example - in ARMA, OFP, and Rainbow Six, you really can't shoot accurately while running. This drove Quake fans crazy. So instead you run to a position (usually behind cover), stop, aim, and then shoot. Also, death isn't necessarily caused by attrition. One good shot will kill a soldier, though getting some minor wounds would slow them down and screw up their aim, making that particular team member nearly useless.
Rainbow Six had the extra wrinkle in that there were usually hostages, and so you had to take down the enemy silently and quickly. If other terrorists heard shots being fired (from their own, unsilenced weapons), they'd start killing hostages.
So while they shares a lot in common with First Person Shooters, tactical shooters have a completely different feel.
I think it would be interesting to see how it would play out if the enemies in these kinds of games were vampires or Lovecraftian horrors rather than enemy soldiers with rifles all the time.
WCG: "Tactical Shooters" are more realistic first-person shooters that emphasize things like teamwork, cover, covering fire, stealth, etc. I sometimes call them the "thinking man's shooters." Rainbow Six, Operation: Flashpoint (now available REALLY cheap from GOG.COM - I recommend checking it out), ARMA, Ghost Recon, and several others would fall into this category. They are as different from traditional FPS games as Thief, though they share a lot in common.
As a big example - in ARMA, OFP, and Rainbow Six, you really can't shoot accurately while running. This drove Quake fans crazy. So instead you run to a position (usually behind cover), stop, aim, and then shoot. Also, death isn't necessarily caused by attrition. One good shot will kill a soldier, though getting some minor wounds would slow them down and screw up their aim, making that particular team member nearly useless.
Rainbow Six had the extra wrinkle in that there were usually hostages, and so you had to take down the enemy silently and quickly. If other terrorists heard shots being fired (from their own, unsilenced weapons), they'd start killing hostages.
So while they shares a lot in common with First Person Shooters, tactical shooters have a completely different feel.
I think it would be interesting to see how it would play out if the enemies in these kinds of games were vampires or Lovecraftian horrors rather than enemy soldiers with rifles all the time.
My husband is currently obsessed with L4D and has even made me watch him play so he can explain why it's 'cool'. The amount of noise you make does have its effects, and it's certainly calling for teamwork. Since I'm not playing it myself, though, I can't comment on things like running while shooting.
Regarding aiming in L4D, it's almost exactly like Rainbow Six; a bit more lenient perhaps, but the mechanics are the same. The accuracy adjusts based on speed and position, e.g. you have to stop and crouch to get the best accuracy. (And the crosshairs adjust accordingly; wide = inaccurate, tight = accurate.)
The lines have become blurred between "standard" and "tactical" in modern shooters anyway. For example, ET:Quake Wars and Crysis are fundamentally "standard" shooters, but have many elements that are clearly derived from the old tactical shooters.
The lines have become blurred between "standard" and "tactical" in modern shooters anyway. For example, ET:Quake Wars and Crysis are fundamentally "standard" shooters, but have many elements that are clearly derived from the old tactical shooters.
I concur with your observation of FEAR2 being more of the same, i was also disappointed and after 3 levels didn't pick it up again. It was just too obvious what they did, eg have the player see the next horror scene so the game can throw the next bunch of enemies at me - rinse, repeat. See my blog post here: http://www.gaminghorror.net/archives/459
I don't have a tactical Horror shooter to offer but i can really, really recommend Dead Space. I've played it in a completely darkened room with surround headsets and ... boy was i ever scared! I even dropped the Xbox controller several times - i mean, WTF!?! That made every approach, erm i mean approaching *anything* kind of like a tactical experience, due to the intenseness (is that a word?).
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I don't have a tactical Horror shooter to offer but i can really, really recommend Dead Space. I've played it in a completely darkened room with surround headsets and ... boy was i ever scared! I even dropped the Xbox controller several times - i mean, WTF!?! That made every approach, erm i mean approaching *anything* kind of like a tactical experience, due to the intenseness (is that a word?).
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