Feature A Reader worries that video games spend too much time on backstories and tortured heroes instead of kickass gameplay.
What happened to the game? I agree with the article PS5 games have become too serious without any fun. Having grown up with the development of fun (yes, I used to have an Atari 2600 back in the day) I have seen how the world of games has been developed. While there are many good modern games, they lack the elements of pick-up and roll and humor. As the previous article noted, the protagonists all seem to have some sort of emotionally driven story.
Maybe it’s just me, but which one is similar to modern titles like Road Rash, Blur, or Duke Nukem? Give me a game where the protagonist is essentially someone born to kick ass. I’m not interested in the backstory and, to be honest, the story cut scenes have me hitting the skip button every time. I don’t need to know about relationships or motives, I just want to play the real game.
Also, some games seem (to say the least) too complicated. Take Diablo 4, a great game that I like to play, but only after extensive online searches to build a character that seems to require advanced mathematical qualifications to get the most out of the character’s statistics. The story line is great (apparently) but for me cutting scenes and longer dialogues just distracts from the gameplay. What should I know about Lilith? Not. I just want to get in hacking and slashing hordes of enemy monsters.
If I want quality acting and plot, I’ll watch a movie or read a book. What I want when I sit down to play a game is action, involvement, and maybe a little humor, delivered through the gameplay. I’m all for character development too, but is it really necessary in a video game?
When God Of War was released in 2005 on the PlayStation 2, it was an instant hit. The perfect collection of fast and furious battles and puzzles. Kratos kicked ass and made it with the ladies. Fast forward to the God Of War reboot, which is a slow, single parent, snooze fest, with lots of rowboats. Yes, there are battles and puzzles, but after playing it, I don’t feel a sense of accomplishment, instead I’m glad it’s over.
As the console world has grown, so has the game grown up. Unfortunately, the developers have traded fun and gameplay for the story and cut scenes. And I ask that they want to create an immersive world for the player to escape, but if the game has the element of ‘just one more go’, it really does not need a story in depth. After all, do you really play the game so that the characters can right whatever is wrong or do you play to blast/hack/punch the bad guys into oblivion, while looking and feeling good?
A good example of modern gaming getting it right (at least in my opinion) is the Call Of Duty Zombies mode. There is no story (which is the story that has been done in many games – GC), no character development. You are a soldier, here is your gun, go and shoot the zombies. I didn’t even bother to finish the campaign.
Zombie mode, solo or with friends, that’s all I needed. Since it’s popular, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Yes, modern gaming has come a long way since the days of Pong and Space Invaders, but when it comes to video games, more detail and complexity isn’t always a good thing. For me, the game will be the most important thing.
By reading Jason
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