Anybody else getting fed up with first-person/over the shoulder shooters?

[Nebagram]

It's not so much the actual gameplay, more the setting. I mean for god's sake, every year seems to bring with it five hundred more 'army of today'/'army of tomorrow' style games. Rainbow Six, Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Resistance, Killzone, Ghost Recon, hell there's even a new Doom game in the works, you know HL2E3 will be out this year and right in the middle of this market saturation the Duke will most likely awake from his millennia-long coma.

The annoying thing is, these games are all good. They're all playable. But they're all... samey. They seem to blend into one. It's about time someone actually tried innovating rather than 'slightly tweaked engine' or 'new weapon or two'.

On that topic, note the one recent fps that I DIDN'T list at the top- Bioshock. THAT's an fps that really turned the genre on its head, in my humble opinion. And yes, Portal too- games that require some brains to complete rather than pandering to dribbling teenagers who just want to shoot everything.

I know what to expect- 'if you don't like them, you don't have to buy them'. No shit, Sherlock. Precisely why I don't. But I can't help but feel that while there are studios churning out shooter after shooter, they could be producing something like Portal, or something new entirely.

Rant over. Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Actually, no, I haven't gotten tired of them because I never really played any until last year. I'm still a newbie in the genre.

But I do see what you mean. There's way too many "ME TOO!" games out there.

[Kaboomer]

I was sick of them after HALO 2!

[ProgrammingAce]

You know what? I love every single one of those titles.

As for innovation, COD4 is the most inovative thing to happen to FPS since mouselook. Take a modern millitary shooter, add in an RPG style leveling system, add in features like dynamic lighting and weather, add in bullet penetration.

The thing about the genre is that once a game gets too innovative, it stops beeing an FPS. I've enjoyed every FPS in the last 18 years, and i'm still looking for more.

[CartCollector]

It's not so much the actual gameplay, more the setting. I mean for god's sake, every year seems to bring with it five hundred more 'army of today'/'army of tomorrow' style games.

Well, at least the WWII fad is over. But excluding WWII, 1980-2008 wars, and the future, where else can the genre be set? Korea? Vietnam? We already had Battlefield Vietnam, look at how well that turned out. And any war before WWII had crappy guns and would be a boring game from a soldier's perspective (firing lines or trenches).

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

I got fed up with them after Wolfenstein 3D.

Well, at least the WWII fad is over. But excluding WWII, 1980-2008 wars, and the future, where else can the genre be set? Korea? Vietnam? We already had Battlefield Vietnam, look at how well that turned out. And any war before WWII had crappy guns and would be a boring game from a soldier's perspective (firing lines or trenches).

Come on, don't you have any imagination? Why does it have to be set in any war at all? Set it on the ocean floor with the player harpooning monstrous fish and great leviathans. Set it inside the human body with the player neutralizing foreign virii. Ever heard of Super Noah's Ark 3D? There's tons of interesting things that could be done with a FPS. There are in fact some cool total conversions available for Quake or Doom that show some good creativity and even a handful of commercially released games over the past 15 years, but for the most part the FPS genre is the absolute worst case of the general lack of imagination plaguing video games today.


...word is bondage...

[TonyTheTiger]

It's not so much the actual gameplay, more the setting. I mean for god's sake, every year seems to bring with it five hundred more 'army of today'/'army of tomorrow' style games. Rainbow Six, Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Resistance, Killzone, Ghost Recon, hell there's even a new Doom game in the works, you know HL2E3 will be out this year and right in the middle of this market saturation the Duke will most likely awake from his millennia-long coma.

The annoying thing is, these games are all good. They're all playable. But they're all... samey. They seem to blend into one. It's about time someone actually tried innovating rather than 'slightly tweaked engine' or 'new weapon or two'.

In what way do you want them to change? Are you saying you want the gimmicks to change? Like Call of Duty's engine but instead set in a Lord of the Rings environment with magic wands instead of guns? Or are you saying you want the nature of the mission to change ala Metroid Prime?

On that topic, note the one recent fps that I DIDN'T list at the top- Bioshock. THAT's an fps that really turned the genre on its head, in my humble opinion. And yes, Portal too- games that require some brains to complete rather than pandering to dribbling teenagers who just want to shoot everything.

That's totally unfair. These kinds of statements mean nothing and all they do is reveal a skewed bias on the part of the critic. "Oh, whats with these RPGs just pandering to dribbling geeks who just want to power level." "Oh, what's with these fighting games just pandering to dribbling Neanderthals who just want to beat someone up."

I don't understand what kind of changes you're really looking for. Call of Duty, for instance, punishes players who try to act like Rambo. Hell, there's probably more "thinking" in that game than even in the slower paced Metroid Prime where you essentially are Rambo. So what are you really looking for?

I know what to expect- 'if you don't like them, you don't have to buy them'. No shit, Sherlock. Precisely why I don't. But I can't help but feel that while there are studios churning out shooter after shooter, they could be producing something like Portal, or something new entirely.

You're jumping the gun with the defensive attitude. That tells me you aren't all that comfortable with your own position. Portal's great but it isn't quite a straight up FPS any more than Abe's Oddysee is a straight up platformer. You can't expect the traditional FPS genre to change just because another game did something interesting by merging the genre with a puzzle game.

Think in hindsight how absurd this would have sounded. "What's with all these platformers? They're all the same. Mario, Sonic, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Croc, Rayman. Look at Abe's Oddysee. Now that's a game that turned the genre on its head. It makes you think and doesn't just pander to mindless kids who just want to run around killing enemies and fighting bosses." It should be obvious that quirkier games like Abe and Portal are going to be fewer in number than more traditional ones like Mario and Call of Duty.

[BHvrd]

Call of Duty 4 = Not as fun as 4 player goldeneye, though the closest a console has come.

Crysis = Halo on crack, nothing ground breaking "other than graphics".

Unreal Tournament 3 = more of the same "though great".


I like shooters, but I know where you're coming from, they all blend together. The only shooter that tries something a bit new and is just all around well rounded is Warhawk. Online, offline 4 player drop-in/out. It's the best shooter out there imo, console or pc.

Mirror's Edge might have what you may be wanting "something new"....honestly though if it isn't online and 4 player split i'm not really interested "well kinda", will be good for the genre I recon.

[TonyTheTiger]

I can't think of any genre that really has made major strides lately, though. The closest one I can think of is Super Mario Galaxy and that was mostly due to the screwy gravity rather than any real innovation that changed how the game was played. You still have to play it like a platformer. BioWare has done some interesting things with RPGs. But on the whole, 90% of games on the market are fundamentally grounded in "been there, done that." It's a criticism that can be equally applied all over the playing field. I can envision an FPS that doesn't involve shooting at all. Imagine that short story 'The Most Dangerous Game' where you have to run around setting booby traps and avoiding detection. Yeah, it's different, I guess. But that still might not turn out better than a more traditional game.

What ends up happening is you get a seesaw effect. When a genre becomes too stale with too many Wolfenstein clones someone comes around and does something awesome ala Goldeneye. Then when that becomes the standard everyone else uses it as a measuring stick. Eventually that will become stale and out comes Call of Duty. And so on and so forth.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[zemmix]

I got tired of them around the time John Romero promised to make us all his bitch. Or rather about the time they moved to requiring 3d cards. I loved playing Duke Nukem 3D and the original Dark Forces but after that it just became meh to me. Sure they are great nowdays but I don't have any urge to run home and play them like I did those two older games at the time.

[7th lutz]

I am fed up with the genre. It may sound odd since I never get tired or bored with Shoot'em ups.

I have no problems with FPS games being released. My problem is the amount of FPS games being release a year is getting out of hand.

I didn't type this because it is cool to dislike FPS games. It is how I really feel about the genre since I played games like Doom, Wolfenstein, and Goldeneye. The games I played seemed boring to me like Metal Gear Solid did for me.

It is no different than some Wii owners not liking that amount of Shoot'em ups on the vc.

[heybtbm]

I'm happy with what's out there. I'm not fed up at all.

Realistically, a FPS is what it is. There's not much innovation that can occur without it turning into another style of game. I think what your really fed up with is designers/publishers lack of innovation in general. The notion of copying what's popular just to turn a profit. In that sense I agree with you. However, the FPS genre is just fine the way it is IMO.

[Nebagram]

In what way do you want them to change? Are you saying you want the gimmicks to change? Like Call of Duty's engine but instead set in a Lord of the Rings environment with magic wands instead of guns? Or are you saying you want the nature of the mission to change ala Metroid Prime?

Either works for me. I'm getting a little tired of shooting people over and over.

That's totally unfair. These kinds of statements mean nothing and all they do is reveal a skewed bias on the part of the critic. "Oh, whats with these RPGs just pandering to dribbling geeks who just want to power level." "Oh, what's with these fighting games just pandering to dribbling Neanderthals who just want to beat someone up."

No such thing as an unbiased critic, mate. I can't help it if I look at these games and they all start to blur into one sigh-inducing whole.

I don't understand what kind of changes you're really looking for. Call of Duty, for instance, punishes players who try to act like Rambo. Hell, there's probably more "thinking" in that game than even in the slower paced Metroid Prime where you essentially are Rambo. So what are you really looking for?

I'm not arguing that these games are bad- on the contrary, I like CoD4. It's just seeing multiple games on the shelves with similar gameplay, setting, graphics, ethos, everything. Imitating rather than innovating. Metroid Prime admittedly you were a tank, but each chamber seemingly had a puzzle in it that required you to lower your weapon for a bit and start to work the old grey matter.

You're jumping the gun with the defensive attitude. That tells me you aren't all that comfortable with your own position. Portal's great but it isn't quite a straight up FPS any more than Abe's Oddysee is a straight up platformer. You can't expect the traditional FPS genre to change just because another game did something interesting by merging the genre with a puzzle game.

Define 'traditional FPS' for me. 'Run around, shoot people, shoot some more people' would be the short version if I was asked. That'll never change, and I accept that, but I believe there's room for much more from the genre.

Think in hindsight how absurd this would have sounded. "What's with all these platformers? They're all the same. Mario, Sonic, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Croc, Rayman. Look at Abe's Oddysee. Now that's a game that turned the genre on its head. It makes you think and doesn't just pander to mindless kids who just want to run around killing enemies and fighting bosses." It should be obvious that quirkier games like Abe and Portal are going to be fewer in number than more traditional ones like Mario and Call of Duty.

You forgot Tomb Raider. Seriously though, that doesn't sound absurd at all. It reminds me why I stopped giving a shit about all the franchises you named (except Mario, who only makes a new 3D platformer once every 5 years) a long while back.

I'm entitled to my right to whinge, aren't I?

[exit]

I'll have to disagree when saying Half-Life 2 is the same as anything, each episode had it's own feel and (especially by the end) never let you leave your guard down. Condemned is another good example of an FPS that does it's own thing and somewhat created a genre of it's own, the FPS brawler.

Other than that I can agree that FPS' are getting tiring, but there was a high point for every genre and then another one took it's place eventually.

[j_factor]

I agree that they tend to blend together. What I don't like is that FPS games are often given way too much lavish praise. They can't all be that great if they don't differentiate themselves. With a few exceptions like BioShock, I see most FPS games as disposable. Everybody says CoD4 is amazing, but will anybody still care about it when CoD6 hits? I certainly don't hear anyone talking about CoD2 these days, and that was supposed to be the second coming at the time. Something like Deus Ex, on the other hand, is still worth a damn long after its release.

The idea that there's not much innovation to be done with FPS games is preposterous, considering how many innovative FPS games have been made. The problem isn't entirely a lack of innovation, it's mainly a glut of non-innovation.

[Viraneth]

It's not so much the actual gameplay, more the setting. I mean for god's sake, every year seems to bring with it five hundred more 'army of today'/'army of tomorrow' style games. Rainbow Six, Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War, Resistance, Killzone, Ghost Recon, hell there's even a new Doom game in the works, you know HL2E3 will be out this year and right in the middle of this market saturation the Duke will most likely awake from his millennia-long coma.

The annoying thing is, these games are all good. They're all playable. But they're all... samey. They seem to blend into one. It's about time someone actually tried innovating rather than 'slightly tweaked engine' or 'new weapon or two'.

On that topic, note the one recent fps that I DIDN'T list at the top- Bioshock. THAT's an fps that really turned the genre on its head, in my humble opinion. And yes, Portal too- games that require some brains to complete rather than pandering to dribbling teenagers who just want to shoot everything.

I know what to expect- 'if you don't like them, you don't have to buy them'. No shit, Sherlock. Precisely why I don't. But I can't help but feel that while there are studios churning out shooter after shooter, they could be producing something like Portal, or something new entirely.

Rant over. Congratulations if you made it all the way to the end.

I totally agree. I plan on going to college for game development and I plan to make an fps that isn't really. Condemned, Bioshock, and Portal are all really unique, as is the free-to-play Battlefield multiplayer game is also shaping up to be something new quirky and fun. I want to make a game where relying on guns will most likely make you lose the game. Why can't developers make a first person shooter that makes you rely on quick thinking and wit to solve problems and get through things.

[DKTheArcadeRat]

I'm not quite getting tired of it yet. I love COD4 and play that almost every day. I do strongly dislike the Halo games though. Bioshock was a good game, as was Portal. I really think that if there were more variants of FPS games that they wouldn't feel as stale. But since they are for the most part all good and playable, I don't mind them.

In fact, i'm quite looking forward to Legendary: The Box, which does do a moderate change to the setting and enemies.

[The 1 2 P]

As a whole, I'll never truely be tired of fps's because they are my favorite genre. But I would still like to see alittle more innovation in future installments.

[cyberfluxor]

Sounds like some people need to bust out their old PCs or 90's era consoles and play some Heretic, Rune, or Hexen.

But yes, I know what you mean. There are a lot of plots to be explored but right now it feels companies want to show off their latest graphics and physics engines. It'll all come in due time. I don't mind the "same old FPS" that's been going around, matter of fact I've been into the Battlefield 1942 online play for the last several months. I'm a little ways into Prey and want to pick up the newer Unreal games later in the summer.