10 Things All Modern FPS Video Games Get Wrong
They don't make 'em like they used to.
Ever since franchises like Halo and Call of Duty brought online multiplayer gameplay to consoles, the first-person shooter genre has taken the gaming industry by storm.
Every year since the original Modern Warfare back in 2008, the latest Call of Duty title has always been the highest grossing game of the year (apart from 2013 when Grand Theft Auto V was released), making billions in game sales, merchandise and online map packs. The popularity of FPS games has also seen e-sports tournaments - once only popular within in Asian market - become massive events in the West, with many developers adjusting their games to encourage their use in these tournaments.
However, the immense popularity of first person shooters has led to many developers overlooking major flaws in their games. With publishers pushing annual releases onto the public and spending much of their budgets on just the marketing of new titles, complacency seems to have set in.
Development cycles are getting shorter to meet demand, with many aspects of the genre that have become outdated being simply ignored. "It's broke but we're hoping the kids don't notice" seems to be the prevailing sentiment, and here are 10 things that many modern first person shooters are continually getting wrong.
10. Levels With Only One Possible Path
One of the best things about the medium of video games is the ability to explore. The game might be screaming at you to complete the objective, but if there’s no timer or limitation, you’re free to wandering around for as long as you like, taking in the level design and looking for any hidden collectibles or easter eggs.
The original DOOM games gave you multiple paths to your objective; You could go straight through the obvious door, or you could crawl through the vent just to the side or track back and find the weakened wall that you can shoot through to access an enemy-avoiding shortcut.
These paths let you play the game your way and made you feel like you were really in control. Sadly, many modern FPS’s have taken this control away from the player by forcing them onto one linear path.
Gone are the multiple approaches to a task; now you’re expected to simply move your character from one area where you shoot a bunch of people directly to another area where you... shoot a bunch of people. If there’s nothing to really do in these empty, linear corridors between sections, then why bother making the player have to walk through them?