This is the one that really breaks my heart. The lack of physical mobility and physics in general in modern shooters kills me, because the technology is available. Brink, Bethesdas failed online shooter, provided an environment and the necessary controls to allow players to create vantage points and exploit terrain in a dynamic way. It was a shit load of fun, even if the game itself was not. On the other hand, Half Life 2 provided us with (albeit simple) physics puzzles and physics games that made it clear that we could have somewhat realistic physics in a shooter. The technology exists, but simply isnt being utilized. Instead of being flung through the air, jumping off of moving vehicles, sliding under rails, hoping fences, ramming down cardboard walls with our shoulders, blowing shanties apart with mines, or any million other amazing things that we could be doing, we are stuck negotiating an endless maze of face high walls. The resulting loss of mobility forces us into a specific path, or at best a choice of two paths. It undermines our ability to innovate. It undermines our ability to play creatively. It undermines the very foundation of gaming, free choice. Maybe Im just being a drama queen. It wouldnt be the first time. But maybe game developers are just being lazy. It wouldnt be the first time for that, either. If the technology to create more advanced and dynamic games exists, lets see it in use. They can design the games that allow total freedom of movement, so why the hell am I still moving only in a horizontal line?
