No talk of gaming nostalgia this time, I promise. So now for something completely different: open-ended vs. linear.
Why that? How do I come up with this crap, you ask? Well, yesterday I bought Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow in one of those cheapo classics editions. (Oh, hit games, barely 2-year-old, released for just over 6 euros, how I love thee.) Considering the price, I didn't think to much about it and just grabbed it, knowing I should have some fun playing it. Back home, after playing a bit and really enjoying the game, I went online to read some reviews/comments/whatnot, like I very often do after having actually watched or played something. And what I found was, some reviewers' gripe with this otherwise highly rated game was its linearity and heavily-scripted nature.
And that got me thinking. Now, obviously open-endedness in games is a very good thing in and of itself. It's always fun to roam around, do your own stuff, pick your own way of playing the game and so on. But I think that way too often people assume that a game which leaves the player a considerable amount of freedom is automatically better, not to mention -- more "real." But in fact, quite often (don't get me wrong here -- I don't want to make any sweeping generalizations) the thing that suffers the most then is the storyline.
Let's all look at the word again: story... line... Notice how the second part shares quite a bit with the word "linear"? That's right. It's because a linear gameplay isn't the root of evil either. A well-done linear game will usually have a strong and gripping story -- and more often than not, that's one of the main things I look for in a good game. When I think about it, I realize some of my favorites over the last couple of years are like that. To name two very different examples, Call of Duty was like that, and deep down inside even Knights of the Old Republic was like that as well. And those games really made me feel like I was "in a movie."
Come to think of it, that's seems to be a major turn-on for me when it comes to gaming. Obviously I don't expect that "movie-like" quality from every game I play, but it's sure a nice bonus. So yeah, perhaps open-ended games do deserve the status of "more real," since after all life itself is (usually, hehe) open-ended. But then, on an every day basis life isn't really a gripping, high-adrenaline ride. A good action movie is. And that's why I'll continue to enjoy games with a good linear structure.
And I honestly hope I won't get bored with Pandora Tomorrow after a few days. Otherwise this who post will totally go out the window.
Why that? How do I come up with this crap, you ask? Well, yesterday I bought Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow in one of those cheapo classics editions. (Oh, hit games, barely 2-year-old, released for just over 6 euros, how I love thee.) Considering the price, I didn't think to much about it and just grabbed it, knowing I should have some fun playing it. Back home, after playing a bit and really enjoying the game, I went online to read some reviews/comments/whatnot, like I very often do after having actually watched or played something. And what I found was, some reviewers' gripe with this otherwise highly rated game was its linearity and heavily-scripted nature.
And that got me thinking. Now, obviously open-endedness in games is a very good thing in and of itself. It's always fun to roam around, do your own stuff, pick your own way of playing the game and so on. But I think that way too often people assume that a game which leaves the player a considerable amount of freedom is automatically better, not to mention -- more "real." But in fact, quite often (don't get me wrong here -- I don't want to make any sweeping generalizations) the thing that suffers the most then is the storyline.
Let's all look at the word again: story... line... Notice how the second part shares quite a bit with the word "linear"? That's right. It's because a linear gameplay isn't the root of evil either. A well-done linear game will usually have a strong and gripping story -- and more often than not, that's one of the main things I look for in a good game. When I think about it, I realize some of my favorites over the last couple of years are like that. To name two very different examples, Call of Duty was like that, and deep down inside even Knights of the Old Republic was like that as well. And those games really made me feel like I was "in a movie."
Come to think of it, that's seems to be a major turn-on for me when it comes to gaming. Obviously I don't expect that "movie-like" quality from every game I play, but it's sure a nice bonus. So yeah, perhaps open-ended games do deserve the status of "more real," since after all life itself is (usually, hehe) open-ended. But then, on an every day basis life isn't really a gripping, high-adrenaline ride. A good action movie is. And that's why I'll continue to enjoy games with a good linear structure.
And I honestly hope I won't get bored with Pandora Tomorrow after a few days. Otherwise this who post will totally go out the window.
