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第一人称射击游戏所面临的真正问题

发布时间:2014-07-03 16:40:36 Tags:,,,,

作者:Joel Castro-Reyes

这并不是个秘密了:第一人称射击游戏是一直以来最受欢迎的电子游戏类型之一。已经出现了许多像《战地》,《生化奇兵》,《使命召唤》,《光晕》以及《杀戮地带》等等AAA级授权游戏,当然也有一些全新的游戏,如《泰坦陨落》和即将问世的《Destiny》,这些游戏都将长久地出现在我们的视线中。

Killzone(from eastday)

Killzone(from eastday)

现在的我并不能说是这类型游戏的忠实粉丝。在这一类型中,有些游戏的出现和消失速度让我震惊,不过这只是少数。我从未真正指出原因。为什么这类型游戏会让我感到厌烦?为了了解我关于第一人称射击游戏的问题,我必须着眼于它们的每一方面,并明确为什么我不再那么关心炸毁的外星人,士兵或其它能够移动的内容。

当提到游戏玩法时,你肯定清楚能够从一款FPS游戏中获得什么。你所持有的枪支是在你正前方。你可以冲刺,蹲伏并扔手榴弹—-这些都是好事。如果敌人并不愚蠢的话,你便需要躲避起来。游戏中会有一些狭长的走廊强调一些快速反应的行动,也有一些开放区域是作为大型定位进攻战斗的专门区域。你可以在FPS游戏类型中看到所有的这些内容。不过有些游戏会将这些内容混合在一起。《使命召唤》的快速,疯狂的节奏便呈现出更高强度和反应度。《光晕》与《杀戮地带》的节奏较慢,但却具有非常智能的敌人将迫使玩家隐藏起来,而不只是按照自己所计划的那样去做。

大多数射击游戏总是想着添加一些变量到游戏玩法中,如《杀戮地带2》和《杀戮地带3》的隐藏系统以及《生化奇兵》中的超能力。大多数这些游戏都是彼此模仿,即主要是源自一个较受欢迎的模板。你知道能从游戏玩法中获得什么,所以在玩所有的知名游戏时玩家不会感受到同等的乐趣。

这是FPS类型不能吸引我的一个原因。如果我发现自己将玩另一款《光晕》或《使命召唤》的复制品,我便清楚自己将进入怎样的内容中。反过来,这些复制品也会让我看到最初游戏的弊端,从而将我彻底带离这些游戏。但说实话,只要游戏具有特色,我便仍愿意尝试看看。

也就是说其实没有多少开发者能够真正去活跃游戏玩法。当然了,最近像《生化奇兵:无限》等游戏添加了像天际线等招数,以及像《孤岛惊魂3》添加了角色扮演元素让游戏变得更加简单,并且呈现出一个巨大的岛屿沙盒让玩家能够在里面进行游戏—-但它们仍然遵循着FPS的基本规则。如果有什么区别的话,应该是这一规则已经过时了。开发者还可以怎样描述向默写人进行射击?说实话我不认为存在更多新方法,如果不附加其它类型的话,这便不可能彻底推动FPS的进化。

虽然我一直在说游戏玩法,但是游戏中真正吸引我的还是故事。这也是大多数现代射击游戏所缺少的内容。不过需要提醒你的是,如今有许多FPS拥有伴随着让人印象深刻的主题的突出故事。就像《生化奇兵》便是对于Ayn Randian敌托邦背景下人类境况的评论。《孤岛惊魂3》通过挑战玩家让他们去理解一个人内心的邪恶面以及需要付出多大的救赎。《辐射3》提供了一个可能威胁我们现在所了解并热爱的一切内容的世界。还有许多其它游戏包含了其中的某些内容,我就不在此一一罗列出来。

而剩下的一些内容却未能凸显有趣的故事。《战地》尝试着去呈现战争的无情,但却被糟糕的配音和陈旧的情节与对话所破坏。《使命召唤》系列虽然有效传达了战争的邪恶性,但却被不均衡的节奏和一些让人无语的游戏时刻所破坏了。《光晕》是一款呈现了非常棒的技术和哲学深度的科幻游戏,但在提到人类角色时却缺少了人道性元素。而《杀戮地带》只拥有一个开始故事,只告诉了你Helghast是邪恶,而Nazi因为盗窃行为必须被杀死。虽然具有吸引人的行动和视觉效果,但是FPS游戏的故事似乎总是不能达到预想效果。

所以,为什么即使这些游戏拥有过时的游戏玩法和不那么突出的故事,我还仍然在玩它们呢?不仅因为爆头机制能够带来满足感,同时还因为我热衷于消灭50个训练有数的士兵和外星人的快感。开枪并扫射一个房间虽然残忍但是真的很有趣。狙击一个烦人的火箭发射器让你能够以胜利的姿势紧握拳头。射死那些具有竞争性的敌人的满足感将推动着你继续前进。添加多人游戏元素,即打败一个技能型玩家将能够进一步加深这种感觉,如此你便清楚为什么其他怀疑论者也会继续玩这些游戏。

这便是问题所在——就像我们知道自己喜欢什么并继续在FPS的舒适区中购买游戏,同时避开那些尝试着改变规则的内容。如果你习惯于《使命召唤》所呈现的方式,你便会避开任何像《光晕》或《生化奇兵》等具有不同感觉的游戏。但问题是,它们的核心其实都是一样的。当然了。按键是不同的,节奏也发生了改变,枪支的重量也有所不同,但即使如此每一款游戏仍然是受到同样的游戏玩法远离所驱动。只有这样的问题得到解决,射击游戏才有可能真正获得进化。

不过在那之前,你需要先处理那些乏味的故事以及不变的游戏玩法。

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

The first-person shooter problem: Why the games we love rarely change

By Joel Castro-Reyes

It’s no secret: the first-person shooter (FPS) is one of the most popular video game genres ever. With numerous triple-A franchises like Battlefield, BioShock, Call of Duty, Halo, and Killzone — as well as new titles that have popped up, like Titanfall and the upcoming Destiny — these games aren’t going away anytime soon.

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of the genre myself, by any means. Some games have come and gone in this genre that have taken me aback with awe, but they are few and far between. I’ve never really been able to pinpoint why, however. What about these types of games turns me off so much? To understand my issue with first-person shooters, I have to look at every aspect of them and figure out why I don’t much care for blasting aliens, soldiers, or anything else that moves.

When it comes to gameplay, you pretty much know what to expect from an FPS. The gun you’re holding is right in front of you. You can sprint, crouch, and toss grenades — all that good stuff. Taking cover is essential if the enemies aren’t completely brain-dead. There are crampedni corridors that emphasize quick reflexes and open areas that serve as arenas for giant set-piece battles. All of these things can be expected within the FPS genre. Some games like to mix it up a little, though. Call of Duty’s fast, frenetic pace allows for an increased level of intensity and reflex. Halo and Killzone play slower but also have intelligent enemies that force you into hiding on more than one occasion and challenge the player to plan out strategies on the fly.

Most shooters like to add little bits of variation into the gameplay, like the cover system in Killzone 2 and 3 and superpowers in BioShock. Most of these games are copycats of each other, however, stemming from a well-known template. You know what to expect gameplay-wise, so it becomes such that players don’t feel the same level of excitement that came from playing all the big-name titles.

This is one of the reasons why the FPS genre doesn’t interest me. If I find I’m going to be playing another Halo clone or Call of Duty copycat, I know what I’m getting into, and I don’t bother with it at all. In turn, these clones make me see the shortcomings of the original games and turn me off from them completely, even after playing and somewhat enjoying them at first. But in all honesty, as long as the game is functional, I’ll still give it a chance.

That being said, there’s not really much developers can do to spice up the gameplay. Sure, recent titles like BioShock Infinite add little tricks like the skyline, and Far Cry 3 adds role-playing game elements that offer perks to make the game easier, as well as a gigantic island sandbox for you to play around in — but they both still follow the same basic FPS formula. If anything, the formula has become dated as a whole. How else can developers depict shooting someone? I don’t think there are a lot of new ways, to be honest, without attaching other genres onto it, which doesn’t necessarily assist the evolution of the FPS at all.

As much as I talk about the gameplay, what really immerses me in a game is the story. This is where most modern shooters are severely lacking. Now, mind you, there are a lot of FPS titles that have outstanding stories with impressive themes. BioShock is a social commentary on the human condition amidst the background of an Ayn Randian dystopia. Far Cry 3 challenges the player to understand the depths of one’s inner demons and how far redemption can truly lie. Fallout 3 provides a world that might come to life should a nuclear apocalypse threaten the existence of everything we know and love. Many other titles are included among these, but I won’t list them all.

The rest of the pile, however, doesn’t even bother with a good narrative. Battlefield tries to capture the brutality of war but suffers from stiff voice acting and clichéd plots and dialogue. The Call of Duty series, while impressive in relaying that war is a necessary evil, suffers from uneven pacing and a few WTF moments that make no sense in relation to the gameplay. Halo is a sci-fi shooter that shows very good technological and philosophical depth but lacks in the human department when it comes to the human characters, of all things (Cortana is the most human of any character, and she’s an A.I.). Killzone barely has a story to begin with, only telling you that the Helghast are evil Nazi ripoffs that must be killed. As impressive as the action and visuals are, the stories of most FPS games seem to always fall flat in some area or another.

So then, why do I constantly find myself playing these games in spite of their now-dated gameplay and limited amount of truly epic stories? Well, not only are headshots immensely satisfying, but there’s just a certain sense of gratification in wiping out a mass of 50 well-trained soldiers and aliens all on your own. Taking a shotgun and clearing a room is brutal but awesome. Sniping an annoying rocket launcher just makes you clench your fist in a victory pose. The satisfaction from killing these usually competent enemies just keeps me going. Add in multiplayer, where taking down a skilled player amplifies that feeling, and you understand why I as well as other doubters continue to play these games.

This is the problem — as we know what we like and continue to buy games within the comfort zone of the FPS while avoiding those that attempt to change the formula. If you’re used to the way Call of Duty plays, you’ll avoid anything that plays like Halo or BioShock or whatever else feels different. The thing is, they all pretty much play the same at their core. Sure, the buttons are different, the pacing is changed, and the gun weight is varied, but each game is still powered by the same gameplay philosophy, with a few exceptions here and there. Once this problem is addressed, only then can the shooter truly evolve into something better than itself.

Until then, you’ll just have to settle for bland stories and gameplay you swear you’ve played before.(source:venturebeat)

 


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