Jan 20, 2013

Bioshock Basis for Role-Playing First Person Shooter Games

I've never been a fan of the role playing first person shooter genre but I'm not saying I don't like them.

My first encounter with role playing first person shooters was during my stint in Cebu (2010) and my roommate was playing Bioshock 2. I blindly hated the game at first because of the genre it belonged to so I did not mind him while he played. A few weeks passed, my roommate reached the area where the Spider Splicers were introduced and it caught my eye. I'm not really sure what made me pay more attention to it but I'm gonna 'blame' my roommate who endlessly praised everything about the game and sharing the experience with me. One thing is for sure though, after he finished the game, I made the Bioshock basis for Role-Playing First Person Shooter Games.  

If you're not familiar with this kind of games, Role playing first person shooters (or RPG shooters for short) are FPS games (like Call of Duty or Battlefield) mixed with RPG elements like leveling up and customizing stats and armor. Some examples of this games are the aforementioned Bioshock 2 and Borderlands.

The thing that irks me with RPG shooters is that I don't like my RPG elements mixing with my FPS(eses?). First Person Shooters, as the name implies, are designed to be played with quick reactions and the pace can be so frantic at times and crucial moments (like shooting someone) require strict hand-eye coordination and I can't be bothered by micromanagement. Yes I know that they aren't done at the same time but knowing that it's there, it's part of the endeavor. I feel they are two different experiences that should not go together because at it's core, FPS players are there for the shooting and RPG players enjoy the leveling up and character development.  Of course, a lot of people enjoy this style of gameplay and I respect them for their dedication and love but I personally cannot go through RPG shooters...Unless, well, here is where I apply the Bioshock Basis:

One: The micromanagement is kept to a minimum - I cannot stress how important this is for me. I cannot deal with the fact of dealing with my items within the first person point of view. Call me crazy but it just doesn't work with me. I will admit that there is micromanagement within Bioshock but that's my limit. Whenever I watch people play Skyrim or Borderlands 2, it drives me nuts when they can't decide which crystal to keep or which pot to brew in...uhhhhh. If I wanted micromanagement, I'd play Diablo 2...or FF10.
      
Two: Storyline - This is the second thing I look at for RPG shooters. I commend Bethesda for creating the wonderful world of Rapture and that was the greatest come-on for me to the Bioshock universe. The amazing characters, the moral choices of either to help or harvest the little sisters and the plot twists. Bioshock's storyline wants you to play the game more to find out how all those pan out which leads me to...
 
Three: The RPG portion doesn't dominate the FPS portion - Once again, I play FPSeses to shoot the bejeezus out of someone. I cannot be distracted by stats like how low my attack percentage is, the opponent's evade rate should be countered with this item or how I should use this spell with that spell for this spell for..SHHHIIIIT! I am so impressed how the Bioshock system does this. Upgrading seems a bit daunting at first but that's expected in any game and once you get the hang of it, it doesn't get anymore complicated because it stays the same. You get to focus on the shooting more. And this for me makes you immerse in the role more.

Four: Unique and Fun Experience - Duh.

So that's my Bioshock Basis for RPG Shooters. I have to go now. I read that Dishonored is good...

Peace y'all
-Chady

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