 |
| Call of Duty (2003) |
Something
has stunted the growth of first-person shooters. In the era of the
Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, FPS games released this generation have made baby
steps to distance themselves from their predecessors. They still wet
the bed.
The
Call of Duty
and
Halo
franchises need to be thanked for the last three core gameplay
enhancements in the FPS genre. They were:
- Regenerating health
- Aiming down the sight (iron sights)
- Dedicated buttons for grenades, melee
attacks, and shooting
These have become staples.
The problem is these mechanics were introduced
last
generation.
Gameplay-wise, nothing new has been implemented during the days of the PS3 and
Xbox 360. With this generation in its twilight years, the FPS genre
needs a new horse to step up and introduce an
original
core gameplay mechanic. FPS veterans know even "new" innovations like perks and killstreak rewards were originally found in
Counter-Strike server mods.
 |
| Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) |
Gaining
experience and unlockables are just measures to ensure players come back
for more, which is what good gameplay should do. This generation
has only made FPS games more addicting by borrowing elements from
MMOs, and previous shooters like DICE's Battlefield
series
which made its debut in 2002, ten
years ago. Addiction drives sales (ask a crack dealer), but it used
to be addicting gameplay that kept bringing players back. The future FPS
needs to be laced with original gameplay, not just unlockables and
experience points.
