Innovation and the First Person Shooter

[ReepNeep]

Like Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft Montreal took a chance. They veered away from the legions of Halo clones and created a game that was so FREAKING UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!! And now there's going to be legions of Assassin's Creed free roaming "flower box" third person action games like Saboteur, inFamous, and Hulk. When someone does something different and takes a chance, developers will start making clones of said game. Every once in a while, a developer takes a chance and does something different or adds some innovative features a game, but if it works, everyone else starts copying them. Halo was an amazing game when it came out, but now practically every game that comes out is a Halo clone with a regenerating health bar and the same kind of level structure. Innovation is rare and short lived. That's how it works. Company A makes a game. Game sells and people like it. Companies B-Y copy idea and start making clones of Company A's idea. A few years later, Company Z takes a chance and does something different. People like it, game sells. Process repeats.

GTA with swords is innovative?

Ok, ok. Assassin's Creed deserves some credit for ripping off both GTA and Thief and mating it with a truly nonsensical sci-fi plot. That has certainly never been done before.

 

[stevesan]

Yes, there are further possible innovations. Yes, innovative games are always rare these days, given the rising development costs.

 

[Quistnix]

2long2read

As for FPS's - Half-Life,Halo,Goldeneye,Half-Life 2.
The only four that shaped the genre.The rest are just rip-offs.

Halo? Marathon!

 

[darthsmily]

Saying Portal is an FPS is like saying Oblivion or Arx fatalis are FPS'.

Actually Oblivion could be considered an FPS, mainly because of the bow though.
I don't know about Arx Fatalis, never played it.

 

[stompy]

Think about it. FPSs are the staple of the consoles; the platformers of Mario's time. Due to one runaway success (Halo), the complete genre has been swamped with clones. So, wait 'till the genre collapses under its own shitty-ness, or lousy game developers find a new staple, and it'll be a lot easier to see innovation in FPS.

Or, look harder. I'm sure there is innovation in the genre right now. Maybe people aren't looking in the right places (are there any innovative indie FPSs?).

 

[darthsmily]

.kkrieger would have to be an innovative indie FPS because of the procedural technology used in it and it's only 97kb!

 

[Guybrush Threepwood]

Hmm you walk through portals in Prey to get to different rooms, sounds alike to me. I frankly disagree with the very idea that Portal is innovative at all since I have actually played Prey. Prey even played with perspective making enemies appear giant until they came through tthe portals to actually kill you. Interestingly enough Portal is not an FPS in the first place, so that wouldn't even answer the OP's question. Saying Portal is an FPS is like saying Oblivion or Arx fatalis are FPS'.

Psuedonym:I'd say Condemned is perhaps closer to Resident Evil style survival horror than an FPS from what little I have played of it.

I think it's a bit much to say that portal is not innovative 'at all'. I've played Prey too, and it's use of portals was awesome, an integral part of the gameplay and exceptionally well done, so obviously Portal did work on this idea. But Portal gives you complete control of these portals, and allows for very revolutionary physics endeavours that Prey didn't aim to produce.
It would be a lie to say that Portal is entirely new and different, but to say that it is not innovative at all is equally untrue.
And one quick question, if Portal isn't an FPS (being that it's first person, and you do shoot...albeit not bullets) what genre is it?

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Portal isn't really a shooter, it's a puzzle game from the first person perspective, and Oblivion is an RPG from the first person perspective, though with the level balance you can't really tell as much because leveling up matters very little.

 

[irrelevantnugget]

Halo is a clone of Wolfenstein 3D tbh. Every FPS is a clone of Wolfenstein 3D. Though I should actually say Catacombs 3D. Lawdy.

Anyhoo. It's a genre. Racing games haven't really changed a lot either. Heck, TrackMania is basically a remake of Stunts in my eyes.
The FPS genre has had a few flings with RPG elements, even RTS (Savage) and there's usually a few puzzles tossed in the FPS'es nowadays, but the genre is what it is.

If the OP has grown tired of FPS'es being the same gameplay all the time, try another genre. It's like you're trying to insult a woman because she has no penis. But that's what she is, a woman. Try a man, then, if you want some variation (ok, bad analogy, but I hope you get the point, hrm...)

 

[Lightbulb]

As for FPS's - Half-Life,Halo,Goldeneye,Half-Life 2.
The only four that shaped the genre.The rest are just rip-offs.

Umm?

Doom? The original
Quake 2? Major modding started
Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament? FPS doesn't need a story just shooting
Counter Strike? Team based online FPS
Planetside - MMO FPS

The MMO FPS could still be great it just needs to be done right.

---

Second point: AC got based because it was repetitive and too easy. From what i can tell its a fantastic engine and control engine which lets you play a not so hot game. Lets hope someone decent licenses the tech.

 

[JakubK666]

Halo is a clone of Wolfenstein 3D tbh. Every FPS is a clone of Wolfenstein 3D. Lawdy.

Wrong,because Wolfenstein was a clone of Catacomb 3D!

 

[irrelevantnugget]

As for FPS's - Half-Life,Halo,Goldeneye,Half-Life 2.
The only four that shaped the genre.The rest are just rip-offs.

Yeah... I think I'll ignore what you said. Quake and UT definitely didn't mean anything, sure.

Umm?

Doom? The original
Quake 2? Major modding started
Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament? FPS doesn't need a story just shooting
Counter Strike? Team based online FPS
Planetside - MMO FPS

Almost agreed with you there. But then I saw Counter Strike. That game is nothing revolutionary. RTCW is the oldest game I can come up with right now that had classes and real objectives, and more or less forced you to work as a team. CS is basically a bunch of kids buying weapons running around, just like any other FPS, actually. Just with a touch of realism to the guns added to it.

Also, Battlefield 1942.

And about your Quake + UT comment. These games were much more about shooting. It was about competition, more specifically online competition.

And of course, Wolfenstein 3D precedes Doom. Better mention that as the first true FPS (except for Catacombs 3D and that Mini maze thing or something?)

Btw, you should keep your eyes on Huxley. If you're willing to pay for a MMO (which I never will), that is.

EDIT:

Halo is a clone of Wolfenstein 3D tbh. Every FPS is a clone of Wolfenstein 3D. Lawdy.

Wrong,because Wolfenstein was a clone of Catacomb 3D!

Fixed the post before someone would say that -.-

 

[Xylem888]

Game makers need to stop making every game like halo and gears of war i mean they are badass games but you only really need a couple to experience them all. A little somethin new would be nice.

Condemnded is on the right track i think that game was actully really good plus it scared the **** out of me XD