A lot of discussions on games- especially long running series- can get quite heated and absolutist. It's not uncommon, for example, for defenders of a game to claim that detractors reflexively dislike the game simply because it's become popular and their own "above it all" self-image demands a reflexive contempt, while the detractors might similarly claim that the "fanboys" have grown completely blind to a series's downturn and are all too happy to shell out $60 for anything with that series's name on it.
But most modern games- good, bad, and indifferent- have at least one really good thing going for them, and at least one really poor choice that was made in their development. Thus, this topic, for those who are willing: mention a game you've played, and one thing that really worked for you about it, and one that really didn't.
The game that brought this idea to mind for me was Borderlands 2.
The Good: Shortly before your final confrontation with the Big Bad, virtually every major character in the game's "home town" of sanctuary freely gives you one really good item to help you in your fight. It seems like a minor thing, but it was huge. For years, I've played various role-playing games, and rolled my eyes at the notion that business continues as usual even when everyone is aware that your character is all that stands between them and the literal end-of-the-world. While the "NPCs" in Borderlands 2 are a very mixed bag, some with extremely questionable moral compasses, they all fall in line behind you when it gets down to the wire- and that made me want to fight for them all the more.
The Bad: I honestly wonder if the maps in Borderlands 2 are partially the result of several members of the team being veterans of working with the old "Build" engine, wherein a limited ability to put areas above other areas was still a cool new thing. Some of the maps in Borderlands 2 are truly atrocious, and more to the point, the mapping system you're given to engage them is abysmal. In several places, the player literally will not know if entering a dark area on their map will cause it to suddenly fill in or lead to their instant death as they discover they've wandered off the map all together. Goal markers are frequently placed near such danger zones. A line on the map may or may not indicate a wall or change in elevation that prevents a the player's character from passing through it; likewise a seemingly open gap between lines. The quickest way between two points is almost never a straight line, and indeed, the player may be right on top of a goal marker only to discover too late that the goal it points to is actually inside a building that can only be entered from the other side of the map or in a tunnel hundreds of meters beneath their feet. It's one thing to challenge a player to explore; it's another to waste a player's time, especially when that exploration can sometimes lead to a cheap death.
But most modern games- good, bad, and indifferent- have at least one really good thing going for them, and at least one really poor choice that was made in their development. Thus, this topic, for those who are willing: mention a game you've played, and one thing that really worked for you about it, and one that really didn't.
The game that brought this idea to mind for me was Borderlands 2.
The Good: Shortly before your final confrontation with the Big Bad, virtually every major character in the game's "home town" of sanctuary freely gives you one really good item to help you in your fight. It seems like a minor thing, but it was huge. For years, I've played various role-playing games, and rolled my eyes at the notion that business continues as usual even when everyone is aware that your character is all that stands between them and the literal end-of-the-world. While the "NPCs" in Borderlands 2 are a very mixed bag, some with extremely questionable moral compasses, they all fall in line behind you when it gets down to the wire- and that made me want to fight for them all the more.
The Bad: I honestly wonder if the maps in Borderlands 2 are partially the result of several members of the team being veterans of working with the old "Build" engine, wherein a limited ability to put areas above other areas was still a cool new thing. Some of the maps in Borderlands 2 are truly atrocious, and more to the point, the mapping system you're given to engage them is abysmal. In several places, the player literally will not know if entering a dark area on their map will cause it to suddenly fill in or lead to their instant death as they discover they've wandered off the map all together. Goal markers are frequently placed near such danger zones. A line on the map may or may not indicate a wall or change in elevation that prevents a the player's character from passing through it; likewise a seemingly open gap between lines. The quickest way between two points is almost never a straight line, and indeed, the player may be right on top of a goal marker only to discover too late that the goal it points to is actually inside a building that can only be entered from the other side of the map or in a tunnel hundreds of meters beneath their feet. It's one thing to challenge a player to explore; it's another to waste a player's time, especially when that exploration can sometimes lead to a cheap death.