Puzzle gameplay in first person shooters. Do they mix?

[Vrex360]

I've always been a fan of both Halo and Portal, however I also definetly like them seperate. One an action game the other a puzzle game. However I have very conflicted opinions on puzzle gameplay in an action based game. On one hand it is nice to have a game that can make you into a badass but also make you feel very smart. However on the other hand sometimes when you pick up an FPS you just want to have some mindless violence and bring havok to your foes, and puzzles that you have to do in order to advance can interupt that a fair bit.
If I pick up a puzzle game, like Portal, I expect to solve puzzles. But if I pick up an FPS like Halo I expect to shoot things.
Where do you stand on the idea of puzzle sequences in action games?

 

[Cowabungaa]

All depends on the developer (or in other words, the execution of the mix) and what the game tries to be. It worked in Portal, it worked in Metroid Prime.

 

[Eagle Est1986]

Half Life 2 combined them to a certain degree, seemed to work out alright. As long as it advertised as being a thinking man's shooter, I see no problem with doing it.

 

[oliveira8]

Hmmm considering that the Half Life series is regarded as one of the best FPS series ever..yeah they can work.

 

[Sion_Barzahd]

As it has been said already, the half life series pulled it off brilliantly. Though i see what you mean, i wouldn't want to be solving weight puzzles on COD... Although a bomb defusing puzzle would be an idea...

I understand the need to not want to think about shooters and just go blitzing in, but i think puzzles work well in FPS games.

 

[Nivag the Owl]

Yeah, I think its awesome most of the time. I feel the same as 'Assasinator'. Portal does it very well and Metroid is a PRIME example (pun intended, thank me later) of a successful FPS/puzzle game. I woudln't like it in multiplayer games though.

 

[Casual Matt]

I think I hate it when I have to do anything in an FPS besides kill everything and get to the end of the level/

Granted I haven't played Portal, but I couldn't get too far in Metroid Prime because there were platforming parts in it which I ultimately decided was bullshit for a first person view. Not being able to see your lower body makes pretty much every jump a leap of faith.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by Mario type platformers where you could see your entire body, look around if needed, and judge your jumps accordingly.

And it's not just platforming that bugs me in FPSs. Any FPS where I have to search up and down a boring level for a stupid key while every room and hallway looks the same will instantly earn my hatred. Of course, I'm really just thinking of my bad experience with Wolfenstein 3D, a game that would have been better if either I didn't have to find keys or the levels were actually fun or interesting to navigate as opposed to the same blue corridors level after fucking level.

So I guess FPSs just aren't for me. Then again I did play Halo and I thought the controls were good, and despite the fact that some levels were boring and monotonous, all I had to do for the most part was kill everything and get to the end so backtracking was minimal. But that game had no bosses so when I finished it I had an empty "that's it?" feeling from it. Perhaps that's why so many people bought the sequel. Not to mention the weapon selection was shit. The only thing that stood out in my mind as both interesting and useful were sticky grenades. The Needler was an interesting concept, sure, but far less useful than the assault rifle you get at the start of almost every mission.

Although I do have to admit that I liked Duke Nukem 3D. There was some key card hunting in that game but the levels was interesting enough to warrant a little bit of exploring. Plus the weapon selection was good. So I guess that's the only FPS I've ever really liked. But that's probably because I'm mostly a console gamer.

I'm sure I'd be more into the whole FPS thing if I had a PC gaming rig. The bit of Duke Nuken 3D that I've played was on my brother's computer. I did try playing the N64 port but I had to put the controller down after about 30 seconds of gameplay because the controls were fucking terrible.

 

[RanD00M]

Metroid is a PRIME example (pun intended, thank me later).

I will not thank you for that horrible pun.

And like it has been sayed before.Half life is a superb example.

 

[Trivun]

I quite like the idea if it's done well. It depends on the game really. For example, Halo (the classic example, I know) is the sort of game where I don't want to see any sort of puzzle. It would be annoying to have to take a break from pistol whipping a load of Unggoy to go into a hot wiring mini puzzle to hijack a Wraith, or a lock pick puzzle to get past all the doors and into the enemy base... However, Alone in the Dark incorporated puzzle elements a lot, along with a mix of 3rd and 1st person shooting (a lot of the game invloved using the puzzle element to create weaponry that you would then use to shoot the zombie monster things that were attacking), and it managed to pull it off quite well, I thought.

 

[KeithA45]

I've always been a fan of both Halo and Portal, however I also definetly like them seperate. One an action game the other a puzzle game. However I have very conflicted opinions on puzzle gameplay in an action based game. On one hand it is nice to have a game that can make you into a badass but also make you feel very smart. However on the other hand sometimes when you pick up an FPS you just want to have some mindless violence and bring havok to your foes, and puzzles that you have to do in order to advance can interupt that a fair bit.
If I pick up a puzzle game, like Portal, I expect to solve puzzles. But if I pick up an FPS like Halo I expect to shoot things.
Where do you stand on the idea of puzzle sequences in action games?

Mixing those is a TERRIBLE idea. Oblivion tried to make me solve a puzzle once and I was genuinely offended. I just put on the Boots of Springheel Jack and skipped over the entire puzzle.

The exception I think is when the puzzle genuinely adds to the FPS. The example I found once was in TimeShift where you could shoot a platform off a high ledge then climb on in and reverse time to get the platform back up on the ledge, effectively getting you there too. It's kind-of puzzle and from the high ledge I had a much better angle and continued my mindless FPS violence

 

[Jandau]

Depends on the game and your definition of "puzzle".

Pureblooded shootfests don't need any puzzles. In fact, puzzle sections can badly break the flow of the game.

On the other hand, if a game integrates the puzzle mechanics properly and makes it a part of the normal gameplay, then it's like puzzle elements in any other games.

As for your definition of Puzzle, I'd consider Thief games and Deus Ex as having puzzle elements integral to them, but I'm sure many people would beg to differ.

 

[Zersy]

I've always been a fan of both Halo and Portal, however I also definetly like them seperate. One an action game the other a puzzle game. However I have very conflicted opinions on puzzle gameplay in an action based game. On one hand it is nice to have a game that can make you into a badass but also make you feel very smart. However on the other hand sometimes when you pick up an FPS you just want to have some mindless violence and bring havok to your foes, and puzzles that you have to do in order to advance can interupt that a fair bit.
If I pick up a puzzle game, like Portal, I expect to solve puzzles. But if I pick up an FPS like Halo I expect to shoot things.
Where do you stand on the idea of puzzle sequences in action games?

they must be quick and only take a IQ of 70 to solve

but they should also go with the theme of the game

those are the only 2 rules

 

[Valiance]

Metroid Prime was a very odd FPS in my book; it was more like First-person Zelda in Space.

(Doesn't make it bad, it's easily in my top 5 GC games, and I really liked it. Just it involved a lot more than the average FPS...)

Anyway, even Duke 3D had some puzzles but they were simple and quick for the mandatory ones...

 

[dannipulsa]

OP does not know Half life

 

[Xan Krieger]

here's an idea. Shoot portal out of portal gun mounted under the barrel of your rifle to a point behind an enemy sniper. Shoot second portal at a wall near you. Now with a clear line of sight through the portal shoot the sniper.

 

[Vrex360]

here's an idea. Shoot portal out of portal gun mounted under the barrel of your rifle to a point behind an enemy sniper. Shoot second portal at a wall near you. Now with a clear line of sight through the portal shoot the sniper.

That could be cool maybe, I'm a big fan of Portal and gameplay like that would certainly change the way you look at enemy encounters.

 

[ExileNZ]

Glad to see I'm not the only one thinking of this: the portal gun in another FPS. Think how that would've changed Half-life or HL2. Imagine all the achievements you could earn in a game like that. Think of the bonuses and hidden areas you could find.

They're not essential to the plot and don't have to break the flow, but for people like me who love exploring it'd be awesome (when I say "love exploring" I mean "I found all ten posters in Iji on my first run through", though I didn't have enough health for the 9th one).

 

[fix-the-spade]

Metroid is a PRIME example

For your crimes thou shalt be destroyed!

But, Metroid Prime is a pretty good example.

Plus the Half Lifes

System shock(s) are old but excellent examples.

Also Timesplitters 2 had some great puzzles (on the higher difficulties). I hated the way TS3 just told you what to do all the time.

It's a shame players expect to have their direction, solution and objectives spoon fed to them in FPS's now. It's not good design, it's just lazy players.