Serious S*** Goin' Down

[Zero_ctrl]

...and the soon to be released WoW Cataclysim follow this same shit covered starting road.

Lul whut?
WoW has been out for six years, almost seven.

Also, "shit going down" is an easy (and is usually well done) way to snare your attention to the story.
Have you ever read a book (or watched a movie) where nothing happens, ever?
Pretty boring, unless the acting is really well done.
And even then there's probably a conflict of sorts.

So I don't see what your complaint is really about.

 

[FlyAwayAutumn]

What exactly is your idea of a game starting out with some serious shit?

Most of those games start out relatively slow before dropping you in the action.

Halo 1, for example, starts out with you waking up from cryosleep...

Getting up...

Following a guy around getting you familiar with the HUD...

I'm just curious is your definition of "Starting out with some serious shit" just mean the first mission being action packed?

.................

Really?
Halo 1 startes out with you JUST escaping the soon to be destroyed planed of Reach (where some REALLY SERIOUS SHIT wnet down) and you are woken up as the Covenant is about to attack your ship.

I guess my definition of "Starting out with some serious shit" includes said shit happening within the first level or before all the playable characters have been introduced (see the Ranger mission of MoH).

Well before the covenant attack your ship you're basically taken through a short tutorial, and besides I don't see how other way to start a game off. Would you rather they had a tea party?

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Hmm, I can see your point, but in Primary School an author told us that the most gripping stories start out with Action, Development, Action.

And I find that more gripping games follow this structure as it allows the player to be hooked and the characters to be developed during the intermeaning time.

 

[blackdwarf]

stuff like the airport scene in MW2 are out in the game for 2 reasons, one: it is a pretty cool gameplay element and it supports the story. two: it creates a shock effect. so the old guys and parents are complaining about the content and eventualy it comes on the news. now the game becomes famous and now many gamers want it, to play the scene. shocking game content sells.