What the Hell, Gearbox?

[Calico93]

I agree with you. But one of my favourite games is Borderlands, and that (IMO) was far from generic.. I think it was a gearbox product, anyway...
I hated the demo for DNF for all the reasons you said and I agree with you, I think gearbox have it in them but they just havent shown it in DNF.

 

[Omnific One]

Hybrid health systems are the best; health packs make a game too much about searching and regenerating health makes it far too easy.

I don't understand the two weapon deal. In reality, a person could easily carry two main weapons and a sidearm (or two).

 

[Internet Kraken]

To all of you saying "the game has just changed with the times", you know what? Fine, let's pretend that the game for some reason did need to confirm to modern standards. The problem then is not that there is no health bar or full weapons. Rather, the problem is that it is painfully mediocre. There is nothing unique about this game when you judge it from the demo. Standard gunplay across the board. Not bad, but not that great either. And maybe that's the biggest problem with this game. Even if Gearbox wasn't developing this game for 12 years that didn't stop people from building up expectations, and after that long getting a painfully mediocre shooter is just sad.

 

[Blatherscythe]

Why is it every fps developer these days feels the need to incorporate self-regenerating health and the 2 weapon arsenal. Why won't these mechanics die? What the hell was wrong with health packs? Why do they feel to the need to force me to carry only 2 weapons at a time? What's the point of this mechanic, and don't tell me realism.

I assumed Duke Nukem Forever would pay homage to the forgotten, arcadey, over-the-top first person shooters of the past. I was looking forward to climbing up a ladder backwards, holding an rpg, kicking with both legs at the same time. I was looking forward to experimenting with cool weapons on my own terms. But no, it's just another generic, brown, halo clone with a shrink ray. Thanks gearbox.

If you're that itching for a gaming orgasm, replay Half-Life 2. It has way too many weapons and health packs.
They're doing it because these things evolved FPS play, and going back is insane, unless you're Valve.

So wait, your suggesting that only Valve can do what every developer was doing in the 90's? It can't be that difficult, in fact it should be easier and the arsenel could make battle's more intense.

OT: I can deal with regenerating health, that just means we can have more diffcult and challanging battles, but removing the staples of Duke Nukem? HERESY! I mean what absolute bullshit, you make it seem, and advertise no less, that your game is a unique game, taking things away from realism and paying homage to the classics and then you pull this shit. Fuck you Gearbox, fuck you, we don't want another generic shooter clone we want Duke fucking Nukem. What a load of crap they pulled. After 12 god damn years we have the misfortune of seeing Gearbox screw over what the originals stood for. Honestly it's like the game is cursed. Maybe it should have stayed in development for all eternity.

Or I could be wrong, maybe it's a joke or something, I hope so, this is just too much of a dickmove on Gearbox's part.

If the people saying it's 3D Realms' fault are right, replace Gearbox with 3D Realms.

 

[ReaperzXIII]

I played Duke Nukem 3D when I was younger I doubt that using regenerating health and 2 weapon system is that bad, I think people just want a reason to rage or hate on a game just because it changes their nostalgia. The carrying every weapon possible and health pack mechanic don't really add that much because mostly people just use the one that blows up the most bad guys and ignore most of the others anyway and its annoying to have to back track miles because there are no health packs in the immediate area.

 

[Continuity]

I'm assuming that means 3Drealms made the choice to give him two weapons.

Big assumption, and probably wrong assumption... its not 3drealms style. Gearbox took on the project primarily to port it to the consoles, before gearbox got their hands on it it was PC exclusive, so logically the concessions to the console platform must of been introduced by gearbox.

I played Duke Nukem 3D when I was younger I doubt that using regenerating health and 2 weapon system is that bad, I think people just want a reason to rage or hate on a game just because it changes their nostalgia. The carrying every weapon possible and health pack mechanic don't really add that much because mostly people just use the one that blows up the most bad guys and ignore most of the others anyway and its annoying to have to back track miles because there are no health packs in the immediate area.

But when you factor in the 90% of the reason for the game's existence at all is nostalgia then perhaps you can begin to see the problem?

 

[DaMan1500]

LOL at the people who are crying over the game not being the 90s FPS (incredibly overrated slice of gaming btw) they dreamed of.

Quick question: What made you think that DNF would be a throwback to 90s FPSs? Who told you? Who promised you this?

Okay, yeah, Gearbox never said (to my knowledge) that Duke Nukem Forever was going to be like the other Duke Nukems, but was it really that unreasonable to expect that? It would be like if, I don't know, a new Mario game was announced where Mario would run around parkour-style and be able to reverse time. There's nothing inherently wrong with a game like that, it's basically the same genre, and some people might like that game more than a standard Mario game, but Mario games have been known for a certain kind of gameplay as long as Mario games have been around, so radically changing the gameplay would be like releasing a totally different game with a coat of Mario paint thrown on, and the same principles apply here.

 

[EHKOS]

The only reason regenerating health is a remotely good idea (I am not condoning it) is when you save fuck yourself.

 

[Tonimata]

The "two weapon arsenal" idea is merely meant to limit player's options when conronting a certaing situation, thus forcing them to adapt to said situation and overcome it using brains rather than overwhelming firepower or having every single weapon at all times, thus not posing a challenge at all.

 

[Pyro Paul]

Why is it every fps developer these days feels the need to incorporate self-regenerating health and the 2 weapon arsenal. Why won't these mechanics die? What the hell was wrong with health packs? Why do they feel to the need to force me to carry only 2 weapons at a time? What's the point of this mechanic, and don't tell me realism.

To put focus on action and killing instead of exploration and searching every nook and cranny for health, ammo, or weapons. This is how the 'Run and Gun' shooter has evolved.

the Regenerating health is intended to involve players more in combat. Before this, if you lacked health you avoided combat. when you had 5 health your tactics changed as you tried to engage a foe in a diffrent manner in order to preserve your health or ammo. scoure a level for that one extra health kit or extra magazine.

In fights that where intended to be straight forward slugfests, players would scoot around the edges of the conflict trying to stay alive as long as possible or widdle away the bosses health with a pea shooter. And this is not how they intended the game to be fought.

However, at the same time this is exactly what made these game memorable.
Killing that one huge boss with only 3% of your health left...

Killing Pouring shooting everything you've got and having to finish off that cyberdemon with your pistol...

... so epic.

I assumed Duke Nukem Forever would pay homage to the forgotten, arcadey, over-the-top first person shooters of the past. I was looking forward to climbing up a ladder backwards, holding an rpg, kicking with both legs at the same time. I was looking forward to experimenting with cool weapons on my own terms. But no, it's just another generic, brown, halo clone with a shrink ray. Thanks gearbox.

Unfortunatly, this is what happened with 3DRealms piss poor development.

Lead designer of 3DRealms, Broussard, would see something successful in other games and DEMAND that it be implemented in Duke Nuke'em. This is what Lead to a decade plus development cycle for the game, as he would force Engine and mechanic changes to the core game which would force it to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Gearbox was given a Near complete game when they aquired the rights to Duke Nuke'em...
most of the choices and mechanics seen in game is not their own...

 

[Steve the Pocket]

The "two weapon arsenal" idea is merely meant to limit player's options when conronting a certaing situation, thus forcing them to adapt to said situation and overcome it using brains rather than overwhelming firepower or having every single weapon at all times, thus not posing a challenge at all.

Mm-hmm. Go play a game that has more than two weapons on hard mode and then come back and tell me it was too easy compared to whatever two-weapon game you love.

 

[Ddgafd]

The "two weapon arsenal" idea is merely meant to limit player's options when conronting a certaing situation, thus forcing them to adapt to said situation and overcome it using brains rather than overwhelming firepower or having every single weapon at all times, thus not posing a challenge at all.

Yes, because Duke Nukem is all about using your brain and being tactical.

I'm not saying that you're wrong, I'm saying that this sort of system doesn't fit a Duke Nukem game.

It isn't difficult to make it so that you can carry more than two weapons at a time, just look at Ratchet & Clank for example.

 

[Snotnarok]

The point of the mechanic is to give you choice making. Call it bad reasoning if you want, but that's the official "reason".

But its ok, its a shooter with a two weapon system. Everyone shout halo clone like its a bad thing, I know how hard people hate on halo nowadays for some insane reason.

I wouldn't say it's so much that it's a game using the halo mechanic...it's that EVERY game is doing it and it'd be nice to see a little variety in these games.

I want the next halo to come out and slap everyone with no regening health and very slow regening shields. Maybe that'll turn the market around for some more varied health systems.

 

[AshuraSpeaks]

Unless they're pulling a switcheroo the likes of which hasn't been seen since the Raiden/Snake thing, of course. Right after the demo segment Duke says 'bugger that' and suddenly starts lugging around a small armoury. Because that's totally going to happen.

I could actually see that happening, if only on the grounds that it would be exactly the sort of humor that this series would go for.

So could I, actually. Just because it's Duke it's merely unlikely instead of impossible. They'd have had to get their PR and advertising divisions pretty damn drunk to get an idea like this past them, but stranger things have happened, I suppose. Still, the safe money's on the game just not being that great.

Duke Nukem 3D wasn't that great either. I personally wasn't expecting the second coming of Christ at any point. What I was expecting, and what I continue to expect, is some funny shit, and this game has already proven to me through its trailers that it is indeed very funny, so I should be satisfied.

This. It's a game that's been on hiatus for years. The gameplay isn't going to be an homage, or stellar. It's going to be dumb fun with dirty jokes, and the demo I played was just that.

 

[artanis_neravar]

Snip

The original Rainbow 6 games did a good job with realism - head shot, or body shot were instant kills (or at least damaged you enough that that operative couldn't complete the mission) getting shot in the leg caused you to slow down, you choose which weapons to use before hand and you tell your squad mates where to go before the mission begins.

Yeah, that's another good example. Loved the hell outta those games too.

Gonna be interesting how they plan to "take it back to its roots" after this whole Vegas travesty.

They are? Awesome, I hated Vegas partly because it wasn't Rainbow 6 and partly because it's what made Rainbow 6 popular (atleast around me) and it was such an awful example of the series for people to start of playing

 

[Projo]

I don't know under which rock you have been living but Halo is no longer "the FPS" of the time. Its call of duty. That is exactly the problem. DNF is the living example why games like call of duty shouldn't exist.

I don't know what rock you have been living under but the comparisons to Halo are made in the OP, and Halo's mechanics are fairly similar to Call of Duty's, and from what I understand, DNF still leans closer to Halo (pre-Reach, of course).