Why are video games playing themselves?
Is the future of gaming too automated?
What the hell is happening to my damn vidya games? Back in my day, you could choose which direction you could wall-run/jump in, tell your entire RPG party what specific attacks to do, and shoot people when you wanted to. Now? All these damn games are letting you do is manage your party’s health and look at people. Where’s my interactivity? Why can’t I, the player, play anymore? It’s like the developers are our big brothers, sitting next to us, watching us suck at games, and then deciding to yank the controller away from us. Developers are collectively saying to us, “Look, idiot, this is how it’s done.”
The most obvious reason for my concerns is Final Fantasy XIII. This game is more about showing the player pretty action closer to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children than actually allowing them to strategize. Granted, there is a level of strategy that pops its head after the first three hours or so, and I will admit I did slowly warm up to it and started having some fun again. Still, it just gets frustrating at times that I can’t control my damn party and figure out how I want to deal with a situation.
The battle system is basically the same ATB system from games like Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Trigger, so why not just let me freaking control everyone? These games are supposed to be about strategy and figuring out the best way to take down opponents with specific attacks, but XIII’s strategy is more about how to manage the party’s aggressiveness.
Though I suppose it’s at least better than what Persona 3 did. That game didn’t let you control the other characters at all. All you could do was have them do an all-out attack with you. That was it. Then they would do the most retarded things. Like heal you and waste a crucial moment in battle rather than deliver the final blow to a foe about to wipe out the entire team.
Then my worries continued into the Splinter Cell: Conviction demo. This game seems pretty damn cool. It’s pretty much Taken: The Video Game, so there’s tons to love about it. Then I learn about the marking system. You can mark up to three enemies, then simply press a button to kill them all. Yeah, it does look cool when Sam pops up and spins around shooting guys before they can strike back, but I just feel a little disappointed that the game doesn’t seem to think I’m capable of doing this on my own.
Once again, there is a strategy to the concept. Like sneaking around to mark without getting caught, then getting into a good position to take everyone down, but why the hell couldn’t they at least give me a brief bullet time function and let me aim and shoot these guys down, and if I screw up, then I pay the price. Oh, it’s because Sam Fisher is a hardened soldier that wouldn’t screw those shots up. Well then why not just make a damn movie and take away all the control from me if I can’t freaking take out guys myself.
Don’t think that this is the beginning of this automated crap, though, because it definitely isn’t. This shit goes back to Prince of Persia in 2008. That game does everything for you. It’s basically a series of button taps while you watch Nathan Drake—I mean the “Prince” do everything. You don’t even need to hold down the damn thumb stick!
Of course, this could be compared by some people to quick-time events like the ones in God of War. “Well, you can’t take down the bosses yourself. You have to do QTE button presses to finish them off.” Yeah, that may be true, but I still had to a lot of work by myself to get there, and even then, it feels more involved than something like Prince of Persia or Conviction’s marking mechanic.
It could be because of the constant button mashing, or maybe because the buttons and motions fit the actions being performed. Either way, it still feels like I’m doing everything and not watching the game do it all. Games like God of War have found a way to take automated actions and integrate them into the gameplay in a way that doesn’t feel like the player is having the controller stripped from their hands. Just look at Heavy Rain. That game is all about QTEs. The whole freaking game consists them, but it still feels like I’m the one in control of the characters’ actions.
Now, I get the fact that there are people that suck at video games. Nintendo gets that too, which is why they added that help function to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. But rather than be the dickish older brother, Nintendo plays the kind, elderly father that wants to help out if the kid/player asks for it. Though it can get a little mocking when that damn green box shows up and won’t stop the ear-piercing ringing, they still don’t take away the control unless the player allows them to.
Fortunately, not all games today are so automatic; and with all these stupid motion contraptions coming out, they’re taking away the chances for automation even more. Hopefully, though, these developers start realizing again that they’re not making freaking movies. They’re making videogames.
About the Author
Josh "Genki" Michaelson
Writer of the column “Gotta’ Rant ‘em All,” Josh became obsessed with gaming after playing Super Mario Bros. 3. Since then, he has been deeply rooted in the culture of video games. This love for the medium had led him toward a degree in 3D Animation at Northern Illinois University.
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