Zoned in

June 22, 2007

First-person shooters: Breaking out of the mundane
By Gabe Boker

A look at what’s on the horizon in the realm of first-person shooters to determine if developers are still trying to push the envelope

Ever since Doom debuted on the PC nearly 14 years ago, first-person shooters have seldom displayed momentous innovation. The majority of today’s shooters embody run-of-the-mill plots, generic enemy design, and environments laden with crates. There are, of course, exceptions that don’t fall victim to these characteristics, such as the N64 classic GoldenEye and Microsoft’s Halo franchise. However, on the whole, FPS fans have chiefly been subject to lazy ports and unoriginal WWII shooters.

BioShock, due out this August, will attempt to liven things up with what the developers are describing as "emergent gameplay." Emergent gameplay simply means that the player will be able to perform activities that don’t necessarily pertain to the title’s original gameplay plan. A prime illustration of emergent gameplay is found in Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series. While beating up a homeless man and picking up prostitutes to turn tricks won’t impinge on your overall campaign progress, it does provide the gamer with good, clean fun (well, maybe just the “fun” part).

 
Now that’s what I call enemy design.

The game also boasts a feature dubbed A.I. Ecology, which, to be honest, is basically an oxymoron. The attribute will render the “artificial” intelligence as living, breathing entities that can be manipulated, allied, and essentially used to the player’s advantage. A.I. Ecology is sure to play a colossal role in BioShock and I personally expect it to be mimicked by other developers in the near future.

As previously mentioned, unoriginal WWII shooters have been flooding the market for years. Infinity Ward, the guys that blessed us with Call of Duty 2 in 2005, is back after a seemingly long hiatus with the latest edition into the Call of Duty series. This time around, they’re taking the franchise out of its archetypal premise and bringing it to the 21st century. The title is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and it will be hitting shelves this October with a darker-themed campaign, first-class visuals, and state-of-the-art weaponry. Our own Steven Hopper has written a detailed preview, so be sure to *check it out* (http://ps3.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p32387.htm) for additional information.

 
Tactical, team-based goodness – just what the doctor ordered.

As indicative of BioShock and the latest foray into the Call of Duty series, developers are realizing that gamers want more than run-and-gun gameplay with gratuitous violence when they delve into a first-person shooter. We want compelling storylines, intuitive and innovative gameplay, and art direction that can hold its own in a demanding market.

In conclusion, it looks as if FPS lovers are in for a real rollercoaster ride these next few months. Major blockbusters will be releasing on every platform, including the much-anticipated, sure-to-be a record-breaker Halo 3. It’s an exciting time to be a gamer, no question about it, and with developers finally taking risks in this genre we all know and love, the horizon looks exceptionally bright.