Opinions no one asked for, but voila. - Edit 3
Before modification by Zalis at 01/09/2009 06:26:30 PM
Just chiming in on the mentioned titles, even though it's not really my conversation...
I agree that Modern Warfare's single-player was quite good. Comparing it to Half-Life (1 or 2) isn't quite a direct comparison though, as they're not the same thing. HL is more paced, more puzzle/physics-driven, with hints of story throughout. MW, on the other hand, is all about squad-based attacks and international crises. One is subtle sci-fi with its moments of adrenaline (like District 9), the other is a complete season of 24 mixed with The Unit.
The criticisms I hold for Modern Warfare are that the enemy spawns do break the atmosphere once you know the system. In particularly difficult situations, it rewards you for running forward and drawing fire. Whether or not that's smart for a real-world squad is debatable, since your point man's likely going to end up resembling a pink sponge. (even if it draws enemy fire and allows an advance) Otherwise, I found it incredibly well-crafted and intense.
FarCry had amazing atmosphere, but the ridiculous story and terrible voice acting killed it for me. The Trigens were a complete turnoff. Stalking through jungles was a ton of fun though, and I loved the simlar parts in Crysis too. FarCry 2 was essentially GTA:Africa, with mixed results. I really enjoyed the open feel, beautiful environments, weapons/safe houses and more high grass stalking. The downsides were stiff dialogue, a story with zero emotional investment, tedious travel times and sluggish pace.
Bioshock? I never played the System Shock titles, but Bio mostly held my interest. Its setting dripped</> (groan) with atmosphere and art direction was top-notch. On the other hand, the weapons weren't very satisfying and I ended up playing the most of it with stealth and Wrench Jockey. Taking Big Daddies out with only a Wrench (and maybe a freeze plasmid) is fun, I did it out of distaste for the weapons. Lack of ammo might've forced that, too, but it was still a good game. Once the story's major revelation occurs, however, it went downhill. The first 3/4 of the game are what I like to remember instead.
I agree that Modern Warfare's single-player was quite good. Comparing it to Half-Life (1 or 2) isn't quite a direct comparison though, as they're not the same thing. HL is more paced, more puzzle/physics-driven, with hints of story throughout. MW, on the other hand, is all about squad-based attacks and international crises. One is subtle sci-fi with its moments of adrenaline (like District 9), the other is a complete season of 24 mixed with The Unit.
The criticisms I hold for Modern Warfare are that the enemy spawns do break the atmosphere once you know the system. In particularly difficult situations, it rewards you for running forward and drawing fire. Whether or not that's smart for a real-world squad is debatable, since your point man's likely going to end up resembling a pink sponge. (even if it draws enemy fire and allows an advance) Otherwise, I found it incredibly well-crafted and intense.
FarCry had amazing atmosphere, but the ridiculous story and terrible voice acting killed it for me. The Trigens were a complete turnoff. Stalking through jungles was a ton of fun though, and I loved the simlar parts in Crysis too. FarCry 2 was essentially GTA:Africa, with mixed results. I really enjoyed the open feel, beautiful environments, weapons/safe houses and more high grass stalking. The downsides were stiff dialogue, a story with zero emotional investment, tedious travel times and sluggish pace.
Bioshock? I never played the System Shock titles, but Bio mostly held my interest. Its setting dripped</> (groan) with atmosphere and art direction was top-notch. On the other hand, the weapons weren't very satisfying and I ended up playing the most of it with stealth and Wrench Jockey. Taking Big Daddies out with only a Wrench (and maybe a freeze plasmid) is fun, I did it out of distaste for the weapons. Lack of ammo might've forced that, too, but it was still a good game. Once the story's major revelation occurs, however, it went downhill. The first 3/4 of the game are what I like to remember instead.