One thing I keep hearing from FPS haters is that nothing has changed over the years. Each game is just a prettier version of the last. Well, I agree... somewhat. When you boil down any game, it should definitely fit the criteria of the genre. Platformers have jumping, fighters have fighting, sports are sports, etc. First person shooters are definitely shooters. To shoot, you certainly need a weapon and something to kill. So the basics of the game are the same, but the sories, features, and "character" of a game make them good or bad.
So I decided to load up Quake II just to see what has changed. I wanted to focus on gameplay and ignore the obvious graphical differences. When this game came out in late 1997, it was at the top of it's game. It spawned a series of toys, mods, leagues, and helped form online gaming as we know it today.
The game moves and flows about the same as today's FPS's. At first, it feels like if Id updated the graphics, it might belong in 2004. However, that feeling quickly fades as you kill your 1st enemy. Then, you start to realize how the genre has evolved.
The most obvious thing is enemy AI. It sucks. Enemies in Quake II were designed to run up to you and shoot. They're dumb as a box of rocks. Back in the day, I remember this game actually being challenging. Today, I started the game on Normal mode and thought I was in God mode. I couldn't die. It was easier than easy/beginner mode in today's games. Just unbelievably easy. So, today's games have better AI and are more challenging.
I was suprised that when I fired the machine gun in Quake II, that it actually recoiled. But it only recoiled to about a 40 degree angle and then stopped. Apparantly, you only have one hand in Quake. You have to select grenades as a weapon before you throw them. Weapons only had fire... there was no alt fire, zoom, lock-on or any other weapon features. Enemy weapons only worked for them. You could not pick up a fallen enemies gun.
Really, graphics aside, the FPS genre has advanced a lot over the last 7 years. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to play some of those old school FPS's to see how good we have it now.
So I decided to load up Quake II just to see what has changed. I wanted to focus on gameplay and ignore the obvious graphical differences. When this game came out in late 1997, it was at the top of it's game. It spawned a series of toys, mods, leagues, and helped form online gaming as we know it today.
The game moves and flows about the same as today's FPS's. At first, it feels like if Id updated the graphics, it might belong in 2004. However, that feeling quickly fades as you kill your 1st enemy. Then, you start to realize how the genre has evolved.
The most obvious thing is enemy AI. It sucks. Enemies in Quake II were designed to run up to you and shoot. They're dumb as a box of rocks. Back in the day, I remember this game actually being challenging. Today, I started the game on Normal mode and thought I was in God mode. I couldn't die. It was easier than easy/beginner mode in today's games. Just unbelievably easy. So, today's games have better AI and are more challenging.
I was suprised that when I fired the machine gun in Quake II, that it actually recoiled. But it only recoiled to about a 40 degree angle and then stopped. Apparantly, you only have one hand in Quake. You have to select grenades as a weapon before you throw them. Weapons only had fire... there was no alt fire, zoom, lock-on or any other weapon features. Enemy weapons only worked for them. You could not pick up a fallen enemies gun.
Really, graphics aside, the FPS genre has advanced a lot over the last 7 years. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to play some of those old school FPS's to see how good we have it now.