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[Valonquar]

Theme Park Shooter more like it.

 

[Drizzlehell]

That’s because those are very clear terms. Someone says immersive sim than I know exactly that gameplay is a focus, and as a player I have multiple ways of completing an objective.

Rogue like immediately tells me the game has randomized aspects.

Cinematic shooter tells me it’s a dumbed down game with flashy movie scenes over gameplay. But those were always called linear shooters or even hallway shooters. Follow a set path and enjoy the flashy set piece moments.

I don't see how it should be considered a bad thing, though. Many people seem to appreciate those kinds of games, especially in modern day gaming space that's dominated by ever-present bloat, player retention, and monetization.

I also don't agree that they're "dumbed down". Again, not everything has to be a giant slog that eats away dozens of hours of your life.

 

[hemo memo]

Theme Park Shooter more like it.

PfaS

Press for Awesome Shooter

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

i prefer "corridor shooter"

That brings me back. Haven't heard that term since the 90s. We always called Doom and Doom clones that.

 

[StueyDuck]

No, because both of those are very descriptive.
Sure cinematic can be a derogatory term, because it’s dumbed down gaming, where the focus is on spectacle and showing a cut scene over actual gameplay mechanics.

Neither are descriptive at all and are extremely redundant.

When you play God of War do you literally feel like you are holding an axe and are literally cutting monsters... if not it's not technically immersive

And again all videongames today. Especially 3d games are going to employ cinematic technologies. Most games have some form of motion blur, CA, AA, etc. most games have cinematic cutscenes even if they may not be "movie" quality they are still cinematics.

 

[L*][*N*K]

How about we stop calling games "Cinematic" as if it is a good thing, games should be games and this obsession with making them a Hollywood movie really ruined the whole thing.

 

[Drizzlehell]

How about we stop calling games "Cinematic" as if it is a good thing, games should be games and this obsession with making them a Hollywood movie really ruined the whole thing.

Tough cookie. I really wish most people would actually read what I have to say before shutting me down or blowing the idea off based on nothing but the thread title, but if wishes were horses...

 

[SeraphJan]

That was a bad video. 15 minutes of rambling and stale dad jokes to get to the point that some people find the boring games he loves boring, but he doesn't, so they are great after all with a perfect balance of elements.

You could do a summary like that to most video on Youtube (or even articles), the point of these video were never the conclusion but the process and examples. These "stale dad jokes" were a depiction of the common rant about "cinematic experience" you will see on social media.

Try to argue with someone with the simple statement like "so they are great after all with a perfect balance of elements." you would spend way more than just 15 minute to come to an understanding with that person. Beside I've already wrote my perspective of that conclusion before posting that video, it was a bland statement without the process.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I don't see how it should be considered a bad thing, though. Many people seem to appreciate those kinds of games, especially in modern day gaming space that's dominated by ever-present bloat, player retention, and monetization.

I also don't agree that they're "dumbed down". Again, not everything has to be a giant slog that eats away dozens of hours of your life.

I consider hallways shooters dumbed down. Doesn’t mean they’re not fun. Several years back they were made fun of in comparison to shooters with more complex level design, and gameplay mechanics.

Not sure if you remember this?

I think if anything they’re more appreciated, because it’s gotten even worse with the GaaS model.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Neither are descriptive at all and are extremely redundant.

When you play God of War do you literally feel like you are holding an are and are literally cutting monsters... if not it's not technically immersive

And again all videongames today. Especially 3d games are going to employ cinematic technologies. Most games have some form of motion blur, CA, AA, etc. most games have cinematic cutscenes even if they may not be "movie" quality they are still cinematics.

You’re giving a poor example. God of War never felt immersive to me.

I’d consider condemned immersive because that game pulled me in with its environments, and excellent sound. VR games can be immersive as fuck.

So I 100% disagree, because it’s a very descriptive term that doesn’t fit everything.

 

[Games of Today]

Suggestions :

• Corridor Shooter
• Brown & Grey Shooter
• COD-like
• Generic White Bald Guy Game
• Post 9-11 Hellscape-esqe

Am I the only one who enjoyed a lot of the brown tones in older games. Especially in game like Far Cry 2 it made me feel like I was actually in a shithole African country with Malaria. The amount of buildings made out of grey concrete and brown steel rooving made my soul feel the immersion.

 

[SeraphJan]

I consider hallways shooters dumbed down. Doesn’t mean they’re not fun. Several years back they were made fun of in comparison to shooters with more complex level design, and gameplay mechanics.

Not sure if you remember this?

I think if anything they’re more appreciated, because it’s gotten even worse with the GaaS model.

I suppose you are comparing Doom with Doom 2016

I could make the same comparison with that image you've shown with Resident Evil 1 and Resident Evil 4, RE1 focus on exploration like the image on left, RE4 are more linear the level design is more akin to the right, but it doesn't make RE4 dumbed down.

Its not the problem of the design philosophy, they have different appeal, both could work.

Some people prefer linear design and thinks wondering around through maze like map, finding keys, solving puzzle are a waste of time that killed the pacing of the combat. Some people prefer the opposite find the linear design to be boring. It all come down to taste, both design philosophy have their modern representation. Cinematic technique works better with linear design.

---------------------

Edit: From a development perspective, linear design require much more resources and budget to create the same amount of playtime compare to non linear ones. The non linear design take RE1 for example, most of the time player spent are revisiting the same area over and over to figure stuff out, this is equivalent of reusing asset without player notice them, the brain is tricking them that they are seeing more than what they've actually seen.

While on linear design take RE4, you will need to create entirely new content for that same amount of play time. This is why most indie games or older games in the 90s takes non linear approach due to resources restriction, while modern triple A games are capable of creating more linear experience that HAD EQUIVALENT AMOUNT of play time. I'm not saying more resources, bigger budget is automatically better, I just want to give them credit where its due. Most linear game actually allow player to see way much more content.

 

[Wildebeest]

You could do a summary like that to most video on Youtube (or even articles), the point of these video were never the conclusion but the process and examples. These "stale dad jokes" were a depiction of the common rant about "cinematic experience" you will see on social media.

Try to argue with someone with the simple statement like "so they are great after all with a perfect balance of elements." you would spend way more than just 15 minute to come to an understanding with that person. Beside I've already wrote my perspective of that conclusion before posting that video, it was a bland statement without the process.

I'm sorry I didn't like your video, but it was very boring and went on too long to make very simple and totally subjective points.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

 

[EverydayBeast]

Uncharted kinda started the cinematic shooter

 

[SmokedMeat]

I suppose you are comparing Doom with Doom 2016

I could make the same comparison with that image you've shown with Resident Evil 1 and Resident Evil 4, RE1 focus on exploration like the image on left, RE4 are more linear the level design is more akin to the right, but it doesn't make RE4 dumbed down.

Its not the problem of the design philosophy, they have different appeal, both could work.

Some people prefer linear design and thinks wondering around through maze like map, finding keys, solving puzzle are a waste of time that killed the pacing of the combat. Some people prefer the opposite find the linear design to be boring. It all come down to taste, both design philosophy have their modern representation. Cinematic technique works better with linear design.

Actually it was used against the CoD style of campaign versus the classic Boomer shooters.

Linear campaigns can be great, like Bulletstorm. That game has some excellent combat mechanics. Titanfall as well with its superb movement mechanics, and Titan gameplay.

 

[StueyDuck]

You’re giving a poor example. God of War never felt immersive to me.

I’d consider condemned immersive because that game pulled me in with its environments, and excellent sound. VR games can be immersive as fuck.

So I 100% disagree, because it’s a very descriptive term that doesn’t fit everything.

You sure you didn't play tron

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I consider hallways shooters dumbed down. Doesn’t mean they’re not fun. Several years back they were made fun of in comparison to shooters with more complex level design, and gameplay mechanics.

Not sure if you remember this?

I think if anything they’re more appreciated, because it’s gotten even worse with the GaaS model.

This meme always instantly makes me think of the modern Wolfenstein games.

 

[freemandos]

Most of the first Crysis (until the last third) relied more on gameplay than cinematic experience. Sequels, yeah, were another story...and they were worse on consequence.

Being linear and having cinematics are not necessary a Gears of War/CoD type. Half-Life, for example, is linear with scripted sequences and it's not the same.

Games like most of the list over-emphasize "cinematic spectacle" on scripted sequences or cutscenes over gameplay and, specially, player's agency.

Combat is a path to the next scripted sequence or the combat is a scripted sequence most of the time. Or even filler.

Weaponry and inventory management don't have progression or relevance because most of them are more controlled and narrow experience on the combat arena (even more than a Serious Sam/Painkiller game), specially having weapon limit and regenerating health. Or, on the "best" case, they have an bland, generic and/or unnecessary upgrade system. Player's agency is secondary, interactivity is secondary, movement is slow and limited (not in a realistic way like Swat or ArmA), you have little space to improvise or being creative in combat. Or even the game penalize you for trying. Exploration or backtraying are non-existing. Enemy's AI is simple...and with little variety of type (most of them humanoids with the same weapons as yours) and encounter design variety (a dead art for most of AAA companies, btw).

Gunplay is weak on most of them because the spectacle is more about being "cinematic" than the combat itself (unlike F.E.A.R, for example). Crazy weapons like the Duke Nukem ones are rare or non-existing.

And of course, most of them are military shooters and popularized in the seventh console generation, almost ruining the genre. Because if a game don't play the same as one hundred of other games is "dated", "frustrating" or more things.

And of course, all of this...not for giving a good story or taking the medium's advantage. Only a type of shooter more easy to develope and more easy to play and aping hollywood movies.

There are cinematic shooters I like, don't take me wrong (not most of them through xD ) but...what happened to F.E.A.R? Crysis? Bioshock? Duke Nukem? Turok? Well, cinematic shooters took over. And a lot of franchises suffered for that.

 

[Codes 208]

The first thing that came to mind was The Order and no thank you

 

[freemandos]

About the term itself (sorry if I focused on my definition too much)...I remember one from my country (Spain): “shooters enlatados”. So..what about “canned (of can) shooters?