- Joined
- Oct 11, 2000
- Posts
- 3,486
Peeps,
The GameBoy Advance has pretty much shown us that almost any 2-D Super Nintendo-type game can make a near-perfect transition to a portable system. However, with the upcoming generation of portables, one particular question arises for me: how does a developer properly handle first-person shooters?
From what we've seen, even games that require some form of analog control (racing games such as Ridge Racer or 3-D platformers such as Mario 64/Medieval) can somehow be altered and controlled via the regular 4-directional pad, be it with the aid of a button for running/drifting or without. The first-person genre presents the greatest challenges as almost anyone has who attempted to handle such games with anything but a mouse can complain about. Never mind the precision point control of a mouse that has yet to be duplicated on a home system. I am sure we'd all be satisfied with anything that handles similar to Halo or Medal of Honor. However, while the directional pad suffices for movement, having only a set of four buttons to substitute for aiming horrifies me. I can imagine a superb port of Splinter Cell on either the DS or the PSP, utilizing a button for faster movement with the slow crawl as the default. Yet playing the Metroid Hunters demo without either the stylus or the wriststrap painfully demostrates the monstrous challenge of tapping your way into the proper aiming position.
On the DS end, I am fairly impressed by their incorporation of the touch screen. Using the wriststrap on Metroid is extremely similar to a thumb trackball and allows for near perfect aiming while moving save for the occasional reset that's required while turning around. The stylus is even more precise creating a perfect substitute for the mouse. I can certainly imagine Goldeneye Rogue Agent and any other similar first-person shooter generously conveying the experience of first-person shooting to the portable gamer. What leaves me wondering is how the PSP can possibly duplicate this feat.
With the enhanced graphics the PSP brings to the table, I can only imagine the quality of a Call of Duty or Rainbow Six port. But outside of the miniscule thumb pad that resides beneath the directional pad and is thus rendered useless, I don't see any other analog-style alternatives for this genre. Afterall, a gamer needs both the left and right hands (one for movement and one for aiming) while using the shoulder buttons for action/shooting and the PSP only has the analog pad on the left side, the same as the directional pad. Additionally, from the current reviews, this pad does not seem to be able to provide anything that could resemble mouse/aiming movement. I suppose it aids in movement for something along the lines of Syphon Filter, but even preview videos of that game don't show off any precise aiming elements.
I am interested in hearing from other first-person shooter fans on this topic. I play very few games nowadays and about the only things that I find interesting are Splinter Cell covert action games and Medal of Honor style based shooters. I am hoping that either the DS or PSP will accurately present this genre and while I'm willing to sacrifice graphics, control is certainly the one indisputable attribute that makes or breaks first person shooters.
Sincerely,
Mikhail
The GameBoy Advance has pretty much shown us that almost any 2-D Super Nintendo-type game can make a near-perfect transition to a portable system. However, with the upcoming generation of portables, one particular question arises for me: how does a developer properly handle first-person shooters?
From what we've seen, even games that require some form of analog control (racing games such as Ridge Racer or 3-D platformers such as Mario 64/Medieval) can somehow be altered and controlled via the regular 4-directional pad, be it with the aid of a button for running/drifting or without. The first-person genre presents the greatest challenges as almost anyone has who attempted to handle such games with anything but a mouse can complain about. Never mind the precision point control of a mouse that has yet to be duplicated on a home system. I am sure we'd all be satisfied with anything that handles similar to Halo or Medal of Honor. However, while the directional pad suffices for movement, having only a set of four buttons to substitute for aiming horrifies me. I can imagine a superb port of Splinter Cell on either the DS or the PSP, utilizing a button for faster movement with the slow crawl as the default. Yet playing the Metroid Hunters demo without either the stylus or the wriststrap painfully demostrates the monstrous challenge of tapping your way into the proper aiming position.
On the DS end, I am fairly impressed by their incorporation of the touch screen. Using the wriststrap on Metroid is extremely similar to a thumb trackball and allows for near perfect aiming while moving save for the occasional reset that's required while turning around. The stylus is even more precise creating a perfect substitute for the mouse. I can certainly imagine Goldeneye Rogue Agent and any other similar first-person shooter generously conveying the experience of first-person shooting to the portable gamer. What leaves me wondering is how the PSP can possibly duplicate this feat.
With the enhanced graphics the PSP brings to the table, I can only imagine the quality of a Call of Duty or Rainbow Six port. But outside of the miniscule thumb pad that resides beneath the directional pad and is thus rendered useless, I don't see any other analog-style alternatives for this genre. Afterall, a gamer needs both the left and right hands (one for movement and one for aiming) while using the shoulder buttons for action/shooting and the PSP only has the analog pad on the left side, the same as the directional pad. Additionally, from the current reviews, this pad does not seem to be able to provide anything that could resemble mouse/aiming movement. I suppose it aids in movement for something along the lines of Syphon Filter, but even preview videos of that game don't show off any precise aiming elements.
I am interested in hearing from other first-person shooter fans on this topic. I play very few games nowadays and about the only things that I find interesting are Splinter Cell covert action games and Medal of Honor style based shooters. I am hoping that either the DS or PSP will accurately present this genre and while I'm willing to sacrifice graphics, control is certainly the one indisputable attribute that makes or breaks first person shooters.
Sincerely,
Mikhail
