Consoles And The First Person Shooter
Some things are just not right. Eleven year olds having kids. Robots going crazy in theme parks and killing almost everybody. Eggnog. Console First Person Shooters.
Gaming is moving up in the world. Tournaments are getting on TV, players are getting rich, developers are getting huge, governments and the media are taking notice, everything is sliding into place for the gaming industry and, as a knock on effect, for us gamers too. While it could be argued that games today are no more fun than their classic ancestors it cannot be denied that improvements in technology have benefitted us all. For instance we all loved the Megadrive, and now we can all run a Megadrive and pretty much every game ever made for it on a laptop and still have enough room for porn.
So everything is good right? Wrong. Everything is not good. Everything is bad. And here is why.
The Console First Person Shooter.
Why is this abomination still with us? There is one thing and one thing only that could possibly save the console first person shooter from being total and unmitigated drek and that is the provision of a mouse and keyboard for a console. That’s never going to take off, console gamers see it as sacrilege as it doesn’t really fit with the sit around the TV with friends ethos of console play. Fair enough. But if the control system isn’t going to be used why the fuck does anybody waste their time making games designed to be played on a totally inadequate pad?
Watching console gamers playing a first person shooters is like watching mudskippers try to build watches. Sure the fishy fellows mean well and you’d swear they almost have the jist of what they are doing, but no matter how much they try to convince you otherwise they are clearly out of their element and sliming up the machinery. Halo! Say the console gamers. Halo was great! Dear God. It came to the PC, indeed it actually came from the PC, and it was so ordinary, so abject, that it didn’t even ripple the waters. And yet it is the Great White Hope cited by console FPS fans. For shame.
The worst thing though is that while console FPS games might well be the most obstinately ridiculous human endeavour since the Tower of Babel not only do we keep seeing more of them they are tainting the sweet, pure and sacred holy land that is the PC FPS. Take Call of Duty 2 as a case in point. What the hell happened there? Call of Duty managed to be a great game, allowing you to blaze your way through the best bits of about a dozen different war movies like a legend. Call of Duty 2 on the other hand, I mean, Jesus H Christ. I paid money for that game! The levels on which it stank go deep, but the console influence was clear to see. No health bar, slow enemies, fixed savepoints, absolutely linear gameplay, zero AI, zero intelligence required from the player. And on and on. Having played through nearly all of that pile of shit I actually felt ashamed we won the war at all. Did people die so we could make games that poor? It’s no damn good.
So remember kids, console first person shooters are bad. If you must play them at all, play them with a rictus of pain locked on your face, and hate the bastards that paid money to perpetuate this most perverse avenues of the gaming industry. Keep the FPS holy people, use mouse and keyboard.
I’m glad to hear someone else has sense!
Pads cannot touch the accuracy of a mouse/keyboard combination. Halo was average at best…
You, sir, have won a place in my bookmarks. Thank you for this.
comment from BadOtaku
September 12th, 2006 at 7:18 am
The only possible saving grace for the currently abismal console FPS series may be the Wii’s unique take on things.
comment from Ben
September 12th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Perhaps the console fps from which I have always been repeled will find a place in your heart should the wii find a place in your home.
comment from thom
September 12th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
That’s what I’ve been trying to tell people since the 90s. Damn consoles.
comment from ZombieLoffe
September 12th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Thats really creepy.
Ben
September 12th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
thom
September 12th, 2006 at 2:06 pm
comment from thom
September 12th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Aggred 100% with you!!!
Console and FPS must die here and forever.
No console EVER will be able to create the keyboard/mouse sensibility/playability.
Your webpage is bookmarked here too!
comment from Sylvain Giroux
September 12th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Well, not everybody can afford the price of a brend new computer with decent 3D display.
So console FPS gives the chance to these ppl to play FPS, even if its not as good as the PCversion.
Why bother about console FPS if you can run them well on your PC ?
comment from Matouel
September 12th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
#7 reply is total bullshit
comment from Sylvain Giroux
September 12th, 2006 at 2:13 pm
I aggred with you, controle sux and proly everything else 2, cause you and I know that PC FPS can ben so much better.
But ppl who just have console dont really care about that.
Dont like ? Dont play.
comment from Matouel
September 12th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Matouel, as the article said, the influence of console on PC FPS is quite real: it makes PC FPS easier and boring, like CoD2. But you are right, we can run them on PC…
comment from Philz
September 12th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Say it loud say it proud. DOWN WITH CONSOLES FPS!!
comment from cootjoop
September 12th, 2006 at 3:16 pm
Ok the reason why ppl have consoles in the first place is that they don’t have the interest in messing about with computers therefore also don’t have the gaming skills and/or mouse/keyboard skills. they just want to pick something up an play, you know for FUN.
I do agree that a mouse/keyboard combo enables you to get a higher level of control but I play my games on my xbox as I have to work all day spinning around 3d objects on my computer which when I want to have FUN I prefer the break that the controller brings.
If you have something to add to the world then thats cool, but all you want to do is take something away that millions of ppl like to do, If you dont like it dont f@*~in do it! and if you want a better game f@*~in learn how to make one and do that too!
You sound like the rest of the single minded fanboys to me, so lets just do all the things you want eh!
comment from meme
September 12th, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Now, I see your point. No console will ever replicate the fun that UT2004 has brought me. But there’s Metroid Prime, which is console fun at its best (the DS version is also pretty cool, AND portable).
Now, I’ve recently moved on to FPS games. I’ve always been a console gamer and just recently got a computer decent enough to run something worth playing (Like UT2004, HL2, and Doom3).
I tried to replicate the experience on the PS2, and bought Call of Duty 2 (not much to say about that one, but I like how the rifle feels on the L1 button, at least give it that). Yes, the WASD + Keypad was sorely missed, but one eventually gets used to the pad. It does happen to be inferior, but it can work if you think of decent control schemes.
Gungriffon Blaze on the PS2 would also have been awesome with a mouse, and it’s not that good on the controller.
I’d always been used to control pads (as I said, I’ve been a PC gamer for only a short while), but I find them counter-intuitive on most control-pad settings.
That’s why I found the DS version of Metroid Prime very interesting and fun to play, and I’m looking forward to the Wii iteration of it.
I love FPS games, and I guess I can play them on the console, but the PC will always be superior on the matter (except some notable exceptions).
You have a point on your article, and I guess I liked it, even if I’m somewhat more neutral.
comment from XerdoPwerko
September 12th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Hovis dearest, you come across as one of those “ELITE” PC gamers all flash and no substance, nothing can be better then my PC oh not it can’t, it’s disgusting that people like YOU are on our beloved PC platform, but ignorance is bliss right? Your prefered input device on a FPS is Keyboard and Mouse, thats fine, it’s mine too. Tests currently done show that a Mouse and Keyboard is only slightly better then a gamepad at long distance i.e. sniper range, these where done on Halo PC keyboard and mouse VS gamepad on the PC platform. There was a recent one for Shadow Run a new FPS for Live Anywhere game by Microsoft which allows crossplatform gaming Pc vs Xbox360 users. There was only a slight advantage, once again only at long distance, close to medium range there is no difference. Check the review out on Gamespot, which even says this too.
For a Reviewer you’re a bit dumb, last Gen consoles i.e. Xbox 1 and PS2 have limited memory, which means that not everything thats on the PC can be put into 64 megs of ram, it’s a hardware limitation. You of all people should know this, so when the gameplay is dumbed down it is for this reason. Ever played Rainbow Six Raven Shield PC? If you played Rainbow Six 3 on the xbox 1 you would instantly see the obvious difference, the maps are cut down to fit everything into the memory requirements. The Developers themselves have said assets such as coke cans in certain instances used up too much ram and had to be removed to make room for other features. So your statement is quite baseless really, which is amusing and sad at the sametime because don’t you research things before you say them?
Today in an ironic twist it’s the PC who has gone dumbed down, with most new games being medicore. Where as the console being is in 1st place. Fifa 07 is a good example, the code EA are using for the PC is a PS2 base code where as the xbox360 was designed ground up the PC version looks disgusting. The Next-Gen console are reigning supreme, with innovation and game design due to there being less limitations, the developers can create complex games now COD3 is exactly the same as the PC who would of thought Hovis could it of been that 64 megs of ram holding devlopers back the previous time?
Wii will be out soon and that will be a unique way to play FPS games, only time will tell how well they do first being Red Steel. But for the future there will be tons of new crossplatform games for Windows where we can play xbox360 users, so if you think you’re such a great gaming god I will see what your response is in a 3-5 months time, see if you still have this elitist attitude. I personally enjoy gaming on the PC and it’s my platform of choice, you ask Josh, but I won’t agree with something thats pretty biased.
comment from Lucy Bradford
September 28th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
The guy who wrote this article is an M/K eltist prick! I would love to kick your ass cross platform one day, let’s hope UT3 brings that oppurtunity for me because if you think that M/K really gives you that big an advantage over conrol pad users then I will look forward to proving you wrong!
comment from Havoc
March 4th, 2007 at 1:14 am
Cross platform the consoles will have auto-aim on their side. Or console players will need an alternative control system. Show me a gamer on a pad who can do a one eighty spin instantly or faster, then I’ll believe they can handle it.
End of the day, the real gamers are on PC.
comment from hovis
March 4th, 2007 at 5:52 am
here here on comment 16 and the article as well, unreal tournament on consoles was crap and so has all other console fps ive ever played been crap. key board and mouse for me and bring on ut3, try double dodging and spin 180 for that head shot on a console,not possible,if it is i will be v.impressed.
pc gamers rule.end of.
comment from boner
July 20th, 2007 at 8:30 pm