a game where you fight just one guy.

[THAC0]

i thought about this a while back, but remembered it when i watched AVGN's review of Jaws for the NES.

How interesting could you make a game where you only fight one person. You see this in movies all the time. The goal of the movie is for the "hero" to hunt down his enemy and then they have a big face off and everybody claps at the end.

how could you do that in a game, and make it good.

You could argue that many games have already done this. Mario was after all out to defeat Bowser. And Link needed to defeat Gannon (In my world they stopped making Zedla games after SNES). But both Bowser and Gannon had limitless minions to go through, sub bosses and servants that had to be defeated first.

So, keeping the minions to a minimum, make a game where you are after ONE person (Sure it may be a dragon, or a wizard, or a god, or a robot), but the entire game is about this one conflict.

GO!

 

[Proven Paradox]

This has already been done a few times I suspect. At least one instance I can think of: Google "Warning Forever" sometime. It's basically a bullet-hell, but skips straight to the absurd boss at the end of the level. It starts tiny and wimpy, and grows every time you kill it. The way it grows changes depending on how you killed it in the previous level.

It's a lot of fun. I've wasted hours on it.

 

[Vern5]

A game where you're restricted to just fighting one preset enemy? Well, I'm going to rule out fighting games because I sense a story developing behind this. I can't really think of a game where you spend your entire game fighting the same enemy with the hopes that, with every successive battle, you had learned something that will give you the edge over him.

That could prove to be a very interesting game with a lot of diverse combat maneuvers, tactics and style.

However, there are few precedents for the rampant success of such a game so don't expect it to show up in a gamestop any time soon.

 

[VanQ]

This has already been done a few times I suspect. At least one instance I can think of: Google "Warning Forever" sometime. It's basically a bullet-hell, but skips straight to the absurd boss at the end of the level. It starts tiny and wimpy, and grows every time you kill it. The way it grows changes depending on how you killed it in the previous level.

It's a lot of fun. I've wasted hours on it.

This actually seems pretty interesting, I may have to look this up sometime in the near future.

Also, Welcome to the escapist! Enjoy your time hare and stay away from the basement, don't ask why, no one who dared to venture down there has ever returned to tell us why.

 

[THAC0]

I am cool with the game being more than just fighting. Say there is a part where the badguy locks you in a burning building and you have to get out. Or you have to get to some hostages and save them or something.

but your enemy is still going to be just the one guy.

 

[Phlakes]

I'd love to play an RTS like game where you're the leader of some organization trying to bring down one really powerful guy.

 

[Proven Paradox]

This actually seems pretty interesting, I may have to look this up sometime in the near future.

I enjoy these little independent games, so here's a bit more incentive.

Here's Phoenix, the most straightforward 'final' boss form. You get this from a head-on approach.

Spoiler

Here's Asura, the form the boss takes if you attack from the corner. This encourages the boss to expand in ways that makes it more flexible so that it can shoot at those hard-to-reach corners.

Spoiler

Also, Welcome to the escapist! Enjoy your time hare and stay away from the basement, don't ask why, no one who dared to venture down there has ever returned to tell us why.

Unfortunately, I have a quest to kill 10 rats down there. Hopefully one of them drops a better weapon early on.

 

[Boris Yakinstov]

Not that I've played it, but would Heavy Rain count? From what I've heard, you're tracking down one guy, though I think there's other encounters along the way.

 

[Vern5]

I am cool with the game being more than just fighting. Say there is a part where the badguy locks you in a burning building and you have to get out. Or you have to get to some hostages and save them or something.

but your enemy is still going to be just the one guy.

Wait, dull recollection has just struck me. Wasn't there a murderer you were tracking throughout the entirety of Condemned: Criminal Origins? Then again, you do beat the life out of a lot of crazy people so maybe that doesn't really fit the thread.

Unfortunately, I have a quest to kill 10 rats down there. Hopefully one of them drops a better weapon early on.

You hear that splitting sound? That was my sides.

 

[Cj Vanek]

Turn Based Battle!

Sure, its a flash game, but there is only one enemy. It transforms and/or splits apart each time you defeat it. Really fun to play.

 

[x-machina]

Heavy Rain comes to mind, without spoling too much your goal is to catch the origami killer. (at least for two of the characters)

Though there are a few fight scenes against people who arent the killer.

EDIT: nevermind, someone beat me to it

 

[tombman888]

Portal, all you did was beat GLaDOS (and a few turrets here and there, but they were more obstacles than enemies) the rest was just puzzling about.

 

[Mr Thin]

I don't have to...

FOR IT HAS ALREADY BEEN MADE!

It's called 'You Have to Burn the Rope'.

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/432872

 

[octafish]

I am still waiting for The Most Dangerous Game: The Game.

EDIT: Although come to think of it General Zaroff did have his manservant Ivan and his dogs.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Not that I've played it, but would Heavy Rain count? From what I've heard, you're tracking down one guy, though I think there's other encounters along the way.

Heavy Rain kind of works, but there are many physical encounters beside the Killer. Still, I think that Heavy Rain probably is showing us the best way to do it. The story would be more about finding out who the big bad is/how to get to the big bad/how to take down the big bad and then doing it. In a way it would be a game that played out more like Jaws and less like Saving Private Ryan.

 

[park92]

how about an insane guy has a ghost chasing after him. However, to defeat the ghost he must overcome several hardships in his past and overcome the task while the ghost is still chasing him? I dunno and at the end you have to fight the ghost???

 

[Durananrananrananran]

how about an insane guy has a ghost chasing after him. However, to defeat the ghost he must overcome several hardships in his past and overcome the task while the ghost is still chasing him? I dunno and at the end you have to fight the ghost???

pacman?

 

[captaincabbage]

I'm thinking of something like a Bourne Identity styled game.

Mostly a run, solve and outwit game, with the occasional carchase and fight, but rarely you'll actually kill somebody. All in the name of catching that one guy.

 

[Z(ombie)fan]

how about an insane guy has a ghost chasing after him. However, to defeat the ghost he must overcome several hardships in his past and overcome the task while the ghost is still chasing him? I dunno and at the end you have to fight the ghost???

pacman?

you sir, get a cookie.

 

[ecyor0]

Well, going for a slightly more unorthodox choice...

Myst III: Exile. Sure, it's all about puzzles and exploration and there is no actual fight at the end, but there is a final confrontation (the outcome of which hinges on you) and throughout the game, Saavedro, the exile of the title is the sole antagonist, and in fact, the majority of the puzzles are actually set by him, as part of an elaborate revenge ploy which you accidentally set off instead of the intended target, so you're fighting him at every turn.