Poll: Do you classify Portal as a FPS?
- Thread starter TheYellowCellPhone
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It Is at times, during those rare moments where life and death revolves around the accuracy of your shots. Otherwise Its puzzle.
Don't you mean FPP? First Person Puzzle(er). Metroid Prime is still an FPS too, but the adventure part takes precedence.Wiiiiiiilliam said:
OP: I think your friend may be overthinking this. In its most technical definition, yes it is an FPS. It's not anything resembling the usual definition, but it is an FPS. In the sense of cross-genres, it's 99.9% puzzle game, but it's still an FPS regardless.
I'd go with others here who have said something along the lines of 'First Person Puzzler'. I don't really think it has the same feel or intent as a first person shooter, even if it is in the first person, you have a 'gun' and it 'shoots' things. FPSs are indeed more combat focused, even if they do have occasional puzzle elements. Portal is more puzzle focused, even if it does have occasional combat-y elements.
At the end of the day, however, it's all down to how you use the term. Is there an official definition of what an FPS is?
At the end of the day, however, it's all down to how you use the term. Is there an official definition of what an FPS is?
While Portal is played in a first-person perspective, as many people have stated, I do not consider it to be a shooter. The term "shooter" implies guns are used extensively; I personally don't class the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device as a "gun". It's a tool more than a weapon; used as the means for the effect rather than the cause. You can't exactly kill something with it.
The masses also declare this to be a puzzle game, and I find myself in agreement to an extent. Consider the effects of a mix of ingenuity, lateral thinking, following instructions and carrying out methods you work out for yourself during the game. Take, for example, Test Chamber 18 - the relevant section of which I will not describe in case people who haven't played Portal are reading this - or the final area. Different people come up with different methods to complete the more ambiguous sections of Portal, hence my mention of ingenuity earlier.
The masses also declare this to be a puzzle game, and I find myself in agreement to an extent. Consider the effects of a mix of ingenuity, lateral thinking, following instructions and carrying out methods you work out for yourself during the game. Take, for example, Test Chamber 18 - the relevant section of which I will not describe in case people who haven't played Portal are reading this - or the final area. Different people come up with different methods to complete the more ambiguous sections of Portal, hence my mention of ingenuity earlier.
I would say it's a puzzle game, since you have to solve puzzles. A lot of people are saying it's an FPP but that would be such a small genre that it doesn't even matter, so we should just call it a puzzle game since if someone liked puzzle games then the first person aspect doesn't really matter.
Its a puzzle game in the format of an FPS.
Is it really worth it to try an classify it? So many games now a days combine elements of different genres that its hard to classify anymore. Like with Mirror's Edge. You are in a first person mode and you do shot people. At the same time though its obviously a platformer in which you complete the level by moving through the environment correctly.
And about the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device... yeah it is a tool in which you shoot things at other things to solve your problems, but can't you simplify guns down to that as well? Technically they are tools in which you shoot things at other things and thus your problems are solved.
Is it really worth it to try an classify it? So many games now a days combine elements of different genres that its hard to classify anymore. Like with Mirror's Edge. You are in a first person mode and you do shot people. At the same time though its obviously a platformer in which you complete the level by moving through the environment correctly.
And about the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device... yeah it is a tool in which you shoot things at other things to solve your problems, but can't you simplify guns down to that as well? Technically they are tools in which you shoot things at other things and thus your problems are solved.
I do in a technical sense. It's first person and your primary interaction with the environment is to via your gun shooting projectiles at things.
But it's an FPS to the letter and not the spirit of the genre in that you aren't shooting people to kill them, you're shooting inanimate things to solve puzzles.
But it's an FPS to the letter and not the spirit of the genre in that you aren't shooting people to kill them, you're shooting inanimate things to solve puzzles.
It can qualify as an FPS but doing so would be kind of stupid. Lets say an FPS puzzle platformer.