Poll: Do You Miss Health Bars?

[Adam Galli]

The new trend in gaming seems to be regenerating health. Regenerating health tends to make games a little too easy in my opinion like MW2 and MoH. However, games like Sniper Ghost Warrior used a health bar to make you think and plan each of your actions carefully. The idea is solid. Silent stalking Vs ham handed bravado, but the game gives you so many health packets that they might as well have used regeneration health. As is the case with most games that use health bars. Whats your opinion?

My question is do you miss health bars in video games?

 

[silver wolf009]

Yes, although they still survive in a few games. (Reach, AVP, TF2 Ect)

 

[spartan1077]

Well, health bars shouldn't be in every single game where it doesn't make sense to have limited health when the technology can just regenerate it right there and then(Crysis comes to mind) but in war games, I want it to be less health and more DON'T GET SHOT!

 

[emeraldrafael]

At first I thought you meant those food health bar things they sell in stores. I was gonna ask who liked originally and when they stopped selling.

As for gaming, eh. Sometimes I do. They're still in RPGs and stuff, so its nice there. Then again, I dont really like them in shooters cause it takes away from the fact that you're playing the game and more watching your health bar. And Just cause you have to doesnt mean you had to plan out each action. You never know when someone is gonna pop you one in an unlucky shot and just take you out.

SO it depends I guess. I dont see anything wrong with the regenerating health bar that I guess everyone else seems to.

 

[iblis666]

i love health bars but id love to see a game such as a true stealth game where where you dont get a health bar instead you get a list of damage to your body parts and how badly they may be hurt and have you character act differently based of the damage. so say instead of garroting your victim because you have a gun shot in you bicep you instead have to stab them in the neck with you good hand.

 

[JochemDude]

No, don't get me wrong I sick of the FPS mechanic that you'll just regenerate. Health bars are just not my thing. I think they should give it a affect on controls like when you get shot you'll be a sort of stunned and in the leg will leave you not being able to use said leg/arm or whatever you've been shot or hit at.

 

[rileyrulesu]

Naah, he was a total dick at that party.


But who cares? Regenerating health works just as well.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Not really. I don't like having to run around at 13 health because some asshole with an RPG ran around a corner and shot me.

But it really depends on the game. For games like Dead Space, yeah, healthbar is a lot better.

 

[Azure-Supernova]

I'm a fan of health bars under the same conditions I'm a fan of regenerating health: when they're necessary.

There are some games that just need a health bar and when they DO have regenerating health (*cough*Uncharted*cough*) I miss it.

 

[AndrewF022]

I miss the challenge, don't miss scouring over the previous areas/levels looking for health kits.

 

[Garfield910]

In the call of duty games just play hardcore mode, your health wont regenerate and there is no health bar. Also in battlefield bad company 2 your health doesn't regenerate on its own, you need a teammate to (or if you are a medic) give you health (also no health bar and you don't really need to search for health).

 

[Kopikatsu]

I prefer regenerating health, if only because there generally wasn't a difference in having 100 health or 1 health. You'd still run, jump, punch, etc people the same. Some games actually used the fact that you limp when low on health as a selling point.

Edit: Also as one of the above posters mentioned, I didn't enjoy having to search every nook and cranny for my next hit of juice.

 

[Souplex]

Health bars should only be in the following: Stealth FPSes. Cover based FPSes. Survival horror FPSes. FPSRPGs.

 

[teh_Canape]

yes, yes I do

but I do admit that the "trauma system" (you know, regenerating) is a lot easier for the developers

but please, health bars' non-regenerating health made the whole experience a lot more intense and forced to actually explore the map looking for health packs

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

online games = regenerating health, i hate killing one or two guys to then basically sit and wait on 1 health for some random fucker to kill me by merely breathing on me.

for rpg's and single player games its either or, some games regenerating makes much more sense, while some games the health bar makes alot more sense.

or even a hybrid? in DA:O your health and stuff regenerates piss ton faster after you are out of battle (no enemies in the area)

 

[Flac00]

In the call of duty games just play hardcore mode, your health wont regenerate and there is no health bar. Also in battlefield bad company 2 your health doesn't regenerate on its own, you need a teammate to (or if you are a medic) give you health (also no health bar and you don't really need to search for health).

Sorry to nitpick, but bad company 2 actually had regenerating health. Just really really slow regenerating health. Though that seems like a good solution to the health problem. Regenerates so someone who is not a medic can surive at least one encounter. But still keeps the classic battlefield healing mechanics.

 

[Ih8pkmn]

I think health bars are more realistic than regenerating health, and that so-called "realistic" games like Call of Duty ruin the realism by including regenerating health. If they really were realistic, they would include medics or health kits or something that were limited resources. Regenerating health is fine for Sci-Fi like Halo or Killzone, but Call of Duty? No.

 

[internetzealot1]

Ask me for a game that suffered for having regenerating health instead of a health bar, and the first thing I'll say is Red Dead Redemption. The game had already compromised itself for the sake of ease, but regenerating health just put it over the top. And somehow, there are still healing items in the game. But the regen health was really detrimental in Undead Nightmare. The zombie apocalypse is all about resource management, and with fewer resources to manage...

I hope to God that they stick with health bars in GTA V. All of my most exciting moments in GTA IV would be rendered totally dull if my health regenerated.

...I think I got off-topic. Regenerating health is good in linear military shooters like CoD, but for I'd prefer limited health in most other places.