Why don't more FPS games feel like you are part of a war?

[IamSofaKingRaw]

After playing Halo, MW2, Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 online I find that out of all of those Killzone is the only one that feels like you are in a war during both online an offline play. All the other games feel like you are put into a small battle, especially during online play. I can't really explain it but when you play KZ2 you just get that feeling. I haven't played Battlefield so I don't know how that game plays.

Do you agree that shooters don't make the player actually feel like they are part of a war?

 

[Sliverwings]

Because they can't simulate the pain and suffering of losing you close friends and all the people you've grown to trust that comes with actually fighting in a war

 

[Korten12]

In my opinion MAG always feels like you are part of a war.

and yes I wish more FPS gave that feeling.

 

[delet]

Yeah, because you're the one person in the entire world who can take out thousands of enemies at the same time on your own. There's no need for comrades when you have the killing power of a nuke in your fists.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

All shooters in war settings convey this message to me..."point your gun at an enemy and shoot till he's dead..then teabag his corpse"

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Halo isn't meant to make you feel like you're part of a war. Its game types are meant to show skill and not plot and I'd like to imagine the same for the other 3, but I can't. Anything with a CTF gametype in it should give away that this isn't meant to be taken seriously.

What I do like though is when they take the game and they give you an objective that makes sense in the online play. If my objective is to take a position and move forward, then that makes sense. Taking a flag from point A to point B does no.

 

[RatRace123]

I was going to say something about being an unstoppable killing machine, but the first commentor, actually made a really good point.

War isn't something you really want to simulate.

 

[Pielikey]

Because actual war actually sucks. There's a reason most people don't willingly partake in it.

 

[blankedboy]

MAG should help you out.
It pits 128 people on the same server, and you fight on huge maps in squads.

 

[101194]

It's hard reproducing human emotions of Conflict for a video game.

 

[Protocol95]

In my opinion MAG always feels like you are part of a war.

and yes I wish more FPS gave that feeling.

Ninja! Also IMO MAG would've felt even more like a war if it had more modes like intediction and a few pilotable helicopters.

 

[Blue_vision]

Because they can't simulate the pain and suffering of losing you close friends and all the people you've grown to trust that comes with actually fighting in a war

Implying that video games haven't made us empathize for our character's struggles before.

 

[The Last Hunter]

I find it hard to imagine a war in which you sit in front of a TV, with a piece of plastic in one hand and cheetos or whatever in the other


War is hell, not a sleepy thursday afternoon

 

[IamSofaKingRaw]

It's hard reproducing human emotions of Conflict for a video game.

I don't mean that deep. I meant why don't games make me feel that there are others that are fighting just as hard as I am and that I'm not the only one tying to save humanity. Playing games like Halo and Gears and Resistance you fid only a handfull of people fighting hundreds of enemies whreas in Killzone for the most part you and many other soldiers are fighting the enemy. The last time I felt that was other than Killzone 2 was playing a medal of honor game for the ps2.

 

[Extraintrovert]

I have no idea what you are talking about, so here is a penguin with a waffle on its head. Do you want large scale battles? A sense of continuity between battles? More enemies? More allies? The best I can assume is more situations in which allies and enemies fight each other without the player's input, implying that the war will continue with or without the player. The best example of that I've experienced is in the City 17 parts near the end of Half-Life 2, with constant sights and sounds of battle occuring beyond Gordon's small realm of influence.

For future consideration, it is generally beneficial to be more descriptive in one's posts.

 

[Drexlor]

I wish more games did this. Or at least had people fighting alongside you that aren't main characters.

 

[Nouw]

Battlefield gives you the feel. Let's see, tanks, helicopters, jeeps, boats and heaps of enemies.

Hmmm... can anyone recommend me a big scale FPS on the Xbox360. I'd get MAG, but I lack a PS3

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

It's hard reproducing human emotions of Conflict for a video game.

I don't mean that deep. I meant why don't games make me feel that there are others that are fighting just as hard as I am and that I'm not the only one tying to save humanity. Playing games like Halo and Gears and Resistance you fid only a handfull of people fighting hundreds of enemies whreas in Killzone for the most part you and many other soldiers are fighting the enemy. The last time I felt that was other than Killzone 2 was playing a medal of honor game for the ps2.

I understand that exactly. Killzone 2 has the same effect on me, it's just so chaotic with a dynamic world that leaves the player thrown into a chaotic mess. I find that the problem in games like Halo is that the campaign is a conflict of "There is a war for humanity" and "You're our Keeanu Reeves." I felt that the campaign suffered especially in the later two games because this enormous struggle for humanity's survival is presented, yet it never feels as though anyone but you (Master Chief) is doing their part in saving the freaking world. While I can understand in more individual missions where you have to, but more often than not I felt like I was literally the only one putting a dent in the enemies as more and more allies dropped off. This further isolates the player so it perpetuates that sense of "I'm the one." The perfect example is the attack on New Mombassa as it never felt as though there was that much going on, despite the fact that Earth just go invaded.

Call of Duty and the like suffer in a similar fashion. Why is Private Johnson the only soldier somehow capable of planting the C4 as enemies continually spawn? While it is necessary to give the player a role, why is everyone else in a game a complete derelict handed a gun? To show off their death animations as they run about while you somehow destroy an entire platoon?

I think with more technological capabilities, there are more tricks and just general enemies/allies to create a better experience of a larger battle rather than a few guys shooting each other led by the demi-god/player. Having more onscreen soldiers alone creates a much better sense that you are small part of a bigger picture.