Prez wrote on Nov 7, 2012, 12:46:

Anyway, another good reason to hate Halo is because it popularized two really annoying mechanics that you now see in almost every shooter: regenerating health/shields and two-weapon limits.

Disagree. There is a different design philosophy involved when considering medpack health restoration versus regenerating health, but that does not make one inherently better than the other. A lot of people dislike the regening health because it flies in the face of the "run-and-gun" dynamic so many of us got used to in early FPS's, but it is simply a matter of preference. I think the idea of instant health pack effects is utterly ridiculous - how does it make any more sense than magical re-filling health bars? People will often say that games with regenning health require less skill, and that's fine - maybe they do. I just know I don't care - I can enjoy a well-made game that utilizes either reality-deying mechanic.

I also think weapon limits force tough choices, which makes for a better game (though 2 does seem a bit too restrictive). In arcade shooters no one minds that dude is carrying enough weaponry to arm a country, but in more "reality-based" shooters some logic needs to be applied. I really liked the way Mass Effect showed how your four weapons were stored on your back for example.