Well you mite not hear it but you just read it:P anyway Half-Life was so lame,nothing special there...The only reason it was on my hard drive ever or for so long was to play CS and CS has been ruined from going retail.so many young,racist punks playing the game.I can't wait for Unreal 2..

I won't hear a bad word against Half-Life. Still rules as a single-player game.

Half-Life is a game?I thought it was a very expensive coaster for my bottle of pop after i installed it to play CS...

Monkeys! Imagine that! I refuse!

#63 While I disagree with you that cutscenese screwed up Deus Ex, you have a very good point. The problem that would be encountered though, is the conversation system in Deus Ex. For what it is, it does do a lot towards eleminating accidental selection of a phrase you didn't want to pick.

i think whats REALLY missing from games are CHARACTERS, ive never cared about anyone in a computer game (well, not in a FPS, in 'planescape torment' i really started to like morty and that chick with a tail who i kept trying to mess around with)

game designers need to realise that a GOOD STORY isnt what happens after you come up with an idea about genetic mutants and aliens and add a few plot twists, good story is the result of interesting characters, in interesting situations. (good story also isnt ripping off the matrix and the x files mr.spector)

also, CUT SCENES ARE NO GOOD, they take the player out of the game, look how much they screw up DEUS EX (in the conversations) or NOLF... games are NOT movies, they are GAMES, player should ALWAYS be in control. gamasutra might tell you otherwise, but gamasutra is WRONG.

Agree with everything you said there...at least in the single player experience. As far as story telling goes, yes, that can be improved too but that is not the primary reason why I play games.

I would like to see the following in fps games as far as the single player experience goes:

1. Multiple ways to complete the level. Have levels designed so that they are not linear.
2. Game designed for Coop with intelligence and stealth.
(For example, 1 player can be the medic while the other can be a heavy weapons soldier. Each is needed and either one can be captured (when knocked unconcious) and then must be rescued to continue.)
3. Sound and Vision - Intelligence and stealth required at times. Maybe making ammo limited would force a player to attack only when necessary on certain levels, etc.
4. Good story and cut scenes to totally involve player.
5. Great Graphics and sound. Use cutting edge tech for the players that have the hardware.
6. Atmosphere. I think all of the above points tie into the "feeling" of the game. Make the experience both intense and challenging from an action standpoint and at times an intellectual standpoint.

As far as online multiplayer competition goes, that is a whole other subject but one I like even more!

I like the way games have progressed. Don't give up on them!

What I want in the fps genre - is a game that forces me to SLOW DOWN from time to time.

Like when there isn't a chance winning over the bad guys just by shooting alone. I don't want puzzles. I want a straight forward game but one that makes me crawl, sneak och use other stealthy progressions. Sound and Vision.

I believe Thief was the first to accomplish this, in full. But otherwise, you can blow a handgrenade two rooms away and the baddies don't understand a shi*. I hope, with the aid of 3D sound technologies emerging this could lend some really cool problems with baddies.

From what I have understood it may also be possible to sneak around in the real time dynamic light shadows. DOOM3 looks promising in this respect. Thief used static light. Imagine... Ok! Imagine using the shadows of a by-passing vehicle to get closer. THAT demands skill! And, if it is quiet, then YOU better be quiet as well.

http://www.unreality.dk/cleaned/U2FAQ/U2FAQ.htm

There are two games I really like, UT and CS. Unreal II will of course pull me away from UT, and here is the game coming out around the same time that will hopefully finally replace CS for me.

http://www.globalopsgame.com

March is gonna rock!

so why dont you go out there and make magical games for everyone to play that will be better than anything else out there... if you cant enjoy a game for what it is , and appreciate the effort put into it.... then you shouldnt be playing them, if all they do is upset you!! "ITS THE GAME MAKERS FAULT" hahahah you fuckin idiot!! so games hafta be designed around your taste huh ?! lol

Again, another game I have been eagerly awaiting. Everyone chirps on and on about how "Half Life" changed the face of FPS gaming forever. I submit that Unreal One had as much, if not more impact on the genre. The game is still a stand out, with it's lush, original graphics (whoever says graphics are not as important as game play, is dead wrong, graphics, sound, etc. are equally important as gameplay in my book, maybe even more so!, but I digress). We all know now that UT was as good, if not better than Q3. I'm expecting this latest offering of the Unreal franchise to be just as good as RTCW, and possibly even better.

I totally agree. I still prefer Unreal 1 over Half-Life. The only reason I still keep Half-Life on my hard drive is for Counter-Strike. I still remember the first time I played Unreal 1 and entered the Skaarj mines after leaving the spaceship... that very first Skaarj encounter when the room closes off, all the lights shut off one by one, the music picks up, and all of a sudden you're face to face with a Skaarj warrior in the dark. Or walking through your ship after you've crashed, hearing screams of your fellow inmates in the next room. Walking through the door and seeing Skaarj running through the door at the other end of the room. No game has provided such an atmosphere like that, EVER. For me atmosphere is just as much a part of gameplay as graphics are. Half-Life had virtually no atmosphere. Gameplay? Oh in Half-Life you could push around some boxes and press levers... guess what, you could do that too in Unreal, and Unreal came out a year or so before Half-Life. The way I see it, Unreal 2 can get only better. Now we get the great graphics and atmosphere that Unreal had, combined with better gameplay than Half-Life... Unreal 2 could just become the Half-Life killer everyone is looking for.

yeah but your assuming its MY fault i dont like these games, its not MY fault. its THE GAME MAKERS FAULT. i dont like the SIMS, i like fps. but they are all BAD.

look me in the eye and tell me that the second half of DEUS EX is a well told story... and when THAT is probably the BEST of the bunch, where does that leave someone like me? i dont want to play monopoly, i want to play well told stories. NO ONE WANTS TO MAKE THEM THO! it is POSSIBLE to make BETTER games than they make. i dont think its the hours they work, i think maybe it has to do with it being an industry run by NERDS instead of ARTISTS.

these designers put LITTLE effort into games, they are like hollywood, but WORSE, worse cause there are no david lynch's or cronenbergs lurking around to make good stuff. instead we got an idustry with the equivilant of a HUNDRED michael bays. and its a REAL SHAME CAUSE GAMES CAN BE MUCH MUCH MORE THAN THEY ARE RIGHT NOW AND ITS NOT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT IS HOLDING THEM BACK.

Huh? Every game ever made sucks? Um, sounds like you shouldn't be playing games then as you are just wasting your money.

As for the ole UT vs Q3A debate, I own both but only play one...that being UT. Nuff said.

I think game designers DO put a LOT of effort into games. They probably work a lot longer hours than do you or I. I agree that games do need to improve and they can in a lot of areas but I don't think it is a lack of effort as to why they are not. In fact, I think that they ARE improving in more areas than just graphics and sound. Take Deus Ex and Thief as examples.

Also, absolutely nothing is more fun than playing a great first person shooter online in a competitive environment. Nothing can compete with the competition of playing real opponents with real intelligence in high intesity first person online games.

Again, maybe the Sims is more your speed. Either that or try good ole Monopoly if games suck so bad.

number #44 has a point. the first unreal IS fun, if your retarded. unreal tournament IS fun if your too stupid to play quake arena.

ive played almost every game ever made and they all SUCK. who ever is making these things should be shot.

i read over on gamasutra some old son of a bitch who had worked in gamming for a few years, was giving advice on getting into the industry, said something like : "an idea alone wont get you anywhere, game industry is FULL of people with idea's, all the idea's have already been had!" then this shi* for brains goes on to talk about how he had an idea for a game about horses...

all these GREAT* idea's like uh, like doom3or unreal2or quake 4 or duke nukem
remakeor wolfenstien remake or DEUS EX2 or THIEF 3...

GAME DESIGNER
"uh, er... maybe we should do something new? maybe we should put some
DAMN EFFORT into these games we make, maybe then we could respect ourselves, and more importantly respect our CUSTOMERS, and even more importantly, respect HUMANKIND, by producing GOOD HIGH QUALITY STORIES! - eh screw it, lets make another SOLDIER OF FORTUNE!!!! and then GO GET SOME HOOKERS!!!!AND RENT EPISODE ONE ON DVD!!!!"

I wrote #44 and I have to say one more thing: sorry for hurting your feelings people! Now I know it is going to _kick_ ass!!

> Are you serious - what planet are you from, *READ* the
> article you idiot before you respond ??

Sure, I did...

"solid foundation created by UT and the original Unreal" - That sounds pretty funny to me! Maybe it's because I'm an idiot, but I never saw Unreal or UT as a "Solid foundation"..sorry!

Again, another game I have been eagerly awaiting. Everyone chirps on and on about how "Half Life" changed the face of FPS gaming forever. I submit that Unreal One had as much, if not more impact on the genre. The game is still a stand out, with it's lush, original graphics (whoever says graphics are not as important as game play, is dead wrong, graphics, sound, etc. are equally important as gameplay in my book, maybe even more so!, but I digress). We all know now that UT was as good, if not better than Q3. I'm expecting this latest offering of the Unreal franchise to be just as good as RTCW, and possibly even better.

Agree. As I said before, I trust Legend to make a kickin game after playing Wheel of Time. To say Unreal 2 will stink before ever playing it is just biased.

Also, gameplay is the most important thing but as a gamer, I want gameplay, graphics, sound, etc to be top notch in my game. To say that graphics don't matter is just stupid. Lets all go back to Atari 2600. It would be fun for about an hour or so. Then you would be bored out of your mind. Save up a couple bucks and go out there and get a half decent video card with T&L. People, visuals matter....maybe not the most but they matter nontheless.

I also agree with what the below message said about a fast cpu making up for the T&L on a video card. You may not be able to tell the difference as the fps already capped out. My bet is that Unreal 2 will be the first game where you will really be able to notice a difference if you turn T&L on and off. I am all for freeing up the CPU as much as possible and it is time developers started creating games with T&L in mind.

PS - I just got a Radeon 8500 for Christmas and I am extremely happy with it. The new drivers are awesome. I highly recommend it!

#44 Unreal2 is going to suck ass.
1) outdated engine: using T&L for what? Transforming and Lighting. Nothing more. No realtime shadows, no innovation, that what I say.

Are you serious - what planet are you from, *READ* the article you idiot before you respond ??

DON'T BREED WITH FAMILY MEMBERS!!! It can cause mental deficiencies... oops! too late...

Congratulations #44, I hereby nominate your post for the dumbest comment award! Great Job, now we know what happens when cousins mate!

Can't argue with that. Thanks for the heads-up =)