I recently finished my first run through of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. I noticed while playing it that it follows a certain trend which is a little disappointing to me...No health bar. Instead, you're allowed to take a number of shots, then findcover and go back out to receive another wave of punishment and take out as many NPCs as you canbefore your "shields" are completely depleted. Being that I currently graduated college with a degree in a medical field (Physical Therapy), it looks like I'll be out of a job in the near future, where humans can eat lead and self-regenerateat a superhuman rate like Wolverine, lol.
Seriously now, not onlyare we seeing the disappearance of the health bar before our very eyes, there aregames out where you just cannot die, such as Prey. There has been a lot of debate back and forth as to whether games have become too easy. Those who argue in favor of easier games say that there are more casual gamers now than ever, and it only makes sense for the industry to cater to this ever-increasing breed of gamer. Some even say that there are too many games being released that are simply too difficult, pointing out games like the new Ninja Gaiden. They credit this to the video game industry being stuck in the mindset of the days of arcades, where the goal was to take as many coins away from users as possible. If it were easy, people would've beat the game on one credit of course, and they wouldn't make much money. They argue that games should become an interactive form of story-telling, removing focus onthe fast-twitch hand-eye coordination that has been videogaming traditionally. However, I argue in the opposite direction. I think that there has been a huge shift in attention towards the casual gamer, many times leaving traditional gamers out in the cold when it is implemented in games/genres where it simply shouldn't exist.
I don't really mind the existence of casual games. They have their place. They welcome new gamers into the world of video games, which is always a good thing. However, I don't think every game developer should make every one of their games with the casual gamer in mind. There comes a point where it's detrimental to the plausibility and gameplay of the game, which brings me back to Splinter Cell: Double Agent. When the first Splinter Cell came out, there was a health bar, and specific save points. You had to find medpacs to replenish your health, and sometimes between saves, you would find yourself with low health forging on in hope that you'll find a medpac soon. Because of the limited save opportunities, you would find yourself needing to go back a couple saves and repeat a lot of the stage because you used your gadgets too liberally earlier on in the stage. I think that was very frustrating and liked it when they made the move to unlimited saves. That way...you could save every time you think you went through a section well, and more specifically, in another slot when you weren't so sure, so that you don't have to go way back in the level for a good save. I thought this was good enough to bring the difficulty level down a bit, but now Ubisoft decided to follow this trend of doing away with the health bar. Now, it may work in sci-fi shooters because the protagonists in games like GearsoW and Halo have huge armor with regenerating shields. However, it's a little hard to believe that someone with a common era bullet proof vest can continuous eat shots and just shake it off (not to mention shots to the unprotectedarms and legs). It's not really that which bothers me that much either, because you have to always suspend some form of disbelief when playing videogames. What bothers me is that it completely changes the gameplay. Other than having a relatively limited supply of ammo, you could theoretically play the game as a third person shooter, because you're no longer penalized with health depletions after being shot. It's a stealth game, and yet you can go through the whole game without feeling the repurcussions of going through levels recklessly. In a way, that cheapens the gameplay, at least for me. No doubt, you can still go through the game the way it was intended, but you know that the option is there for someone to go through the game with no challenge but can enjoy the story unfurling before them. Video games are not mere interactive movies...They are meant to challenge players. I have played NG, and while it is most certainly difficult, it makes completing sections of the game feel that much more rewarding. All of us were little kids at one point, nubs who were struggling to figure out how to make the controller follow your will, discovering useful strategies to be successful during the different encounters a game offered you. For sure that casual and new gamers should have a safe-haven of easy games to feel welcomed to. However, I don't think that every game released now should be made with casual gamer in mind. And I think that casual gamers should be encouraged to make the move eventually. If they want to experience a great game with a fulfilling story, they should eventually be forced to know how much more rewarding it is when you had to go through challenges to get that experience.
