Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Scan first, shoot later

I love exploring new game worlds as much as the next gamer, but shouldn't there be some logic when deciding whether to kill your enemy or analyze it? In fact, in all Metroid Prime games, this has been an odd issue - in order for an enemy to be completely analyzed, you need to scan it properly. Which takes time. Time that's not paused while the enemy wonders what the fuck you're doing just staring at him while he pumps you full of plasma shots and grenades.

Don't get me wrong - the scan visor in Metroid Prime 3 is absolutely cool, allowing me to manually search for a back story to the main story via idle consoles that happen to have progressive information relevant to my current situations. I just rather use it on something that's not running towards me with the intent to kill.

If any games maintain enemy stats, they're usually recorded almost as immediately as the first confrontation. Rogue Galaxy is a perfect example, where all you need to do is kill the bastards and it's in your battle log.

I guess it's practical to know what you're up against in a fleeting moment to know its weaknesses. You know what's a better way? SHOOT AT IT! If their body doesn't get damaged, then it's not a weakness!

Maybe have the game autoscan the enemy, or perhaps give me enough time to look up the enemy's weak points before it comes barrelling at me with guns blazing. I just don't want my first instinct in battle to "Sherlock Holmes" the drooling beast while it lunges for my jugular.

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