Over the years, there have been many video games to hit the shelves of stores everywhere. Many games have been bought, played and enjoyed. However, enjoyment may not always be present. Sometimes a game is just so bland, you might want a refund or maybe even want to throw it out the window (I hope you don’t, games cost a lot of money). These bland and horrible things are what need to be fixed in the video games.

What can be done to fix it?

That actually may be an easy question to answer, but before that, we must look into the actual problems that First-Person Shooters present. Also, we can look into a few franchises or titles that have improved gameplay in their sequels. For this, we can look into every Call of Duty that is released every year, and another game series that we can look into is the Left 4 Dead series. After looking into the franchises, the next thing to do is to look at elements or tips that may be added to a FPS game. These may serve as the actual answer of what can be done to help the games become better.

Let us start off with the latter. Left 4 Dead is an FPS game that forces you to work as a team (assuming you aren’t a loner who only plays the single-player mode). Your enemies in the game are the hordes of zombies (also called The Infected). Your goal is reach the end of a level, the safe room, while fighting off several zombies. To make the game more interesting, certain “special” infected are seen. They pose a much greater threat to the players, especially if there’s more than one.

This game was actually very creative in the way it presented itself — coming off as some sort of movie. The maps seen in the game are unique and challenging. The level difficulty can also be adjusted. Gameplay-wise, it’s similar to the game Counter Strike (they were made by the same company after all). How was this game improved? For starters, the melee function of the first Left 4 Dead game was revamped in Left 4 Dead 2. Instead of just shoving (though that function is still around), players can now pick up certain melee weapons around the map and replace their sidearm with it. This makes the game much more exciting (and messier) as getting up close and personal with zombies, especially the special infected, can be quite a challenge.

With regards to the story of the game, the campaigns found in Left 4 Dead 2 are all connected unlike the seemingly random campaigns of the first game. Even the first game ties in with the second in a DLC that was made available. The stories are not entirely compelling, probably because there isn’t much room for character development, but the gameplay and character’s personalities and interactions make up for it.

Although there hasn’t been much news on the Left 4 Dead front in the past few years since the release of the sequel, fans can only hope for more improvements if and when a third game will be released.

Moving on to Call of Duty.

Call of Duty is a great game (Battlefield fans calm down), however, the series has received a great amount of negative comments in the past few years. To put it simply, the franchise has been using the same formula for the past games. Basically, the games are (probably) based on one of the earlier Call of Duty games just placed in different settings per game. You could call it a brilliant scam or lazy game design, whatever it is, it somehow works. It might even come to a point where you will beg Activision not to make another one (cheers Battlefield fans). This “formula” is one of the worst “bland” problems present.

What makes this so bad?

For starters, it’s basically the same game, as mentioned above. As much fun as it is to play your favorite franchise, buying the same game over and over again seems to be a waste. So much potential is wasted by releasing the same thing over and over again. Sure, they can add modes and add-ons, but at its core, it is the same game through and through and that is what makes it a waste. A second reason why it’s bad is because the games feel rushed. No, not the rushed feeling you get from getting your first kill-streak reward. It feels as if it were a rushed game; of course the graphics are remarkable, but adding elements or new functions to the game have become lost. Creativity is lost as well.

Although there are features and functions that developers are and have been doing to make the game better, releasing a new one every year with not much improvement is still a letdown to the fans of the franchise.

So, back to the question, how do we fix it? Here’s where the actual “how-to” comes in. These can apply to all FPS games in general and not just the two mentioned above. It would be interesting (and awesome) to see a new Counter Strike game with gameplay that is highly similar to Left 4 Dead or vice-versa. These are just a few potential ways to improve the FPS games of the future.

For this, a list of five “essential improvements” was created. They are as follows:

1. Give the fans what they want

Simply put, whatever the fans want, the companies should give it to them (or at least give considerations). Pleasing and creating a fan base is something that any franchise or product should strive for. If the fans want a Batman-themed FPS game, then the companies should give it to them (imagine how fun it would be to throw batarangs FPS style).

2. All (or most of) the elements of the Single-Player campaign must be present for the multiplayer

Okay, asking for all elements may be a bit too much to ask for, but how many times have players been led to believe and let down when some good aspects of the single-player were not present in the multiplayer or were changed drastically to “even things out.” Though a little nerfing here and there is not too much of a problem, the fact remains that single-player elements not seen in multiplayer is a little bit of a let down. Although some players may gloss over the single-player entirely, having features seen in the single-player function in the multiplayer can still make the game better.

3. Invent some sort of creative twist on “classic” (versus) multiplayer

This is mostly for those games like Left 4 Dead that have a team-based (or versus) multiplayer. It’s either you work as a team or you play against another team of zombies. In this case, it would be interesting to see two different teams of survivors battling it out on a much bigger map while defending themselves against zombies. This is the creative twist that can be done in a future Left 4 Dead game that fans might enjoy.

4. It’s okay to wait

Every year or two (or longer) we see a sequel to a game that we have all known and loved — Call of Duty is (infamously) known for this. Sequels are fine, since they bring new mechanics and features to the games. They also continue the stories that fans of the original game would enjoy. However, they can sometimes be a drag. The same mechanics will just be present overall. Playing the waiting game can actually be of some good for the game. It can renew the hype when a sequel is announced and released. However, waiting too long can lead fans into wondering whether they will ever get a new one. A lot of gamers are still waiting for Half-Life 3.

5. Return to the novel

Of all the things listed here, this may be the most difficult. Returning to the novel or the “new” does not necessarily mean creating something that is actually new however. It can be seen as more of reinventing the game or genre (but not creating reboots). As already mentioned, this is difficult, kind of like trying to think of a brand new color that no one has ever heard of. Either way, giving the fans something new or reinvented isn’t a bad way to make an FPS. This is also what all developers should strive for when making a game. Making something new (or reinvented) is always an interesting thing to see and play.

These five ways are just some examples of how to improve FPS games. Others may have their own ideas that may actually be better than those listed above. Ideas of others are always welcome when it comes to improving the experience of FPS and the games under the genre. Whatever the case, FPS games should be made to be fun and enjoyed by everyone.

To sum things up, FPS games have their problems, just like pretty much anything in the world. It has bland elements within the games that are not pleasing to fans. These elements make the games boring or dragging and may infuriate a lot of people. It does not please everyone and that’s a given fact, but trying to make things better is always a challenge. Some games have done it, while others stick to the “working” formula. There are ways and methods being done to improve the games themselves, the source of which may come from the fans or the developers, the goal being to either be novel or reinvented. These methods should always be under consideration when making a new FPS game (especially those that are sequels in a franchise).

*Note: The columnist’s views do not represent eSports Inquirer’s position on the topic or issue being discussed in this article.

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