So in my lack of thread ideas for this week I thought I’d just write down a random train of thought I had about Half Life (1 and 2)
I’m not sure what got me reminiscing about Half Life but one of the things I really appreciate about it is that through the course of each game you play out a continuous story. There’s no jumping from one place to another starting in a new area, no fast travel, no mission briefing or debriefing, just one continuous passage of play - despite the loading of course. Given today’s technology an interrupted flow of the game would certainly be possible.
Why is it a great feature? Well, it really gives you a real sense of place. It’s how we experience life, we don’t suddenly teleport to work, we have to travel there. Part of what makes Black Mesa and City 17 feel like real places is that you travel through them in one continuous journey. You feel like you lived Gordon Freeman’s story.
I’m not saying that all games should be like Half Life in this way, but I do appreciate Half Life all the more because of it.
Are there any other games you can think of that play out as one continuous adventure, unbroken by mission endings or briefings, fast travel etc.?