Hey! This sandbox has a shovel in it!
sand·box
n.
I Like Bucket-Shaped Castles!
There is a surprising dearth of evolution in the style that "Grand Theft Auto built." From the very first GTA on the PC, the formula has pretty much remained the same (the transition to 3D just brought it more attention, is all): you're dropped in the middle of a large city and provided with an endless supply of inhabitants to shoot, hookers to run over, and cars to steal, as if there was a factory somewhere churning them out for your amusement. Lay waste to thousands of people and methodically move about the city leaving a path of destruction akin to a woman getting ahold of her SO's credit card, and nothing changes. In order to see something new, you'll need to complete more of the main story.
When the third entry in the GTA series burst onto the scene early in the PS2 era, me-too games began popping up all over the place. Games like True Crime and The Getaway added some window dressing -- nicer graphics, improved story, a gimmick here or there -- but nothing of substance. Others modified the how and some of the what involved in interacting with the game world but exhibit the same lack of flexibility and customizable experience; the superhero subgenre is a very good example of this approach. In Spiderman for example, the same damn kid loses his balloon over and over again, the same construction worker keeps falling off of different buildings, and the same poor schmuck gets mugged repeatedly... help them or not, it doesn't really change anything. People won't react any differently to Spiderman whether I ignore people's cries for help or come swinging to their aid. If the design allowed I could become the ultimate villain but the story sections wouldn't be the wiser.
Dozens of games exhibiting only a handful of modifications -- even less with any substance. It's as if the child in the sandbox is taught to use their fingers to add ramparts to their bucket castle.
Are Those Murder Holes in Your Castle's Keep?
What Oblivion brings to the table is this notion of lasting impact. Someone that plays it in a maniacal GTA fashion and lays waste to entire villages will have a drastically different experience than someone who plays within the bounds of morality and the law. The former would have access to less in the way of sidequests, since when an NPC dies they die for good, but may profit more in the short term from items taken and sold. The latter will have much more in the way of sidequests but it could take quite a while to make significant monetary gains by legitimite means.
On the surface these alterations to the game world seem superficial to the main quest; after all, killing a random NPC is unlikely to change whether or not you can close an Oblivion Gate or rescue the next emperor. At the same time, however, the choices you make as you play around in the sand affect how your character develops; what skills become stronger, what weapons become available, how much money you have, etc. All those factors will change how you approach the main quest; my impression of playing through main story missions will likely differ from the next player and that is no small addition to the open-world design.
The kid is given a shovel with their bucket and can build a true castle in the sand.
n.
- A low box filled with sand for children to play in.
- A litter box, especially for a cat.
- Open-ended gameplay allowing the player to explore a large area and interact with it outside of sequential gaming structures.
I Like Bucket-Shaped Castles!
There is a surprising dearth of evolution in the style that "Grand Theft Auto built." From the very first GTA on the PC, the formula has pretty much remained the same (the transition to 3D just brought it more attention, is all): you're dropped in the middle of a large city and provided with an endless supply of inhabitants to shoot, hookers to run over, and cars to steal, as if there was a factory somewhere churning them out for your amusement. Lay waste to thousands of people and methodically move about the city leaving a path of destruction akin to a woman getting ahold of her SO's credit card, and nothing changes. In order to see something new, you'll need to complete more of the main story.
When the third entry in the GTA series burst onto the scene early in the PS2 era, me-too games began popping up all over the place. Games like True Crime and The Getaway added some window dressing -- nicer graphics, improved story, a gimmick here or there -- but nothing of substance. Others modified the how and some of the what involved in interacting with the game world but exhibit the same lack of flexibility and customizable experience; the superhero subgenre is a very good example of this approach. In Spiderman for example, the same damn kid loses his balloon over and over again, the same construction worker keeps falling off of different buildings, and the same poor schmuck gets mugged repeatedly... help them or not, it doesn't really change anything. People won't react any differently to Spiderman whether I ignore people's cries for help or come swinging to their aid. If the design allowed I could become the ultimate villain but the story sections wouldn't be the wiser.
Dozens of games exhibiting only a handful of modifications -- even less with any substance. It's as if the child in the sandbox is taught to use their fingers to add ramparts to their bucket castle.
Are Those Murder Holes in Your Castle's Keep?
What Oblivion brings to the table is this notion of lasting impact. Someone that plays it in a maniacal GTA fashion and lays waste to entire villages will have a drastically different experience than someone who plays within the bounds of morality and the law. The former would have access to less in the way of sidequests, since when an NPC dies they die for good, but may profit more in the short term from items taken and sold. The latter will have much more in the way of sidequests but it could take quite a while to make significant monetary gains by legitimite means.
On the surface these alterations to the game world seem superficial to the main quest; after all, killing a random NPC is unlikely to change whether or not you can close an Oblivion Gate or rescue the next emperor. At the same time, however, the choices you make as you play around in the sand affect how your character develops; what skills become stronger, what weapons become available, how much money you have, etc. All those factors will change how you approach the main quest; my impression of playing through main story missions will likely differ from the next player and that is no small addition to the open-world design.
The kid is given a shovel with their bucket and can build a true castle in the sand.
posted by Paul at
12:02 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home