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November 09, 2004
the chewy middle
I'm right at the end of Metroid Prime, but I'm not interested in frustrating myself with trying to beat it tonight.
I think that games in general are most interesting in the middle third. When you start a game, your character is inevitably underpowered; if it is a sequel or there is some sort of tutorial to explain the more advanced features, there will always be some sort of arbitrary reason why you lose all your cool guns.
And at the end of the game, you've got every weapon and powerup known to man, and 99% of the game's enemies no longer pose a threat. There's generally nothing left to do but a) find every last hidden secret or b) commence battle with the incredibly frustrating end boss. And, of course, if you win, the game's over, and unless you have a strong desire to replay it on a harder difficulty mode, you have to find something else to do with your time.
But in the middle third, you often have enough weapons and powerups to make exploration and actual progress through the game possible. There are some areas that are simply too tough, because you lack the necessary equipment to conquer them, and this is fine because it limits you to exploring where you can go with some modicum of safety. You gradually unlock additional areas, bit by bit, solve the odd puzzle, and have the most variety in your gameplay.
So, beginning: too tough/too limiting in where you can go and what you can do. End: too easy/too limiting in what you have left to do and how hard that final battle is probably going to be. Middle: just right.
I wonder if somebody will develop a game that's all middle? Don't get me wrong, Metroid Prime is as close to an example of a perfect game as I can recall, but there is that inevitable point when, even in a non-linear game, you have nothing left to do but beat the boss. I guess there are some games that escape that. Tony Hawk, for example, or the GTA games. Maybe MMORPGs, to the extent that you and your online buddies create your own adventures.
Today at work was interesting. Pre-lunch was entirely meetings, and after lunch was a three-hour bowling social event across the street. I wasn't originally planning to go, but Mini figured it would be best for us to attend, even though we have a ton of work to do. It was fun. I rolled a 100 and a 109, which for me is just great. Anything over 100 I consider a victory.
I'm gonna work from home tomorrow to save on gas and food in general; this is one of those months when the time between paychecks is a little longer than usual. I am looking forward to next Monday.
Posted by Mark at November 9, 2004 08:59 PM
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