What's Wrong with Med Packs? The Problem that Gears of War Created

Mark from GamersFTW writes his opinion on the problem the Gears of War franchise created in modern gaming

[Yukes]

Good read. I agree I'm not a huge fan of the regenerative health system whilst crouching behind a waist-high wall.

As the author says though on the flip side dying on old-school shooters and being left to face a tough section with no health packs could be incredibly frustrating.

[Transporter47]

I have played many games without regeneration, and they didn't frustrate me. They made me approach the game in a more careful manner instead of just running and gunning and hiding. I would take out enemies strategically. I have never had issues with non regeneration of health in video games.

P.S, I am a person who loves playing games on the highest difficulty setting regardless of games. Of course, there are some games that you need to do game mode + for them to be playable at all on the highest difficult setting but that is the only exception to me.

[KiwiViper85]

You sir, are a gaming god...

[Transporter47]

@KiwiViper85

I wish I was a gaming god. Another reason that I play on the highest difficult setting is because I find Normal or below difficulty too easy on majority of the games. The exceptions are games like Ninja Gaiden, Bloodborne, Demon Soul's, etc.

[miyamoto]

This 1990 Sega Genesis game called Target Earth, a very hard punishing game, is one of the earliest games that had regenerative health.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[camel_toad]

I seem to remember one of the WW2 Call of Dutys doing the regenerative health first. It was a nice change at the time but its grown old ESPECIALLY in multiplayer games.

[Maple22]

I enjoy games that offer health packs. Even those like The Last of Us where you need to find the objects to craft a health pack as well, but that system fits in with the survival element of the game. Although, having regenerating health is useful when you are constantly being shot at!

[MrsNesbitt]

I agree I think it depends on the game mode. Although survival is much more interesting than regen health.

[Skellytorx]

Yep same with Destiny which basically mimics Halo's regenerative system. Would much prefer the challenge of finding health whilst trying to make it through a level on an ounce of health.

[Transporter47]

I am not sure if you ever played Nightfall or Prison of Elders where sometimes the game doesn't regenerate shields.

[Roccetarius]

I'm pretty sure Halo created the problem, not Gears.

[2pacalypsenow]

Read the article . he never says gears created it, it just made a normal solider superhuman

[deadpoolio316]

Really cause its says in the TITLE the problem that Gears of War CREATED....CREATED meaning that YES he is insinuating that Gears of War was the first game to have regenerating health, when YES IT WAS HALO that started the whole regenerating health thing....Maybe you actually need to read the article...

Here since YOU clearly didn't read the article; "The problem with Gears of War was the health system that it created; the same system that is now prevalent in nearly all shooter franchises: whereby you hide behind a wall for a few seconds and wait for your health to regenerate."

Clearly he states Gears created regenerating health

[GearsOfWar]

"I know a similar, pre-dating system could be found in the Halo series with Master Chief and his re-charging shields, but Epic Games’ series was the first franchise to make a normal solider superhuman, with the help of a waist high wall, and I honestly have grown to dislike this system."

[2pacalypsenow]

The title states the Gears Of War created "The Problem"

[Majin-vegeta]

Yup Halo casualozed shooters with its crappy Regen health.One fo the reason why I love Resistance 1 is cuz of the med packs.Gave you a challenge

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Umm...the original Halo used health packs..you had a regenerating shield but your health needed health packs.

[Gazondaily]

Ironic really because the Halo games are less casual than most fps' out there. Its the fault of other devs that they casualised their games

[spicelicka]

LOL yea right casualized. It's one of the only hardcore shooters left.

Gave you a challenge my ass, if you actually play halo get back to me after you get absolutely demolished.

Finding health doesn't make it more "challenging", it just changes strategy. I could take you out in 3 seconds in halo regardless of health pack or regenerating health.

[CrowbaitBob]

Try running any Halo game solo Legendary and tell me how casual the series is. Then if that's not rough enough for your balls of steel turn on all the skull modifiers and enjoy the "casual" nature of Halo's regen health system.

[BeefCurtains]

I'd much rather play a game with a regenerating shield over a game that has random health packs glowing in the middle of a battlefield.

Both style of game has different strategies, I prefer regenerating shields.

[TheCommentator]

The red cross with the white background is a symbol of the medical community. They wanted royalties for any game using its likeness, so they created the problem. Bungie turned to regenerating health to avoid paying out. It was only natural that most others followed suit.

[CrowbaitBob]

I'm pretty sure devs could have just used something else for health packs. I don't know, maybe a turkey leg or ham hock. Nah, that'd be crazy.

[GamerGabs]

I like it when games offer a choice - like in Borderlands it's mostly about picking up health items, but you can choose to equip certain sheilds that will health regen, if you prefer. From the beginning, players can choose certain characters who can gain the ability of health regen through their tree paths as well. It's all about letting the player choose how they want to play.

[Relientk77]

Wolfenstein The New Order, the new Doom, BioShock series, Far Cry series, The Last of Us, etc there's still a lot of games that dont have health regeneration

[AstroCyborg]

since when did gears create regenerating health

[JeffGUNZ]

lol I was going to post the same thing man.

[slate91]

The earliest form of health regen I can remember is Halo 2 and then Call of Duty 2 on 360. I know there are probably others before that, but thats when I started to notice the trend. I dont have a problem with it, but Im someone who likes diversity so I appreciate it when games do old school health systems as well.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

I remember red faction 2 (released 2002) had a hybrid system with three 3 modules of health. Each module could regenerate unless it was lost and the only way to regain a module was to get a health pack. I think resistance used the same system.

I think regenerating health works better in intense action games where you can be killed quickly in sp or mp (Halo, Geears of War, Uncharted, COD etc). But non regenerating health can also work in games that have fast kill times that require a cautious approach to action (The Last of Us).

[Legion21]

Gears by no means popularized health regen or the style of "hiding" behind a wall to regain health. And did the article say hitman absolution came out in 2007?

[marioJP87]

Most of these games have you taking cover behind walls and other obstacles. You are continuously being shot at by all kinds of bullets. Regenerated health is needed in these kinds of specific games. Most games of this specific would have you dead before you could even reach a health pack.

[Abnor_Mal]

The earliest game i remember having regenarative health was The Getaway. Granted u didnt hide behind waist high walls, but instead would lean against a wall with one hand. You would actually see the blood and bullet holes disappear. I am sure there are more earlier games that did regen in FPS and TPS.

[shysun]

You beat me to it.

[shysun]

It was done in a Sony game called The Getaway before Gears.

[CyrusLemont]

Far Cry 3/4 have a great health regen system.

[cynicgamer]

Interesting read, though I'd argue that the original Halo still had a health system. While it was possible to complete levels on legendary with only one bar of health, it did make it harder.

I think the lack of health packs is more to do with the gradual difficulty decrease in modern games. Today's gamers don't want to go through the torture of starting a level from scratch because they don't have the health to finish it. Unless you're a Dark Souls fan and/or probably into S&M.

Still, I completely agree with you! Bring back health packs and the tension which surrounds them!

[CrowbaitBob]

I prefer regenerative health. It's all in how you approach it I guess. For me it frees me up to focus more on the gameplay I enjoy rather than trying to locate yet another item to pick up.

If the enemy AI is done properly the enemies won't let you simply huddle behind cover waiting for your health to regen. Being low on health and being rushed and flanked on all sides is gonna be rougher in a regen scenario than having the ability to rush a health pack and instantly regain your health.

I still enjoy games with healthpack systems in place, I just never understood the rabid desire for magical pickups that instantly restore health. I think it could be argued that either system can be exploited to make a game easier than originally intended. Health regen a bit moreso in general of course.

[Azzanation]

My gripe with med packs is they dont make sense. Like you would use any med pack lying in the street to heal yourself. Also Regenerating health makes it so the game doesn't put you in a stale mate.

[vinniects]

Who cares a good game is a good game no matter what health system it uses.