An option is a choice. Choices are what help everyone dictate the paths we take in our lives, alongside the small tasks that are placed before us. For many people, choices help not only allow the opportunity to weigh in on important decisions, but also help give a sense of freedom amongst what people do. While few options can at times allow for an easy and quick decision, having more options available give a sense of freedom and total control. So naturally, the more choices a person has, the better that person feels due to this illusion of control over the consequences of their decision. It is a fact that people want to always feel in control over their lives and have the ability to influence the events around them, even though they may be tied down to a predetermined environment.
In the realm of video games, options are something more than just the ability to manipulate sound and difficulty settings. Options in gaming are actually the choices before, during, and after the game that allow the player to experience the game the way they choose to. While a video game is still a work of art that has a predetermined series of events made by a developer, the level of control still falls upon the player in how they experience any particular work of art. Going beyond just “input and feedback”, giving more options and allowing for a better illusion of freedom and control in a video game can help better the experience offered to the player. This opportunity is something that many releases within the past few generations of games that has gradually diminished as time moves towards the next generation of gaming.
Based on one narratively fitting ending in Mass Effect 3, Prothean squadmate Javik is highly unlikely to return in the next Mass Effect game.
He was one of my least favorite characters. I wish they would have done the Proths different.
This Canada Day, explore our homeland with the best video games that have adapted or reimagined the Great White North in digital form.
GF365: "Here are our picks for the eight best sci-fi RPGs. Science fiction is a great genre for any medium of entertainment. These games are the best in the genre."
The og deus ex is magical. Im also very exited about mass effect legendary edition from the gp. Its next on my playlist never played mass effect game before.
Why aren't there more? A Star Trek RPG for one. Or something with non humanoid aliens?
I really hope Naughty Dog is doing a Sci-Fi game. As a lover all most things RPG I would love to see Naughty Dog quality in an RPG.
I don't agree with a majority of this article. Sure, options are good sometimes, but those options are part of the reason why Mass Effect 3 brought so much anger out with its ending. Had BioWare not tried to pass off the illusion of choice as actually effecting the Mass Effect universe there would not have been so much outcry.
That's all these choices have really been for me this gen anyway, illusions. I can't wipe out the Theives Guild in Skyrim, I'm forced to help Seth Briars in RDR and I get the same treatment from story characters despite my outlaw or law enforcer actions. Mass Effect lets you choose different scenarios, but the ultimate outcome was the same, and even my favorite BioWare game DA:O didn't give me complete control of what I wanted for my character.
Ultimately, I now prefer games with less choice, because in my opinion it not only allows for a better story, but it doesn't make me feel like I'm being patronized with the lure of "choices".
Aren't you supposed to summarize the article to catch attention, and we read the full article when we click the link?