Though convenient, regenerative health is not universally used, and some games are choosing to ignore it for a more traditional system. Worse, this mechanic can encourage camping in multiplayer games. Mechanically, regenerative health serves the same purpose as before, but it no longer thematically fits. This includes franchises like Call of Duty and the latest Battlefieldgames. Then the idea appeared in supposedly realistic first-person shooters, both in campaign and multiplayer. Besides, you were a super-soldier in the far future a shieldВ didn'tВ seem a stretch. Checkpoints saved automatically, so a player might accidentally ruin their entire campaign. The feature was introduced as a way to prevent players from fighting themselves into a corner by passing through a checkpoint with only a sliver. Regenerative health has become controversial. Many games now use this mechanic, though some ditch the parallel shield/health system of Halo in favor of a single regenerating health pool. Although far from the first game to feature regeneration health (or shields, in this case), thereвЂ™s no doubt that Halo popularized the concept. Halo: Combat Evolved was released as a launch title for the Xbox in November of 2001. Only single-player RPGs place greater emphasis on narrative. Other games, like the recently released Bioshock: Infinite, push the boundaries of whatвЂ™s possible in story-driven games regardless of genre. Some might argue that latest Call Of Duty games lack a good story, and I wonвЂ™t argue but the campaign most certainly is lavish, detailed, and important to the experience. Today, narrative is a cornerstone of the shooter genre only regularly ignored by free-to-play shooters and nostalgic throw-backs like Serious Sam.

Valve proved that solo, story-driven experiences would never lose importance. Multiplayer was the new fad and some critics thought any shooter without a focus on deathmatch would fail. This gameвЂ™s success seems obvious in retrospect, but at the time a single-player game was risky. The turning point, in my opinion, was Half-Life it was single-player, story driven, heavily scripted and sold like hotcakes. There were exceptions, such as Marathon and Star Wars: Dark Forces, but even these games are primitive by todayвЂ™s standards. Most used a brief cut-scene to explain why the enemy must die and then let the player loose. Early shooters like Wolfenstein 3D and DoomwerenвЂ™t much for story.

Doom vs call of duty