Oh. That’s new. It lasts for only a few seconds in the video, but it’s there. Gears of War 3 has added a little bit of a first person view to the game. Why? And is it the right thing to do?
Firstly, let me be clear that I haven’t played any code from Gears of War 3 – I’m not a celebrity journalist – but I base this opinion on what I’ve seen in the videos currently doing the rounds. I also need to point out that I am a Gears fan, so I’m coming from a mentality of having played the game in its intended state…that of a third person shooter.
But is it truly a third person shooter to start with? Not completely actually. Anyone who has picked up and used the sniper will know that when zoomed in, it switches to the iron-sights view. That concept appears to have been simply carried over to all (although this is not clear, but it might be Hammerburst only) the weapons in your arsenal now. But my concern is that it may bring with it the inherent flaw that exists (in my rather humble opinion) in most First Person Shooters – slower movement when looking down the iron-sight – a pet hate that I could go on about until the release of Gears of War 3 a year from now…
But what brought on this idea anyway? Why even bring a first person perspective to the table? The Gamespot video interview with Cliffy B. and Rod Fergusson doesn’t talk about the why at all, but from my perspective (pun intended), I suspect that a certain Killzone franchise may have influenced a decision-maker or two. Killzone 2’s multiplayer and use of cover and a “normal” speed iron-sight movement has always made my heart happy, and assuming that movement in Gears of War 3 is maintained – and maintained at “normal” speed – and the cover system is useable in this mode, will it mean Xbox 360 fanbois will eventually get to experience Killzone in their own world? Or am I just being completely misguided here? Or maybe, if you consider the fact that the game will have killstreaks, in-game rewards and first blood (among others) in it, the Call of Duty franchise proved to have a little bit of influence on the direction of Gears of War 3.
Either way, I’m speculating a little here, and maybe it is a case of being against change that makes me wonder if a first person perspective will really add something to the game or take away from its core concept. Most appear to be focusing on the multiplayer mode changes as well as the new ‘Beast’ mode, which ironically also allows a perspective shift, albeit more a playable character perspective. I think those changes will be a major success, but for me, the jury is out on the first person perspective.
The footage doing the rounds certainly is thrilling to watch and is only making the wait for the games release that much harder. The public beta will satiate the hunger for a while and hopefully put my only concern for the game to rest.
