Thursday, January 12, 2012

Dear Bethesda. Please make a modern-day, open world shooter. Thanks, Ski11z


ANYONE who has spent any time with Bethesda Softwork's Game of the Year smash, "Skyrim," knows just how easy it is to get off-task. You can be searching for an amulet and find yourself shooting the breeze, hunting grizzlies or fighting bandits. You look up and have spent several hours doing something that has nothing to do with the main quest. I am not saying that's a bad thing - I love it! I love playing a game that isn't scripted and open world. However, imagine a shooter, current day, that puts a player into the boots of a soldier. You would have to work your way up to control other squad members - to direct missions and ultimately to win the hearts and minds of the villagers.

Here's what I posted at 29.95, the Houston Chronicle's entertainment blog entry. 

Dear Bethesda. Congrats on the success of Skyrim. You have set the world on fire with your awesome game of the year. People can't stop talking about how sick the game is. Heck, I have dumped over 40 hours into your game. However, with all of the game's success, I still wonder - as many others have - what would it be like to have a Bethesda shooter set in modern day. Not like the Fallout series. No, I'm talking about current day events - or just a few years back and set in a location like Vietnam. If you want to make it current day, set it in Iraq or Afghanistan. And basically mix it up - create a mash of MW3 and Skyrim. 

Here are my 5 points on what would make this game a smash hit: 

1. It would combine the best elements of Skyrim with the awesome and vastness of MW3. Think of it - you have an open-world game that offers the best of both worlds. You could use RPG elements with top-notch first-person shooter gameplay. Plus, offer co-op play with it. You could have a person pop in and take the role of one of your squad members effortlessly. 

2. It would feature benefits of friendships. Think about it. You're in a firefight and a member of your squad gets hit. You have a choice - risk getting killed or rescue him. Both have consequences. You rescue him and he is more likely to come to your aid when you are hit. Cool, huh?

3. It would be open sandbox. Don't feel like fighting all of the time? Why not kick back and play some cards - watch a movie or play video games to relieve stress? In the game, taking R&R would lower your stress levels, which would actually affect gameplay.

4. Make it as real as possible. In warfare, soldiers aren't always fighting. They go to villages, villas and talk to the locals. They sometimes intervene in local disputes. Other times, they offer basic healthcare to the locals. They are sometimes doctors, lawyers who happen to carry some serious firepower. 

5. DLC/Expansions offer a change of pace. Like real combat, being stuck on a base could get boring. So, why not offer an expansion pack in the form of bulletin boards at the base which offers trips (maybe a small stage in Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Dubai where players can visit local attractions), training missions (based on their levels) and even a small deployment with a special unit (again based on levels). The DLC/expansions could be free or premium but would allow peoples a break from the grind of being in a warzone.

What do you think? It is full of win OR full of phail? Sound off!

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