Do we really need perks?

[cantbearsed]

Been playing cod now for a few years and have got used to the perk system and the nusiances that comes with them. I'm forever swearing at the tv at Juggernaut and Martyrdoom carrying enemies who i feel take an unfair advantage as they havent taken me on fair and square, and this so annoys me.. Been playing Battlefield 1943 now for a while and was so pleasantly supprised at how good a back to basic game could be. 3 classes to choose from and just 3 weapons at first i thought "how boring" but for once i've stoppped swearing at the tv and started to say "wow,good shot", and perhaps its time we started to make these FPS a little less complicated and bring them back to the basics. Operation Flashpoint 2 have said they'll be doing a hardcore mode with no "HUD" support at all so perhaps the tide is turning back, to the MAN, his GUN and his ABILITY....

 

[Jason]

Given the huge popularity and success of Battlefield 1943 maybe other large developers will release similar download-only titles which are much cheaper, but with far more limited gameplay.

I don't think any big major releases are ever going to go back to that kind of simplicity though, at the end of the day game developers want our money. It's got to be much more tempting to sell a jam-packed full of features game at £55 than it is to sell an authentic, but smaller title for £10. Battlefield 1943 is not a lot more expensive than a single W@W Map Pack.

To justify a £55 price tag, development costs have got to be absolutely insane as the final release really needs to be something special, something of unrivalled quality.
Clearly when so much money is being poured in, you want your game to reach as many people as you possibly can. The 12 year old who buys every new title, the 30 year old who buys every new title. But also casual gamers who want to have something fun to play with their friends when Fifa gets boring.

They try and please everyone, for example if you run around with martyrdom in a hardcore game chances are you're gonna have a few angry teammates when you blow them apart instead of your enemy (and a lower score yourself). And unlocking certain multiplayer modes at slightly higher levels, so you know you'll be playing with someone who is actually quite keen on the game.
Theres also the element of dodging dropped grenades, if you know you're only gonna have 2.5 seconds to get away then you can work it into your tactics as a player.

But games with action movie budgets are never going to offer much in the way of simplicity. They might listen to more intense gamers and provide more basic modes (Like Operation Flashpoint 2) but for most people i'm sure perks are a positive thing and in general they're not going to be leaving us any time soon.

 

[Carlos]

Well, perks enhance the experience that is COD4 (and now MW2), its the reason why the gameplay has a depth to it. COD4 gained popularity because of the gameplay itself. Its one of the most addicting games out on the market. Its why you're here.

 

[Jason]

With Activision publishing a new title a year, I'm how either of the current developers would find the time to follow the EA route and release any smaller-scale games, even if they are more basic than their main titles. Could be interesting though.