Finding the Fun in FPS Campaigns

[@MehdiHusain]

DOOM : a pie eating contest where the prize is more pie.

[@robertsandlin366]

and the pie you get is for yourself, but at the start it tastes good, then like boredom.

[@zedhead90]

Robert Sandlin I dunno. I still go back and enjoy DOOM’s visceral combat years down the line. There aren’t many games I can say that about

[@stanleysandeep]

Exactly, that's why you don't play Doom with the mindset to finish it as quickly as possible. Instead, riddle your other games with Doom sessions and you'll quickly see how awesome it feels. I did the same with Doom 3 and I took nearly a year to finish it. Guess what happened, I found it highly engaging, atmospheric, brutal etc etc and I regard it as one of the best games I've ever played. Oh yeah, since Doom 3 was also a horror game of sorts, playing it drunk made it even more enjoyable...😆

[@swine13]

@Manek Iridius lmao yeh its got this vibe of like: "And the pie is hot and crusty on top, but after a while, the pie starts being unnecessarily critical of aspects of your character you thought they understood were out of your control, and despite repeated debates with the pie, it cant seem to stop itself from tearing you down while you're eating it until you realise you havent had a bite of pie in 3 months and suddenly theres used spoons popping up with no explanation and when you confront the pie it lies and you know its lying because its always been a sneaky lying bitch of a pie and if you left now she'd deserve it but you can't because she has you wrapped around her little pie... finger... with her sneaky pie mind games and you feel lost and alone and somewhere along the line you lost your spoon and at this point wouldn't even feel like that pie if you had it anyway because its hurt you too much. Damn cunning, evil -woman- i mean pie. Cunning, evil DOOM pie. Sometimes you think of going back to throw the pie away, but you hear someone else has been nibbling at it so they'd probably call the cops if the pie turned up missing, or in pieces around its apartment. Still... he shouldnt be allowed to have my pie AND eat it, too... ... Relatable, amirite? Hahaaaa yo weve all been there! Like the post if this is 100% your life, too! 😂😂😂👌👌👌" *crickets chirping*

[@thienphamduc2635]

@@stanleysandeep i even goes so low to the degree of finish that game with highest fps =30 wooden pc =]]] so terrifed.

[@Dean444ful]

That "Press L1 to Time Travel" button prompt is one for the history book.

[@LateNightHalo]

Dean444ful *Press C At least let it be a pc key

[@Roxfox]

Oh, you mean Mouse 4?

[@ahs2011]

Press C to Time Travel vs Press F to Pay Respects really highlights the difference between Titanfall and COD campaigns I didn't play either though, don't want to play COD and don't want to pay money for a denuvo game.

[@shivalah]

A HS hold your horses and stop talking BS. The timetravel mechanic was exactly that: a mechanic to play the game, a tool that you can use at your disposal. You wanna fight those guys head on? Do it! You wanna phase out and get them from behind? Do it. It gives you a certain amount of freedom to explore the usage of this item. While the "press F for respects" was the insult on top of the mountain that is bullshit of duty. You cannot stand there and do nothing its the needed "emotional" part for the story (for a guy who has barely 10min of screentime).

[@ahs2011]

+Shivalah Firiose You seem to have completely misinterpreted what I said, I was implying the opposite of what you think and was actually praising Titanfall 2. Please try reading my comment again.

[@Sarcasmitron]

"This dude who chases you around like a quarterback." Englishness confirmed.

[@jesuswasasausage9262]

Sarcasmitron that’s because American football is as popular as chlamydia everywhere outside the US. I honestly thought quarterbacks were just crisp from the late 80s

[@restlessfrager]

Why use a term coming from the sport then?

[@mikelife2831]

I think he meant like you were the QB being chased

[@restlessfrager]

@@mikelife2831 That doesn't make sense in that context, unless his grammar level drastically dropped for a single sentence.

[@mikelife2831]

restlessfrager maybe it did just based on the seemingly enormous amount of research he does for these videos I don’t think he would make an ignorant mistake like that

[@Cranson92]

Such a good opportunity missed at 10:30 "It feels like most FPS campaigns have been working off the same blueprints for the last decade" "Wait, when did Modern Warfare come out?" *Typing* "Yeah, same for a decade" I guess it could've been overkill to some, though.

[@IskandarTheWack]

Comedy is best done with the rule of 3, the three comedy concept 3 times, though of course paced out a bit.

[@NicolasLima-q8u]

Now imagine a game combining Doom's combat and Titanfall's platforming, maybe even being possible to switch between Mars and Hell on the fly

[@GMTK]

unfortunately it would be too good and cause a singularity and destroy the universe.

[@Ricardo2-dsm]

@@GMTK b r u h

[@janugur2241]

Actually DOOM Eternal's pretty close to that.

[@VindictiveDesign]

Halo 5 comp in a nutshell.

[@ollytherevenant1653]

@@janugur2241 Doom Eternal is legendary. We’ve been getting so many great FPS lately since 2016 it feels like with Titanfall 2, the Doom games, Ultrakill, Quake rerelease, Halo Infinite, Black Mesa. It’s fantastic

[@aidancortney1104]

Imagine aiming down sights in TF2; this meme brought to you by grenadier gang

[@hiyayakk0]

This meme brought to you by like 80% of the weapons in the game gang

[@borgkingerei6993]

@@hiyayakk0 guns that have shit hipfire: spitfire, snipers

[@AttacMage]

@@borgkingerei6993 best guns to use for memeable hipfire: spitfire and snipers. About half my Kraber kills are hipfire, lol. Watching this dude ADS for every enemy and not do some of the more advanced movement hurt, but makes sense. People have been conditioned to think ADS is necessary for any FPS.

[@beanslinger2]

*me, whomst plays team fortress and titanfall* *angry confusion noises*

[@borgkingerei6993]

@@AttacMage I'm not saying that those guns are worthless in hipfire, especially the snipers, but it's not practical. You're not going to hipfire a kraber across the entire map, and neither is anyone gonna try to hipfire spitfire at slightly longer distances

[@Arthutstut641]

Gotta disagree on a small detail that makes a lot of difference in Titanfall 2. On that game, aiming down sights isn't the best option in a lot of its weapons. Some of them like the alternator, the r97 and the flatline have a huge recoil while sight aiming but have a great hip fire stability, making them great for movement shooting. Also, both the mastiff shotgun and the double take sniper have a consistent horizontal spread, perfect for maintaning the precision and being able to hit enemies while jumping around and wallrunning. The spitfire, devoltion and LSTAR LMGs have huge mags and dont give you any movement penalty, so they are great for ripping large grups of enemies while jumping, running, sliding and flying all over the place. The grenade lauchers like the softball and the cold war are really precise and also work great with the movement mechanics.

[@jibbs_aim]

I'm a bit late to the party but yeah watching the gameplay in this video was just painful. He talked about how fast paced the games were and then played them slower than I have ever seen anyone play them at.

[@strebicux6174]

@@jibbs_aim Usually a good reviewer, not a good player

[@krovek]

@@jibbs_aim Same, I thought the same thing watching Zanny play TF2 on his channel recently. Multiplayer on PC is where you see gameplay that looks like the gauntlet tutorial. The skill ceiling on the movement is massive but the single player teaches you very little of it.

[@ThunderRazorYT]

In Doom I really liked that getting 100% secrets and 100% kills actually benefited the player with upgrade points, instead of just seeing 100% like in the original Doom (aside form the goodies you get in the actual secrets). It works really nice with replaying the game and trying harder difficulties. You can prioritize the weapons you like most or intentionally not get certain upgrades because they make the game too easy (Mobile charging gauss cannon with infinite ammo).

[@Alphasoldier]

They remind us how triple A studios are beating the genre to death by never taking any risks ever.

[@araneaimperatrix9412]

Mr Blooey Yes. To give an example, here's a quote from Hugo Martin, Dooms artistic director that easily represents the problem that modern. game developers have "We want players to know we respect their intelligence, but there's a huge risk to do that.

[@someanimal3506]

I honestly can’t wait ‘till AAA developers fall, because indie games are much more fun and it would be nice to give indie developers a larger revenue.

[@jriibzmodus4792]

@@someanimal3506 then indies would become AAA and the cycle continues

[@rocketassistedgoat1079]

Can't believe, 12!yrs later: and Far Cry is STILL (o.k, till Rage 2): the only open world FPS on console. It's grown stale because it has no competition. I'm hoping next gen will change that. I always thought an open world MOH: Airborne, where you have all of Normandy underneath you, could be the best shooter ever made. Make it so! I don't include Borderlands, because it's not a shooter that would appeal to the hardcore crowd. A soft cover mechanic, like stealth: is mandatory. You can't survive a proper shooter without cover, and any systemic game without stealth is a non starter.

[@The2kViper]

But when they do take risks (ie death stranding or the last of us 2) they get roasted

[@riteshkrnj]

Titanfall 2 is underrated.

[@No.1-Yellow-Wood-Sorrel-Fan]

Tragically

[@kitteninabag7402]

Yeah, I'd love to get the game but player base is so small

[@hitmanwolf]

if "Red Orchestra 2" showed me anything... is that small communities are stronger than bigger ones. but that is not why i evade it... EA doesn't deserve my money in this Life, or in the next.

[@tofuelemental6920]

No shit.

[@speedygus2564]

I bought Titanfall 2, but not without feeling genuine, real guilt afterwards for giving money to EA.

[@Neefew]

I really like the presentation of the video. It's, in essence the same "Mark Brown" videos where you go over games in an intellectual way but throughout the video, you've sprinkled in some jokes such as the "best in ten years" and "keyboard and mouse" which makes the video more fun and memorable. I feel like this adds more charm to previously a very professional and cold series, less like we're stuck in a lecture, and more like we're watching a video of someone who enjoys video games. I also like your choice of words and analogies "Walmart's worth of firearms" or "sci-fi Ikea factory" These small details make the video more fun and engaging but they're also infrequent enough so that they don't intefere with the main topic of the video.

[@GMTK]

thank you! always experimenting with presentation

[@BlueBoy0]

The quick-access menu/weapon wheel's a great example of how Doom was willing to incorporate modern FPS elements if they worked better than the series's classic controls. I think a lot of retro-style indie game developers would've left it out in the interests of pointlessly frustrating authenticity.

[@100billionsubscriberswithn4]

For as much as I like Dusk, it is a lot like this and has the same system as the original Doom for selecting a weapon. Even though it's a quite cumbersome system, it still uses what's retro.

[@paveldrotar4493]

Number selection still works, though. I never touched that wheel in Doom :-)

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

I loved the weapon wheel in the new Doom. A perfect example of successfully marrying old and new. The arsenal size of an old-school shooter, but with the ease of access of modern UI design.

[@10Tie]

@@cupriferouscatalyst3708 the weapon wheel was neat but I prefer to use individual keybinds, though on console it must've been really useful.

[@fragr33f74]

If this isn't the best channel ever, I don't know what is. This has become one of my favourite things in Gaming!

[@GMTK]

Thank you!

[@zeroabletachograph]

Mark Brown's in my top 4 of KZbin video game analysis channels, alongside Errant Signal, MrBtongue and Super Bunnyhop.

[@in2webelieve997]

No kidding. The best channels I've found so far are, Mark Brown TeamFourStar My Life in Gaming GameGrumps Easy Allies nanobii My Smash Corner JulySFX CrashCourse Elissia Kim Primitive Tech

[@retu3510]

@Hood OfDefiance You might enjoy Lord Faust very much. It's similar to MrBtongue, only with even fewer episodes. ^^

[@zeroabletachograph]

Thanks. But yeah, 4 videos in 2 years. ^^

[@llama6394]

I love how respawn decided to make hipfire accurate. You shouldn't have to ADS with advanced movement.

[@skumbino]

BulletStorm was a little gem in 2011.. i loved that singleplayer only game!

[@snomangaming]

Great episode as always Mark :) Doom and TF2 were both games I enjoyed so much last year, and you were right that the time travel level was the most innovative I've seen in a long time! The repetition you mentioned though is the reason I quit playing Doom:/ unfortunate, but it's good to see that shooters became fun again!

[@enman009]

Hi Snoman! If you want an old school FPS, you should play Painkiller Black Edition. Each level is completely different from one to another, and the music really rocks.

[@OwenOrsini]

lol i took me a second to realize you meant Titanfall 2 and not Team Fortress 2

[@theaddictofgaming9174]

Yeah

[@PrnvP23]

If you speed through levels following only the critical path then yes, DOOM grows tiresome really quickly, but if you put all your points into environment scanning and use the automap to completely scour every area the exploration provides a welcome change of pace, giving you some breathing room and a steady sense of progression from all the weapon upgrades and suit upgrades that come with it. Even then it's hard to play more than 2 levels in one sitting but this play style makes it much more easier on the brain

[@jaydansucks7404]

There can be only ONE game that goes by TF2

[@seeranos]

Every video you make is a treat and a hearty conversation at the same time.

[@ZachAttack6089]

I know this video is 2 years old and probably no one will see this comment, but his notes about Doom made me finally realize one of the main reasons that Overwatch is so fun for me. It uses the best parts from both modern shooters and Doom-like action shooters. The heroes in Overwatch use a mix of hitscan and projectile, so depending on the enemy you need to either find cover or dodge their shots. It uses health pickups like in Doom, but some of your teammates can also heal you on the spot to help with hitscan damage. Every hero is designed so that you have to rush in and get kills like in Doom AND you have to find cover once you get weak so your teammates can heal you. Half the heroes are about managing health and positioning like in Doom, and the other half are about good aim and staying alive. And they're all fun to play. Combine this with the fact that it's a team-based game with 30+ unique characters, so every game will have teammates and enemies with both play styles, and you get an action-packed game that's a dynamic experience every time. Normally I'd agree that I don't like shooters because they're all about aiming, but Overwatch's gameplay is so deep that it keeps me engaged. A lot like the Doom reboot that you talked about in the video.

[@nixtblack]

completely disagree with your thoughts on doom's exploration ruining the game. There is a brilliant satisfaction to clearing an area of enemies, before poking and exploring for secrets and upgrades. And the upgrade trees are fantastic- all of them feed back into the core gamplay loop and add additional challenges to engage with. I am surprised how readily to waved away that aspect of the game.

[@marlonoswald551]

I agree. The exploration part gives you a moment of breath from the arena combat.

[@deoxxys]

same

[@KalebSDay]

He was using the default shotgun, without utilizing the grenade mod in his clips. Overall his play was pretty slow, also mentioning to use the weapon wheel.....no that is definitely the worst thing to use if you're on PC. Key-bind the weapons to your liking and keep a nice flow going.

[@samikalastaja]

No One Lives Forever is legendary and I really wish it would be still available.

[@tamzf1]

GOG would pick it up if it only knew who holds the copyright.

[@KayX291]

The problem is, there are multiple companies who hold the copyright of this series and it's in limbo, it'd be very difficult to get it digitally.

[@hellishcyberdemon7112]

thepiratebay.org

[@sunnohh]

Check out community patches for it and you will be in like flinn.

[@TheNefastor]

Fisher Sam Fisher I have all of them, including Contract JACK (spin off), bought them when they came out. Sadly, their mechanics really didn't age well... they feel so clunky today.

[@Dreyer888]

Great video. To bad you forgot to mention the excellent mp for tf2. Really, its awesome once you learn to move around properly. Not at all like in the campaign, which was very good on its own. Doom was also one of my favorite games in recent fps history. Keep up the good work.

[@nathankurtz8045]

I thought you were talking about Team Fortress 2 and was confused what campaign you were referring to.

[@vijayalakshmijeevagan3013]

@@nathankurtz8045 yeah, even i thought the same. Lol

[@strebicux6174]

GMTK cant do movement well k guess, i have it on console and clearly its more difficult than PC but he made no attempt

[@lukavignjevic719]

Can we just admire the transition at 0:36 from Doom to Titanfall 2 for a sec? That's brilliant editing, and for me, really adds to the viewing experience, kudos!

[@Olodus]

It is great seeing some innovation in the FPS scene. You have Doom, Titandfall, Overwatch, R6 Siege all doing something new and pushing the genre in different directions.

[@cow4025]

Im not trying to start an argument, but, Overwatch? Really?

[@tieuucanh8958]

Olodus Overwatch is just doing what TF2 has been doing for years. Not really innovative if you ask me

[@AttacMage]

@@tieuucanh8958 overwatch brought new stuff onto the FPS table. Yeah they took inspiration from TF2, but the abilities and heros have (had) a new part to them in comparison to even TF2. I dislike both games because of their ttk, having been used to TF|2, Siege and CSGO, but they both offer differences from typical shooters like COD and Battlefield.

[@shiina1375]

I actually like the slight personal touch you gave on this video. It kinda made me feel like sitting down and talking to a friend about game design which is always awesome! I'm sort of new to the channel but i have binge watched a couple of episodes and i liked every single one of them and had learned a lot from watching. Keep up the good work and looking forward to your future stuff man! :)

[@Merthalophor]

Here's another fun fact: Titanfall 2 runs on the Source Engine - the same engine used In Portal, Counterstrike and Half Life 2

[@lhd4278]

Wtf no it doesn't where did hear that xD

[@robrick9361]

@@lhd4278 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanfall_2

[@sadstormtrooper]

@@lhd4278 It does, it's just a highly modified version of Source engine

[@jasonalbert6251]

Ho-lee shit. Seriously? Both TF2 and TF2 run on source. If Minecraft ran on Source, I wouldn’t play a single game that didn’t.

[@dkskcjfjswwwwwws413]

and team fortress 2 too, the other tf2

[@IndigoWraithe]

that best in a decade bit got a good chuckle out of me. You've got a great sense for comedy, Mr. Brown. :D

[@KTSpeedruns]

This video did a better job at making me want to play these games than the actual commercials.

[@madscienceman436]

4:48 Holy crap, man. That is an amazing transition right there. Excellent work as always from Mark Brown.

[@robin_queer]

Mark, your video was great, but I think Titanfall had an even better campaign than you gave it credit for. For me, the true joy of it is going back to it and replaying it, each time better and faster due to my playing of the multi-player forcing me to increase my skill. True, when you first play the campaign, you do separate combat and platforming because you aren't skilled enough to gracefully interlace them. But in subsequent playthroughs, after you've gotten decent at multi-player, when you go back to the campaign, you start to do it at a much faster pace than the first time, and you really appreciate how the levels are designed so that you never have to stop, being able to transition from wall running to slide hopping and back and forth so that it could even be faster than doom at some times depending on player skill (I haven't gotten that good yet unfortunately.). Also, not to try to get pc elitist right now, but I feel that titanfall is probably better played on a keyboard and mouse due to how incredibly fast it is, though that's just my opinion, and I've never been any good at shooters using a controller. But to sum it up, I think Titanfall has a slight Hitman-esc campaign. It gets better from familiarity and mastery of levels as you whiz by faster and faster each go.

[@firebolttz9058]

Completely agree with you. Going back to the campaign and practicing wall kicks, slide jumps, and other speedrun tricks are the core mechanics of TF2. Watching people speedrunning TF2 is the most satisfying exprience.

[@fleedoop7404]

Please say everyone else saw the amazing transition of the 2 games at 0:35 and 4:46 Fantastic editing Mark, great video as always

[@Fawriel]

You know, you have a really solid sense of humor. It seems like you only put in a joke when you really feel like you got a worthwhile one, and you deliver them in this nicely dry tone and don't let them overstay their welcome. A lot of KZbinrs could really learn a lot from you.

[@dwaynetrawick7125]

Hi Mark! I've been watching your videos over and over. I'm an amatuer/novice/hobbiest game developer and I've found your videos to be so incredibly inspiring and helpful. I watch a lot of game criticism and one thing I really appreciate about your videos over those of many others is that your videos always have a positive spin, while many of the other guys seem to be so negative all the time. And it's not that you gloss over what is wrong with games, but you tend to pick out and examine what is right and that is so refreshing. You certainly do bring criticism where it is needed, but your focus is not on criticising, rather it's on find gems and unpacking what's special about them. Right now my wife and I are tight but soon I'd like to put my money where my mouth is and support you on Patreon. In the mean time, I just wanted to say how thankful I am for your great videos.

[@RiccardoMozzarella]

I couldn't agree more! This is my favourite channel. I haven't played Titanfall 2, but also grew up with Doom and recently played the Doom (2016). It was real fun, but once I finished it I did not feel the urge to play it again. Now I still prefer the original Doom with all it's amazing mods and maps.

[@transformersloverjon]

Protip: Mark's videos are often very dismissive of more recent design concepts and tend to favor the nostalgia of games he played when he was younger. He covers this by being polite, but these videos are more glorified editorials than they are game design resource guides.

[@MariusUrucu]

Have you played Serious Sam? I think it has some of the best gunplay and enemy composition in any FPS game I have ever played. Even the new Doom game borrows elements from Serious Sam.

[@superkerel9]

Seeing as he plays FPS games with controllers instead of mouse and keyboard, probably not.

[@MariusUrucu]

Joey Asagiri There is Serious Sam HD also available for Xbox 360 so no excuses here. :3

[@Ricardo-vg8is]

I was thinking about Serious Sam 3. That one was released within the last decade, and it is really good according to old school standards. Actually very close to the new Doom, except it is not so vertical, it is more about open spaces. And there is no life regeneration.

[@MariusUrucu]

+Ricardo 73 Are you prepared to have your mind blown. Croteam, the devs behind Serious Sam were in fact supposed to make the new Doom game alongside ID, but distance and communications issues as well as Croteam being "indie" and lacking manpower for AAA standards, Croteam were soon put out of commission. Problem is, Croteam already made the assets for the new Doom game, but it was scrapped... So instead of letting everything go to waste, they made Serious Sam 3 instead... I'll admit as much as I enjoy Serious Sam 3, it is lackluster in some areas, due to it being mostly made from scraps from a cancelled project. Not to mention the budget for the game being 500K dollars.Even some enemies like the zombie soldiers and the Scrapjacks, look like Zombie soldiers and Manccubus respectively from Doom. But don't take my word for it, read it here: bit.ly/2gK2zT4 My favorite Serious Sam game is Serious Sam The Second Encounter, followed by Serious Sam 2 (controversial game, but I find it really fun), then Serious Sam 3 and finally Serious Sam The First Encounter. They are all fun shooters, with some of the most deep gameplay you'll ever see in an FPS game with a surprising amount of on-the-fly tactical thinking, despite looking like a "mindless shooter". Even the new Doom game doesn't stack to the brilliant enemy composition of Serious Sam, despite the enemies of Doom having smarter AI, at least IMO.

[@InfernalMonsoon]

The Serious Sam games are fantastic but I find them way more fatiguing than Doom by a long shot. Most of that fatigue comes from dealing with almost neverending hordes in the same area that can go up to 10 whole minutes or more. The worst offender of this is The Grand Cathedral or the final level in Serious Sam 3 as you're often stuck dealing with the same enemy horde over and over and over for a good while before they finally clear out. The same thing could be said for Painkiller and Shadow Warrior 2013 which is why I can only play them in short bursts. I never felt this with Doom because the arenas were so short and sweet and I always felt that sense of progression because of that.

[@akizoraa]

Love this, I can really feel the energy in your voice in this video! Also noticed how the script has a lot more of a personal tone this time, personally I really like it. Looking forward to more stuff from you!

[@SendyTheEndless]

2:22 I've been playing a bit of Serious Sam HD (First + Second Encounter) recently and a lot of what you're saying here is reminding me of that game :)

[@Bakerseed]

it's so great to hear many opinions about certain games and you kind of summarize not just your own but also a very objective opinion about games which is awesome and great to watch and listen!

[@TehNoobiness]

The funny thing is, BF1 wasn't even historically accurate. They had way too many SMGs.

[@Lyubimov89]

Not enough trenches, no opportunity to realize the futility of fighting people because one bloke you don't know killed another, more important bloke you don't know and make peace over your shared desire to simply exist as well. Also tanks are inaccurate.

[@TehNoobiness]

Lyubimov89 I would've happily played an FPS that was all bolt-action rifles.

[@Lyubimov89]

The closest things that crops up in my mind is instagib mode for Unreal Tournament. Also, FIstful of Frags might tickle your fancy.

[@NaughtyKnaves]

The original battlefield (1942) was also like that. They were never trying to be historically accurate.

[@HaloFTW55]

Try Verdun.

[@DamienDarksideBlog]

Brown and Ahoy videos are the two top channels on my feed where I am always excited to see a new video.

[@TheNoticeBlog]

03:24 "This dude chases you about like a QUARTERBACK."If you're referring to American football, then Linebacker would be a more appropriate position to use here. The quarterback's on the offensive side, so he/she wouldn't be chasing down anyone. If anything, they're often the ones running.

[@SeanNoonan]

Take a drink every time Mark says "decade".

[@henrythatsall]

Mark: I love how this mechanic is stripped away from the player before it gets boring Also mark when talking about mario: why do they get rid of mechanics so fast after their introduced, their so cool

[@jasonalbert6251]

It’s almost like there’s an optimal amount of time to let the player use a mechanic! Who would have guessed? Seriously though, you want to strike a balance. Let the player have the mechanic long enough that they really have time to enjoy it, but don’t keep it long enough that you run out of ideas and the player gets bored.

[@Michformer]

Great video as always, and sincere thanks for including my analysis article on Doom in the description!

[@Shade2800]

Really? Nice!

[@Michformer]

Thanks! Feel free to check it out and share it when you have the time, and let me know what you think of it! I welcome all kinds of feedback!

[@gilgamesh310]

The Resistance series always gets ignored when great shooters are brought up. Resistance 3 is one of the best shooters in the last 10 years.

[@wizrdlizrd8805]

You're channel has the most heart out of any other gaming related channels on KZbin. Thanks for great content :)

[@mononoke721]

I couldn't have had a bigger contrast when I played an hour of Battlefront followed by an hour of DOOM recently...it was like night and day levels of enjoyment and fun.

[@warhead217]

Honestly the best start to a great career. This is a really convincing and accurate to FPS design trends. Stick it out!

[@benwasserman8223]

Wait, what about the Bioshock Games and Wolfenstein TNO? Those campaigns were fun and amazing as well

[@benwasserman8223]

***** Idk, plasmid/gun combos and the sky rail fights were pretty exhilarating

[@JacobHermant]

I definitely agree with these replies, but i love Bioshock so I'll just add my two cents. The gunplay in the first Bioshock is honestly a major disappointment ocnsidering how strong the rest of the game is. Having a system with two kinds of offense, weapons and plasmids, but only letting the player use one at a time, having to switch between the two constantly, is a missed opportunity, and the game honestly suffers because of it. The crossbow is super cool though. Bioshock 2 let the player have weapons and plasmids, one on each hand, at the same time, hugely increasing the pace of combat and raising the gameplay to a higher level of quality, though the story is far weaker than the first. (Irrelevant, but important to note) Bioshock Infinite (which I think I enjoyed more than most people? I thought it was really compelling and fun, but please feel free to dispute!) I think got the gameplay right, and the story is better than 2's, though nothing can really compare to the first game's narrative. The vigours (plasmids) could be chained together in, admittedly limited, but unique ways (flaming crows, anyone?) And the switch from a weapon wheel to the Halo-esque 2 weapons at once (i think, maybe it was 4? Anyways,) was perhaps a strange choice, but it also expanded the options in the encounters, which were on a much greater scale than the first two games. Is that last part a good thing? I liked it, but I can see why the cramped feeling of the Rapture games was more appealing to many than Colombia's soaring skies. Also Big Daddies are infinitely better than Handymen.

[@benwasserman8223]

Jacob Hermant True, I'll agree with you on those points. But Infinite had the better ending compared to Bioshock 1's post-twist series of events. Seriously, does anyone even remember what happened after "Would You Kindly?"

[@InfernalMonsoon]

I do think Bioshock 1 and 2 have a lot of great elements from old school FPS campaigns, stuff like huge labyrinthine levels, ability to carry all weapons as well as unique and distinct enemy types that really challenge the player - they were both great games imo. It was such a huge let down how they scrapped all of that in Infinite which really was just following the trends of other modern shooters at the time as far as gameplay goes.

[@benwasserman8223]

DarkStarAngelo Not entirely. We can actually hold two big guns instead of one big and one small gun in combat. Plus vigors are fun, even if their purpose in the game got explained in the DLC. It's more swashbuckling action-adventure than dark dystopian survival

[@mister-BH]

Great video, I love how objective it is: Give credits where it's due, but without ignoring the flaws. Subscribing.

[@agraciotti]

can't wait to see the end of regenerating health one day. Always HATED it. I got bothered of Uncharted 4 because you spend half of a beautiful game seeing it in black and white.

[@Mordalon]

That's not a regenerating health problem, that's a problem with how the visualize low health. Just like any mechanic, it has its place.

[@Lugbzurg]

Yeah, like I'd prefer Portal's health being regenerating. I wanna stay in a puzzle mindset for a game like that and not have to worry about hunting down medkits. However, in a game like Doom, that would definitely be a high priority for me.

[@LateNightHalo]

André Graciotti not to mention how Uncharted is so on-rails, linear and scripted that it may as well be a movie

[@agraciotti]

well, that made naughty dog's fame, right? I thought Uncharted 2 was amazing when it came out, now this kind of scripted action thing is really getting tiresome. The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 both suffer from the same "too much attention to the narrative and poor gameplay" problem, which I think so many other developers are much more competent at offering creative solutions on how to integrate the narrative into a compelling gameplay.

[@agraciotti]

@Mordalon in this case, yes, the visualization is the problem. But regeneration health still is an easy tool for gameplay. This video talks about creative solutions for mechanics in action shooters, and, just like many aspects of action games have already been improved, I really think developers should now focus their efforts also in new ways of how the player can avoid - and recover from - damage.

[@afacelessname]

Damn dude, really nice job. Thoughtful, well read, and not the least bit pretentious. Kudos.

[@kibbletheturtle2359]

The time travel section in titanfall 2 sounds almost identical to the section with time travel in Dishonored 2. Dishonored 2 handels it brilliantly too.

[@nope1018]

Have you played Call of Juarez: Gunslinger? I thought it was a breath of fresh air when it came out. It mashes up a bunch of old shooter mechanics and plays with your expectations enough to make it fresh and entertaining.

[@Indigo_Gaming]

DOOM definitely reinvigorated my love for FPS campaigns -- and game sequels in general! I love the return to labyrinth map design and fast-paced no-holds-barred gameplay. Let's hope Bethesda and other companies take notice.

[@blacksamurai76]

I've always wondered what the term was called whenever an enemy shoots your health as soon as firing at you...HITSCAN nice!

[@transformersloverjon]

Black Samurai 76 It's an old term.

[@rompevuevitos222]

Some games use real projectiles but they move so fast that they seem like hitscan (Delta Force for example) so if the enemy moves just one more pixel after you fire you may still miss. So if you shoot at the sky you may see the bullet traveling in the distance

[@alanritchie7850]

NANCOK yeah the pistol in halo Che was like that and the guns in FEAR also are like that

[@distantsea]

It cones from the game scanning what is in the "path" of the bullet and instantly doing damage to the first thing in that "path".

[@Mercurius19]

Seeing a new Mark Brown video in my subscription feed is better than seeing presents under a Christmas tree.

[@lipeckih]

Ah, but Doom 4's breaks from action are to its benefit, not to detriment. It is impossible for action to always maintain high pace or continuously increase it without becoming more exhausting than fun without any breathers inbetween, be it a game, a movie, a book or whatever else.

[@danielhutchinson8016]

Cheers Mark. I recently picked up both these games after watching your video and they were so much fun!

[@franzwirzaus8307]

1st: How can you talk about Fun in FPS without Bulletstorm? :( 2nd: Did you take the recordings from a console again?

[@GMTK]

Bulletstorm is mentioned! And, yes, I play games on consoles.

[@wompwomp9946]

Swag Waschbär He mentions it at 10:40

[@ericnick4498]

She Dreams of Dragons He didn't mention Wolfenstain.

[@ericnick4498]

Mark Brown Or Splatoon

[@randomguy6679]

Eric Nick Splstoon isn't first person

[@WannabeG00D]

LOVE your videos! Currently playing through Doom and must agree it is incredibly refreshing, fast paced and surprisingly tactical. However you are right when saying it can become a little repetitive. But in its core the gameplay is so very solid and fun that after a short break you will come back.

[@Cl0ne66]

I'm surprised you didnt talk about Borderlands here. With your Ultimates, and skill trees I never felt like I have to hide behind anything. Even when you go into last stand all you need to do is switch to a rocket launcher to pick yourself back up receiving your full sheild and some health again--most times later in the game your Ult Power will be back up to help you finish the rest.

[@mrslake7096]

probably the best channel & game design analysis, Thanks very much

[@losalfajoresok]

You have 1 dollar and love videogames? then patreon this guy. Is one of the best, if not THE BEST channel for game design discussion.

[@thatoddstory5002]

I just adore your videos, your way to completely catch my attention and all the fun watching them. Seriously one of the best gaming talking channel i have ever seen. Go on like this!

[@LateNightHalo]

1:14 uhhh did you forget about Halo 3?

[@VladiMatt]

Halo is boring, though.

[@MiauFrito]

+Beef Supreme Halo 1 is pretty boring by modern standards, but Halo 2 and Halo 3 still hold up. Great enemy variety, really fun vehicles, and awesome level design. If you want to play Halo 2, you can search for "Project Cartographer", it's the whole game minus the annoying Games For Windows Live shit and with multiplayer re-enabled (official dedicated servers were closed some time ago)

[@MiloDelMal]

As much as I love Halo (Big fan, my favorites are CE & reach) they are textbook shooters. Kudos to halo for rewarding melee attacks, too bad halo 2 ruined the melee.

[@QuakeGamerROTMG]

But Halo is Call of Duty in space.

[@rompevuevitos222]

Halo 1 is bad? damn, i really have to play Halo 2 and 3 then o.O, i loved the first one even tho i played it like 2-3 years ago

[@zenotaddei]

I really enjoyed this video and I really appreciated your Vanquish mention because I always thought that it's one of the few FPS that encourage to run towards the enemy rather than away from it!

[@araneaimperatrix9412]

I disagree on what you said about Doom being repetitive. Every fight has something new, wether it be new enemies, new power ups, new weapons, new upgrades, or new arenas each with new item and enemy placements. It's a huge list of factors that are constantly being updated, save for the first level, so each fight never got boring or repetitive, and each fight has something you can improve on.

[@araneaimperatrix9412]

Also, I thought Titanfall's campaign was fucking boring. Titanfall 2's amount of one level gimmicks ruined the game for me. One-time gimmicks ruin the mechanics importance and are the plague of modern FPS campaigns.

[@PhillipAmthor]

@@araneaimperatrix9412 its funny how you have the opposite opinion. I have both games and i think titanfall was besides rainbow six and overwatch the nost innovative game. Also to fight like a cyber ninja in tf2 is fucking satisfying. I also think doom was repetitive as hell and not worth 60€. Every cod or halo was better than doom

[@itisWhatitis12345]

@@PhillipAmthor "Every cod or halo was better than doom" your comment just lost all credibility. smh. How can someone even say that statement

[@borgkingerei6993]

@@araneaimperatrix9412 have you played a modern fps? Cod, battlefield and so on never try anything new. Cod 4, all ghillied up, is unique, cause it doesn't consist of shoot the bad guys. The follow up mission is exactly that. Shooting, shooting, shooting, mission over. TF|2's gimmicks don't overstay their welcome. Otherwise it wouldn't be fresh. You wouldn't want a Titan only mission for 4 missions in a row, now would you?

[@borgkingerei6993]

@@PhillipAmthor >overwatch >One of the most innovative shooters *Visible confusion*

[@joaogaspar4043]

I think that shooters like Doom and Bulletstorm was the best type of this style, 'cause of the velocity of the gameplay and the diversity of enemys/weapons and, principally, violent finalizations!! You felt so badass, and this sensation transformed this games in the best FPS experiences i've ever had!

[@EgonCom]

1:05 - No no no. There was no saving FPS, because FPS didn't need saving. You just mistook Spunkgargleweewees for FPS, that's all.

[@Matterblast]

Great video! Even after the effusive praise that was given to these two games by the games press, you still found new things to add to the conversation.

[@elexios6208]

yeah these games are absolutely great, i agree with everything you said about this, i hate modern fps's. but, i also absolutely love counter strike, games similar to it or games also using modern fps tropes i hate, but the refined surgeon like feeling of taking down an enemy in a game like counter strike still keeps me in love wit hit. i don't get why i hate games like it because i find them boring but i find that csgo (sometimes i still play 1.6 i hate source tho) are just so incredibly good to play. and yes i know this video applies to single player but i think the mechanical design conversation of stale fps still applies to multiplayer.

[@MrDiarukia]

I think it's because of the tactical nature from CS:GO. Everything is balanced in a way. that just can't mow down enemies and the small team size means, one dead player impacts the team in a meaningful way. On top of that are spray patterns, that allow players to learn the behavior of the weapons, instead of hoping that it hits. (I believe the only weapons that shoot randomly are the SSG 08 and AWP when they are not scoped in).

[@elexios6208]

yeah i suppose but in some way the game feels clinical (at least to me) and that feeling of a clinical surgeon like kill feels incredible. its like ice skating to me like moving from one jump (kill in this case) gracefully and in motion to the next.

[@JmsNmnn]

EXCELLENT video. I love your analyses. Makes me appreciate these game so much more

[@jamesmason3734]

Personally I really enjoyed the secret finding in the new doom. Though it might be because I never did the pigeon thing, that sounds like the worst thing.

[@venger64]

Besides the fact that I really like your thoughts behind the Videos, I have to say, your editing is impressive. I mean, the first minute looks more fluid and appealing than things I could ever achieve. Also the script is very good and it makes your videos entertaining to watch.

[@MrAnonEMoss]

I can't help but notice that a lot of the things you liked about Doom are things that I like about Metroid Prime. The creators of Doom may have potentially used Metroid Prime as an inspiration, yeah?

[@GMTK]

There are ex-Metroid Prime designers on the Doom team

[@alondite215]

Really? That I did not know. I absolutely adore Metroid Prime and really appreciate the design of the original Doom despite not being a huge fan, so maybe I should look into the new Doom...

[@benox50]

Metroid prime combat focus more on the avoid rather than the aim

[@jeffd.683]

benox50 Prime as a whole focused more on exploration than combat. I hesitate to even call it a shooter, though I still love it to death.

[@Zack-if8se]

if anyone is still looking for some great single-player FPS games to play, there's a thriving indie scene for this genre. I'd recommend Dusk (2018), Amid Evil (2019), Ion Fury (2019) and the Turok and Turok II ports from Nightdive Studios. All of them are great, but I especially recommend Dusk - if you're familiar with metroidvanias, Dusk is to Quake what Hollow Knight is to Super Metroid (although I've yet to mess around in the multiplayer for Dusk).

[@ghosface353]

I need to play No One Lives Forever 1 & 2 again! I need it on GOG!

[@GraveUypo]

you said everything there is to be said about FPS games, these two games and game design. damn, this video is the complete package. i agree with absolutely everything

[@dlakodlak]

1:13 When did WHAT come out? I can't understand you there, Mark.

[@Snubbybill]

Resident Evil 4

[@dlakodlak]

Thanks. I kept hearing something along Disney World. Close enough.

[@Avecit_]

oh god, I thought I was the only one

Hahaha thanks I was understanding Res New York 4.

[@lesh1y203]

Love your amazing vids, found them accidentaly about 3 days ago and can't stop watching. It's like a fresh air in gaming section of KZbin. Greetings from Russia, I will definitely support your work on Patreon as soon as I can.

[@GMTK]

Thank you!

[@Uomelette]

What about portal 2? I thought that was the best single player FPS Campaign of the decade

[@GMTK]

you don't do a lot of shooting in portal!

[@Uomelette]

true, but u still shoot portals in first person amiright?

[@GMTK]

haha, well technically yes, but only because Valve was smart enough to tie a quirky puzzle game to a genre that many gamers will accept! It's a puzzle game, in reality, though - right?

[@Uomelette]

yeah I guess so. xd

[@chickensangwich97]

This gets back to the old problem of how weirdly we describe video game genres. The phrase "First person shooter" is describing a camera angle, not the emotional and intellectual experience we associate with first person shooters. It's like if Noir movies were called "Black and White Long Angle Shadows." FPS's are fundamentally different from Shmups are fundamentally different from Immersive Sims, but you can accurately describe all of them as "shooters."

[@dddmemaybe]

This was a very properly thought out video. Thank you for the interesting yet knowledgeable insight yet again my dude.

[@johndaniel8283]

I really enjoy the COD modern warfare 2 campaign.

[@vighneshsivakumar3418]

I tried it for 2 hours and it was an incredibly boring 2 hours.

[@transformersloverjon]

Vighnesh Sivakumar You are pretentious.

[@Angelo-wf4kf]

nice episode, I loved your critique on Titanfall 2. I loved this game, it is perfect to me and I love that you still found a few things to critisize! awesome!

[@PiercingSight]

>Finding fun FPS games Whaaaaaaaat? I had no idea they made those until this video!

[@pixelated6162]

Man I subscribed a long time ago as I remember when u had about 20K, and you know what I dont regret it your channel ia amazing and oneday when I set my ideas into a real thing ill definitely use your knowledge

[@JII-JII]

Wolfenstein: The New Order was pretty refreshing for a First-Person Shooter when it came out~

[@sadstormtrooper]

Played it in 2019 and was still blown away by how much I was invested in the characters in a freaking Wolfenstein game

[@kaylubproductions4517]

I don't know why, but that visual gag with the keyboard and mouse was really funny. Kudos for that, Mark!

[@jordanneal576]

Wait... are you playing Doom on console? Oh no... JK. Good vid.

[@MrGreatDane2]

To be honest, KB+M is only good for precision that isn't really needed in doom, movement is more important and controllers are definitely better for movement

[@RyumaXtheXKing]

lol

[@jordanneal576]

Unless, you know... you want to turn around.

[@highestsettings]

+lolslayer Yeah cause why would you want precision and fast aiming on a game where you're running around like you've just necked a bag of speed? Also an analogue stick ain't that much better than a keyboard for movement, and even if it was, the aiming is so much better with a mouse that it would always make up for it. But I've never felt like I needed an analogue stick for movement with FPS games, I play with a controller a lot so this ain't some weird PC master race bias bullshit. Objectively keyboard and mouse is the best option for FPS games, even developers agree, hence why you get shit like aim-assist which you can never completely turn off and why all modern FPS games designed for consoles primarily are set in narrow corridors so you don't have to turn too much or too fast. It's not something that's really up for debate, you might prefer a controller, but that doesn't mean that it's better. Something can be objectively better but you can still subjectively prefer the inferior option.

[@ThatsPety]

I like keyboard and mouse, I have a Black Widow, but playing on it feels like work. Convenience is underappreciated but not undervalued!

[@ShanePatSmith]

I like how the introduction gets more and more casual with each new video

[@beryllium9112]

5:46 CORRECTION** “wait, when did halo 3 come out. Yep, best in the decade. Well, more like 9 years.”

[@johncargille7722]

Game Maker's Toolkit, the best game design youtube channel to come out in a decade. Wait, when did Extra credits start? Yeah, in a decade :}

[@cavangriffin1514]

They both also have that fantastic "game feel"

[@sizor3ds]

Dullahan the movement and shooting in both games are the best I've ever seen

[@saltynurd3015]

plus i disagree with his complaints about doom feeling repeptive, i think him ignoring the upgrade tree was part of the issue. once you got your super shotgun maxed out *It is litteraly the greatest video game weapon ever to appear on a screen* Its so satisfying to use as you chuck out not 1, but 2 shots then the reloading animation plays, but much faster then normal. resulting in the most satisfying video game weapon by far. well IMO atleast

[@DEmiStiG]

Man I think I'm in love with the Gauss Cannon. I would recommend DOOM to everyone only for that weapon, it's fucking porn

[@saltynurd3015]

I didn't use the gauss cannon that much on my hurt me plenty or ultra violence campaigns..

[@alanritchie7850]

Salty Nurd I disagreed on a lot of his Titanfall 2 complaints There were plenty of times where you could incorporate movement and shooting. He says you are often encouraged to run away from fights, but in doom this happens a lot as well. And shooting while wall running is a big part of the game

[@TurboButton]

Thanks for the shout-out, Marky Mark.

[@GMTK]

it was between you and bunnyhop but, you know, us brits have to stick together

[@evilagram]

"And if they honestly expect you to wallrun and shoot at the same time, well honestly that's pretty hard, maybe it's easier on a keyboard and mouse" Stop playing FPS games on a controller already! That's like browsing the web with a controller, it's a terrible tool for the purpose of pointing and clicking.

[@seraphendipity]

Chris Wagar maybe. I mostly play with mouse and keyboard nowadays, but I still find it more enjoyable, if less accurate and competitive, to use controller. If Im playing casually Ill use controller

[@Rat_Fบcker]

No worry you got to that in Multiplayer You even have to shoot enemy zooming at sound breaking speed

[@DisKorruptd]

I mean, there are people who play their games on PS4 and Xbox, someone who sits at a computer editing videos for hours probably doesnt wanna hold a mouse while they play games, it just feels like they're still working, that said, my personal ideal is actually Joystick and mouse, I like the movement precision offered by a joystick, but the accuracy offered by the mouse,

[@3rdmonarch352]

if you can point and click using a controller you are GOD

[@orionlax626]

I think the problem is that he's just terrible. I have no problem with TF2 on Xbox, and there are other people who you'd swear play on PC. I think people need to stop making excuses.

[@johanvanhanen686]

That keyboard and mouse joke was funnier than it should have been...

[@mbithiz]

I know they're a bit old but the Metroid Prime series did FPS quite well!

[@rompevuevitos222]

The only thing i disliked about Prime was the aim, they said that they "didn't wanted to be a simple FPS" but removing such a mechanic just made it more tedious to fight, forcing you to stop just to lock on and just run in circles while spamming fire. This is specially weird since in 2D metroid you had to shoot and run at the same time making the game so much fun

[@Sir-Prizse]

4:48 Nice cut, this video really well done.

[@01ChaosWarrior]

While it's nice that you found so much to like about the games in the video, I can't help but wish the tone you took towards other games wasn't so... antagonistic? The way you phrase things makes it sound like no good shooters of the style that these game reject have come out in a decade, and also seems to imply that things like looking down sights and a slower pace to combat will always make a game less fun. If you had, for instance, when talking about iron sights, said "This works fine for Call of Duty and it's ilk, but there are other ways to do things" then it would feel a little less like praising difference simply for differences sake. (After all, there is a reason that that style became so popular for so long right?)

[@transformersloverjon]

01ChaosWarrior THANK YOU!

[@sprucefruit]

You had some really cool transition edits! I like the cutting while aiming down sights and while doing melee executions.

[@GMTK]

glad you noticed :)

[@cronaman3196]

Why are people complaining that he didnt talk about all the good fps games? He chose 2 good games specifically and used examples, you people need to give Mark a break, he probably didnt want to include every good fps because theres still allot out there. But srsly Mark, where the fuck is portal?

[@rowanmiller7062]

I love portal, but I don’t see it as an FPS. Yes, technically it is, but it doesn’t play like one. The only combat is turrets, and even that is more of a puzzle than an FPS fight.

[@justanotherblackwhitemicke7817]

Ehem, Crysis? Anyone? And Im talking about 1 or 3, both amazing in their own way

[@Funkopedia]

He's talking about 2 recent games that point to a recent return of variety in FPS, not "a history of good FPS"