FPS Melee

I’ve always loved FPS games for the immersion that is gained from being able to see through the eyes of the protagonist. The feeling of awe, fear, or even claustrophobia that can be achieved through this perspective is unparalleled by any other camera scheme. When a giant monster is charging at you, you actually feel the need to duck and dodge as much in reality as in game. Every other camera (third-person, over-the-shoulder) breaks the one-to-one relationship between what you see on screen and what can affect you. In fact, the lack of a peripheral vision, slower rotation time, and no ability to see around corners is exploited in many games designed to invoke fear (Amnesia to be sure). All of these awesome effects are broken when an enemy finally gets within 2 feet and proceeds to punch, slap, or bite the air near you. What happen there? Did we somehow agree to championship boxing rules? It’s as if there is an invisible line in the ground that your enemies cannot cross to touch you beyond a slap or a superficial dog bite. In movies, the zombies don’t smack you and the alien doesn’t slash you and then back up—these creatures pounce, trip, grab, and sink their teeth into you.

For a long time, the technology for respectable dynamic animations has been non-existent, forcing each character into his own bubble of personal space. These bubbles would prevent the larger number of interactions that would be taxing on animators, sprite artist, and designers. Well, we’re now way beyond the technological limits and we're beginning to see more and more melee monsters breaking into that personal space. From a design perspective, we must also recognize the problem with implementing mechanics like these. In the movies, when the monster has gotten close enough to grab you, you’re probably not going to survive to the credits. A good balance between the intensity of a truly in-your-face encounter and the ability to come back from being pounced on will require walking a thin line. Use this mechanic too frequently and the player will feel bogged down or frustrated with his loss of freedom to move; use it too little and it becomes a monster’s special move.

Two currently unreleased titles, Dead Island and Alien: Colonial Marine, show what the first baby steps of a new melee mechanic may look like. In both of these games, when a zombie or alien gets within a certain distance, it triggers a cinematic animation sequence showing the foe being held back by the protagonist, the enemy bearing its teeth in full fury and looking like it's ready to break off a piece. This quick-time-like event isn’t that new, and even dates back to Resident Evil. The big change is what the camera brings to the level of immersion a player experiences when facing an opponent (not to mention the pacing differences between RE and your typical FPS). I for one am really looking forward to this next step in this style of immersive FPS Melee.

So what do you think? Do these new mechanics help melee feel more cinematic and should that quality be desired in games? Given that most fist fights end in a wrestling match, what can we expect in the future?