Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Post-Launch Review

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (XBox 360)

Developer: Bungie (original) / 343 Industries (Anniversary)

Released: November 2001 (original) / November 2011 (Anniversary)

About

Chased by the aliens known as the Covenant, the human ship Pillar of Autumn crash lands on a mysterious, ancient alien ring-world called Halo. Cybernetically enhanced soldier Master Chief and the artificial intelligence Cortana search for Halo's control room, hoping to use it against the Covenant, but Halo holds dangerous secrets...

Mechanics and Narrative: FPS

Last time we looked at how narrative and mechanics are intertwined (or not) in horror games, and today we'll take a look at first-person shooters.

At first glance the mechanics of FPS games don't seem to be terribly linked to the narrative except for the fact that you shoot things, which means that the story tends to be about shooting things. That's pretty much a given - they are called first-person shooters, after all. It's kind of like saying that horror games are about scary things.

The interesting thing about FPS games is the camera angle. 

The FPS camera simulates your character's eyes. You see what the character sees, from their perspective, and control where they look. The strength of this camera angle is the sense of immersion it can provide - you're not following some guy around, you are that guy. So, generally speaking, the FPS mechanics that have the greatest impact on the narrative are the ones that affect your sense of immersion.