Poll: Are Puzzles Necessary In Most Games?

i thought games like silent hill shattered memories really nailed puzzles. they werent hard, but they were clever. In games like early resident evils though I just found them tedious and boring, I guess thats a reason why I never got into those games.

in straight up instant-gratification-action-gore fests like God of War, puzzles seem largely unecessary

Most games benefit from them even if they are'nt incredibly involving. just for the sake of breaking up the pace a bit.

puzzles just for the sake of puzzles i think is stupid (unless it's a puzzle game!), as it really tears any suspension of disbelief away

depends on the game. i absolutely hated the puzzles in Uncharted 2 and thought they didn't fit well with the game. Games where i did enjoy the puzzles were the Banjo Kazooie games. They really made me think. I had to use my own thinking to figure out how to get a jiggy, whereas with the puzzles in UC2 Naughty Dog were holding my hand the entire way through.

I love them when they're done right. Braid is a perfect example.

I just think back to the old days of FPS's on the pc during the mid 90s and 2000... Where singleplayers were not a straight jaunt of linear hallways.. But some breathing room along with it being quite challenging in trying to find your way through.. Now its a straight run through where the exit is extremely obvious.. sSubZerOo

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]I just think back to the old days of FPS's on the pc during the mid 90s and 2000... Where singleplayers were not a straight jaunt of linear hallways.. But some breathing room along with it being quite challenging in trying to find your way through.. Now its a straight run through where the exit is extremely obvious.. locopatho

Well besides the obvious answer of Doom.. One of my favorites would have to be Dark Forces 2 Jedi Knight, System Shock 2, Aliens Vs Predator 2, Half-Life was another.. Most recent I could remember was Bioshock in not being too predictable in having to reach the end.. The games I can think of that are huge culprits of this are the Call of Duty games, even my beloved FEAR was quite predictable and straight forward in never having to really look around for something I missed or what not.

No. It depends on how they function within the structure and context of the game.

A good example is Half Life 1 and 2.
A bad example is Resident Evil 4 (however it had some excellent problem solving based boss fights).

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

[QUOTE="locopatho"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]I just think back to the old days of FPS's on the pc during the mid 90s and 2000... Where singleplayers were not a straight jaunt of linear hallways.. But some breathing room along with it being quite challenging in trying to find your way through.. Now its a straight run through where the exit is extremely obvious.. sSubZerOo

Well besides the obvious answer of Doom.. One of my favorites would have to be Dark Forces 2 Jedi Knight, System Shock 2, Aliens Vs Predator 2, Half-Life was another.. Most recent I could remember was Bioshock in not being too predictable in having to reach the end.. The games I can think of that are huge culprits of this are the Call of Duty games, even my beloved FEAR was quite predictable and straight forward in never having to really look around for something I missed or what not.

I think it could benfit most games to have a puzzle here or there to create a better flow.

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

freedomfreak

Shoot the hinges.

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

freedomfreak

Call of Duty's storyline is just crap. It's too linear, it's not good and it's too short

I think it could benfit most games to have a puzzle here or there to create a better flow.

AmayaPapaya

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

JuliaanStark

Call of Duty's storyline is just crap. It's too linear, it's not good and it's too short

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

skrat_01

Shoot the hinges.

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"]

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

freedomfreak

Call of Duty's storyline is just crap. It's too linear, it's not good and it's too short

I'm saying that the story wouldn't be any worse if they put in some puzzles. It wouldn't hurt to give the game some variation.

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"]

Call of Duty's storyline is just crap. It's too linear, it's not good and it's too short

JuliaanStark

I'm saying that the story wouldn't be any worse if they put in some puzzles. It wouldn't hurt to give the game some variation.

No. Just no. It depends on the genre and on the game. Imagine a GTA game that just threw in a random puzzle for no reason. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in Super Meat Boy. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a fighting game. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a sports game. I could name thousands of examples where puzzles would ruin the game, but I think you already get my point.

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"]

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"] The f*** does that have to do with anything?

freedomfreak

I'm saying that the story wouldn't be any worse if they put in some puzzles. It wouldn't hurt to give the game some variation.

No. Just no. It depends on the genre and on the game. Imagine a GTA game that just threw in a random puzzle for no reason. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in Super Meat Boy. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a fighting game. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a sports game. I could name thousands of examples where puzzles would ruin the game, but I think you already get my point.

burgeg

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"]

I'm saying that the story wouldn't be any worse if they put in some puzzles. It wouldn't hurt to give the game some variation.

JuliaanStark

Also,we don't need a physics balancing puzzle in every half-life.We get it.Your engine rocks.

/minirant.

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"][QUOTE="freedomfreak"] Meh,puzzles would ruin the experience. Like I want to stop shooting russians to match yellow with yellow and green with green. About as puzzly as it would get,I assume.

freedomfreak

[QUOTE="burgeg"]

No. Just no. It depends on the genre and on the game. Imagine a GTA game that just threw in a random puzzle for no reason. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in Super Meat Boy. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a fighting game. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a sports game. I could name thousands of examples where puzzles would ruin the game, but I think you already get my point.

JuliaanStark

I love "puzzles" in games, although obviously not EVERY game needs a puzzle. For example, I personally find some of the door opening "puzzles" in Perfect Dark Zero rather pointless. But if the game is like an adventure, than certainly puzzles are awesome. I must say a good example of good puzzles is Zelda games (the whole dungeon is a puzzle really), and IMO an example of puzzles that are usually too easy are Okami. Most of that game feels like they hold your hand and tell you what to draw. Great game, but that is one of the things that irks me. I cannot think of any adventure game that beats Metroid Prime 1 and 2, and the Zelda series when it comes to puzzles.

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"]

[QUOTE="burgeg"]

No. Just no. It depends on the genre and on the game. Imagine a GTA game that just threw in a random puzzle for no reason. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in Super Meat Boy. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a fighting game. Imagine having to solve a puzzle in a sports game. I could name thousands of examples where puzzles would ruin the game, but I think you already get my point.

burgeg

[QUOTE="burgeg"]

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"] How about the puzzles in the Ratchet and Clank series? Those are pretty fun, and especially the ones in "a Crack in Time" where you're playing as Clank!

JuliaanStark

[QUOTE="JuliaanStark"][QUOTE="burgeg"]So? Halo is pretty fun. Lets add a FPS section to the next Mario game! Nothing could possibly go wrong there, after all Halo is pretty fun! /sarcasm

burgeg

Puzzles have to make sense. There are other ways of breaking up the flow of a game besides puzzles. I don't see why I should be puzzle solving in a racing game. I do however think that puzzles do make for more engaging games so long as the title is built around having to solve some logic puzzles out. The other thing however is that engaging puzzles can only be engaging to the atention span of the average person. I love a game like Zack and Wiki but no normal person wants that level of puzzle solving in their games. It has to be reasonable.

I hate puzzles in game

In some games you have too much of a certain gameplay element. Mass Effect has too much decryption, DMC has too much platforming, and some RPGs have too many puzzles.

I'm running a RPG with a puzzle with four bowls and four moveable stone pillars with different symbols. You have next to no info to start, and every time you place something in a bowl, you die a little bit - kills the enthusiasm right off.

[QUOTE="freedomfreak"]

No.

Imagine solving puzzles in COD.

skrat_01

Shoot the hinges.

this video is an avant-garde masterpiece