An Exciting New Perspective in Gaming: First Person

Steve Anderson : End Game
Steve Anderson
The Video Store Guy
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An Exciting New Perspective in Gaming: First Person

One of the things that's always caught my attention about the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series are the combination of deep RPG gaming with the immersive quality of first-person gameplay in a wide open space that often kept me from getting nauseous as I might with a normal FPS. But that may be about to change with the development of some games taking the first person perspective in some new directions.

Nether, currently under development with Phosphor Games Studio, is a MMO with a new perspective, first person. This isn't commonly seen when it comes to gaming, though the third person perspective is well represented. Nether actually gets a note of inspiration from DayZ, the zombie-themed modification to Arma II. In Nether, players will be constantly on the run from and fighting against creatures known as nethers, creatures of various sizes and abilities who have all mastered teleportation and jump from one place to another rapidly. An event called The Cull took most of humanity with it, and left what's left of humanity fighting over scraps and trying to survive the nethers' mop-up operation. Nether includes a variety of "safe zones" where goods can be stored and traded, and it's only in these safe zones that people can store goods and keep them safe from loss while out hunting more. A lot of Nether is, as yet, unsettled--the developers are still trying to figure out the basics like how many guns, how much ammo, and how often the nethers themselves show up--and the company is putting out an open call for people to note what they'd like.

But that's not all. There are also some reports that first person gaming is slipping into a new field as well as Xavaint is reportedly working on Lichdom, described as a first-person action RPG that takes place in an area where the people spend most of their time oppressed by assorted tyrants. You, meanwhile, are out to fight said tyrants and make the world safe for democracy, or at least not being quite so oppressed quite so often. The early trailers show that Xaviant is trying to truly get the most out of the CryEngine that's running it, and AMD is reportedly joining in the fray as a partner to get the most out of AMD's hardware in the game. Early gameplay looks like a nice shot of Skyrim, just without weapons, and hopefully Xaviant can remember to throw in the treasure hunting and the like that made Skyrim plenty of fun.

I can't help but look at this picture--first person showing up in more unusual places--and consider the impact of the Oculus Rift in things. The Oculus Rift will likely put a premium on first-person gaming, thanks to the ability to look through the character's eyes in perspective, so getting titles ready for what will likely be an oncoming rush in 2014--assuming the Oculus Rift makes it to stores then--may be a smart idea.

Even if the Oculus Rift doesn't have much to do with things, this is a nifty idea from the look of it, and the kind of thing that would translate well to console gaming as well. Seeing the first person perspective translate into something a bit more novel than just behind the gun in Nazi Germany--or behind the gun in a random gray and brown environment--may well prove to introduce some sorely needed new perspective, increasing the immersiveness and thus replayability of the whole affair. This may be the start of an exciting new trend, and I'd be happy to give first person gaming more of a chance with some new directions taken.
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