Continuity

As of late (and when I say that, I mean within the last decade), there have been a swarm of first-person-shooters, as well as a stew of so-called “defense” games (not sure what the official term is, it’s where you pretty much have a base and fend off endless hordes of something-or-other). And more recently, many of these shooters have incorporated defense-style games into their arsenal.

Halo came up with firefight, where you, as a Spartan-III or an ODST, fend off endless hordes of aliens that come out of every nook and cranny from the sky to your colon. Gears of War supplied horde mode (and, as its opposing complement, beast mode, I think; don’t judge me, I don’t have the game), where you face off against Locusts and the Lambent, from the weakest strains to the strongest pains. Call of Duty has that zombie mode, where you can play as rather odd historical figures and face off against (who’d’ve guessed?) zombies, some of which spew some kind of deadly toxic gas.

These game types are essentially a mixture of multiplayer and campaign: all of the unexpectedness of multiplayer gameplay with the familiar faces of an AI. In simplest terms, it’s the FPS equivalent of MMORPG grinding, but more fun, because you get to shoot stuff and run over things. Who doesn’t want that? (Y’know, besides the recipient of that bullet/grill.)

Are they fun? Is it amusing to watch endless waves of enemies succumb to your undying will while you rip more to shreds with the Hammer of Dawn? Is it great to get the “sunday driver” medal after plowing through what could only be described as a cornfield of grunts? Is it really that awesome to fend off zombies as Richard Nixon?

In my opinion, yes. While I’m surprisingly not keen with the idea of facing an alien army alone, considering I’m essentially a sociopath, you don’t have to; bring a friend or three to go duck hunting. It’s always more fun with a team. Plus, all of those profanities, none of them are directed at you (unless you screw up REALLY bad, like accidentally head-shotting your friend in the first three seconds of the game). Campaign lovers get a kick out of it because you get the full boat of enemies, without the dull predictability that comes with knowing the campaign front-and-back. Multiplayer fans can enjoy it with their drunk friends, without disturbing the peace of other, sensible players.

What’s your take on it?