*Sigh* I seriously wish these modern first-person shooters would get away from the tired old cliches that they've grown in and of themselves. Those cliches include, but aren't limited to:
- Overblown, emotional storylines and character deaths
- Linear levels
- Arbitrary ranking systems and unlocks
Naturally, every new FPS out there will claim that they'll buck the trends of previous FPS games out there. But one publicity stunt later, they'll merrily rip off of Call Of Duty. Now, this isn't to say that every FPS out there is lame for copying each other. No, my true complaint is how these games fail to deliver on their promises and mission statements, despite the fact that they literally promised to do exactly the opposite and instead turned out to be just another gritty, overblown shooter that takes itself far too seriously.
Finally, it’s worth making one last point. Labelling other games as “pretentious” and going out of the way to ridicule them is – in itself – the highest form of pretentiousness. And when you fail to actually shake off those tired cliches, it’s also the highest form of hypocrisy.
@Developers of these games: I'm as tired of the same old cliches as you are. But if you fail to break free from them – and fail to deliver a viable alternative - you’re part of the problem, not the solution.
Promises are like pie crusts. Easily made, easily broken.