What do I mean by this you ask? Well after having completed Alan Wake on the PC and enjoying it tremendously I had to clear up a few questions regarding the plot so I swung over to gamefaqs for some plot synopsis. Catching my eye, however, were user reviews and a few of the top ones being quite low. The main complaint of these reviews you ask? You guessed it, the game is too linear! Ok...so what I ask. Clearly the developers made a game with the intention of guiding the player along a path with a story to tell. What's wrong with that? Games have been doing that since Super Mario Brothers. I never heard anyone complain that Mario was too linear.
So apparently people want more freedom in their games, and you know, that's fine by me. But don't play a game that is clearly NOT a free roam game and then complain that it wasn't a free roam game. It's as if people don't understand that there are linear games in general.
What's wrong with a linear game anyway? Personally, I prefer linear games and I wouldn't scoff at a free roam game because it wasn't linear either. Linear games have distinct traits that defiantly outshine free roam games by a mile:
1. Better Stories:
Linear games by far have the best plots. Take the most basic example of Final Fantasy vs Elder Scrolls. Both are RPG's but Final Fantasy always tends to have better stories and this isn't just opinion either. Basing my logic on the basic structure of storytelling open world games lose out on one major front and that's pacing. A linear game can convey a plot and characters with a keen sense of timing and purpose that is severely lacking in open world games. Think of it this way. Start reading a book, and in the middle of a chapter go out to your local library, pick up an encyclopedia and start reading about dinosaurs. This is the equivalent of an open world game starting you on a quest and you get sidetracked by another random quest that has you research a large monster of some kind. Suddenly you are immediately whisked away from the main plot, character development, and the sense of urgency never formulates. These are all key facets of storytelling that is utterly lost on free roam games. Take a guess why Alan Wake wasn't a free roam game...
2. Better Characters:
Much in the same way linear games deliver better stories, they deliver better characters too. A linear game allows the director to make the player listen to characters problems and develop them more. You learn to like or hate them rather than dialoge box skipping over everything in a free roam game. Not to mention the characters are often with you on your journey rather than passer-byers in a free roam game where the player cannot be tied down. Further, in a free roam game you are always some user created character with zero personality which also makes characters around you just as hollow since their interactions with you are played out normally with the players "good" or "bad" choices and subsequently offer very little depth for everyone involved.
3. Boredom doesn't kick in as quickly:
This is more personal taste or how well the game is done in general. But if I were to be forced to play more Skyrim combat than say Devil May Cry or Lollipop Chainsaw I'd go friggin nuts. Open world games rarely have fun gameplay, Saints Row 3 being one of the few exceptions for me. I'd much rather have a game with a small room where it required some kind of twitch based skill combat where winning and losing is based on how well I'm doing as opposed to say Fallout New Vegas's free roam accidentally running into a Deathclaw right at the start with no way of winning. With better gameplay boredom doesn't kick in as fast. While you may have the freedom to go wherever you want after a while the magic of freedom gets marred by the repetitious tasks / combat you're given.
4. Most Games are Linear:
While this isn't exactly a compliment to linear games what it says though is that if you are a gamer there is a heavy chance you've played more linear games in your lifetime than non-linear games. Though that doesn't speak to quality either, what that is also saying is the odds are very high you became a gamer based off of linear gameplay experiences.
Really though, the point of all this is the next time you play a game that isn't free roam and you expected it to be, don't blame the game because you were too stupid to know what kind of game you bought!
*((real life dumbass moment from me)) "Hmm...I'd like to get an easier game because I can never beat any game I have now." Sees Ninja Gaiden 2 NES. "Huh, a ninja game that can't be too hard." Blatantly overlooks the large "Hard To Beat" sticker on the box...*
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