Lunchtime Discussion: Power-Ups
Don't you miss throwing fireballs?
Published: 12:00, 28/09/2010 by Kris [Halbpro].
44I love power-ups. I really miss them in modern gaming where they seem to appear a lot less except in titles that throw back to the 8 and 16 bit eras. There were pretty much always silly and fun, they weren’t about adding a tactical dimension to a game or adding a new layer of depth to a title. They were just really simple ways to add a bit of variety to gameplay and didn’t really require much though on the part of the player.
The question is what happened to them? Power-ups used to feature in so many games, and now they’ve all but vanished. I think a major part is that they’re so simple. As we’ve progressively moved to more and more realistic and complex games power-ups feel a little out of place. You can’t imagine playing a title like Call of Duty or Halo and walking into a floating block to upgrade your gun. Sure there’s not a huge difference between that and picking up a gun from a fallen enemy, just picking up a gun seems far less gamey than having a block grant you the upgrade.
Of course the other big issue with power-ups is you can’t really integrate them into the natural progression of a game. In modern gaming you slowly earn skills in a fairly natural feeling way. You may start out with only the ability to punch someone, and slowly build up to being able to fire lightning from your finger tips or run up the side of the building. Whether you chose your upgrade path or new skills are laid out for you it’s always a gentle progression. T
hat’s pretty much the exact opposite to what power-ups give you, a sudden jump upwards in power. Level designers can make sure that power-ups are distributed throughout levels in a way that encourages players to move forwards in a more controlled way, but it’s still a very different method to the more scripted introduction of powers and abilities in modern games.
I’m not quite sure where to come down on this issue. A lot of modern games just wouldn’t work with power-ups, changing mechanics are just a part of an evolving medium. However I still miss them, they really were a lot of fun to use and making a particularly tricky jump to get a new power-up was a very rewarding experience. What are your thoughts?
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28/09/2010 at 12:03
Member since: Dec 2008
I agree in that I miss them…but they don’t really form part of a modern game. Take a game like Infamous for example…we get power ups in that game but thats through progression of the character rather than hitting a block?
28/09/2010 at 13:45
Member since: Mar 2010
unreal tournament 3 has brilliant powerups
very retro (well early 90′s)
28/09/2010 at 12:06
Member since: Forever
I love power ups too, the way you earn skills as you progress through a game may be more realistic, but this kinda re-enforces my feelings that realism is slowly but surely sucking the fun out of gaming.
I do agree that adding power-ups to a story driven adventure would somewhat ruin it, but it doesn’t stop me missing them.
28/09/2010 at 12:36
Member since: Mar 2009
Agree completely that realism is zapping the fun out of gaming.
28/09/2010 at 12:16
Member since: Mar 2009
Drake needs a bulletstorm beserk mode….sod the realism – he he
28/09/2010 at 12:46
Member since: Forever
Good point
Would be interesting to see if things like that could be added in an alternative arcade/fun mode, keeping the story mode there but having something as an added option for those that want it.
Your move Naughty Dog ;)
28/09/2010 at 12:36
Member since: Mar 2009
Naturally a number of racing games still have power-ups. But I agree too. Although I’m more on the side of missing truly great platform games, many of the greats feature power-ups.
28/09/2010 at 12:36
Member since: Jul 2009
They definitely have a place in modern gaming and it would be lovely to see them integrated once more into PSN titles that often negate the need for story-telling and strong narrative.
I don’t mind having them (or not) but it would appear that they are missed and it’s a shame to see the maturation of the gaming world forgetting about these little blighters.
Is the true meaning of a power-up something that wasn’t context sensitive and just happened anywhere? I can’t help but think that PJ Shooter has power-ups (which are context sensitive but power-ups, regardless).
28/09/2010 at 12:38
Member since: Aug 2008
I just think it’s realism. There are a lot more games based in reality now because we are in a place, technologically, where that can be achieved. In the 8/16 bit era, you couldn’t make a game look ‘real’ so there were far more side scrolling platformers or cartoony titles in which those kinds of powerups worked.
28/09/2010 at 12:40
Member since: Sep 2009
I suppose they suit some games, but personally I prefer the modern approach of structured upgrading – it stops you getting too over powered too early and gives a tactical element that you can tailor to your own playstyle – the Nodes in Dead Space for example.
Power-ups are still used in some games in one form or another though. You could say the weapons and armour that spawn in the same place in games like GTAIV are just the same as the mushrooms spawning in the same box in a Mario level for example…
28/09/2010 at 12:44
Member since: Jun 2009
killstreaks? pavelows etc. you don’t do anything and they mow everything down in it’s path. lol
28/09/2010 at 12:53
Member since: Aug 2008
I suppose there’s still room for them in arena based games, like Unreal Tournament, or whatever the current champion is.. Realism has kind if got in the way of them mostly tho, so they’re probably going to be consigned to history along with medkits and ’3 lives’..
28/09/2010 at 13:03
Member since: Jun 2009
Even silly power ups like fighting with a swordfish in PoP on the PS2 I miss. Its just a good 5 minutes of fun to be had after a long day at work