A lot of people complain about games like Halo and Gears of War being more of the same crap. They wonder how these games are getting “Game of the Year” awards and how everyone can get excited for another mindless hack and slash. There is a reason why these games are so successful and why they continue into a series of top sellers. There is a formula to making great games and each one has a specific flavor that keeps gamers hooked.

Hack and Slash
Hack and slash games utilize some attractive concepts to appeal to gamers. One is repetition, which isn’t always a bad thing. Games like Diablo and Dynasty Warriors offer up enough plot to get you into the position of the character you choose. You follow this character onto the battle field then it’s time to fulfill all your desires to slaughter thousands of nameless soldiers. The constant killing from level to level is fueled by the main goal of your character, their vendetta or pursuit of justice. The broken down formula is as such:

• Kill everything; everyone enjoys a good session of killing hordes of anything after a long day.
• Power up; every hack and slash offers plenty of power ups and upgrades to help you reach your goal. Seductive power is…well, POWERFUL!
• Achievement Unlocked; One concept Xbox has used to their advantage is rewarding hard work. Gaining achievements and unlocking news weapons, characters, etc. makes the player work hard and keep playing so they can show off or just feel accomplished.

Side Scrollers
Side scrollers have been getting a bad wrap too. People think, like time, games shouldn’t be linear. They get tired of “rail roading” and going level to level like flipping through pages of a bad magazine. Side scrollers started with a working formula and kept with it through the ages. Starting with the 8-bit Super Mario and Mega Man to Battle Toads and Sonic, developers know how to make a memorable group of characters and unique worlds to adventure in. When you play a side scroller you are taking a step up from playing through your characters storyline and delve into their plot, becoming more connected with them. You know you’re not Mario but after a few levels you want nothing else in this world than to get that charismatic little Italian man to that princess. Like a hack and slash, you have a set goal and you work toward it utilizing power ups and the help of NPC’s along the way but it’s not so much about the destination but how you get there. It’s an adventure, you are meant to come out of it with a story to tell. The side scroller formula is similar to the hack and slash:

• Catch em all: Collecting items plays a big role, it’s not just about the power ups and becoming a flaming ball of vengeance but you’re gonna have to find magical flutes and feathers to progress.
• Try to score: Racking up enough points to put your personal three letters of eternal fame on the high score list.
• Boss fight: Every game builds up to the big boss fight. You know you’re close when the next room contains every and any item to fill up your magic and health meters. And for some reason the only conceivable weapon to kill the boss.

Space Marines
The unstoppable space marine games get the worst bashing among games. Halo released and everyone was waiting for the new groundbreaking experience in gaming “Combat Evolved”. It won “Game of the Year” and continued with a series ever expanding outside of the FPS/Adventure and attempted RTS. Then Gears of war launched and most people thought “Here comes Halo with bells and whistles” but it too won “Game of the Year”. Truth is neither series did anything we haven’t seen before in gaming. Sticky grenades and juggernaut main characters are nothing new. What Halo and Gears of War did do is offer up the chance to pull you into the storyline. Now you get to be Master Chief and Marcus Phoenix, but what’s so great about these characters? Why should you give a shit? Well congratulations, you’re in a role playing game! These games put you in a position of power, you are the main character, you’re not just helping a character complete his story. For some people the campaign story lacked too much and just didn’t do it for them. This is where these games shine with a truly amazing multiplayer. Xbox 360 offers such a rich online play experience. Their community is huge and for a long time made Halo and Gears of War the top played games. No matter how much people complain about the over powered space marines, they can’t ignore the success these games generate and how much they offer not to just FPS fans but RPG/Adventure fans too. Developers spent a lot of time on the multiplayer throughout the series, a lot more than the campaign as the series continues. Developers know that replay factor is a very important element and that’s why they know even the naysayers will keep buying what they keep putting out.

People bitch about the repetitive game play, endless killing, over powered and unbalanced characters, and lame or lack of plot. The formula for each genre pulls people in and keeps them in because the developers know what works, what a player wants out of a game. As a game continues with a series it’s about adding flavor more than trying to be bold and making something no one’s ever seen before. The formulas stay the same, gamers never get tired of that, but they do get tired of the same familiar flavor which is why developers keep trying new things. It’s probably going to be a while until someone breaks the mold so until then just enjoy the flashing lights and bright colors.