Oh, that must have been it then. If my next post was a response to the modified article, then it must have been. Sorry. But I promise never to change anything but spelling errors...

I believe that a game should have a focus, but that focus can be on anything, as long as it is done well.

Games like Timesplitters and such are highly entertaining, yet they don''t have much of a story. The reason many of us enjoy them so much is because of the thrill of exploring and finding new things, rising to new challenges, etc. Plus getting the rewards in challenge mode, and, in TS2 in Arcade League, is highly entertaining.

I also love games like Final Fantasy anything, Xenosaga, etc. These games give me a story to explore; a made up world where things aren''t as they are here, and I can do things in these imaginary worlds that we can''t do here. I love watching the story of someone else unfold before my eyes, as I can quickly connect in some fashion with the characters and feel for them. This type of game was made to involve us in a way that TimeSplitter and others were not.

I also enjoy good platform games, like Ratchet and Clanck, Jak and Daxter, Super Mario 64, etc. The thrill of exploring, and trying to get by that annoying area to find what lies beyond always excites me. I love finding new areas and new items to experiment with, and I love the thrill of completing an especially hard part of the game. These games involve us by thrilling us; making us wonder if will make it past the next jump, or if we''ll survive this next monster. We eagerly wait for what may lie around the corner, because we don''t know if we''ll survive it, or if it will stop us in our tracks.

How do all these games, among others, manage to keep us entertained? They all have a focus. In FPS, the focus is on the action and sometimes the reward oriented goals. In RPGs, the focus is aquiring stronger characters and a strong story line. In Platform games, the focus is on the action and on the exploration. A FPS just doesn''t make it if it has poor action and little replay value. A RPG just doesn''t make it if it has a terrible story and little opportunity for advancement. A platform game doesn''t make it if the world isn''t beautiful and well detailed and have difficult yet achievable goals in terms of action.

Back to work, I guess. I will try bumping this thread one more time.

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