After a brief return to youtube, extra credits is now hosted on penny arcade tv.
[URL]http://penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/episode-07-pacing[/URL]
I think this hasn't been posted yet, searched all over for it.
Yeah, that's actually pretty true
It's what made the COD:MW campain so much more fun than MW2
MW1 starts out with a pretty kick-ass mission on a boat in a storm, starting with a grapple down to the boat and culminating in a cinematic "oh shit we're gonna die" rush through the bowels of the sinking boat, and then from then on alternates between stealthy missions with the british SAS, and fast-paced assaults with the american First Recon.
This parallel storytelling worked really well, because it allowed the designers to work on the pacing without having to bend the story, they can just cut to an SAS scene when they feel the player needs a breather, and cut back to a First Recon scene to get the noise back on.
Unfortunately, they must have fired whoever was in charge of storytelling for MW2, because in that game, it's basically fullspeed ahead ALL along the game, save from a quick scene near the start where you infiltrate a base in a blizzard, but even that doesn't last long and turns into a massive downhill snowbike race with helicopters and a massive jump.
Playing MW2 I felt fatigued and frustrated, there was never a moment in the game where I felt I could take in the scenery and atmosphere, and I ended up artificially taking breaks in the middle of gunfights, whereas I played through the WHOLE COD4 campain in a single sitting, and never felt tired of the action, the stealth scenes allowed me to take my time and rest a bit, and when the action kicked back in I felt more like "Yeah, let's make some money" than "I can't remember the last time I wasn't under continous fire"
Black Ops really dissapointed too, since they said they were going to "repair" what MW2 did wrong, and even the title hints at a more subtle, cloak and dagger style game, but apart from a couple scenes that are frustratingly short, it's pretty much guns blazing.
It doesn't look like MW3 will do any good in that respect either, and it's a real shame, because COD4:MW is seriously one of the best military shooters I've played in my opinion.
Deus Ex 3 seems to have this mastered.
It allows the player to have as long a breather as they want,or at least a long enough breather doing simple side quests and screwing around.
They raise many good points here; too much too often will cause it to become meh. It's like in Minecraft where you're digging through the caves; even if it's a thrilling adventure beneath the topsoil of the world, it's wise to go outside your home once in a while, not just spending a few minutes rearranging your inventory and smelting your goods; walk around the world above, trek over the mountains, cross swords with a few creatures of the night. (ok, so the Overworld at night doesn't have any sword-wielding enemies, but you get what i'm sayin')
Another example is in Dragon Age: Origins, specifically Orzammar and the Deep Roads, or the Dalish Camp and the Brecillian Forest. You can't just stomp through the forests and underground tunnels all the time, since you'll eventually get a bit bored; remember to return to the "safe zone/town" every once in a while. I find that having finite inventory and various consumable items helps massively with pacing; these kinda limitations often mean you can't pick up any more loot or you don't have any more Lyrium Potions, thus meaning you gotta go back to the Circle Tower Lobby to sell the junk you gathered and buy more Lyrium Dust, which gives you a smooth peaceful time where you can chat and trade and tell Morrigan to stop being such a cruel bitch, helping you appreciate the epic times when Oghren bludgeons Genlocks to death with a greased-up nug as he charges into battle aboard a mighty Mabari Chariot.
You can't appreciate the highs without experiencing the lows; even though things seem cooler when sped up, sometimes you gotta slow down and recuperate from the intense battles. (as opposed to kicking Mother Nature in the face with your ENERGY LEGS)
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