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First Person or Third Person? One Poll To Rule Them All.

What Gameplay Perspective Do You Prefer?

  • First Person

    Votes: 87 26.4%
  • Third Person

    Votes: 242 73.6%

  • Total voters
    329

Schmendrick

Member
Have there been ANY good stories told in a first person game? I cant think of any.
Deus Ex, Portal, Halo, Half Life, Bioshock, SystemShock, pretty much every good FPS ever etc etc etc etc etc etc
It depends on the game, therefore trying to make a definitive general choice between these perspectives is just nonsense.

OP
images
 
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Yoboman

Member
Third person gives a far wider variety of play styles and mechanics

FPS is either fast, fun and snappy or plays like hot shit

Story wise feels like TPS does it better these days but I blame that on nobody really trying to make a good single.player FPS. If it's a Valve game it'll be top tier
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
What are you smoking? There's literally an entire subset of games that use first person, focused on telling detailed narratives (immersive sim/looking glass style games). Here you find Deux Ex, System Shock, Thief, Prey, Vampire: The Masquerade, Dishonored among other derivatives like Bioshock. Then there's also stuff like Half Life, Portal, Fallout, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, etc.

I think this was just a cost cutting measure sold to gamers as "It's more immersive in 1st person". The games you listed would have been more expensive to make if they told their stories in 3rd person.

Also, there's a reason why TV, movies, and 5/5 best story nominees at the Game Awards aren't told in the 1st person.
 
VR has ruined first person on flat screen games for me.
Now I pretty much always want flat screen to be 3rd person and VR to have first person and third person.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
I think this was just a cost cutting measure sold to gamers as "It's more immersive in 1st person". The games you listed would have been more expensive to make if they told their stories in 3rd person.
Ok, serious question why do some people think putting a game in first person is somehow a "cost cutting measure"? These games have dozens upon dozens of other characters with animation sets of their own as well as several set-pieces. Adding a few animations to the MC would be a marginal increment to their overall budget. In fact, many of these games have animation sets for the character models because they have Multiplayer modes.

The real reason they use first person in these games is because they often take place in dense and enclosed levels (notice how many of these have cyberpunk settings) and third-person cameras tend to get derpy in such places. First person also allows players to observe and interact with the enviroment more intuitively, making them perfect for 3D classic adventure games. In first-person for example i can go up to a shelf and pick out whatever item i want from it without any difficulty, whereas in third-person such a simple endeavor would require some convoluted work-around system or mechanic.

Also, there's a reason why TV, movies, and 5/5 best story nominees at the Game Awards aren't told in the 1st person.
At least bother checking. Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty was among the nominees. Nominees from previous years also include Deathloop, The Outer Worlds and Wolfenstein 2. And thats just The Game Awards, include stuff like Golden Joystick and you also get Paradise Killer, Outer Wilds, Metro Exodus, Prey and What Remains of Edith Finch just from the last 6 years.
 
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Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
I’ve always preferred third person games, especially ones with a tomb looting adventurer.
 
Gaf, this is your chance to pick a side, go on the record, and defend your preference below or shit on mine.

My opinion? First person sucks. It ruined Cyberpunk. It ruined Avatar. And it's going to ruin Indiana Jones and Avowed. Avowed gameplay looks so bland. Who the fuck decided to make a melee combat game first person anyway? Imagine DMC or GOW in first person. You cant because it would be retarded. Everyone loves Cyberpunk nowadays, but I am convinced that part of the reason why it had a lukewarm response was because these fantastic storytellers over at CD Project went from a third person Geralt to being forced to tell a story in first person cutscenes where you cant even see the fucking character you built with dicks and tits. Never bothered to finish it but I saw that the ending was third person. So even they realized they fucked up and couldnt end the story without switching to third person cutscenes. At least Indiana Jones has third person cutscenes.

Have there been ANY good stories told in a first person game? I cant think of any. It is insane how limiting it is from a gameplay point of view too. You lose out on so many different movesets and are limited to basic melee and shooter combat. Whats frustrating is that you can have first person views in third person games. GTA5, MGS4 and MGSV, and RDR2 all have first person modes for you psychos out there so you can do both. Let the rest of us have some good animations, enhanced movesets and some fucking connection with the protagonist FFS.
Half life - I VASTLY prefer first person to third. I don’t know when everyone became obsessed with third person games. I like to feel like I’m in the game if possible. Third person never gives me that feeling fully.
 
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Obviously I like both and Doom Eternal might just have the best combat system across any genre.

Third person is obviously the more versatile camera mode however.

There's a reason why Sony's first party default to it and its not because there all the same. The contrary in fact. Spiderman, Rachet, returnal, God of War and The Last of Us all feel very different despite being 3rd person.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Ok, serious question why do some people think putting a game in first person is somehow a "cost cutting measure"? These games have dozens upon dozens of other characters with animation sets of their own as well as several set-pieces. Adding a few animations to the MC would be a marginal increment to their overall budget. In fact, many of these games have animation sets for the character models because they have Multiplayer modes.

The real reason they use first person in these games is because they often take place in dense and enclosed levels (notice how many of these have cyberpunk settings) and third-person cameras tend to get derpy in such places. First person also allows players to observe and interact with the enviroment more intuitively, making them perfect for 3D classic adventure games. In first-person for example i can go up to a shelf and pick out whatever item i want from it without any difficulty, whereas in third-person such a simple endeavor would require some convoluted work-around system or mechanic.
You bring up some good points, but it's likely a variety of factors. It's far easier to build and animate a gun coming out of your right nipple than it is to create and animate a main character in 3rd person. Nathan Drake is the most expensive, and best animated character in all the Uncharted games.

At least bother checking. Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty was among the nominees. Nominees from previous years also include Deathloop, The Outer Worlds and Wolfenstein 2. And thats just The Game Awards, include stuff like Golden Joystick and you also get Paradise Killer, Outer Wilds, Metro Exodus, Prey and What Remains of Edith Finch just from the last 6 years.
Cyberpunk2077 cut their 3rd person mode due to costs. It's also telling that the 3 other games you list for the Game Awards nominees get dwarfed by the other 3rd person nominees in the same timespan.

Still, you do bring up some solid points here and I think this was your best post in a long time.
 
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Guilty_AI

Member
You bring up some good points, but it's likely a variety of factors. It's far easier to build and animate a gun coming out of your right nipple than it is to create and animate a main character in 3rd person. Nathan Drake is the most expensive, and best animated character in all the Uncharted games.
You consistently prove you do not read people's posts.

Cyberpunk2077 cut their 3rd person mode due to costs.
Source?

It's also telling that the 3 other games you list for the Game Awards nominees get dwarfed by the other 3rd person nominees in the same timespan.
And you coveniently ignore all the others i mentioned for the Golden Joystick because apparently only Game Awards count for some reason. Lets also ignore many of the other nominees that often come up in these aren't 3rd in the truest sense of the word, being isometric or VNs.

Still, you do bring up some solid points here and I think this was your best post in a long time.
And coincidentally its the one who has nothing to do with critizing modern multiplayer 🤔


Dude, i've been noticing a pattern with you. Your counter-arguments always boil down to:
-Conveniently ignore critical pieces of information that break the legs your initial point.
-Hyper focus on very specific criteria to 'demonstrate' things. Like how you not only chose award shows as some standard for goodness, which is a flawed measure to begin with, but a specific award show on top of that.
-Goal-post once a point you made is undoubtedly proven false. Like how i pointed out your initial claim of 5/5 nominees was incorrect and you moved on to 'buh buh they cut dah costs1!1!!'

Fix these and learn to answer questions properly, otherwise you'll only get laugh emojis from now on.
 
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Vlodril

Member
Third Person for flat gaming, first person in vr. First person in flat gaming always seemed like you had blinders on (i have enjoyed multiple first person games of course but i do think third person is just superior).
 

darrylgorn

Member
Third person is generally associated with controller-based gaming, which is inferior to mouse and keyboard.

So, first person.
 
Usually,
If the game involves guns and multiple enemies, or racing : FPS

If the game involves swords, slashing, shields, punching and multiple enemies : 3rd person view
 

Kaleinc

Banned
First person is objectively worse. That's why it's best choice for low skill devs who want to cut corners on animation and rendering costs.
Creating object/character, its physics, rendering, destruction etc vs a running reticle. There is nothing to argue about
 

clarky

Gold Member
First person is objectively worse. That's why it's best choice for low skill devs who want to cut corners on animation and rendering costs.
Creating object/character, its physics, rendering, destruction etc vs a running reticle. There is nothing to argue about
Just read out loud what you just typed.

Yes it sounds just as retarded spoken.
 

freemandos

Neo Member
Depens on the game. I can't think of a Yakuza, Metal Gear, Nier, Spider-man or a Souls game on first person...but Amnesia, Pathologic, Alien Isolation, Doom, Thief, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Return to the Obra Dinn or Mirror's Edge wouldn't be better on third person. Variety? Well, most of these named games are not shooters and I could say more.

About "first person is because saving money" can be a reason...of many. I could have a opossite point of view and reducing the third person camera to "being cinematic before other more important things". How well works on a game is all that matters at the end. Giving better story/narrative? i coudn't disagree more, again, depens of the game. Unless it's only about "being cinematic" now...and it's not the same thing. And no: aping movies is not always equal a better narrative or story by default. What movies or TV shows do...well, they're different mediums in the first place. And btw, talking about shooters in particular: I think there far more good games in first person than third.

So...again, depens on the game.
 
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deriks

4-Time GIF/Meme God
Some games works better with one, not the other. Others doesn't make much difference. Not a food recipe
 

skyfall

Member
Due to not being able to have head movement and eye movement independently first person will always be immersion breaking and come across janky
 

kiphalfton

Member
It's a case by case basis.

For RE, I personally don't think FP works (unless for VR obviously).

Likewise, Elder Scrolls feels way off in TP.

Ultimately, TP requires a lot more effort in the animation department. And not everybody can pull it off.
 

SNG32

Member
Third person especially for single player games. Cyberpunk is a great first person game but I also think it would have been great for third person as well. Especially since customization of characters were involved. Only time I'll usually tolerate first person is in multiplayer games like Call of duty, Battlefield and Apex.
 
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