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Second time around I turn into Leeroy Jenkins

In complete contrast to the sedate pace of train simulation the other game I have been playing this week is the frenetic shooter painkiller. I played the expansion "Battle out of Hell" for the first time and I replayed several levels of the original. The fast paced moving and shooting remains as entertaining as ever but I was particularly struck by how differently I approach the expansion (which I had never played) to the original game which I had previously played extensively.


Playing new levels for the first time I am extremely cautious. I favour long range weapons that kill mobs before they can retaliate. If possible I try to use the terrain to protect me from damage and to trap mobs into kiling zones. I am miserly with ammunition and health even to the point of re-loading a save gamed should I fall too low on either.

Second time around I abandon caution entirely and go all Chuck Norris. I run around blasting everything in sight with a shotgun and/or melee weapons with little heed to personal safety or conserving ammunition.

I suppose it is only human nature to be cautious in unfamilar territory but the difference in my own behaviour is really quite dramatic. The strange thing is that in Painkiller and in many other games of my experience the reckless approach works just as effectively as the more slow cautious one and also happens to be a good deal quicker. 
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Anton said…
I haven't played many shooters...Wolfenstein...Doom...Marathon...the only new ones I've played are Star Wars Battlefront 1&2 and Rainbow 6 Vegas 2. I recommend Rainbow 6, though. Sometimes I do want to run through, guns blaring. But at least in that game, that's rarely the most effective approach. But yeah, it works sometimes. The cautious approach seems a good deal more interesting to me for the most part, but sometimes you just want to run in and shoot everybody!!!...Therapeudic.
4:26 pm
mbp said…
Hi Anton. I did play an earlier Rainbow six game and enjoyed it. I do remember that it was squad based and required tactics as opposed to run in and shoot everything. If I see Vegas 2 on sale I will definitely get it.
12:34 pm
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