Micromanagement

Don't get me wrong, third person action/adventure games are great but there seems to be an increasing trend in involving the player in micromanagement.

Let's take Assassin's Creed 2. It's a great game, a far better developed package than the first and one which will be reviewed in these pages soon. As part of the play you're drawn to your uncle's place which rapidly becomes your base of operations. A good hideout for an assassin, being both deep in the Italian countryside and rich in family history.

So what do you get asked to do? Ah well the mansion is falling into disrepair and so you're asked to use your assassins skills to the fore to... make the place financially viable and instruct the architect on rebuilding works. I don't think the dictionary definition of assassin mentions the need to manage mansions. You understand why the developers of Assassin's Creed 2 added it as they've created a beautiful area and need to extend its use. It just could be something more logical to your role.

Unfortunately Assassin's Creed 2 is just one of a set of games with illogical micromanagement. The daddy of it has to be Grand Theft Auto and I remember San Andreas well. Spending so much time getting fit, eating, having a shave, choosing clothes and then a wee breather to have a game of pool (great engine by the way) before going back to point one. Yeah you could do some missions but did you really have the time.

How about if you're strapped for cash in Knights of the Old Republic? Sure the Jedi won't mind you heading off for a quick swoop race as the galaxy falls apart around you. I mean it's only the galaxy.

These aren't the only culprits though, there are many and although I appreciate the need for more content to add to games but it would be nice if a little thought made it more relevant to the characters.

What's next, running an iced-cream shop to ensure you can buy weaponry in the next mercenary game?

Cheers

Phil