First Person Shooters

First Person Shooters

It'll probably come to no surprise to you that first-person shooters are one of the most popular gaming genres at FiringSquad.com. Indeed, there are 20 copies of Quake III Arena among the GX staff. First person shooters typically require a system that can provide high-framerates, precise targeting, and solid network support for multiplayer. This describes the PC perfectly.

Will we see this...

...on the Dreamcast soon?

Speed

For the most hardcore FPS gamer, 60 fps is not fast enough for a true deathmatch. Making 180-degree turns in half a second is a very common action in FPS. It's not just about having to spin around to defend against the person behind you, but when you're running down a long hallway, you'll often make quick turns to double-check that the hallway to your right is clear as you run by it. In the best conditions, 60 fps would only give you updates every 6 degrees and so moving your crosshair to an enemy is not as precise as it should be. The need for "greater-than-60-fps" gameplay with a FPS is made even more clear by the benefits a USB or 200 Hz accelerated PS/2 mouse sampling rate will do. The faster sampling rate by the mouse allows for more precise movement (and hence targetting), but the video card must also be able to keep up with the player's input.

How about UT...

...on the DC?

Control

This brings us to the control issue. Although a handful of companies have introduced first-person-shooter specific controllers such as the SpaceOrb 360 or Thrustmaster Fragmaster, nothing beats the keyboard + mouse combo. Any FPS designed for the Dreamcast would have to be designed for use with the gamepad which simply does not give enough control. The bottom line is that although the Dreamcast is well capable of handling the graphics, the lack of a keyboard and mouse makes the Dreamcast a poorer choice for first-person-shooters. I'm not saying that Quake3 would be bad on the Dreamcast, but just that it would be better on a PC. It should come as no surprise to you that there are currently no true first-person shooters for the Dreamcast.