Last time around, you decided that a pre-boss combat supply cache was better than resources that were too good to use. Frankly, I’m proud of you. Look at yourself, freely using the full range of tools at your disposal, not living in fear of the future, living a glorious life full of fireworks rather than fueling up to start all over again. I can’t be you, but I’m happy for you. This week, you have to choose between vivid violence and virtual reality. What’s better: mixed dual wielding or VR support?
Mixed dual wielding
“Give a guy a gun, he thinks he’s Superman,” goes an old saying. “Give him two and he thinks he’s God.” I would like to add: give him two different weapons and honestly he doesn’t think at all; he’s too busy trying to suppress his giggles of delight while he strikes cool, brooding poses.
Why should I stow my sawed-off shotgun in my magic pockets and slowly draw my revolver to take down a distant villain when I’m firing both at once? Surely it’s more convenient to hold different weapons in each hand?
I’m thinking mostly of dual mixed wielding shooters. Max Payne 3. The Darkness 2 (quad-wielding, even, if you count the two demonic heads that snap out of your tendrils in the top corners). Halo 3. Dishonored with sword and crossbow. EYE: Divine Cybermancy with guns and swords too. A Half-Life mod or two whose names escape me at the moment. It’s also good with melee weapons, be careful. Dark Souls 2’s Power Stancing lets you mix and match weapons to show off. I’ve always loved the feel of my World Of Warcraft thief mixing a dagger and a sword. Same in Skyrim too. I’m sure you can remind me more.
I can say that dual mixed use is very sensible, very practical. I can argue for the freedom to optimize my loadout for versatility and cover a wide range of scenarios with mixed dual use. I can say it’s faster than switching weapons. But let’s be honest, most of my excitement comes from how cool it is.
Virtual reality support
“Give a guy a monitor, he thinks he’s Zero Cool,” goes an old saying. “Give him two monitors right in his face and he thinks he’s Johnny Mnemonic.”
Cybergoggles (and other forms of 3D glasses) don’t work with my eyes. Images do not merge. I discovered this while watching Avatar, a movie that really doesn’t hold water if you can’t see the visuals and you’re stuck with just the plot. Even aside from that, I currently have no interest in VR. And yet, I know that playing games in cyberspace is an absolute joy for some people.
I’m not talking about purpose-built VR games, those explicitly made for VR and probably only VR (perhaps with a non-VR mode coming as an afterthought). No, just regular games that also support VR. Games that have gone to great lengths to ensure that the user interface, controls, and other technical elements work well in cyberspace as well. A transformation for people who jumped on a pair of goggs.
But what is better?
Double mixed handling. Alright goodbye. But what do you think, dear reader?
Choose your winner, vote in the poll below, and make your point in the comments to convince others. We will meet again next week to see which thing will triumph and continue the great contest.