Regenerating health

[AstroManLuca]

A lot of games these days have regenerating health, a trend started by Halo 2. Some people are critical of the system for making games too easy, while others like it because it speeds up the game and allows you to keep playing instead of spending time looking for health items.

IMO it works well enough in the games where it's used. I just realized that the two most recent games I got, Dead Space and Fallout 3, have strict health bars and no regeneration. But those games are much slower paced to begin with and item management is a big part of both of them, so carrying around health packs makes sense. For a fast-paced shooter like Call of Duty, it seems to work out okay to have regenerating health.

I'm still concerned seeing it creep into more and more games these days, but so far I don't think it's out of hand.

 

[ViviTheMage]

It will find it's way to the games that use it...I do not see it being a huge 'wave' and taking over games.

 

[Beev]

I like it because I hate having to hunt for health pick ups.

 

[purbeast0]

it isn't in many of the games I play, but in the games it's in, it seems to work. i've really only seen it on shooters.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

The best games (IMO) have little or no regenerating health but a system to restore including healthkits (preferably an item than can be carried and used when needed as a minor supplement) and more proactive methods such as stations and/or objects for accelerated healing/repairing.

Hunting for health is lame, but knowing where to get it should you need it employs additional strategic possibilities and thus more fun.

 

[imported_protoz]

I'm not a big fan of it in games like Call of Duty 4 because you are shot in modern combat. You either get medical assistance or die. In a futuristic game like Halo 3 or Gears it's a bit more believable.

 

[Aikouka]

I think it's a method to make up for poor level or game design. I didn't need regen health to beat Max Payne... they typically had well placed pain killers so that wasn't even necessary. I mean, you can make a game harder by stacking the odds or make it easier by trivializing (lots of health regen items, etc).

 

[blurredvision]

I don't mind regenerating health as long as it doesn't regenerate so fast that it makes the game feel pointless. I play games for the fun rather than the challenge, but I still like to feel like I have some skill that's helping me advance through the game, not a poorly conceived health system.

 

[KaOTiK]

Don't care for it. It makes things to easy and don't have to use any real strategy. Just come out from cover pop a few shots at whoever, go behind cover wait for health to be full again, rinse and repeat. You just don't care if you get hit in the game and do things you normally wouldn't do and it makes things overall easier.

But, I don't mind if you have a shield and a health bar, I can accept having a shield regenerate as long as the health doesn't (for like futuristic games that works fine)

 

[mugs]

I don't mind it. Honestly, it's not like health packs are at all realistic either. Usually with regenerating health you have less total health, and it only regenerates after a period of not getting shot. Effectively it turns each encounter with a group of enemies into a separate battle as opposed to a series of fights with compounding effects. The developers ultimately control the difficulty regardless of which method of health replenishment they choose. A game with regenerating health can be less difficult, as difficult as, or more difficult than a game with health packs.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I like it because it stops you from painting yourself into a corner where you're still alive but your health is too low to have any chance of moving forward.

I don't have enough time or interest to replay sections over and over just to get past them with a little more health. Especially on consoles where you might have to replay sections anyway because of checkpoints instead of save-anywhere.

 

[Kromis]

If the game doesn't have an inventory system, then I like regenerating health.

 

[JoPh]

HARDCORE! Doom!

 

[Oyeve]

Im indifferent but I do like it in SR2. This way I can cause nonstop mayhem and just duck out a bit and regenerate instead of loading and ruining my fun.

 

[Schadenfroh]

I do not like it. It can make a game feel a bit dumbed down. It is necessary if the game only has checkpoints and no "any-time" saves. I prefer Red Orchestra's "damage" model.

 

[CrazyLazy]

I don't like it, is it that hard to have health packs that you can pick up?

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: Beev
I like it because I hate having to hunt for health pick ups.

 

[FuryofFive]

Team arena master(UT2004) or rocket arena (quake series) woooooooo each round u didnt have health unless u had booster(TAM)
and as rounds progressed the better players would lose health based on ther points in the round. kinda made things even when they werent

 

[ggnl]

Originally posted by: Kromis
If the game doesn't have an inventory system, then I like regenerating health.

Yeah, that. In Bioshock, for instance, the HP/MP bars worked very well because it was just another part of managing your inventory and cash. It was generally pretty easy to keep fully stocked, but you couldn't just go wild or you would go broke buying health kits.

 

[Xavier434]

In most of the games I have played I liked it.

 

[spidey07]

I like it a lot. Gears of war did it really well and I still died plenty of times. Plenty.

 

[Baked]

It really depends on the game and story within the game. It's ok for snake to regen in MGS4 'cause according to the story, he got injected w/ the nano machine that buffs him. Saint Rows 2... not so much.

 

[VIAN]

I prefer getting health packs. Remember those? I just think self-regeneration cheapens gameplay. But I wouldn't mind a mix, such as in Resistance, or Condemned 2.

 

[jhh979s]

I thought Resistance implemented health regeneration the best out of all the ones I've played. But for the most part I dont like it.

 

[Kev]

I love it when people bitch about regenerating health being "unrealistic." What's more realistic? Taking a few seconds to recover? Or running over a first aid kit and having all your wounds healed? The answer: neither.

It's a video game.