Isometric Gameplay
Aside from setting the mood, point of view and graphics in a game are only really relevant to strategy gamers in the sense that they dictate gameplay. As I have recently realized, gameplay is important.
Some acquaintances were talking about New Vegas and “whether it was good”, or “better than F3” and so on… I realized that while New Vegas had good writing and decent design within the limitations of the engine, the ultimate problem is that, as a strategy gamer, I really didn’t enjoy the game part of the game. I found VATS kind of MEH, and of course I burned out my FPS gaming pleasure center easily a decade ago, and what’s left? Crafting? The “walking around” mechanic? There’s not much to the actual game other than a sightseeing engine.
In contrast, I can create a new Fallout 1 character and have an interesting experience, even though I’ve memorized all of the story lines and death animations, because the game itself is entertaining. I’m not replaying it because of Vault Boy, although that stuff is always good for a laugh… in the long run the gameplay is still fun. In a strategy RPG it’s all about the long run.
At some point, regardless of the vibe, environment, art, story, and so on, this is a game, and Gameplay is important. As my friend pointed out, that’s why we don’t call it a Computer VibeArtStory. It’s a Computer Game.
Of course, good writing is a prerequisite. :)
“Was that a warning shot, or do you just suck!”
