Action games are broken, let's fix them!
While playing Halo 2, how would you feel if you were suddenly forced to play chess against a tough computer opponent? That kind of interruption wouldn't fly in an action game, yet every day we play non-action titles that inject twitch gameplay at every turn. Gamasutra takes a look at the whole "action" game thing and discusses toning down the difficulty to make games more accessible.
The trouble with putting tough action sequences in RPGs, sims, and puzzle games is that not every gamer has spaz-like thumb reflexes. It's the nature of action games to try to defeat the player and force him/her to start over, a throwback to the days of quarter-munching arcade machines. The problem is that these action sequences are distracting gamers and do little more than pile on the frustration and force us to throw a controller through the wall.
Should action games stick to their own genre and leave brainy games alone? And if not, do you think action games as a whole are too difficult?
