Perspective

[Benji]

Simple enough. What do you prefer to play your games in?

Myself, I prefer 3rd person. I like to be able to see the character and the environment in full. Especially in character customisable games, it's much more fun to see what you're playing as and I find it much easier to associate with a character I can see. I don't mind 1st person, but it's not something I can ever say added anything to an experience (FPS' being the obvious exception, but even that it doesn't add a ton). 2nd person you don't see much of, but I kind of enjoyed it to a degree with games like older Resident Evils because it adds an element of panic on camera switches.

[Meacon Keaton]

Side scrolling! Give me my Double Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Contra!

Oh, and Battle Toads.

[Baddar]

3rd person - hands down.

[Skummy]

I'm a fan of side-scrolling. I'm a retro nerd at heart, and regardless of the console, I always spend more time playing the same guys I owned fifteen or so years ago than I ever do on the new releases.

I've always been terrible at the vast majority of first-person games, and third-person (assuming we mean in the sense that Tomb Raider is 3rd person) games can be hit and miss, and largely dependent on the game mechanics itself, can easily be fucked over by a dodgy camera. Even the worst side scrolling games are generally at least functional, and don't result in you walking in circles or getting stuck behind scenery. I can't think of a single "second-person" game - except possibly a couple of boxing games, but I never played from that perspective.

[Beefus of Bethesda]

Side scrolling! Give me my Double Dragons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Contra!

Oh, and Battle Toads.

This. A Thousand times over. Platformers are the story of my childhood.

[TKz]

First Person is terrible for telling stories I've always found, because the camera angle completely takes me out of it. Which is ironic, as I'm sure most people would consider it the most realistic way to look at a game, but I hate it. When I'm playing third person, I can at least buy it as me watching the story unfold in the same way I would a film. With first person, it feels like the games trying to make me feel like I'm in the game... which isn't something that'll ever be accomplished well unless virtual reality video games somehow become possible. The only times I've ever really excepted first person is in FPS games for the multiplayer and Oblivion, just because the third person perspective was terrible.

Second person seems pointless to me. Just go for third person to cut out the lack of decent camera control.

Side Scrolling is of course fine as well, but obviously a lot of games couldn't happen in side scrolling very well.

[Ruki]

No love for topdown?

But I went with 3rd person...especially with games where you can customize your character. In Fallout/Oblivion you're allowed to change pretty much everything about your characters head and face...except you never get to see it, making pretty much the entire creation process pointless.

[Maxx]

No love for topdown?

But I went with 3rd person...especially with games where you can customize your character. In Fallout/Oblivion you're allowed to change pretty much everything about your characters head and face...except you never get to see it, making pretty much the entire creation process pointless.

You can play it in 3rd person, you know.

[Ruki]

Yes, I do, but playing those two games in 3rd person is just horrible.

[TKz]

You also can't see their faces in third person, can you?

[Ruki]

I don't think so? But then again, I never spent much time in 3rd person view.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

First person I guess seeing as I play Oblivion in first person by choice. Mirror's Edge is fantastic in its first person realisation too. Third person gives you a better grounding on where you are though.

[Maxx]

I don't think so? But then again, I never spent much time in 3rd person view.

You can see the side

And in Fallout, you can see their face in VATS all the time.

My answer is: Depends on what I'm playing.

[Your Mom]

What is 2nd person?

[Maxx]

Think first boss of Battletoads.

around the 1:50 mark

By definition it has to be you seeing your character through the eyes of another, while still controlling your character. At least that's how I understand it.

[EWB's Best Poster.]

Infamous and uncharted say "third person"

[Summers]

2nd person in gaming is sometimes known as 'over-the-shoulder'. Which is ultimately third person mixed with first person..

[EWB's Best Poster.]

that could have been clearer then, since both games I mentioned are 3rd and 2nd.

[Gazz]

In Fallout you can go out to 3rd person and pan the camera round to look at your dude. Completely useless for combat obviously, but you can make yourself look badass posing on stuff.

Racing games, I always play in 3rd person I suppose you could call it, I can't really get a feel for where the car is in relation to the curbs etc, otherwise.

[apsham]

that could have been clearer then, since both games I mentioned are 3rd and 2nd.

Infamous and Uncharted are third person games - think of Resident Evil 2, where the camera is fixed in one position while you're on a particular screen, not behind you like it is in Infamous and Uncharted (for the most part).