Forums > MobyGames > Are 2D games 3rd-person?
Ace of Sevens (4479) on 1/21/2007 11:30 PM · Permalink · Report
There are lots of 2D games where you see your character. They may be side-on; they may be top down. Are these considered 3rd-person games?
Shoddyan (15004) on 1/21/2007 11:45 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ace of Sevens wrote--]There are lots of 2D games where you see your character. They may be side-on; they may be top down. Are these considered 3rd-person games? [/Q --end Ace of Sevens wrote--]
Nope. There are Top-Down and Side-Scroller attributes in the perspectives. Use them instead.
Ace of Sevens (4479) on 1/22/2007 12:09 AM · Permalink · Report
What if it is neither top-down nor side-scrolling? There are games with a fixed side-view that don't involve platforming. (Feeding Frenzy, for instance)
Shoddyan (15004) on 1/22/2007 12:27 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ace of Sevens wrote--]What if it is neither top-down nor side-scrolling? There are games with a fixed side-view that don't involve platforming. (Feeding Frenzy, for instance) [/Q --end Ace of Sevens wrote--]
I don't know. The issue has never really been resolved (even though long threads about it were discussed). However a lot of these have been marked Side Scrolling in the database, if not technically correct :(, I think I may have even labeled my contributions with these type of games as Side Scroller.
Riamus (8480) on 1/22/2007 9:13 PM · Permalink · Report
Well, Feeding Frenzy is a side scrolling game... the area you can swim scrolls side to side to a point (about 2x the screen size). It isn't just a fixed screen. That was debated back when I added some of the sequel and a couple other similar games and it was decided to let side scrolling stay because it does in fact scroll. Perhaps there should be a better term for it, but out of the choices we have, that's the best option imo.
chirinea (47495) on 1/22/2007 2:55 PM · Permalink · Report
Me too. While reading Wildkard's reasoning I immediately thought about a 2D game which wouldn't fall under side scrolling, platform or top down perspective, and could only be described as 3rd person. That would be Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Ironically though, none perspective is checked to that game, which is odd.
Shoddyan (15004) on 1/22/2007 5:08 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start chirinea wrote--]Me too. While reading Wildkard's reasoning I immediately thought about a 2D game which wouldn't fall under side scrolling, platform or top down perspective, and could only be described as 3rd person. That would be Mike Tyson's Punch Out. Ironically though, none perspective is checked to that game, which is odd. [/Q --end chirinea wrote--] We've had this debate before, and the reasoning technically makes sense. The problem is that a term like "3rd person" didn't really exist until 3D games came into existance and people don't in fact use the term to refer to games that are viewed from a side perspective.
I'd support having a "Side-View" rather than a "Side-Scrolling" attribute (in fact, maybe "Scrolling" should be one all of it's own). But I'm really really opposed to labeling these games "3rd person". While we're on the subject, "3rd person" could probably also be divided up into something along the lines of "free" an "fixed", depending if the camera is tied to a certain character/object or not. As it stands, this currently impacts the entire database and would take forever to get fixed for every game (particularly the obscure ones).
sigh It's been my experience that drastic changes like this are.... um.... difficult to get implemented at mobygames.
Indra was here (20755) on 1/27/2007 1:27 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Historically, Wildkard is correct. But the thing is, the use of definitions expand in its meaning regardless of initial use.
But there is a point of reduncany sometimes, since pratically every side-scrolling platform is also technically 3rd person anyways. Top-down may not always be 3rd person though.
Anyways this debate regarding visual perspectives and game genres will always remained unfinished, because of one thing:
Personal standards/opinion vs Public standards/opinion
Until we can agree to create our own new standard regardless of either perspective, this issue will always remained unsolved.