Splinter Cell: Conviction
Conviction was a brave entry into the Splinter Cell franchise, attempting to vastly speed up the gameplay of an otherwise methodically slow stealth series. Thankfully it paid off, and this was in part due to the game’s cover system. The cover mechanics remained stable and smooth as butter throughout, but without being too sticky. Let’s hope other games can learn from this level of polish in the future.
Metal Gear Solid
Most cover systems rely solely on glorified methods of popping out and shooting over and over again. Metal Gear Solid on the other hand re-purposed cover mechanics to give them a more exploratory focus. Rather than using cover to avoid bullets, players instead had to get behind cover in order to avoid detection and gain a better visual understanding of their surroundings. It was all part of the innovation that made Metal Gear Solid such a revelation when it launched back in 1998
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
In all honesty, the second Call of Juarez title had a pretty dodgy cover system, but it was certainly ambitious. This is one of the only first person games to attempt cover mechanics in the traditional sense, with players leaning out from behind cover whenever they move the corsairs to the edge of a piece of cover. It was far too loose to actually be especially helpful, but credit should be given for the effort made to integrate it into the usual first person shooter paradigm.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted started to bring together all of the advances made to cover mechanics over the past few years and added its own special element to it. Uncharted 2 took this a step further as well, refining the experience of vertical and acrobatic forms of cover. It’s smooth and athletic, matching the game’s cinematic content effectively.
