Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly described ‘Daytona’ as XDefiant’s first new map. The information has been corrected.
Ubisofthero shooterXDefiantreceived a new map last week, and it’s bringing back memories of an old favorite. Not The Crew, the game the ‘Daytona’ map comes from . No, it’s reminding me ofHitman 2, which also contains a memorable level set at a Florida racetrack: ‘Miami.’ The two levels have a lot in common. They’re both sunny and brightly colored. Both offer views of the ocean. Both have garage areas you can stroll through, and oddly enough, neither lets you actually set foot on the track itself. But the direct comparison ‘Daytona’ provides highlights the thing that makes Hitman feel so unique: its people.
Hitman 2 Is A Crowd-Pleaser With Pleasing Crowds
The thing that sets the Hitman games (especially theWorld of Assassination trilogy) apart from nearly all other video games, saveAssassin’s Creed, is their heavy emphasis on crowds. And of all the levels across all three games, ‘Miami’ might be the best showcase. There are multiple bleachers filled with people, NPCs milling around while waiting in various lines, and bars stuffed with customers. It’s one of the few video game locations that truly feels packed — claustrophobic, even. It’s the kind of place you might have had a nightmare about being during early Covid.
‘Berlin,’ the other contender for the Hitman level with the best crowds, generated some conversation around how it made people long for public spaces when it launched pre-vaccine in early 2021. And it makes sense: it’s the kind of sweaty, packed space people were dying to get back to at that point in the pandemic.
Given that ‘Miami’ is defined by its crowds, it’s noticeable to visit ‘Daytona’ and see the walkways completely empty, especially since it’s modeled on the kind of public space you never see without people. Most video game locations aren’t that vacant, but crowds in older games were often notable for their absence.
Most Games Don’t Prioritize Packing People Into Public Spaces
Think of how empty public spaces are often handled in older games, even the great ones.Pokemon Red and Blue’s depiction of a small town is two houses and a laboratory. I’ll always remember entering a nightclub inDeus Exthat had foley work that suggested it was crowded, only to find it was empty save for a couple NPCs.Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlineshad a similar problem with its club, putting a handful of NPCs on the dance floor and a couple throughout the rest of the building before calling it a day.
This is a necessary sacrifice for most games, which are served better by devoting that memory and processing power to other things. XDefiant is absolutely one of those games. There’s no reason there should be people on the ‘Daytona’ map. It’s a multiplayer shooter, and the second you throw innocent civilian NPCs on a multiplayer map (especially one modeled after a real place), things can get dark.
But there are plenty of games that would benefit from being more crowded, especially RPGs. I loveBreath of the Wildmore than I love the bottom third of my relatives, but Kakariko Village would feel more like a real place if there were a few dozen NPCs milling about.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s towns would rock harder if there were a dozen Queen’s Blood players around every corner. The Shadow-cursed Lands inBaldur’s Gate 3would have been more fun to explore if there were caravans of lost souls wandering the wicked wilderness. Video game levels are like pizza crust: they’re better stuffed.
