God of War took the industry by storm when it hit the scenes in early 2018. Earning numerous Game of the Year nominations and wins, it was clear that Sony had yet another mega hit on its hands for the PlayStation first party lineup. A great deal of the title's praise was aimed at its ambitious one-shot technique, mimicking the continuous visual style often seen in popular movies. This was by no means an easy feat to pull off, but game director Cory Barlog pushed the team to its creative limits, and it paid off in a big way.
With God of War's one-shot visual style proving to be such a hit with critics and players, it wouldn't be surprising for other big names in the gaming industry to try and adopt the trend. This of course shouldn't be done just for the sake of it, and should fit with the overall tone or gameplay of each particular franchise. The following examples, while either obvious or unconventional choices, would most likely mesh very well with God of War's one-shot camera trick.
Dead Space
First and foremost, the Dead Space franchise is a perfect fit for this visual style. It is worth noting, that its placement on this list is largely in part to it already being confirmed by developers that the Dead Space remake will be in one-shot, similar to God of War. So, while confirmed, it cannot be emphasized enough just how much this will benefit the overall game.
Being an action/horror experience, switching to cutscenes now and then may cause a disconnect in the building of suspense. The Dead Space franchise has already made great efforts to keep itself as immersive as possible, with features like the in-game HUD on Isaac's rig. However, adding this one extra little touch will only sweeten the scare factor even more.
The Last of Us
Speaking of intensity and scares, while not specifically a horror game, The Last of Us franchise does have elements of terror within in. The clickers are greatly unsettling adversaries, while shootouts with human opponents can often be pulse pounding. For the most part, The Last of Us keeps its action continuous, with areas lasting a long time as the player controls Joel or Ellie throughout the story.
Every so often, a cutscene will interrupt the gameplay, and while masterfully created, it can be abrupt in the middle of intense sequences. Considering that the over the shoulder gameplay clearly had an influence on God of War, it would be fitting for things to now come full circle. The Last of Us taking things that extra step would make for an even more immersive experience than before, and its something that a talented studio such as Naughty Dog would surely be able to pull off.
Call of Duty
The one-shot technique isn't just fitting for slow paced scare fests, but can also be effective within more bombastic action spectacles as well. Call of Duty is among the expected yearly franchises, and with that, some players feel that it is growing more and more repetitive. However, the campaigns have usually been seen as a bright spot, with gripping narratives and unforgettable set pieces.
Considering that these campaigns are generally brief (lasting just 5-6 hours), the one-shot technique would be incredibly fitting here. It could draw influence from a popular war film such as 1917 and follow a singular mission through the eyes of one soldier, witnessing every single moment from beginning to end.
Silent Hill
Rumors of a new Silent Hill game have been running rampant on the internet for a while now, and while nothing has been confirmed, many theories have risen up as to what shape the project will take. Whatever ends up happning, a Silent Hill game would be a perfect pairing with the one-shot technique.
As stated above, the horror genre functions well with this kind of cinematography, as the continued, lingering visuals provides no break from the horror on-screen. This has been utilized countless times in the world of cinema for horror movies and with good reason. For further evidence, P.T. was all delivered in one-shot, and that was meant to be a Silent Hill revival. Players are still raving over its masterclass display of fear, which says something about the effectiveness of a one-shot technique and the horror genre.
Tomb Raider
The Tomb Raider reboot from 2013 redefined what to expect from the franchise, and now with a few sequels out, perhaps its time once again to spice up the established formula. Cory Barlog, the director of God of War, has revealed that he actually pitched the same one-shot style for Tomb Raider years ago, but the concept was turned down. Now, after God of War has proved it can work, there may be a chance the idea will be revisited for a new Tomb Raider game.
Considering the shift to a more serious tone and emphasis on survival based gameplay, Tomb Raider would benefit greatly from the one-shot camera technique. To once again return to movies, 2015's The Revenant was a movie that used several long takes to show the harsh brutality of surviving against the wildnerness. A similar approach would not be a stretch for a new adventure starring Lara Croft.
StarFox
While Nintendo's space combat series may seem like an odd choice, there is a way to make it work very well here. The StarFox franchise, for the most part, has been mostly dormant over at Nintendo. However, with each new return, Nintendo always seems open minded to try a new gimmick with the series in order to keep things fresh.
A one-shot game from the perspective of the cockpit, that also allows for real time travel from planet to planet, would be an amazing new take on the franchise. The game can take a few notes from No Man's Sky in that regard, allowing Fox and his crew to soar in and out of the atmosphere across multiple planets in the Lylat system. It would be an ambitious venture for sure, but as God of War proved, without risk, there is no reward.
God of War is available on PC and PS4.