Action Is Not Finisher Porn
Yahtzee doesn't get why action games stop the action.
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Yahtzee doesn't get why action games stop the action.
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Extra Punctuation: Action Is Not Finisher Porn
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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I'd argue that the X-Ray attacks in Mortal Kombat are valuable in that they provide the player with breathing room in an otherwise thumb-straining button-mashy combo fest. Long after I stopped being impressed with them I was still using them just because I needed the break sometimes. Feel free to disagree with me as that mechanical advantage is COMPLETELY at odds with the brutal presentation of it, but that's my stance and I'm sticking by it.
Otherwise I agree; I've never terribly much been a fan of these kinds of moves myself, and I think this column puts it best in identifying the breakage in combat flow.
Otherwise I agree; I've never terribly much been a fan of these kinds of moves myself, and I think this column puts it best in identifying the breakage in combat flow.
As usual, I'll go as far as "Yes, but..."
Scorpion vs Sub-Zero: Sonya Blade vs Kano
When you've got two mortal enemies against each other, there should be full on violence. Scorpion vs Sonya: Heavy punches. Sonya vs Jax: Pimpslaps.
Joker's Fatality in DCvMK was the best because it actually fitted the Joker. Which almost none of the rest of the Fatalities ever did. Especially not the X-Ray ones.
Scorpion's original Hellbreath or Sub-Zero's Chiropractor's Nightmare worked because they were tricky, happened at the end, and were relevant to the character. They also didn't require too much juggling for space for the optimal distance.
Leap kick someone with little health. Block,U,U,HP or T,D,T,LP and you'd got it. It shows that I can remember them without any looking up.
If it's just Scorpion vs Striker though, Teleport Punch, Teleport Punch, Hook and Uppercut - get out of there until there's someone who's not a big girl. Don't stop for silly X-rays.
Scorpion vs Sub-Zero: Sonya Blade vs Kano
When you've got two mortal enemies against each other, there should be full on violence. Scorpion vs Sonya: Heavy punches. Sonya vs Jax: Pimpslaps.
Joker's Fatality in DCvMK was the best because it actually fitted the Joker. Which almost none of the rest of the Fatalities ever did. Especially not the X-Ray ones.
Scorpion's original Hellbreath or Sub-Zero's Chiropractor's Nightmare worked because they were tricky, happened at the end, and were relevant to the character. They also didn't require too much juggling for space for the optimal distance.
Leap kick someone with little health. Block,U,U,HP or T,D,T,LP and you'd got it. It shows that I can remember them without any looking up.
If it's just Scorpion vs Striker though, Teleport Punch, Teleport Punch, Hook and Uppercut - get out of there until there's someone who's not a big girl. Don't stop for silly X-rays.
I really agree about the X-ray moves in mortal kombat. I mean they are cool as hell and that, but the series has generally been violence porn. Thats how they sold the first one anyway 
I definitely enjoy that stuff, but its needs to be in more moderation. When its every few minutes GORE, then you kinda forget that it matters at all. More tentative use give much greater effect.
Interesting article tho.
I definitely enjoy that stuff, but its needs to be in more moderation. When its every few minutes GORE, then you kinda forget that it matters at all. More tentative use give much greater effect.Interesting article tho.
The X-ray moves were a fair amount of time I thought, they were just repetative. Mortal Kombat on a whole was very well done for a fighting game and for me had the best flow of combat in a 2d fighting game to date. If they changed 3-4 times the game would be much better. Also you can always just not use the X-ray moves since you are given other options such as powered normal moves.
As for Batman: AA having no finishers. The most annoying thing about it was waiting for a thug to stand up or walk over and slowly punch him in the face while other thugs waited around you.
As for Batman: AA having no finishers. The most annoying thing about it was waiting for a thug to stand up or walk over and slowly punch him in the face while other thugs waited around you.
This really is one of the tastiest articles I can agree with, and not just because I'm hungry. I really didn't enjoy all the goon level super violence QTE's being thrown around. If you make everyone special, then no one is special. I guess violence is the same way. I wish he had used Asassin's Creed as a counterpoint. Not everybody gets a special QTE death, plus the counterkills are quick.
In my opinion, Fable 2 and Fallout 3 are guilty of this, as well. The VATS kill-cam in FO3 is particularly annoying.
Okay, the weird double post allows me to agree about the other games mentioned Fallout 3 and Fable 2 and 3. Fallout 3 VATS is pretty guilty of the slow mo death, which would be nice if it was skippable. Fable 2 and 3 is pretty bad with the random bonus kills, especially with the handgun.
I did like how Arkham Asylum would do a slow motion attack on the last attack of the last bad guy in a group. It kept the final attack the coolest looking, plus it kept changing it up.
Fuck..Yeah. That game truly had flow, and all it required was "Tilt analogue-stick in direction of asskickery, press X to kick ass, press Y to wtfpwn, then X to kick ass again".
Never seen a game that let you do so many different things with just two buttons, and never, ever broke flow. God how I loved to jump into a fight with ten different thugs and just see how long I could keep my combos up. You really felt like Batman when you managed to take them all down, no hits taken.
I liked God of War's qte's, they had a consistency to them. Minotaurs always had the blade in the mouth, Medusas had the head twisty removal, etc. It helped negate the problem that I usually have with qte's, in that they're pretty much just random button mashing. And although they're not quite as unobtrusive as Leon's badass roundhouse kick, I never felt like they broke up the flow too badly. The big crazy ridiculous super showy qte's were mostly saved for the bosses, and thus they never got old because you only saw them once.
Maybe it's just because it was the first one that I played, but I had a ball with pretty much every qte in God of War and haven't played a game since that comes close to trumping it in that category.
Maybe it's just because it was the first one that I played, but I had a ball with pretty much every qte in God of War and haven't played a game since that comes close to trumping it in that category.
I'd say Ninja Gaiden II also has a very good fast paced combat, sure it's hard as hell but the system is very fast paced because the finishing moves happen in a flash, nice and quick, you know, like a ninja should be... I guess it gets its porn aspects in in other ways though
The cinematic sequences are put in games to try and make them "movie-like".
In regards to MK though, with the X-Ray attacks, I think what they should have done is have each X-Ray attack be a complicated sequence of inputs like Ultra's in SF4. That way it would really be an achievment to pull them off successfully and they wouldnt occur as often.
In regards to MK though, with the X-Ray attacks, I think what they should have done is have each X-Ray attack be a complicated sequence of inputs like Ultra's in SF4. That way it would really be an achievment to pull them off successfully and they wouldnt occur as often.
I wholly agree with you here. The tend of video games wanting to take away control from the player in order to show you how cool they are has long been my single biggest point of contention. This takes a number of different forms - full cutscenes, exposition segments, these finisher moves, even overly-long animations every time the character opens a door or a box - but the one thing they all have in common is that gameplay comes to a screeching halt until they're done, and in my opinion gameplay should be the entire point of playing a game.
With the example of the X-Ray moves in particular, I find myself wondering why they couldn't have implemented it differently. For example, let's say that instead of executing the same move every time, it puts you into an X-ray mode and leaves you in control while showing you the damage you're inflicting with each attack. That way gameplay continues, you get the same visual effect, and you're directly responsible for what's happening giving the player a greater sense of accomplishment.
With the example of the X-Ray moves in particular, I find myself wondering why they couldn't have implemented it differently. For example, let's say that instead of executing the same move every time, it puts you into an X-ray mode and leaves you in control while showing you the damage you're inflicting with each attack. That way gameplay continues, you get the same visual effect, and you're directly responsible for what's happening giving the player a greater sense of accomplishment.
I was thinking that. At least in New Vegas you can turn the kill-cam off. And VATS is optional, I really only use it when I'm low on ammo or getting my ass handed to me(you take less damage while vats is playing out).UltimatheChosen said:
As with anything, moderation is the key, especially if the sequences are drawn out. The short QTEs that didn't break flow were great, the combos in God of War are useful but they do call the action to a halt, albeit breifly.
I think it was something missing after the first GoW, actually; I remember chaining combos together in that game and never being able to do it in GoW2 or 3. They just didn't link up-or I could never get the feel for how to link them up.
But the occasional long sequence is cool.
I think it was something missing after the first GoW, actually; I remember chaining combos together in that game and never being able to do it in GoW2 or 3. They just didn't link up-or I could never get the feel for how to link them up.
But the occasional long sequence is cool.