"Fighting Games are Just Button Mashers" and other statements

[Deleted]

The veins in my neck bulge whenever I hear someone say that on these forums. The idea that fighting game combos are just random presses and "button mashing" can win is just ignorance.

Simply put, button mashing is as good as spray-and-playing in a FPS, it won't work. When people talk about how they "beat their friends by button mashing", the only possible explanation is that you're both at the same level of play. So you were both button mashing.

For discussion: Is there anything people say about your favorite game or genre that just makes you mad?

 

[-Seraph-]

I feel your anger in regards to the whole button masher bullshit. Sure, button mashing can get so the odd random round or take out a decent chunk of a persons health. But after that person adapts to your random, unfocused attacks, you're screwed and they can just pick you off through all the exploits in your carelessness. Only time i have ever button mashed was unintentionally if I start to panic in the odd battle where I'm screwed.

My other rage doesn't pertain to a genre or game in specific, but just the whole attitude and negative connotations that Game "Linearity" seems to spring up. It's not a fucking flaw, it's a design choice!! Now there are times where it can hold the game back, but I'd still rather have a focused objective than have all this openness with nothing really meaningful to do.

 

[mindlesspuppet]

There are a lot of fighting games that encourage button mashing, anything by Namco for example. Yes, knowing moves can help, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't seen good/experienced players get button mashed to death.

Though on the other hand of spectrum you have games like KoF and BlazBlue where a button masher will likely not even succeed in landing a single punch on a good player. So it's all relative.

Relating to the question you posed: I hate when people (usually StarCraft players) insist that all the races in the Age of Empires games are the same.

Sure, they look the same, but they have different sets of upgrades, starting stats, etc which cause them to play vastly different.

 

[mirror's edgy]

I can't say I agree or disagree, I'm not a big fighting game fan, but I fucking LOVED Dissidia Final Fantasy's combat. Every attack is unique, execution has to be precise, and one HP attack can win a fight.

 

[-Seraph-]

I can't say I agree or disagree, I'm not a big fighting game fan, but I fucking LOVED Dissidia Final Fantasy's combat. Every attack is unique, execution has to be precise, and one HP attack can win a fight.

This was one of Dissidias major strong points in regards to fighting games. You try to button mash in that game and you will get destroyed 95% of the time. Spamming a single move over an over just got you into nothing but trouble and that kind of punishing design made the game all the better, more tactical, and encouraged people to learn.

That 1 hit kill crap is only viable if you brave farm up the ass but it was better chipping them away. They got rid of 1 hit KOs in Duodecim since the HP cap is now beyond 9999 but the brave cap still remains at 9999.

 

[Sovvolf]

When I'm playing games like Tekken against my cousin, I can often beat him by letting him try the whole button mashing while I keep moving back and take my time placing shots. That being said, I'm not one for learning combos and those insane combos that require you to keep turning the thumbstick in certain directions at certain times for a certain time period can go fuck them selves. I often stick with the simple combos or even simply throwing single shots and getting out of the way. Whether or not that makes what I'm doing button mashing is up to you.

I play fighting games using the same methods I use in real life. I'm considered a counter puncher or a opportunist striker at my gym given the way I spar. I like to keep moving and let my opponent make mistakes then capitalise on them with a fast combo or maybe just a well planet single hit, then get out of the way.

So I use the same tactic in games like Tekken and other fighting games that allow it. Keep moving and place my shots. Seems to work fine for me . Though I can't for the life of me use that same tactic in games like Street Fighter. Mainly because your opponent can often launch fireballs at you.

 

[Mckeown]

i agree with you for the most part, but every time i play soulblade against my friend scott, he just spams this one move with rock and no matter what i do, he always wins, it's faster than any of my combos, it's his strongest move and it hits high, middle and low. there is no way i can hit him while he's doing that and if i block, he destoys my weapon in a few hits.

but still, another statement that annoys me is when people start hating on great games for minor details (like when people called MGS2 a disappointment because "you didn't get to play as snake!")

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I couldn't agree more. I'm sure there's some fighting games where button mashing can result in doing decent; however, any fighting game where button mashing can consistently do well is a bad fighting game.

I say this with any competitive game in any genre: the greater the difference between the top players and the normal players, the greater the skill the game requires.

 

[Randomspike]

I've got a friend who insists that all fighting games are about button mashing, yet he has never played a single fighting game or even watched somebody play one.

 

[random_bars]

That Brutal Legend's stage battle gameplay is badly designed, shallow, missing features from either genre, anything like that. No, the fault with the game is that it doesn't explain itself well enough. The actual mechanics are fucking amazing, but the learning curve is steep enough that unless you put some time into multiplayer, you won't really come to appreciate the painstakingly intricate balance between combat, solos, troop management and double team attacks, and how insanely fun the battles are as a result, once you get the hang of them.

 

[Lbsjr]

Personally I play Tekken AND Street Fighter. Both are great and both have amazing combos which I still have a ***** of a time trying and trying... However, growing up, I was a button masher. Eddy Gordo in Tekken and Blanka in Street Fighter were my picks, and I won more often than not against my family (being oldest I had the most practice). But then I got into school and hung out with other gamers and... got my ass handed to me by combos I thought were impossible. But the saying has SOME merit, depending on where your coming from. That said, I hate it now, but back then I agreed.

One thing i hear more often than not is "FPSs are gonna kill the industry. There won't be anymore good games until something comes along like Nintendo did after the crash all those years ago." This one pisses me off because FPSs are not the only game being made and theres a plethora of amazing non-FPSs out there. And some FPSs are doing something new with the genera that are amazing. Bioshock for one. I know where they are coming from, but its ignorant shit like that thats going to kill the industry far quicker than any game genera or ripoff.

 

[random_bars]

Generally you get people saying this sort of thing about any game where it only really gets fun when you're good at it.

 

[Shameless]

Here is the problem, 90% of fighters are button mashers, the the fighters that has a system that requires skill (like SSFIV) are few and far between that is why.

 

[Mike Laserbeam]

I dare anybody with that opinion to try playing a round of Street Fighter 4 online. Not so easy now, is it?

 

[Geekosaurus]

It annoys me that button mashing is no longer a legitimate tactic. It was my only strategy.

 

[lacktheknack]

FffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

It's taken me MONTHS to get those combos for Gen down! How DARE you say you can beat me with button mashing alone! Come over here and say that, I'll Tornado Whip you so hard, you won't even FEEL me crushing your solar plexus... SEVEN TIMES... IN MID-AIR.



OT: Someone told me that Mirror's Edge was slow and the flow broke easily. No, it isn't. You just kept falling and fighting everyone, which means you suck at this kind of game. Stick with your maim-everybody shooters, please.

 

[thecoreyhlltt]

i'm a mortal kombat man myself, with soul-calibur a close 2nd. and the whole button mashing "style" is one that irritates the hell out of me. i think that's all i should say on this topic because i don't want to get probation from theescapist or have anyone of any certain gender be mad at me... i'll just say it sucks and people need to learn the controls or just not play, or they might get smacked... unless it's a lady, then i just won't play that game with her anymore.

 

[moretimethansense]

The veins in my neck bulge whenever I hear someone say that on these forums. The idea that fighting game combos are just random presses and "button mashing" can win is just ignorance.

Simply put, button mashing is as good as spray-and-playing in a FPS, it won't work. When people talk about how they "beat their friends by button mashing", the only possible explanation is that you're both at the same level of play. So you were both button mashing.

For discussion: Is there anything people say about your favorite game or genre that just makes you mad?

Ha, it is entirly possible to button mash your way to victory in many fighting games.

Granted the better games allow the better players to counter mashers, but claiming that it never works is pure folly.

 

[Grand_Arcana]

No, fighters are not button mashers. In SCIV, the only button I mash is the duck button every once and awhile for a lucky whiff.

As for victorious button mashers, there's a saying that the most dangerous fighter don't know what they're doing. If you've practiced with any kind of seriousness, you know what to do. Your experience makes players that don't know what they're doing extremely unpredictable. They use moves that they shouldn't, at times that no one would. Of course, randomness only works for a while. After a few rounds, experience trumps all.