Gaming Cardinal Sins
- Thread starter tippy2k2
- Start date
I thought the parrying system was really good. Instead of being able to hide behind a block button, you have to actively parry the attacks. Even your dodge move is actually an attack, so there's not really any purely defensive moves in the game. It gave the combat a very active and aggressive feel. I liked that a lot, and in fact, if I were describing the game to someone, the parrying system would be something I would specifically highlight as a great feature.tippy2k2 said:
I didn't have any problems with the system once I had figured out how it works. Both the direction and the timing are pretty forgiving unless you are trying to get a counterattack. (Although, I do realise that telling you I had no problems doesn't help you in any way.)
I was going to add just this sin regarding sniper elite 3. My gosh the stealth in this game is stupidly implemented.MarsAtlas said:
Thou shalt not reassign the analogue sticks from their respective default purposes (left for movement, right for POV/camera).
It's easy enough to learn what each button does but moving around and seeing what you're doing has no reason to ever change. It's confusing for the sheer sake of it.
It's easy enough to learn what each button does but moving around and seeing what you're doing has no reason to ever change. It's confusing for the sheer sake of it.
yep... that's the one.tippy2k2 said:
how about Assassin's Creed series
Don't make the stealth assassinate button the same as the swing your fist like a mof button
Don't make the "walk just a little bit faster through the crowd so as not to draw attention to your self" button the same as the "stick your hand up someone's asshole in the vein attempt to steal 4 cents from them when you already have way more money than you could spend in a million years" button
Don't make the Fall off the edge like a doofus button the same as the jump to another ledge button
Don't make the catch the fucking ledge button the same as the drop off the fucking ledge button
Don't make it so the counter command doesn't do anything unless you've already been hit once for no reason.
As much as I love the Assassin's Creed series it has really shitty controls.
OR Mass Effect 3
Don't put 6 different commands on the same button!
Or Thou shalt not make Mass Effect 3. there I saved you like 2 hours of me ranting about ME3
Borderlands 2 (Or any game with audio logs that you pick up mid combat)
Thou shalt MUTE THE COMBAT SOUNDS so we can listen to the audio logs.
Thou shalt have better legendary drop rates in the Pre-sequel
Don't use button combinations for save file deletion. Don't make everyone play a game of Twister with our fingers because a small minority of idiots accidentally delete their save file.
Unless its different on Revengeance difficulty a block still negates all damage unless you have tried to parry unblockable attacks.tippy2k2 said:
Recognizing problem would have been adding a block button that is just as effective as parrying. Most games that have a similar system make dodging active and blocking passive so a block is perfect when done correctly but give leeway if late. MGR wants you to be more active so the leeway is early so it punishes being passive, not compensating for a broken system.Vivi22 said:
Exactly This.Llil said:
I suggest for that 8% of the time you check to see if the attack is unblockeabe (glows orange) because I know I went through the game many times before I learned that.
For another Sin of Mine: Easy AI should be easy
I recently Picked up Tekken 4 because I wanted a new fighting game but I completely suck at them and Tekken is button mash friendly. Now I have a bit of skill so I can pull off some combos and moves but I can not go above easy in fighting games. Now Easy should be easy, and easy is not having the AI chain combo your ass to a KO.
I'm giving this one to Dark Souls which has recently gotten my attention.
Dark Souls
Cardinal Sin: Thou shalt not pause without stopping thy gameplay
I know it's trying to stop you from stopping mid combat to pull a bow out of your arse, but believe it or not, Dark Souls, I have a life and I occasionally need to go and do things quickly or talk to someone and while I want to do that, I have to accept that I am going to die. A pause button isn't cheating, it's letting me check on my dinner.
Dark Souls
Cardinal Sin: Thou shalt not pause without stopping thy gameplay
I know it's trying to stop you from stopping mid combat to pull a bow out of your arse, but believe it or not, Dark Souls, I have a life and I occasionally need to go and do things quickly or talk to someone and while I want to do that, I have to accept that I am going to die. A pause button isn't cheating, it's letting me check on my dinner.
1. Thou shalt not have unskippable cutscenes.
2. Thous shalt not have ridiculously long killing/death animations that can't be skipped.
3. Thou shalt not force the player to mindlessly grind in order to progress in the main story.
4. Thou shalt not have more cutscenes than actual gameplay.
5. Thou shalt not exercise trial-and-error gameplay, where error results in instant death (unless the game is centered on this mechanic).
6. Not allowing the player to make custom saves that do not update. Games that exclusively use autosave (like the arkham games) disallow the player to quickly replay segments they liked. Sometimes I just want to fight bosses - in revengeance I can't do that. I always have to replay the game if I want to fight bosses.
2. Thous shalt not have ridiculously long killing/death animations that can't be skipped.
3. Thou shalt not force the player to mindlessly grind in order to progress in the main story.
4. Thou shalt not have more cutscenes than actual gameplay.
5. Thou shalt not exercise trial-and-error gameplay, where error results in instant death (unless the game is centered on this mechanic).
6. Not allowing the player to make custom saves that do not update. Games that exclusively use autosave (like the arkham games) disallow the player to quickly replay segments they liked. Sometimes I just want to fight bosses - in revengeance I can't do that. I always have to replay the game if I want to fight bosses.
Oh yes. I've run into this in two fighting games from Arc Systems. In Blazblue, pressing the stick causes you to attempt a grab, which is mildly annoying when it interrupts the flow of what you're doing, but in Persona 4 Arena, it makes you use your burst attack. For those unfamiliar, you only have one of those, so wasting it by accidentally pressing the stick too hard is very annoying.Bofus Teefus said:
If thy save system is entirely restricted to auto-saves/checkpoints then thy (thou-est?) save system had best fucking work reliably; i.e. actually save the game state properly.
For example if there's a checkpoint right before a boss fight and I get 1/2 through the boss fight but then die and am forced to go back to the auto-save I should still have the items that I used in my previous and futile attempt. 'Amy' fucks variations of this up constantly (thanks weapon degradation!) and I believe, though I haven't played, 'Dead Rising' manages similar shenanigans. I also feel that I kind of need to mention Mega Man games for, if you used them during the fight, usually forcing you to leave the area to refill E-Tanks which is just (usually) needless busy work.
For example if there's a checkpoint right before a boss fight and I get 1/2 through the boss fight but then die and am forced to go back to the auto-save I should still have the items that I used in my previous and futile attempt. 'Amy' fucks variations of this up constantly (thanks weapon degradation!) and I believe, though I haven't played, 'Dead Rising' manages similar shenanigans. I also feel that I kind of need to mention Mega Man games for, if you used them during the fight, usually forcing you to leave the area to refill E-Tanks which is just (usually) needless busy work.
Here are my contributions to quick-time sins:
Thou shalt not have instant death quicktime events in games where you have a life bar.
(It feels off-putting when you can manage your health well, but then die because you forgot to push X).
Thou shalt not substitute quicktime events for a boss fight.
(Especially sinful, if it's the final boss).
Thou shalt make quick time event icons easy to notice on the screen.
(Nothing is cheaper than dying from a quicktime event indicator that blends in with the background... Witcher.)
Thou shalt not have instant death quicktime events in games where you have a life bar.
(It feels off-putting when you can manage your health well, but then die because you forgot to push X).
Thou shalt not substitute quicktime events for a boss fight.
(Especially sinful, if it's the final boss).
Thou shalt make quick time event icons easy to notice on the screen.
(Nothing is cheaper than dying from a quicktime event indicator that blends in with the background... Witcher.)
The Mafia series was always about being very faithful to the movies it takes inspiration from. The tedious and mundane scenes were meant to make the "Mafia arc(TM)" more apparent. (The same rags to riches story every mafia movie basically is.) They were there for the niche who really love the "genre", to add to the theme.Racecarlock said:
Doesnt excuse defend the gunplay/driving though, it is a mixed bag.
Thou shalt not restrict one's carrying capacity if it does not affect the game's difficulty.
(Justifiable if it prevents the hoarding of useful items, but not if it only creates more work for the player).
Thou shalt not force action into puzzle games, and thou shalt not force puzzles into action games (unless the game is a hybrid of the two).
Thou shalt not release a game without playtesting it.
(An obvious sin).
Thou shalt not force a player to repeatedly traverse the same level or repeatedly fight the same boss numerous times.
(We can tell when you're trying to artificially pad a game. You can stop trying).
Thou shalt not be dishonest with thy consumer.
(Justifiable if it prevents the hoarding of useful items, but not if it only creates more work for the player).
Thou shalt not force action into puzzle games, and thou shalt not force puzzles into action games (unless the game is a hybrid of the two).
Thou shalt not release a game without playtesting it.
(An obvious sin).
Thou shalt not force a player to repeatedly traverse the same level or repeatedly fight the same boss numerous times.
(We can tell when you're trying to artificially pad a game. You can stop trying).
Thou shalt not be dishonest with thy consumer.
Thou shalt not backtrack without giving some kind of change to the level.
Take a look at Halo: Combat Evolved. With few exceptions (343 Guilty Spark can go fuck itself in the last section), every time you backtrack you either go to a different objective or the environment has been tweaked, or you've been given access to something.
Assault of the Control comes back, but now you get to fly in Banshees and blow shit up while Covenant and Flood forces kill each over.
You reboard the Truth and Reconciliation, but enter from a different area and you even go back to the hangar bay thing only to have it blown up in your face, and lots of the walls and enemies have changed.
You reboard the Pillar of Autumn, but half the level is completely new and even the bits you redo have been destroyed or filled with different types of enemies.
That is how you backtrack, not just "oh you've done this, walk back oh shit enemies are there" that Uncharted 2 and Gears of War frequent.
Take a look at Halo: Combat Evolved. With few exceptions (343 Guilty Spark can go fuck itself in the last section), every time you backtrack you either go to a different objective or the environment has been tweaked, or you've been given access to something.
Assault of the Control comes back, but now you get to fly in Banshees and blow shit up while Covenant and Flood forces kill each over.
You reboard the Truth and Reconciliation, but enter from a different area and you even go back to the hangar bay thing only to have it blown up in your face, and lots of the walls and enemies have changed.
You reboard the Pillar of Autumn, but half the level is completely new and even the bits you redo have been destroyed or filled with different types of enemies.
That is how you backtrack, not just "oh you've done this, walk back oh shit enemies are there" that Uncharted 2 and Gears of War frequent.
Thou shalt not have out of place stealth sections:
Stealth works in Far Cry and Crysis because the systems are there to consistently make it an option. It works (sometimes) in Zelda because it is treated as just a puzzle among the various other puzzles the game is built around. However, so many games just tack it on for no real reason. For instance, Mafia II had a button dedicated to stealth mode, yet it was useless for 97% of the game and had no other systems designed to support it.
The absolute worst case, though, has got to be Witcher 2. Stealth is never an option. Oh, some optional paths may be stealth paths, but it is never worked into the system for the player as an option to overcome challenges presented in the world. If the player gets to a stealth section, then they just go into "stealth mode" by the game's choice. Just like Mafia II, there are no systems designed to aid this other than the most basic of mechanics, which do not on their own make a good stealth system. What's worse is that unlike the rest of the game which is designed to be semi-open, stealth sections are often incredibly rigid and do nothing but highlight the developer's complete incompetence at level design and direction. What's worse is that for all the time they make you learn stealth and bear with it, it maybe accounts for 1-2% of the game. Would it have killed them to remove the stealth system? It certainly wasn't a high priority and served only as an occasional yet serious annoyance at best.
Stealth works in Far Cry and Crysis because the systems are there to consistently make it an option. It works (sometimes) in Zelda because it is treated as just a puzzle among the various other puzzles the game is built around. However, so many games just tack it on for no real reason. For instance, Mafia II had a button dedicated to stealth mode, yet it was useless for 97% of the game and had no other systems designed to support it.
The absolute worst case, though, has got to be Witcher 2. Stealth is never an option. Oh, some optional paths may be stealth paths, but it is never worked into the system for the player as an option to overcome challenges presented in the world. If the player gets to a stealth section, then they just go into "stealth mode" by the game's choice. Just like Mafia II, there are no systems designed to aid this other than the most basic of mechanics, which do not on their own make a good stealth system. What's worse is that unlike the rest of the game which is designed to be semi-open, stealth sections are often incredibly rigid and do nothing but highlight the developer's complete incompetence at level design and direction. What's worse is that for all the time they make you learn stealth and bear with it, it maybe accounts for 1-2% of the game. Would it have killed them to remove the stealth system? It certainly wasn't a high priority and served only as an occasional yet serious annoyance at best.