Most Fun Novelty in a Game

[sapient]

Okay, I've just played through COD4 for the first time and realised how absolutely bland it was, and I just can't understand why it's selling in a market of games with major defining qualities (Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars' RTS/FPS mix, Crysis' Nanosuit, Team Fortress 2's classes, Half Life 2: Episode 2's...well, everything). It occurs to me every now and then while I'm playing the generic wartime shooter that the novelties in the better games make them so much more fun.

The best novelty for me has to be the Nanosuit. Chuck on speed mode, rush to my enemy, switch to Strength mode, pick the bugger up, throw him in the air and shoot him. Throw the sucker off a bridge. Blow up the car that pesky machine gunner is in. Go invisible and give your enemy the mother of all wet willies. Use them as a bullet shield, beat them to death with a turtle, knock down a house with them inside...I never get tired of these things. Maybe it's my evil nature.

Anyway, I'd like to hear some more fun novelties.

 

[LordOmnit]

Probably pretty obvious for its reasons, but the super-powered gravity gun.
Anything mobile and within thirty meters is a viable weapon and already dead basically.
Incoming soldiers? Dead.
Computer screens with pricks talking on them? Gone.
Manhacks? Energy core beam.
Energy cores? Richocheting death.

 

[alabaster67]

i dont know about novelty, but if you are talking about humor, the bard has to be (i think) one of the funniest games ever made. it was just so clever how they ripped traditional rpg elements to shreds.

 

[Duck Sandwich]

Blood Omen 2 has the novelty of being able to pick people up by the throat and hit them in the crotch. With a spiked club. You could also knock them back 10 feet by pimp slapping them.

Also, you can suck people's blood by telekinetically drawing it from the wounds in enemies' bodies, making it enter Kain's mouth in a flowing stream. I guess Kain's just too damn lazy to just bite the fool.

 

[Worr Monger]

Blood Omen 2 has the novelty of being able to pick people up by the throat and hit them in the crotch. With a spiked club. You could also knock them back 10 feet by pimp slapping them.

Also, you can suck people's blood by telekinetically drawing it from the wounds in enemies' bodies, making it enter Kain's mouth in a flowing stream. I guess Kain's just too damn lazy to just bite the fool.

That was funny to crack people in the balls.... I personally loved grabbing them by the throat and decapitating every person I came across. The blood drinking sure did take up some time though.

I like when you can just mess with things in FPS games. When you can manipulate objects like flushing toilets... using a slot machine, accessing computers, having dumb conversations with people. I like just wandering around in certain parts of games like Doom 3, Half life 2, Bioshock... screwing with stuff and just taking it all in. Easter Eggs are always fun too.

 

[Copter400]

Capcom's Shadow of Rome on the PS2. A lot of the weapons in there were ungodly powerful. Add on all the interesting salvos and it's hours of fun. To grab a halberd and swing it around in a long arc that cuts everything in the vicinity in half. It's worth checking out.

 

[Satosuke]

Insurance Fraud minigame in Saint's Row. Nothing beats throwing your character, consequence-free, in front of speeding cars.

 

[Sib]

the shacks in crysis, i could spend all day roaming a large village comprised solely of those especially if there are guards in them...ahh one can dream, or one can download the map editor and figure out how to work the thing

specifically smashing them and other entertaining shack related activities, for anyone who didnt catch my meaning

 

[PurpleRain]

Shooting people in their balls in Stranglehold and ripping out peoples brains in Stubbs The Zombie.

 

[EzraPound]

Fun? Geo-Mod technology in Red Faction.

 

[josh797]

Probably pretty obvious for its reasons, but the super-powered gravity gun.
Anything mobile and within thirty meters is a viable weapon and already dead basically.
Incoming soldiers? Dead.
Computer screens with pricks talking on them? Gone.
Manhacks? Energy core beam.
Energy cores? Richocheting death.

YES! thread closed.

 

[the_tralfalmadorian]

Fun? Geo-Mod technology in Red Faction.

oh god this. the ONLY first person shooter that matched that game's fun factor is Half life 2

 

[m_jim]

How about the flying tank in GTA 3. It was a twitchy bastard, but if you got up enough speed, you could lift off and soar over Liberty City. Since you didn't have an actual (working) plane, this was the only way to fly the friendly skies.

 

[stevesan]

in Ren & Stimply for Genesis i had quite a time slapping Stimpy with Ren.

 

[nightmare_gorilla]

novelty? just plain fun? judge dredd:dredd vs. death, the standard firearm for judges is the lawgiver, with normal,rapid fire, stake, and incendiary rounds, add to that slow fat citisens and well, stake down their arms and legs, then set them on fire and watch them squirm, plus the ragdoll engine so when you killed people with a shotgun blast they did cartwheels, i even got one to do a headstand by blasting him under a set of stairs, his feet got caught through the stairs and he just sorta leened against it on his head. best 20$ game i ever bought, so bad that it was just beyond fun.

 

[PurpleRain]

Conker. That game has novelty up the arse. Pee on enemies, kill bosses by either A) Slapping them in their giant balls, B) making a dinosaur eat chunks out of their arse or C) killing a giant singing piece of poo by throwing toilet paper into its mouth.

 

[Forte]

too be 100% honest, there has been nothing in gamedom (in my opinion)as fun as stabbing the leader of a patrol and running for dear life in Assassins Creed. i can do that for hours on end and not get bored. or slowly picking off patrol members as they wander. but i just prefer to jump the guy in the middle and run fast and far.

 

[PurpleRain]

After SoF, I'd second PurpleRain's choice of Conkers Bad Fur Day. Any game where picking up a Katana instantly gives you a Japanese accent is awesome to me. That and Greg the reaper and his hatred of cats. F**king cats. The way they meow... Piss everywhere...

Ha, he was the greatest character. I can't believe I forgot him. Conker Live and Reloaded was brilliant on the xbox.

Conker: Aren't you a little short to be a Grim Reaper?
Gregg: Well, how many Grim Reapers have you met before, mate? Well, what am I supposed to look like?
Conker: Yeah... that's a good point, and well made.

Him and Franky were awesome:
Franky: I is gonna stick my big fork right in yas!
Conker: Were you parents related? Like before they were married?

 

[TSED]

Pretty dated now, but Might & Magic 6 and 7 (and 8, and probably 9, but we don't talk about those) had the ability to switch from turn based to real time combat at the hit of a button (enter, specifically).

It was so awesome.

So, so awesome.

 

[OneWingedSin]

Pyrokinesis + squirrels in Psychonauts. (substitute squirrels with birds as well)

All the extra dialogue in Psychonauts was fun to listen to as well, it's amazing how much extra is actually there if you just stand around and listen to the people talk.