Topic: Gaming Idiosyncrasies

A place to discuss specifics: a gaming moment that resonated with you and why, a design decision that you appreciate or don’t, an animation you thought was really well done, heck, specific texture work or environmental lighting that you thought was brilliantly rendered. A lot of work goes into the games we love and I’d love to draw attention to some of the specifics that contribute to what makes these things so special.

Really good thread idea!

Rocket League - when you play as the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the flux capacitor sounds come out of the controller. never seen it mentioned anywhere but it's a cool little thing.

I really do think it’s cool when a game begins immediately when you press ‘Start Game’, transitioning smoothly from menu to game. God of War is one of the more recent examples of this, though the whole ‘one shot’ prerogative surely played into this decision. It’s something that I think is unique to the medium and draws me in instantly. On the flip side, I’m not a fan of a game beginning before I see a menu.

@BowTiesAreCool yeah, I’m starting to see sound coming through the controller more and more and I also really like it. The clicking flashlight sound through the controller in The Last of Us is a standout for me.

In Ghost of Tsushima, a directional swipe of the touchpad allows Jin to bow. It’s a completely optional thing, but within this universe, I found myself using it often - after almost every battle, in fact. It changed the feeling of fighting for me, imbued it with a sense of melancholic patriotism bred out of necessity. Like, “I’m sorry it came to this.” Add to that the ability to stylishly sheathe my sword and it became a bit of a ritual for me, a post-battle process in which I could reflect - a common theme within the game. It’s amazing to me how such a small and entirely optional act could so deeply enrich my experience.

Sucker Punch takes it one step further. If you bow to almost any fallen comrade, Jin will impart a few words of respect. It’s a beautiful touch, and the game would be a lesser experience for me without it.

When Mario goes ohoho spaghetti when he’s sleeping in Super Mario 64.

@nessisonett I don’t think I ever let Mario sleep long enough to hear him say that. I remember noticing idle animations for the first time in Sonic. I thought it was nice of the movie to give a nod to Sonic’s ‘toe-tapping’ animation.

Definitely tough for me to remember stuff like this even though I pay attention to them but because they are details, I don't really remember them over time. I might return here every now and then if I do remember something more though.

Right now, the only thing I can think of that has resonated with me recently is the way Samus from Metroid Dread behaves in cut-scenes. For example, a huge boss could show up and act viciously against her, and she would just stand there nonchalantly and charge her plasma beam and fire it without a care. Then the boss would throw something at her and she just effortlessly dodges out of the way. Even though you can't see her facial expressions or hear her talk, her body language alone is enough to convey to you just how badass she is. Stuff like this really makes you appreciate the attention to detail that is being put for her character. Like they are just small things, but it enhances the experience so much because they are there.

@RogerRoger You just reminded me of this one from MGS2..

@Iver The raindrops in Driveclub are insane. I love a good weather system in games but it honestly hasn’t really advanced much since the late PS3/early PS4 days.

@RogerRoger glad to hear I’m not the only one to be mesmerized by Drake’s shirt! It’s like magic. The way the sand cascades down the sand dunes as he steps through the sand in the desert is also worth a mention. Beautiful stuff!

I mentioned this elsewhere but the train scenes in Metro Exodus. Incredibly well acted and directed and almost entirely optional. You just wander about the train seeing how everybody’s doing and it works really well. It’s the little things like seeing your crew starting to make a home for themselves in their cabins.

I was watching the gameplay footage of Gran Turismo 7 and as awesome as it looks, I just don’t think I’ll use the first-person driver’s seat viewpoint. I much prefer to see my car, just like I prefer to see my character in an action game.
It’s a shame, because a lot of care appears to have gone into making the cockpit view really detailed.
Am I alone in this? Do most people like to play their racing games from a first person viewpoint?

@Th3solution I swap between the two. I like being in the cockpit or in complete first person as I can judge turns better in that view but I also quite like the third person view.

@Th3solution I replayed GTA5 in first person when it came out on PS4 but couldn't do any of the driving like that as you just don't have as good a view of your surroundings. That's pretty much the same for me in any racer.

Fallout and Skyrim I played exclusively first person though.

@Th3solution I like first person if it’s outside of the cab, like a bumper or hood mounted camera, but generally I also stick to the camera behind the car. I think I could only use the in-cab view in V.R. I don’t mind it in something like Far Cry because the lack of vision and ensuing vehicular carnage just adds to the chaos.

As driving/racing games are my preferred genre, I played in first person for many many years. I couldn't get on with the outside 'chase' views at all, as I found I couldn't judge apexes correctly. I much preferred the feeling of immersion from the in car view - often wearing headphones so that the soundscape itself was helping me build up a picture of what was going on around the car, as well as copious use of the rear/wing mirrors.
Recently though, I have started to use the T-Cam view, i.e. the equivalent to the view sitting centrally on the top of the car (similar to the F1 onboard cameras). I find this gives me a little more vision around me, but is still low enough that it makes turn-in pretty accurate - and generally makes me enjoy the experience as more of a 'game', rather than the ruthless and frankly stifling realism I used to crave from the first person views.

Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME 2 PS2.
The interface, the video BG and song choices are beautiful.

@nessisonett @Jimmer-jammer @purplemouse Interesting. I’ll definitely try the cockpit view when GT7 comes out, just for kicks since they put so many resources into making it look and feel authentic, but I’m just not any good at doing driving games that way, based on past experience. We’ll see.

@RogerRoger You make a good point. Outside of Gran Turismo, I really don’t play much by way of racing games and do my virtual driving as a side event within other games.

It harbors back to the age-old debate of realism and simulation versus fun and escape. Some of the unrealistic elements of video game design is there to make it fun, approachable, and relaxing. There’s a fine balance of achieving that while keeping one foot in relatable authenticity.

I suppose it’s the same as those who dislike equipment degradation in games, lack of fast travel, or having to watch a rote animation when picking up an item. At some point we want to be able to play our games, not have our games play us. 😄