Bullshit previous gameplay mechanics

[PerfectChaos]

I'll start with two from a game I actually really like (the game, that is). Boost and Homing attack are just too obvious choices, so that's why they're not here.

I don't think it needs to be explained but this was just so pointless. At the very least it should have been a proper QTE with other inputs required. Literally just pressing A, without even any timing required was stupid and unnecessary.

 

 

 

The reason this annoys me is because the game deliberately makes the controls much more stiff during these parts just to get you to drift. Colours' controls were always a bit slippery, but turning without the drift wouldn't be a problem if they didn't do this. Not to mention it didn't even help you keep speed like it can in the other games - it's pretty much always faster to not drift. Just a random tacked-on mechanic that looks cool in screenshots like it does above.

Edited July 12, 2013 by PerfectChaos

[Chaos Warp]

It's not a terrible idea in of itself, but why does it break your flow by completely slowing you down all the time? It should have behaved more like a roll in that regard: it just keeps your speed when you do it. 

[Vertekins]

The Wisps in Colours were a nice idea and they were occasionally well pulled-off. Most of the time however, the execution was downright weak and they epitomized a lot of what was wrong with Colours' gameplay; Automation, overwhelming 2D fixation and the overall palpable sense of Sonic Team not wanting to 'push the boat out' design-wise.

 

SatSR's fixation with making you play for even halfway-decent controls always was and always will be a very misguided mechanic especially considering the problems with on-rails gameplay.

[PerfectChaos]

It's not a terrible idea in of itself, but why does it break your flow by completely slowing you down all the time? It should have behaved more like a roll in that regard: it just keeps your speed when you do it. 

 

 

 

Reminds me of the stupid blocks in Seaside Hill where you had to keep switching to Knuckles to break them. Even more jarring because they sometimes blocked straight stretches of road.

Edited July 12, 2013 by PerfectChaos

[azoo]

They should've just kept the roll and Spindash (and bounce attack) on X while putting the somersault and SA1-esque jump cancel on B, then putting Light Dash / Magic Hands / Mystic Melody on Y or something. Making four face buttons and then only using two was a dumb idea on their part. :v

[Dizcrybe]

Dunno if this counts, but I hated how landing on a rail so you could grind was such a crapshoot in SA2. If you were just the slightest bit off, you weren't landing on that rail, plain and simple.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Dizcrybe

[Old dead account]

The slide. Just why? Leave that shit to Megaman and leave the trademark roll/spindash to Sonic. It's nothing more than a nerfed roll. Also, grinding rails. They were technically the best in SA2 because they ran on momentum instead of automation. This would be good if they such flimsy godawful controls and switching, and if they weren't nullified by the fact that holding down the B button on them made them pretty much automated anyways.

[Emmett L. Brown]

The slide has annoyed the crap out of me ever since it's introduction. And by coincidence or telepathy, Scootaloo just posted the exact same thing while I was typing this.

 

Sonic's ability to roll and gain momentum downhill was the whole idea that made him unique rather than just your average platformer that only differed by not needing to stomp enemies to beat them. The slide should never have been introduced. It shouldn't have been kept from game to game. It definitely shouldn't have replaced the rolling entirely in the 3D games.

[azoo]

Oh, I got one!

 

The wonderful idea to put rail switching on the analog instead of the bumpers! 

[StaticMania]

Oh, I got one!

 

The wonderful idea to put rail switching on the analog instead of the bumpers! 

What exactly was bad about that?

 

 

The light speed attack, while fun to  use on occasion it was ultimately pointless and the incredibly long charge up time made it even more useless/pointless than before. Having the light speed dash in Sa1 have the same charge up time was also quite Bull.

[Blue Blood]

What exactly was bad about that?

In terms of switching rails, I think it's fine. But grinding has been a snore-fest in every game since SA2 (and Heroes if you pretend it actually worked), cause you just hop on the rail and go. SA2 had to balancing and trying trying to maintain speed in landing on the rail, which made you go faster and made grinding that bt easier. In all the other games it's been a pointless mechanic. So long as switching is done via the analogue stick, there's no chance of balancing returning.

Anyway, a bullshit gameplay mechanic:

 

A homing chain here and there is fine. A homing chain every 5 seconds in a 2D game is not, thank you very much. 

Edited July 12, 2013 by Blue Blood

[Diogenes]

Does the lack of a mechanic count?

Because I really hate(d) how rare any kind of wall running is(/was) in 3D games. Sonic was able to wallrun, in a certain sense, from the very start, but so many levels in so many games were built almost entirely of squared-off level-ground hallways, save for the obligatory loop or two. It's a depressingly underused ability.

[Mr Useful]

The lightspeed dash in Generations. It was much better in SA2, Unleashed, and 06. It used to be "Press the action button to fly along a trail of rings" but now it's a context sensitive action with no depth or real use.

 

The slide kick and stomp are pointless because they are just nerfed Rolling and Bouncing. I'd rather have rolling and bouncing because they are more unique. Most other platformers already have a kind of stomp/ground pound/slide so why should Sonic tag along with the rest instead of making his own identity?

[Dandp]

I'm not sure if this qualifies, but the homing attack for Classic Sonic in Dimperation was really annoying. It doesn't make sense having a game be an homage to the classic games and add in modern mechanics? whhhhhhhyyyyyyyy????? It's like Dimps just hate Classic Sonic. Not having Sonic 4 play like one, and now making Classic Sonic not play like Classic Sonic did...

 

And while we're on the subject of bullshit gameplay mechanics...

THIS.

Throw in treasure hunting too. and Fishing. Oh man the adventure game had some problems.

[Willsy]

Homing attack, boost, and air dash mapped to the same button. Oh god why?

[Blue Blood]

Oh what's that? You didn't get an S rank on your first playthrough? Well, you'd better replay that same stage 5 times in a row so you can make up the difference!

[Mr Useful]

Oh what's that? You didn't get an S rank on your first playthrough? Well, you'd better replay that same stage 5 times in a row so you can make up the difference!

I haven't played Rush Adventure in at least 3 years and I don't want to buy it again. Could you explain please?

[Octarine]

You earned materials from playing stages, and how many you got depended on your rank. You needed materials to build new boats to reach new stages.

 

That mechanic was a little silly and it probably shouldn't have been there, but I never found that it held me back too much. The medals in Unleashed were considerably worse.

[Blue Blood]

I haven't played Rush Adventure in at least 3 years and I don't want to buy it again. Could you explain please?

 

Basically what Octarine said. It's an exaggeration, but I think it's a pretty poor way of lengthening a game. Either you perform really well on your first shot and get all the materials you need as they're dished out depending on your ranking, or you have to replay the stages until you've collected enough.

[Tornado]

Mapping everything to the same buttons in the classic games long after it stopped being feasible.

 

 

It's not a terrible idea in of itself, but why does it break your flow by completely slowing you down all the time? It should have behaved more like a roll in that regard: it just keeps your speed when you do it. 

 

But you're supposed to exploit the collision detection to just jump by it in multiplayer while player 2 helplessly started freaking out because now you're 10 seconds ahead.

[Mr Useful]

Well, I'd say the Lightspeed Attack was useless because you could do most of the same things with the homing attack and if you don't input any direction while doing it, Sonic/Shadow will have trouble hitting the enemies.

 

Basically what Octarine said. It's an exaggeration, but I think it's a pretty poor way of lengthening a game. Either you perform really well on your first shot and get all the materials you need as they're dished out depending on your ranking, or you have to replay the stages until you've collected enough.

Why do we need to get items required to progress from beating a stage with a good rank? It makes no sense whatsoever.

[Dizcrybe]

Here's another one: locking on in SA2's mech levels.

 

You had to stay still to lock on every enemy, cause if you did it while moving, you'd miss some guys. Thing is, while you do this you're wide open to enemy fire. Chances are, you're gonna get hit before you hit anything.

[Potada]

I didn't mind the treasure hunting too much in SA, but nerfing the radar in 2? Dafuq?

[Sonic The Badass]

In terms of switching rails, I think it's fine. But grinding has been a snore-fest in every game since SA2 (and Heroes if you pretend it actually worked), cause you just hop on the rail and go. SA2 had to balancing and trying trying to maintain speed in landing on the rail, which made you go faster and made grinding that bt easier. In all the other games it's been a pointless mechanic. So long as switching is done via the analogue stick, there's no chance of balancing returning.

Anyway, a bullshit gameplay mechanic:

 

A homing chain here and there is fine. A homing chain every 5 seconds in a 2D game is not, thank you very much. 

 

 

i

 actually found sa2 grinding annoying, and hard when holding B and trying to balance it on a turning rail, while i liked it it needed some fixing, so i prefer the automated, but they should put SOMETHING in the rail game play that requires skill. instead of me not even walking just jump on the rail and go WHOOSH when i previously built up no speed.

[azoo]

Yeah, sorry for not elaborating from earlier about the rail switching.

 

Blue Blood pretty much hit it on the head as to what I meant, though. Grinding is a skill-based move in SA2 that was, like many many things in the SA games, a good idea with execution that was a bit rough around the edges. Even though it was a bit finicky when trying to switch rails, the mechanic in itself was pretty brilliant; because of how it was built on speeding you up going on a decline and slowed you down on an incline, much like how rolling/Spindashing does. Plus, the fact that you could transfer your speed + descension onto a rail was an incredibly satisfying feeling, mixed with the difficulty curve of retaining your speed and balance by leaning with the analog stick.

 

The two things that mechanic needed to be perfected was to make the rails home-able as well as button-mapped rail switching; both of which were introduced in later games. The only problem then, though, was that grinding at that point was practically stripped of its satisfying mechanics and was replaced with plain ol' automation.

Edited July 12, 2013 by Azookara