Loss of Control

Some games are good in many ways. Some are bad in almost every conceivable way. And some games would be great, could be groundbreaking, if it wasn't for shitting control implementation. Here I look at five games with fantastic foundational ideas that fell (or may fall) by the wayside because of faulty controls. Hit the fold to find out which games may have been a contender.

1. Deathtrap Dungeon (1998-PS1)

Deathtrap Dungeon had everything going against it. Plagued by delays, its graphics screamed first generation when third generation graphics games were hitting the PlayStation market. It was finally released in a time when Tomb Raider was the dominant and accepted force of the platform / exploration market. And, finally, its stiff and bland control implementation made for character movement which made most zombies look like ballerina dancers.

What Deathtrap Dungeon DID have going for it was a highly atmospheric (for its time) dungeon crawler. Interesting puzzles and engaging game play set in a dungeon who's art style was extremely well conceived. Enemies were your normal dungeon fair but Deathtrap Dungeon featured limb removal as part of its fighting engine. This would result in a flurry of detached limbs and heads dancing around the rooms as you thrashed about with your blade. For 1998, Deathtrap Dungeon was great romp that tried to re-envision the Tomb Raider ideas for D&D geeks the world over.

2. G-Police (1997-PS1, PC)

Think BladeRunner mixed with AirWolf and you have G-Police. G-Police sported beautiful graphics for 1997 but suffered from both bad control and very short draw distances. This created quite the problem when enemies seemingly sprang out from the darkness and your ship lacked the ability to swing around to meet them. The depth of detail, varied missions and interesting story however led the game to get fairly favorable reviews.

Personally I completely wanted to fall in love with this game but couldn't get passed my inability to fly in a straight line. Or avoid buildings. Or lose enemies when they were on my tail. OK, fuck this game.

3. Alone in the Dark (2008 – XBOX 360)

Never had a games development dichotomy been so apparent as it is in the 2008 release of Alone in the Dark. On one hand you have some gorgeous graphics, fantastic set pieces and some truly innovative game play ideas. The item combination system and the extremely creative inventory method is some of the best I've seen in games. On the other hand you have controls that make the game feel as if its fighting you each and every step of the way. Puzzles which should be simple yet interesting to solve become nothing more than a frustrating, controller-throwing, mess.

Its almost painful to play this game. Not only from the sheer frustration but also because you can tell that some of the developers had a true passion for the presentation and mechanics of the game while other parts where so rushed and poorly implemented that they might as well not have tried at all. Reviews were abysmal and Atari's decision to sue some publications for releasing low review scores early (possibly saving people a hard earned $60) put even more attention to the shoddy development and Company behind it. The entire ordeal was truly grizzly.

4. Nightmare Creatures (1997 – PS1, PC. 1998 – N64)

Back in 1997 I was sitting in a living room with about 6 other friends for a full night of video gaming goodness. By the time the FMV intro to Nightmare Creatures was ending we were all shouting in unison - “I will not be taken in by the intro!” Nightmare Creatures tells the story of Ignatius Blackward, an evil fighting hero who has found his way to turn-of-the-century London to stop an evil Doctor from unleashing a horde of unholy demons throughout the city. The fighting engine employes a combo system and features dismemberment quite like Deathtrap Dungeon but done with much more finesse. Creature enemies are varied and interesting and the levels are well planned out.

Where the series ultimately fails, and was a problem in both the 1997 and 1998 releases, is in its horrific camera system. The camera whips around as if it was being held by Michael J. Fox on a day he ran out of medication. Playing the game became an exercise in how loud one can yell “TURN!” or “MOVE!” at the camera as you suffer another death from an enemy you cannot see. Nightmare Creatures could have been great, should have been remembered. Sadly, I find that its still unknown or regarded as just another action oriented, low-fi, Tomb Raider clone.

5. Darksiders (2010 – XBOX 360, PS3)

I expect to get a lot of gruff for this one. Darksiders has been very well received. Its Zelda-like dungeon structure and sense of exploration was finely executed by developers who were, obviously, fans of the style. But, unfortunately, I find the combat control mechanics to be a huge flaw in the diamond that is this game.

Beyond the exploration and item finding I found a shallow fighting mechanic, with a poorly executed dodge, that made for some hugely frustrating moments in places that should have been reserved for kicking ass and taking names. Often time you will run to your death into lava when you are 100% sure you hit jump a moment before the edge. Your sword strikes will do nothing to your enemies, not stopping any of their actions or slowing them down, while you will be interrupted or thrown back when you take damage yourself.

I'm not saying Darksiders isn't great...it is. But I can't help to think how much better it would be if I wasn't fighting my controller or dodging, not because I was going to get hit, but because it was TIME to dodge or else I would find myself in the middle of a group of enemies I should have been juggling with my strikes.

Word around game-town is that a Darksiders 2 is now in production. Seeing as Bayonetta has raised the bar for these types of fighting games in terms of control and dodge mechanic, I'm hoping the next installment makes the necessary changes to bring this IP up to the new standards.

-Joseph-