General Gaming Little touches in games that you enjoy

[legend]

Every once in a while a game does something small, but unique that isn't really important but enhances the experience a lot. I thought it would be fun to list some examples of this in games that people like.

 

To start, I'd like to highlight how in Divinity Original Sin 2, you can choose an "instrument" for each character. When that character does something significant in battle (like kill an enemy), the music switches to a version using that character's instrument.

 

It's so simple, yet goes a long way in making the battle feel more reactive and customized to your characters.

[Hurdyb1]

The quick travel system in Mass Effect Andromeda. I know other games have quick travel systems but this the first game I have truly taken advantage of it. The way this system works encourages me to unlock the various stations to explore each planet more due to not having to traverse so much land. 

[legend]

19 hours ago, Man of Culture said:

An excellent checkpoint system. Due to the way Division 2 handles checkpoints, 9 timed out of time I'm back to where I was and whatever I was doing if the game crashes or disconnects. I cannot under emphasize how important a good checkpoint system is, especially if you're strapped for time like I have been lately.

 

Quality check point systems are incredibly important to me in terms of my enjoyment. I deeply loathe the idea of being held back from focusing on the current challenge because the game thinks I should redo minutes of stuff I can already handle readily just to get another 30 seconds on the actual challenge.

 

I just finished Celeste and it's a great example of quality checkpoints. The game was hard and it didn't achieve that by making you replay a whole bunch of crap, but making the gameplay challenging alone. "Messed up? Try again. Right now. Forget game over screens while we're at it."

[nublood]

I'm a big fan of animation. The way clothing moves, running animations, combat animations, blocking and rolling...I love it when a dev gets these things right. I can forgive A LOT if animation is handled the right way.

[Slug]

9 minutes ago, nublood said:

I'm a big fan of animation. The way clothing moves, running animations, combat animations, blocking and rolling...I love it when a dev gets these things right. I can forgive A LOT if animation is handled the right way.

One of my favorite animations in recent time: the classic Sub-Zero head rip fatalaity in MKX.  While everyone is ooh'ing and ahh'ing over the nostalgia and the gore, they often miss the awesome touch of the opponent's now headless body feebly making a futile attempt to grab the head back from Sub-Zero before falling over.    I love little things like that.

 

 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

Hiding load screens to create a more seamless gameplay experience. 

 

Also when character animations are very dynamic to the environment and terrain. By that I mean they step up and on even small things. They don’t clip or hover.  And the environment reacts to the character. The more it can happen the more impressive. Grass bend and move, trees, brush, snow deforms around the character and items, fabric. 

 

 

It all all looks and feels more immersive, like I’m IN that world. 

[Dre801]

Most recently, I was playing Horizon Zero Dawn.  I like the way Aloy's walking animation shifts as she traverses the terrain.

[RedSoxFan9]

I like when a game reads you the lore while you are walking around like in BioShock.  It’s a waste of time if you have to open a menu and read it.

 

I also hate it when the protagonist has to stop or walk slow to talk on a comm (gears of war). action games should avoid crap that slows down the action. 

[Captain Pickle]

30 minutes ago, Dre801 said:

Most recently, I was playing Horizon Zero Dawn.  I like the way Aloy's walking animation shifts as she traverses the terrain.

Agreed.  I was gonna post that.  Also, footprints in snow are good in that one.

[Alpha1Cowboy]

Any game with a recap feature.   I often come back to a game  that I haven't played in awhile and I have to re-learn a lot of stuff and or figure out where the hell I am in the story.  

 

[atom631]

most recently, in RDR2, when you slide down a hill and the little rocks and pebbles roll down. 

 

In the TD1 when taking cover behind a car and moving past the door and your guy closes it (I remember in the E3 reveal all the ooh and ahhs when he did that, pretty cool.)

[Rodimus]

In games where you die a lot I like quick or no loading. I'm not a huge fan of having to get out of the game and it reload the entire level in games where you die a lot.

[Captain Pickle]

Here's a little touch that I would hope we start seeing in the future.  In RPGs if your talking to a main character could they maybe move around more.  go for a walk or something. Do things!  I;m getting sick of just talking heads.  It would be nice if once ending a conversation maybe I'm not in the exact spot I was when it started!  

 

Also have the camera pan around some.  

[GameDadGrant]

In turn-based games (either RPG or strategy/tactics) I really appreciate having a “make the game run at triple speed” button. I don’t have to sit through enemy animations or wait for my action command to fill up again for so long. I’m specifically thinking of the HD version of Final Fantasy VII, but I know other games do that, too. Including the upcoming SteamWorld Quest! It’s a real time saver. 

 

Also, whenever fighting game characters that know each other (or know *of* each other), I think it’s cool when they have a little back-and-forth banter before and/or after the fight. That may not be a small thing, since it often involves extra animation, voice overs, etc. But it’s a nice touch that I dig. 

[eggydoo]

this might be dumb but i enjoy some of the stuff in games that you can relate to in real life to have same experience.

For example in Yakuza 0, when you go to a bar, you get educated on the type of whiskey (that is available in real life) you are drinking.  It actually made me go buy a bottle of a type once.

Same goes for types of coffee in Persona 5.

[fuckle85]

Team Ico/Gen Design's approach to animation.  The way a character's body language and expressions tells you a lot about their character like how determined they are, clumsy, reckless, brave, etc.  The little touches like clothing rippling in wind, tripping over a step, the way animals are portrayed, like how Toriko will show subtle behaviors that your pet might have.  Most games rarely make me feel like the characters are as alive like those games do.

[Bloodporne]

I somehow truly love holding down Triangle button in MGSV while running and he seamlessly hops and climbs over terrain and keeps running.

 

Also love that wind rushing noise when running. The game is just full of incredible minutiae that really adds up to a great experience. 

 

Edit: But my absolute favorite goes to From's ambient sound design since Demon's Souls. This is something I rarely ever see brought up in reviews or at all but their background ambient sound is incredibly atmospheric. Sekiro has been keeping this trend going and has absolutely great background sound design as well. 

[RedSoxFan9]

17 hours ago, Rodimus said:

In games where you die a lot I like quick or no loading. I'm not a huge fan of having to get out of the game and it reload the entire level in games where you die a lot.

 

This is one of the best features a game can have.

[Kal-El814]

I really enjoy when games deal to players and enemies from the same deck, or something akin to it. MGSV having the enemies “steal” your gadgets and using them against you, being able to use tactics similar to yours is pretty great. This is really obvious in something like the old Baldur’s Gate games where EVERYONE is governed by the same stats and dice rolls based on them.

 

I like when characters come out of water and need a little time to dry off, or shake some of the water off themselves when they get back to land. I also like attention to detail in the character outfits and clothes. I guess this just means I like looking at Assassin’s Creed games, which I already knew.

 

I enjoy safe harbors in games, like town spaces in classic RPGs. I also like when that’s subverted like in FF6’s Zozo.

 

I like when games give me a home space I can make my own.

 

I really appreciate when idle animations say something about the character.

[legend]

I'm getting the feeling I should play MGSV  I didn't get it because I'm not a huge fan of the series in general, but its praise is pretty great.

 

 

11 hours ago, fuckle85 said:

Team Ico/Gen Design's approach to animation.  The way a character's body language and expressions tells you a lot about their character like how determined they are, clumsy, reckless, brave, etc.  The little touches like clothing rippling in wind, tripping over a step, the way animals are portrayed, like how Toriko will show subtle behaviors that your pet might have.  Most games rarely make me feel like the characters are as alive like those games do.

 

I think I threw up my heart every time you had to catch the girl's hand in a fall in Ico. (Great game)

[Bacon]

In Bravely Default you could increase or decrease enemy encounters. It was great because I would just grind levels and then continue the story. Only, the end of the game was boring so I never beat it. 

 

and

 

[Bloodporne]

55 minutes ago, legend said:

I'm getting the feeling I should play MGSV  I didn't get it because I'm not a huge fan of the series in general, but its praise is pretty great.

 

I honestly feel like it would work better for you exactly because you're not a fan of the series compared to some of its critics. 

 

On its own merits, I think it's a fantastic and one-of-a-kind game, period, but I can see why long-time fans were disappointed. It's totally different. 

[Brian]

I really appreciate inventory management touches like when picking up junk it gets auto tagged as such and only requires a single button to sell the lot.  Even better was the pet in Torchlight that will take your items to town and sell them for you. 

[Bloodporne]

Prey was Great Little Touches: The Game.