10GreatGamesRuinedByBad

Combat
http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/10-great-games-ruined-by-bad-combat
Inanygamethatletsyoufightagainstenemies,howthecombatishandledcanmakeorbreakthe
entire experience. A game with noplotand bad graphicscan be forgivenif it has an incredible
combatsystem.However,iffightingthebadguysisnofun,thenitcanbeirredeemablenomatter
howcompellingthestory.Therecanbeanynumberofreasonsforwhyagamescombatcanbe
disappointing.Floatycontrols,clunkyanimations,sloppymovementandconvolutedskillsystems
can all lead to an unpleasant experience. Other times, the actual combat can be adequate, but
totallylackinginvariety.Eitherway,itshardtofindthestrengthtopushthroughandcompletea
gamewhenitsoverlylightontheentertainmentfront.Rangingfromdudsthatcouldhavebeen
great,toclassicsthatshouldhavebeenbetter,thislisttakesalookatgameswithdisappointing
combatthatotherwisedidalmosteverythingright.Eachgamemightbeworthaplayforthethings
itdidwellbut,ultimately,everyentryfellshortofitsfullpotential.
10.Risen2:DarkWaters
Risen2hasatrulygreatpremiseforanactionRPG.ThegamecombinesclassicCaribbeanpirate
themes with dark fantasy, filled with monsters and voodoo. A lot of the game works brilliantly,
serving up one of the best atmospheric experiences of 2012. The game has some beautiful
environmentstoexplore,andismarkedbyafantasticsenseofhumourthroughout.Unfortunately,
the combat was an absolute mess. Featuring overly long recovery animations and many
unblockableenemyattacks,Risen2scombatjustwasntanyfun.Worstofall,themaincharacter
just felt sluggish, with difficulttoexecute dodges and a ridiculously long transition between
standingstillandrunning.Whatshouldvebeensomeawesomeswashbucklingactionjustfeltlike
slowlywadingthroughmudwhilewavingasword.

9.MassEffect
ThefirstMassEffectgamereallysetanewstandardforepicscifistorytellinginvideogames.With
its intergalactic exploration and revolutionary dialogue system, Mass Effect was an astoundingly
goodexperience.Unfortunately,thereweretwofacetsofthegameplaythathelditbacksomewhat.
Forstarters,theinventorysystemwashorrible.Thankstothegameshabitofthrowingeverybit
of useless crap at you constantly, the inventory management was fiddly and time consuming. It
wasthegamescombatthatreallyhelditbackthough.Therechargingweaponideawascoolon
paper,butjustfelttooslowandfrustratingduringintensegunfights.MassEffectwasverycombat
heavy,andthesystemjustwasntassmoothandpolishedasthoseseeninmanynonRPGaction
titles.Fortunately,Biowarefeltthesame,revampingthecombatintimeforthesequel.Thenew
combat may have been a bit generic compared to the first game, but it was also far more
streamlined,satisfying,andfun.

8.AlanWake
With its Stephen King inspired story and strong characterisation, Alan Wake was a wellmade,
spookynarrativeexperience.Thegamealsomadegooduseoflightanddark,entwiningthetheme
intobothnarrativeandgameplay.Themechanicofusinglightwasaninterestingone,anditmostly
workedquitewell.However,justabouteverythingelseinthecombatwasntgreat.Thedodging
wasunreliableandclunky,whilethegunsfeltlikeyouwerefiringBBpellets.Theintentionwasto
maketheplayerfeelunderrealdanger,butthiswasattheexpenseofhighlevelsoffrustration.
The fights were also wildly unbalanced, with long stretches of the game being far too easy,
interspersed with occasional difficulty spikes when confronted with groups of four or more
enemies.

7.Morrowind
MorrowindisstillconsideredbymanytobethegreatestentryintheElderScrollsfranchise.With
a weird, richly detailed world, and less handholding than is now common in AAA releases,
MorrowindiswidelyconsideredtobeaquintessentialRPGexperience.Itsashamethen,thatthe
combat pretty much sucks. The Elder Scrolls isnt a series known for having a daring, complex
combatsystem,butOblivionandSkyrimwerevastimprovementsoverMorrowind.Thedefinition
ofclunky,Morrowindscombatwasunsatisfyingandinconsistent,particularlywhenusingmelee
weapons. This was made even worse by the frequent surprise attacks from some particularly
annoyingmonsters.Werenotnaminganynames,butifyouplayedthegamethenyouknowthe
terrorofseeingacertainwingedshadowappearinfrontofyou

6.BioshockInfinite
TheBioshockseriesstrengthhasneverbeeninitscombat.Thegameshaveexcelledincreating
worldsthatdripwithatmosphere,andtense,scarymoments,butthefightingjustisntanything
special.Thatsnottosaythecombatisparticularlybad.Theactofcombiningantiquatedweaponry
withfireballsandlightningboltscanbeveryfun,andoccasionallyexhilarating.Despitethis,the
combatinBioshockcanoftenfeellikeanecessaryfunctiontoprogressthestoryline,ratherthan
beingafundamentalpartoftheexperience.WhileitstillworkedwellinRapture,itwasinBioshock
Infinitethatthecracksbegantoshow.ThefloatingcityofColumbiawasabeautifulplace,butthere
wasnevermuchtimetoadmireitthankstheconstantfightsagainstswarmsofrobots,rebelsand
patriots.ThehugefocusoncombatinBioshockInfinitejustdidntmatchuptohowfuntheactual
gameplay was, making the continuous battles fatiguing and often frustrating. In fact, we truly
believethatmorestealthandplatforming,sprinkledwithoccasionalgunfightswouldhavemade
forafarmoreeffectiveandrefreshingwayofjourneyingthroughColumbia.

5.TheSecretWorld
WewishTheSecretWorldbecamemorepopularthanitdid.OneofthefewMMORPGsthatcan
claimtobetrulyoriginalsinceWorldofWarcraftsrelease,TheSecretWorldissetinauniverse
wherejustabouteveryconspiracyandlegendiscompletelytrue,makingforanexcitingplaceto
explore.ThatswhyitwascrushinglydisappointingwhenitemergedthatTheSecretWorldhada
combatsystemthatwasaboutasdullasyoucanget.Whileitwasinitiallyfuntocomeupwitha
goodbuild,combatquicklydevolvedintotappingthesamefewbuttoncyclesoverandoverand
overagain.Therepetitionwasnthelpedbythefloatyanimations,orattacksthatlackedanysort
ofoomph.WhilemostMMOsfeaturetheirfairshareofrepetition,thebattlesinTheSecretWorld
bringawholenewlevelofmindnumbingboredomtothegenre.

4.GameOfThrones
Unless you count the excellent mods for Crusader Kings II and Mount & Blade: Warband, there
hasntbeenadecentGameofThronesvideogameyet.ConsideringhowentertainingtheCKIImod
is,werecertainthatanofficialGameofThronesadaptationcouldhavethepotentialtobetruly
great.TheactionRPGsimplytitledGameofThronescameclosetobrilliance.Thecharacterswere
expertly written (though poorly voiced), and the story genuinely did justice to the franchise.
Unfortunately,thegameplaywasabsolutelyhorrible.ThecombatwasaweirdblendofTheWitcher,
AssassinsCreedandTheSims,inwhichyouqueuedupattacksinrealtimeandsortofwatched
thembeperformedinorder.Therewasaninterestingideahiddenawayintheresomewhere,but
thegamesadlyjustcouldntpullitoff.Althoughthestorywouldbeofgreatinteresttoanyfanof
thebooksorshow,wedrecommendjustreadingtheplotonlineoversloggingthroughthistitle.

3.MirrorsEdge
Mirrors Edge was a truly excellent game, featuring a unique aesthetic and smooth freerunning
gameplay.Whilethegamereceiveddecentreviewsonrelease,sixyearslaterithaswidelybeen
recognisedassomethingofamodernclassic.Themajorityofthegamewasmagnificentlyrealised,
butthecombatwasMirrorsEdgeslowpoint.Themeleecombatwasabitsloppy,andoverlyrelied
onthetrialanderrorofanticipatingthetimingofpunchesandgunfire.Fortunately,thecombat
wasntabigpartofthegame,anditwasalmostalwaysencouragedtojustrunfromfights(other
than one or two compulsory segments). However, it did serve as an unwanted break from the
wonderfulplatforming,unnecessarilydisruptingthegamesflow.

2.Gothic3
Gothic3wasanattemptbydevelopersPiranhaBytestomakethedarkfantasythemedRPGseries
more accessible to a wideraudience. Many of the major changes were great, such as the vastly
improvedgraphicsandmorecohesivequestdesign.Unfortunately,thecombatwastotallywatered
downincomparisontoitspredecessors,turningitintoahackandslashathonthatwaslackingin
thefirsttwogamesstrategicdepth.Itwasextremelyunsatisfying,particularlywhenfactoringin
the clunky animations and bad AI. Ultimately, Gothic 3 wound up disappointing both longterm
series vets and newcomers alike. Attempts at simplifying the combat werejarring to fans of the
originals, while the bugs and lack of oomph left many wondering why the Gothic series was so
reveredinthefirstplace.

1.AlphaProtocol
One of the most disappointing releases of all time, with a few changes Alpha Protocol couldve
beenamasterpiece.AlphaProtocolputstheplayerintheshoesofafieldagent,blendingstealth,
actions and RPG elements. The poor combat played a large part in the games mixed reception.
With a badly designed cover system and terrible enemy AI, Alpha Protocol featured sloppy,
unpolished fights, totally outshone by other contemporary titles that blended action and RPG
elements. Alpha Protocols biggest flaw though, was its weird mix of weapon stat upgrades and
actiongameplayprinciples.Forexample,ifyouhaventlevelledupyourpistolskills,thenitsalmost
impossibletohitanenemyevenwithadirecthit.ThissortofsystemworkedingameslikeFallout,
withitsV.A.T.Smechanic,butinAlphaProtocolitprovedtobeabrokenmess.

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