Perfected action games of the last generation

Post by **fingersmaloy** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:16 am

In my opinion, games have never been more fun than Devil May Cry 3, where the replay value lies not so much in extra costumes and crap like that (of which I think there is some), but in the gameplay itself allowing so much room for creativity and selection. Being able to choose fighting styles, and more importantly, to switch weapons mid-combo makes fighting practically an art form. Fighting game-derived elements like juggling and downing enemies also add a great amount of depth to combat that I wish was in more action games. It's my favorite type of game, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates that style of gameplay. So I thought it'd be cool if we made a list of all the games that are in that sort of vein. The ones that come to mind are:

Ninja Gaiden
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (shockingly, shockingly good)
Rygar (if only the enemies were more interesting and substantial)
God of War (thought the combat feels a little lightweight to me for some reason)

What else is there? Are there any games like this on the current generation of consoles (besides DMC4)?

If they could make a Marvel: Ultimate Alliance or Marvel vs. Capcom kinda game with these kinds of mechanics and a big roster of great characters, I could die a happy man.

Post by **ott0bot** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:53 am

SO anything DC, Ps2 and Gamecube....I suppose the ol' X-box too.

These are my favorites, matbe not all strait up action...but you know.

DC:
Cannon Spike, Bangai-O (shmup/acton/puzzle hybrid). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Berserker: Guts Rage

Ps2:
Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, The Red Star, Okami (action/rpg)

GameCube:
Zelda: Windwaker, Viewtiful Joe

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:15 pm

I've always dug the Devil May Cry series, but the combat is not as fluid and intuitive as the Ninja Gaiden games. Also, the DMC games are prone to ridiculously difficult challenges that only a masochist would enjoy like the SS rank requirements in DMC3 or the stupid Bloody Palace achievements in DMC4. If I had to choose, it's Ninja Gaiden all the way.

Rygar was okay, but not as good as everyone says it was.

Great games you mentioned ottobot, but most of them are nothing at all like the games the topic creator mentioned.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance would suck as a DMC/Ninja Gaiden clone. It's good the way it is.

God of War is cool, but people are too quick to compare it to DMC/Ninja Gaiden. Yes, it's drawing from the same inspiration as those two series, but GOW is more of a complete adventure game whereas DMC/Ninja Gaiden focus solely on great action while everything else is pretty much tacked on and mediocre. There's no comparing the story, production value, music, puzzles and platforming of GOW to DMC/Ninja. It simply kicks their asses in those areas, but the combat systems of DMC/Ninja Gaiden simply put the GOW games to shame.

Post by **ott0bot** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:19 pm

I guess Soul Reaver is really the only one that matches up fairly close. I was trying to find games that stressed the action and had some good puzzles. I mean you don't want to play the same game over and over right? A little variety is good IMO.

Post by **Gamerforlife** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:42 pm

ott0bot wrote:I guess Soul Reaver is really the only one that matches up fairly close. I was trying to find games that stressed the action and had some good puzzles. I mean you don't want to play the same game over and over right? A little variety is good IMO.

True, true, I just get a little anal about these things and as you said they don't all match style-wise.

Some of those titles you mentioned are great little action games. The Red Star is a favorite of mine and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's better than the review scores it received. 7 out 10? Forget that! It's a nine all the way. I've actually played everything you mentioned except Cannon Spike, which I need to get my hands on at some point

Post by **fingersmaloy** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:17 pm

I guess what I'm really talking about is a certain style of combat. I actually find the DMC controls much tighter than the Ninja Gaiden ones, but Ninja Gaiden really does do a good job of making you feel like a Ninja, what with all the flipping around and rolling.

Also, what I meant about Marvel: UA is that really I just want Devil May Cry where you can be superheroes. Sounds like a winner to me.

Rygar was on the right track, but the enemies were just so lame. Caterpillars.

Oh yeah, and also I thought the last Legacy of Kain game (Defiance) was kind of moving in that same direction with the combat kind of revolving around juggling and air combos and such. That was a fun game.

Post by **NebachadnezzaR** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:24 pm

Gamerforlife wrote:I've always dug the Devil May Cry series, but the combat is not as fluid and intuitive as the Ninja Gaiden games. Also, the DMC games are prone to ridiculously difficult challenges that only a masochist would enjoy like the SS rank requirements in DMC3 or the stupid Bloody Palace achievements in DMC4. If I had to choose, it's Ninja Gaiden all the way.

True, but at least DMC has difficulty modes for everyone, while NG is just damn impossible even in the easiest setting (or at least NG2, never played the first one).

Now, about the topic, the only game I can remember that no one has mentioned yet is God Hand. I never actually played it, but judging from the reviews and videos it has a pretty wicked combat system. Swords of Destiny is also...entertaining... It has a great feature that let's you stop the time for a moment and slash all the enemies, but besides that is sort of an average game.

Post by **RackGaki** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:30 pm

Otogi.

Side by side with Ninja Gaiden, the two Otogi games on the Xbox were the best action games last generation. Otogi had a style and beauty that most other action titles fell far short on. Nothing on the Gamecube or PS2 can visually compare to these two games. The opportunity to put together combos to fight in mid-air, Crouching Tiger style, is amazing and endlessly entertaining.

Oh, and almost completely destructible environments. The pagoda you begin your fight in may very well be gone and leveled by the time you've cleansed it of all it's demons.

Thanks for the thread, because I'm going to have to buy a new Xbox to replace my broken one, because Microsoft hasn't made these gems backwards compatible with the Xbox 360.

Post by **Ack** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:37 pm

It's an interesting combination of beat 'em up and shooter, but I really enjoyed what I got to play of The Red Star. It's got some cheap enemies at times, and some difficult fights, but the story and design are fun, and I enjoyed its upgrade system. Plus, multiple characters to run through the game with = good times for me.

Post by **RemyC** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 4:48 pm

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Warrior Within, Two Thrones?
If violence is what you want, id say, go for Two Thrones. It can get pretty gruesome when you transform into the Dark prince. A good amount of free-form when it comes to combat. The prince is very agile and hacks up his enemies as hes jumping off walls and doing flips.