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FUN Games with BAD Control

Porridge

Member
It's a blessing from the gaming gods for a video game to remain fun even when its controls are just poor.

Star Tropics. Wtf? Why can i only jump forward when a tile is in front of me? what's with the robotic 4 way handling of the character? yet the game remains fun. why? really, i dont know. something about the game is just really charming and innocent. and it's not an overly easy game either

Resident Evil has been another example up until January of this year. But you know what i'm saying

what are some other fun games with bad control, and why are they fun to you?
 
I just glanced at my collection and nothing stuck out at me, but shenmue and shenmue 2 could have controlled a lot better
 
Himuro said:
I never found RE to be that fun in the first place. Just a game with cheap thrills, awful voice acting/dialouge/story, and horrible controls.

i dont want this thread to stumble out of the gates but thank you
 
I'd say there were quite a few in the PS1/N64 era. I think Body Harvest didn't have the best controls and I LOVED that game.
 
GTA3 & Sequels, if they actually nail down the aiming/shooting this series will go from great to super-OMG-awesome.

Not that I don't still really enjoy GTA, but getting that shit sorted out would increase its funfactor by an order of magnitude.
 
Say all you want about old-school Resident Evil, but it completely bitchslaps the clumsier Silent Hill in the control department.
 
Shikamaru Ninja said:
Say all you want about old-school Resident Evil, but it completely bitchslaps the clumsier Silent Hill in the control department.

damn it, this is gonna turn into RE V.S. SH. SH wins, but that's not the point!
 
Shikamaru Ninja said:
Say all you want about old-school Resident Evil, but it completely bitchslaps the clumsier Silent Hill in the control department.


Err...you could switch to 2D control in Silent Hill, and you can actually move while you shoot.
 
if you are talking about the original Silent Hill, i might agree. but the sequels improved it by allowing you to switch to "2D" controls



i can't really think of any games with bad controls that i actually liked. even games like PN03, Killer 7 and Shenmue were fine to me.
 
All good choices - I'd definitely say StarTropics. The control is annoying and leads to countless frustrating deaths, but the game was still awesome. Shenmue 1 and 2 have very stiff movement as well, but tight controls in battle at least. The controls in Finny the Fish (specifically the camera) may be awkward to those who don't care much for underwater levels in games.
 
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I'd go with Metal Gear Solid for Playstation. I guess it's because I played it after Zelda (I know they are completely different games), but I just thought the controls were kind of archaic next to full analog control and such.
 
Monster Rancher (as a series) has the worst control for battles, and the explorations are usually terrible as well. The menus are nightmarish at times, too.. but what a fantastic bunch of games those are anyway.

And if you ask me, the control in Ridge Racer games pretty much sucks. Drifting is satisfying (if too easy, because of the invisible 'rails'), but when the game glitches out of a drift and sends you into a wall it's infuriating. The magic of this series, then, is unexplainable and inimitable.
 
DrLazy said:
I'd say there were quite a few in the PS1/N64 era. I think Body Harvest didn't have the best controls and I LOVED that game.
Oh bullshit. Crappy controls are crappy controls.
 
The demo of Shadow of the Colossus had really bad controls, but I am succumbing to GAF hype and getting the full version anyhow, so I'm hoping it warrants inclusion in this thread. :D
 
Another one that comes to mind is Darkstalkers on PSP. It's so unresponsive, even after you find the secret options menu, compared to the console or arcade versions. Nonetheless, it's probably my most-played PSP game.
 
Anything on the DS, am i rite?

Seriously, I love my DS and Castlevania DoS is fighting SoTN for my favorite game in the series, but if I'm laying down and playing this my hands cramp up and fingers start falling asleep. Never had that problem with a handheld before.

Not the game's fault tho.
 
Ninja Gaiden 1 on the NES. I hated the fact that when you pause and you're in midair, you'd just fall down straight no matter what. That could be a bug though.

SMB. For a game as memorable, the controls sure did suck.

Almost all Acclaim-made games.

Splinter Cell. Way too confusing.

Super Mario 64 DS. No analog ruined it.
 
Super Mario Bros. is dialed in perfectly!

I'd say GTA because of the awful on foot and shooting controls, rest of the core game is brilliant though.
 
Forgotten Ancient said:
Anything on the DS, am i rite?

Seriously, I love my DS and Castlevania DoS is fighting SoTN for my favorite game in the series, but if I'm laying down and playing this my hands cramp up and fingers start falling asleep. Never had that problem with a handheld before.

Not the game's fault tho.

Funny, because the SP does that to me. I have long, spindly fingers and I haven't had any DS problems as of yet (Mind you, I'm just playing Kirby, and it's a bit different.
 
how the hell has this thread reached this many posts without someone mentioning Metroid Prime? that game is the mainstay of all the "bad controls" debates!
 
Nerevar said:
how the hell has this thread reached this many posts without someone mentioning Metroid Prime? that game is the mainstay of all the "bad controls" debates!

It's probably because the controls in Metroid Prime are perfect.
 
Metroid Prime doesn't really have bad controls. It works very well for the game itself but isn't what most gamers immediately expect from a game in the first-person perspective.
 
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