^^^ GUN-DEC (FC) is bad for that in a couple stages. Especially galling, as it's otherwise solid on its fundamentals.Durandal wrote:Hate hate hate:
Being forced to move left or having enemies spawn from the left in a sidescrolling game which locks the player character's position on the screen somewhat to the left of the center.
If you want to Contra-style surround me with chaos everywhere, that's fine, but you better give me the adequate screen space to react to it
IMO, with scaling no longer a highfalootin' special effect (Sam Sho II camera will aways make me feel ten years old again ), zoom control is a good thing to have in sidescrollers. Bloodstained: ROTN dubiously ties this to actual gear, which take up slots... one zooms out the FOV (extremely useful - I get it ASAP, and leave it on), the other zooms in (great for taking glamour shots, an absolute deathtrap otherwise). Even the default camera occasionally cheapshots, with Werewolves serial offenders.
On that tangent, "jumpscare" enemies that rely on POV to work are poor at best, arrant shite at worst. In tough sidescrollers like Green Beret, Rygar and Saigo no Nindou, not even a realtime end-to-end view of each stage would help a player whose macro/micro fundamentals weren't up to scratch.
Very fond of Dragon: Marked For Death's approach (I'm fond of DMFD in general, though it's too early to say if it's more than a nicely-handling sidescrolling grindmachine, of a blunter sort than ROTN's usual Igarashi SkinnerTroid). Camera zooms in/out on right stick, and there's actually some gameplay effect, besides "you can see more than twenty feet around your character." Dark areas illuminate slightly when zoomed in, a grim last resort if you've no torches.
For older stuff, I'm center-locked all the way. Even games that are otherwise very well-designed, like Alien Soldier (which really does benefit from auto-biasing Epsilon away from the incoming screen, with its combo of simple run/gun interludes and nonstop 1v1 duels) would benefit from a center/offset toggle, for the rare fights where you want to rapidly alternate sides with the i-frame dash. The camera sways a bit much for my liking versus Sunset Sting - it's just you and him on the platform, no reason to block off most of your rear view. In fact, that makes it easier to dash right into a straggling projectile. However, this is what I'd call an optimisation issue, not an outright flaw.
Spoiler
: Character action games that don't let you drop weapons. I don't mind this effect in STGs like Image Fight (where your front-attached weaponry must amusingly be junked by ramming enemies for massive damage). I also don't mean stuff like the classic CV subweapon, where you've got to live with your choice, but your base moveset remains unaltered. I mean Datsugoku and Double Dragon, where your 1980s Karate Badass just can't part with things he's picked up. Looks dumb. Feels dumb! PROVOKES RAEG
You gots two frames to grab the knife before I turn your FUCKIN HEADS into a MATCHIN SET OF TACO BOWLS for my boy GARBAGE CAN CAT (■`W´■)
Spoiler
Strategic Accidental Discharge attacks. Image Fight's much-copied BOOSTER BURN is the granddaddy, AFAIK. Also more recently seen in Blaster Master Zero 2 (a staggering improvement on the lukewarm Zero 1), where your HMG's shell casings can cause mortal ouchies if they eject directly into a motherfucker's face!
FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY (■`W´■)
Spoiler
BACK WORKS 2 THO(^ω´ )