Game Mechanics you always love, and always hate

[cfx]

I'll ask again--what were the "good open world games" previously called? Because I maintain that the term DID NOT EXIST before games like Assassin's Creed and GTA came along.

If I'm right, you're co-opting a term to retroactively name a different kind of game, and while you can call anything whatever you want to, for anyone else and anyone you might be having a conversation with, it makes zero sense.

If I'm wrong, I want an example of such games being called open-world pre-GTA or pre-Assassin's Creed.

[Sumez]

It's a tough one because historically it's not really a genre name as much as its just a couple of English words used to describe a game's structure.

I distinctly do remember it being used commonly about Morrowind, but would find it surprising if no one said it about earlier Elder Scrolls games. Though going back to earlier RPGs it was almost an assumed aspect of the genre.

It's like, if I describe the Super Mario Bros structure as "strictly running right", would that be less correct if because no one said that about the game at the time?
But even for genre names - I doubt anyone called Ufouria a "metroidvania" in 1992, but I'd like to see you argue it isn't one.

[BIL]

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As HORASUTORI's recent Toaplan Arcade Garage v3 debut reminded me, I somehow went nearly a decade ITT without citing The Darkness Bop™ - that is, Marioesque hop/bop in active violence scenarios that would make Mario shit his briefs. Now, anyway! Back in the day when he fought in the streets just to eat sleep and fuck, he held his own. Tale old as time!





It's contingent on the designers not gumming up the input with a bunch of extraneous bullshit, but good gravy do I enjoy a good ceiling run. Metal Storm is also an exemplar of INVINCIBLE BODY RAM and Jump Arc Modifying Attack





VENGEANCE FROM BEYOND TEH GRAVE is always nice, even if in checkpointers!



Critical damage feedback. The LUDOSYNERGISTIC REWARD is profound! If you've put your neck on the line to hit a cunt so hard he's shitting gold hexagons, it befits he lose more momentum than the "eh" of a meaningless 1hp snipe!