Re: Game mechanics do you like?

On Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:33:21 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:

Well I though about from a thread of which ones we dislike and also a
video about do gamers know what they dislike
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCjHipuMir8). The video is a bit
rambling but it did make a point for me that whereas I can easily name
several mechanics that I dislike, I find it that much harder for ones I
like and the reasons are less concrete.
>

I like when gun go boom and head a'splode!

Honestly, I'd wager _any_ mechanic can be enjoyable, if not overused
or done poorly. Quick-time events can be fun. Escort quests can be
fun. Games consisting of little more than just walking around can be
fun. It all has to do with the context of the game and how well they
integrate into the setting and pacing.

I have to say, I generally prefer a purity of genres. I'm not a big
fan of games that try to appeal to every sort of gamer. Games with 4x
strategy and real-time combat, both top-down and first-person, with
RPG mechanics with rogue-like elements and mini-games where you can
play some sci-fi version of football, plus crafting and survival
and... and... and...

Keep things simpler. Know what you're going for. Don't kitchen-sink
the experience. I'm not totally against mixing genres, but too many
games try to be everything at once. It's messy and unfocused.


So when it comes to what I like, I'm very catholic. I've played
"Doom". I've played "Harvest Moon". I've played "Falcon 4.0" I've
played "Civilization". I've played "Titan Quest". I've played
"Everybody's Gone to the Rapture". I've played "Bejeweled". I've
played "Super Meat Boy". I've played "MLB 06: The Show". I've found
value in all of them. Heck, I've even played that free "Korea Cats"
hidden-object game that was offered a few weeks ago. It's rarely the
core mechanics themselves that I have issue with. It's the specific
implementations that I dislike.

So what mechanics don't I like? I'm not really sure I could point to
any. Or even mechanics I like more than others. Give me a good game,
and I'll love it despite its mechanics, not because of them.


But I do admit, I do have something of a soft spot (in the head?) for
gory games. Remember "Soldier of Fortune"? "Dead Space"? I giggle like
little kid playing "Brutal Doom" and watching the gibs drip from the
ceiling. I'm not saying I want every game to be like that. But
cartoonishly excessive gore makes me smile.