Looking for what people think are examples of exceptionally rich (i.e. deep, well designed, and subtle) REAL TIME action 3rd person combat systems (the 3rd person aspect is key). These don't necessarily have to be pure fighter games, they can be action RPGs or whatever you like, just as long as the combat portion is exceptional. They can be fantasy or sci-fi or contemporary or whatever. They can involve humans, robots or anything you like. They can be fists, swords, spells, or plasma rifles. They can be player vs. player (online or LAN) or player vs. game AI. Specifically, WHY do you think it is so well done? I'm not looking for exceptional graphics, only gameplay. I'm also not looking for computer AI so much as the combat system itself.

I had a blast with Special Forces: Nemesis Strike. The game content was just run of the mill action fluff. But you have alot of control leaning around corners or blind firing. Its nice because your cursor doesnt move when you do a lean out maneuver. It was also nice to lean against a corner and smoothly crouch or even lay down on the ground while keeping the wall press. Some sequences of the game have you skydiving into a mission and shooting at enemy skydivers.

• The newer Prince of Persia games - The combat in these games is especially stunning, I think everyone would agree. Advanced moves, seamless multi-directional fighting and simple controls all add to the experience.


• The current generation of Mortal Kombat games (especially Shaolin Monks) - Mortal Kombat is a staple of any gamer of the fighting genre. Beginning with the current generation of consoles, MK went 3d. It at first retained 2d qualities, then added third-dimension strafing, and now with Shaolin Monks is completely 3d and multi-directional. Most of these are button mashers, but have some killer combos (though the fairness of difficulty in pulling these off may be debated).


• Jet Li - Rise to Honor - While not the greatest game overall, the fighting was exceptional. The particular use of analog sticks for fighting was unprecedented. The right analog stick is moved in the direction to attack, and the playable character attacks in that direction. This leaves little room for the player to decide specifics of the fighting, such as the usual "punch", "kick", etc. but proves to be very enjoyable.

[Edited by - oscinis on October 20, 2005 2:01:50 PM]

Ninja Gaiden for Xbox - just...wow! I think what really made the combat for me was the FANTASTIC enemy AI. In very few cases could you just use one maneuver on an enemy over and over again. This becomes even less viable as they get smarter and smarter on harder difficulties.

Soul Calibur 1, 2 (3 next week) - Holy crap do I love these games. Unlike Tekken and MK, they don't rely on pre-scripted combos. I've been trying to translate this to a multiple enemy scenario but haven't figured out anything better than NG so far.

Unreal Championship Liandri Conflict - I'm not really a big fan of shooters, but they added a lot to this one. Giving everybody melee weapons and double jumps, in addition to adrenaline moves like reflecting projectiles back to the shooter, really makes it a different game.

Quote:

Original post by oscinis The newer Prince of Persia games - The combat in these games are especially stunning, I think everyone would agree.

I don't think it's that good. I find it quite repetitive. The puzzels are much better.

Agreed. The early combat was good in PoP, but in almost every case I'd have preferred a jumping, hanging, swinging, wall-sprinting, spike-dodging challenge to the fights. It wasn't the controls or even the repetition that made it tedious, but rather the fact that all your advanced combos became useless right about the time you learned how to use them. Those were some of the blockingest enemies in the universe, and once you figure out that only wall-flips can hit them, it's a one-move game.

For a promising, if somewhat unpolished system, take a look at Oni. Bungie did some very neat things in that game. The combos got a little ridiculous, as did the special moves, and I couldn't figure out the level with the watchtowers, but the integration of gunplay and melee figthing was quite novel and fun. I especially liked dashing into a hangar, blasting a few guys until my gun dried up, kung-fu-ing past a few more until the heavies arrived, then sliding under an airplane while scooping a plasma rifle off the floor, diving over some boxes and grabbing some cover. Sweet.

You can say what you want, but Mark of Kri was fun, too. Level design was a little sketchy. The aiming system, though novel, crippled my super-badass moves in big fights This bothered me, but it was really okay, since long combos can't be pulled off in crowds. I would have liked some good grapple combos, and maybe the option to throw bad guys into one another, but it was still fun.

Despite it being first-person, I think I should mention F.E.A.R. If you haven't played it, try it out. The "melee attack" button can do the simple pistol-whip, or can be combined with the jump button for a nasty butterfly kick or the crouch button for a sliding kick that can be used to neutralize enemies or make you a smaller target as you dash for cover. Very fun, and with that game's movement penalty system for big guns, it's not uncommon to see players holster their starting weapon and just run around the map slamming people with fists and feet. Also, the inverse kinematics are very neat, and often quite funny.

The Die by the Sword battle system could be good if only they have buffed the defence.