i've been playing metroid prime recently and thinking about how long it took dual analog controls to become accepted and standard. though it's uncommon for nintendo first parties to offer much in the way of control tweaks, considering prime offered hud removal, it would've been nice to have a dual stick option fettered away somewhere and it would've effectively future-proofed the game, control-wise.
it's for that reason that it's nice to find a few older console games with a variety of control options, even when free-form camera control was uncommon in their time. i can name medal of honor and goldeneye as two good examples of this, since both made it possible to configure a dual stick setup - goldeneye with two controllers and medal of honor with sony's dual analog/dual shock.
video tweaks are also welcome. games that offer hud removal and adjustments, pc games that support any available videocard resolution out of box, etc. resolution support isn't an issue today, but it's disappointing to see it overlooked in a decade old release that can never be patched by the community.
it makes you wonder how these things could ever be overlooked. there's extra time investment involved, but control is arguably the crux of game design, so it's baffling that customization isn't a priority. i can list several modern third person shooters that allow you to invert the x-axis on the third person camera but don't given you the option to keep it standard during aiming (in games like gears or arkham city that have triggered aim modes). that always bugs me, especially since a few other big games get it right (uncharted among them).
this is a tired subject in some ways, but what's everyone's take? any other good examples of older games getting it right?
edit: this isn't to suggest metroid prime doesn't play well, but for a game mired in exploration, your view is often limited. i know that's exactly the reason the trilogy collection exists, but it should've been there from the start.
edit edit: and the x-axis is an example because no one uses an inverted x-axis to aim. it's an option that strictly benefits operation of the third person orbit camera, since, depending on how a person is wired, it's more intuitive to feel like you're moving the camera in relation to the player model and not world space. so including it as an option without a separate aim setting makes it a thankless addition and an obvious oversight in my mind
it's for that reason that it's nice to find a few older console games with a variety of control options, even when free-form camera control was uncommon in their time. i can name medal of honor and goldeneye as two good examples of this, since both made it possible to configure a dual stick setup - goldeneye with two controllers and medal of honor with sony's dual analog/dual shock.
video tweaks are also welcome. games that offer hud removal and adjustments, pc games that support any available videocard resolution out of box, etc. resolution support isn't an issue today, but it's disappointing to see it overlooked in a decade old release that can never be patched by the community.
it makes you wonder how these things could ever be overlooked. there's extra time investment involved, but control is arguably the crux of game design, so it's baffling that customization isn't a priority. i can list several modern third person shooters that allow you to invert the x-axis on the third person camera but don't given you the option to keep it standard during aiming (in games like gears or arkham city that have triggered aim modes). that always bugs me, especially since a few other big games get it right (uncharted among them).
this is a tired subject in some ways, but what's everyone's take? any other good examples of older games getting it right?
edit: this isn't to suggest metroid prime doesn't play well, but for a game mired in exploration, your view is often limited. i know that's exactly the reason the trilogy collection exists, but it should've been there from the start.
edit edit: and the x-axis is an example because no one uses an inverted x-axis to aim. it's an option that strictly benefits operation of the third person orbit camera, since, depending on how a person is wired, it's more intuitive to feel like you're moving the camera in relation to the player model and not world space. so including it as an option without a separate aim setting makes it a thankless addition and an obvious oversight in my mind
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