Impressed by video games: Part 2

Sony's Dual Shock Controller

The Playstation 2 had a sweet controller. If you mated it with the Dreamcast controller it would give birth to the XBOX controller. Age that a bit and you get the 360 controller which is, in my opinion (fact), the greatest console controller ever. But back to the PS2's. There is something special about it. Is it the analog face buttons? No but that is pretty cool. MGS3 is the only game I've played where mastery of those buttons is essential. What truly impressed me was it's two analog sticks. Growing up with an N64 and Dreamcast I was only used to having one. Those things are cool and this post is dedicated to them.

GTA: Vice City (2002)

Do you see what Tommy is doing in that photo? He's crouching. How did he get that way? Someone pressed L3. The stick is also a button. No way! That freaked me out. It's like they wanted another button but instead of just throwing it on (I'm looking at you XBOX's black and white buttons) they worked with what they had. (picture taken from IGN)

Devil May Cry (2001)

Devil May Cry makes another appearance as a game that impressed me. It did, in fact, impress me a lot. Just not enough for me to keep it. I traded it in for Pokemon Snap. So worth it! Anyway, using both of the sticks, Dante can move in one direction and shoot in another. That is awesome. If they made games now where you couldn't do that, everyone would be disappointed. I doubt this is the first game to feature such a thing but it's the first I remember playing. Excep maybe Apocalypse. I'm gonna reference that game again, just wait for it. (Picture from IGN again. Totally taking advantage of them)

Katamari Damacy (2004)

This game is so much fun. The only area where it really disappoints is the multiplayer but I believe they improved that in the sequel. You use virtually just the analog sticks in the game. There is some button pressing for the menus and you press the shoulder buttons occasionally for the camera but other than that it's just the sticks. And it works too. It does take some getting used but once you get the hang of it it's super fun. Yeah, super fun.

Rise To Honor (2004)

In rise to honor you play as an undercover cop. The character is modeled after Jet Li. It's like what they did with Bruce Willis in the game Apocalypse (I told yeah I was gonna mention it again). The game is mostly a beat em up game but what makes it special is how you fight. There is no kick or punch button. You move with the left stick and you attack in a given direction by tapping the right stick. I found this to be very original and it works pretty good. The times in beat em up games that are the most frustrating are when you are surrounded. In this game, it's when it's fighting system shines. Just tap the stick in each opponent's direction and Jet Li will perform an expertly choreographed martial arts sequence.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

If ever there was a game that people thought was great but all they can do when talking about it is bitch and moan it would be this game. Yes, you have to play as Raiden. No, you are not going to play as Snake for the rest of the game. Better graphics and superior game engine but why can't I play as Snake? I feel like this game was why they made Twin Snakes for Gamecube. Back on topic. Raiden is holding a sword (which you get way too late in the game). All weapons are controlled with the square button except for the sword. It uses the right analog stick. tap right and he swings right. Down and you get a downward slash. Push R3 to thrust. It is super intuitive and it is probably the best sword controls in any game I have ever played. Impressive? Oh yeah!