Small things in games that add a lot

[the_shadow]

When I reminisce about certain games, I realize that certain things that really impressed me about them were only a very small component on their own, yet contributed more than you'd think due to the developers paying attention to detail, or just the pure coolness factor. Some of my examples:

- The dynamic music from the original Unreal. It's common today to have a soundtrack change depending whether your are in or out of combat, but this was the first time I'd experienced it in a FPS, and it blew my mind. It helped that Unreal's soundtrack was awesome.

- The facial expressions in Vampire: Bloodlines - The Masquerade. It wasn't just the facial expressions that stunned me, but how they were synchronized with the voice acting. Given that the game is rather plot/dialogue heavy, it was a relatively small feature that added a lot to the overall product.

- In Deus Ex, when the Men in Black attacked both the PC and his brother, and you're told to flee. Later in the game he ends up dead. During my second playthrough I decided to hang around and fight off the MIB, despite his insistence to leave. I was shocked to discover that instead of the game throwing in some lame ass excuse to write him off as dead, he actually shows up alive. This was probably the first time I'd actually experienced choice and consequences in a game.

- The variety of endings in Geneforge 1. Geneforge wasn't the first RPG to feature multiple endings, but it was the first one I played where all the endings your PC could achieve were logical, foreseeable, and completely within your control. The number of permutations available for the endings was very well thought out.

- Speaking of Geneforge, a seemingly minor one from Geneforge 2. Early on in the game, it's almost a given you'll destroy a Taker outpost as part of a major side-quest. Since you can only ally yourself with the Takers near the end of the game, I always assumed the rebels there would automatically be hostile. However, by chance I skipped that quest, and near the game allied with the Takers, only to discover that those rebels at the start of the game turned friendly and offered up some minor dialogue. That's pretty impressive additional content considering most people would just slaughter them early on.

- The entire spell system in Baldur's Gate II. Yeah, it's sort of broken and open to all sort of exploits, but that's what is so enjoyable about it.

 

[pippin]

When you get ambushed in Paul's place, you're not supposed to go out the window, simply walk away through the front door and let the enemies kill you. It's what's supposed to happen, they capture you and Paul manages to escape.

 

[the_shadow]

When you get ambushed in Paul's place, you're not supposed to go out the window, simply walk away from the front door and let the enemies kill you. It's what's supposed to happen, they capture you and Paul manages to escape.

Wow, even I didn't know that. However, in my second playthrough I killed all the MiB, and was thanked by Paul before he made his getaway. I never got killed, and he was still alive when I broke out of UNATCO.

 

[pippin]

Well, fighting your way out is kinda hard due to Paul getting in your line of fire all the time

 

[KILLER BEAR]

Also Paul usually disappears in the middle of the fight while you don't look at him. I don't know if it's a bug but it happened many times to me.

 

[Maxie]

grid inventory

 

[Astral Rag]

- I always liked that Dungeon Keeper's creatures all had names and how the first-person view was different depending on the type of creature you possessed.

- Modern GTA's in-game internet, radio and TV channels and attention to detail in general.

- Seeing your character's body in FP games.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

Well, fighting your way out is kinda hard due to Paul getting in your line of fire all the time

that's what well placed lams are for.

 

[Lazing Dirk]

that's what well placed lams are for.

Mary had a little lam
Its case was black and red
And every time she placed one down
Her target ends up dead

 

[Freakydemon]

MGS series is the go to staple for these details ranging from quirky and useless little additions (melting ice, seagul droppings in FPS view, bats getting spooked by sonar) to actual gameplay ones (throwing grenades into crocodile mouths, the sorrow section featuring all enemies in the exact fashion they were killed, even including the animals).

 

[laclongquan]

Children of the Nile's toon characters got their own, separate, genealogy. You can trace several generations in one char with their rise and fall in jobs reflecting the rise and fall of the land's prosperity. A native got better tree than a newcomer.

 

[Baron Dupek]

VtM Bloodlines facial expression being small thing? It was 2004 - characters models being less blocky and had more space to stuff like more varied expression, you got to be kidding me. And I don't give a shit about "b-but there was HL2 mate" because it was insalnely overrated and thus not worth my time...

Arx Fatalis - swinging weapons from above and hearing metal clashing on the cellar was nice touch.

 

[DemonKing]

I recently replayed the Tomb Raider 2013 reboot and the way Lara's breathing changes depending on the amount of exertion she's going through on screen was subtle but really well done.

 

[Lady_Error]

The entire spell system in Baldur's Gate II. Yeah, it's sort of broken and open to all sort of exploits, but that's what is so enjoyable about it.

That's the biggest thing that Pillars of Eternity still hasn't managed to reach. Mage battles were one of the best parts in IE games and sorely lacking in Pillars.

 

[Beastro]

Been playing Neo Scavenger more aiming to finally beat it. To me the battle system and how it combines MUD qualities with the icon graphics, it's bare but it encourages you to imagine things without you realizing it. This hit me once when I was stalking a DMC guard, knocked him down, crippled him and was going to finish him off, only I kept getting the choice of kicking him and couldn't help going for it. Kicked him a dozen times before I only got the option of a conventional attack which finally finished him off.

Just simple text and icons, but it made me having a bit of a laughing fit imagining this happening outside of DMC just before dawn as the rest of his patrol is running around trying to find him.

- The variety of endings in Geneforge 1. Geneforge wasn't the first RPG to feature multiple endings, but it was the first one I played where all the endings your PC could achieve were logical, foreseeable, and completely within your control. The number of permutations available for the endings was very well thought out.

For me I went with "wipe it clean" leaving only the loyal serviles alive for the council to deal with, killing everything else and the ending reflected that and how scared the Shapers were of me not only from can use but how I employed it, assigning me to be a specialized assassin used for very similar tasks.

Was nice to see a game see how you acted in such a violent and determining an ending like that where you find that becomes your specialty.

 

[laclongquan]

Legend of Mana

1. You enchant your item by using fruits.
2. A major source of fruits is to grow them in your garden
3. Each fruit is compatible to an element, some with more than others. So if your garden got more sun element, your crop will have more fruits of sun-preference types.
4. To make your garden has more fruit of these elements than others, it need have more elements of that type, so need to be in specific position between each land mass whose element are specific.
5. Land mass can be put down in specific order to create room for your garden's elements.
6. Land mass are unlocked/gained based on your chosen quest

So if you are OCD and focus on one aspect of the game, which is grow fruits and enchant item, it can affect the game you need to play.

 

[octavius]

Wasn't there a thread like this only a few months ago?

 

[HoboForEternity]

the sorrow section featuring all enemies in the exact fashion they were killed, even including the animals

wait, wiat they arent just randomly generated objects floating down in the river?

 

[Jacob]

Pikachu following you in Pokemon Yellow. I bought my first and only pet mouse because of that. She died before I finished the game, though.

 

[Freakydemon]

the sorrow section featuring all enemies in the exact fashion they were killed, even including the animals

wait, wiat they arent just randomly generated objects floating down in the river?

Damn right they aren't.

 

[HoboForEternity]

Holy sheet

 

[Alienman]

The morale system in Close Combat. Coming from typical RTS and then playing this... damn. Watching the small army men cower in fear, screaming for momma while getting shot at. Or witnessing insane bravery, soldier singlehanded storming a bunker and taking it. It was filled with small details. Every unit had a ammo count, and if they ever ran out they will scramble for dropped weapons, from both fallen comrades and enemies.

 

[taxalot]

When I tried to sell some merchant in Morrowind stuff I had stolen from his store, he actually said "But that's my stuff, yo."
And started attacking me.

I felt pretty shocked at not being allowed to do that, at the time.

 

[abnaxus]

Water on butts drying in real time.

 

[KILLER BEAR]

^What game has that?