6th October 2005, 5:08 PM
I *really* like the GC face-button layout. It's forced alot of developers to create context sensitive buttons in games which was first used in Zelda: OoT where one button changes functions depending on what you're doing or what you're interacting with. The Kidney bean buttons work beautiful in the 12 and 3oclock with that tiny B button feeling like the perfect secondary. If A is jump, B will be attack and it feels really natural.
The tiny camera stick works great for games that have a user-controlled camera. Or if it's being used for quick stabs in a direction to dodge, change weapons, etc. But for movement or looking in a FPS it's pretty krappy, my finger always slips off.
Z-Button. No one ever used this button as it was intended. It's a 'switch' button, like 'switch to stealth mode' or turn something on or off. It felt great in Time Splitters where you could hit Z to activate the auto-spin on the mini-gun. Even Nintendo didn't know how to work with the odd little button, it usually became the 'show map' button. But there are a few games that 'got it'. Z is the perfect button to turn a flashlight on or off, activate night vision, toggle a crawl or crouch mode, toggle a gun's secondary (instead of using two face buttons... idiots), it's a little piece of genius that could have been awesome. Sadly, we'll probably never see it again on future consoles.
but the feature that gets the award for innovation in the GC controller is the clickable shoulder buttons. Fully anal, with actual degrees of movement, with a satisfying click at the end. Again, barely used by developers, it would have been perfect for any racing game where you put gas on R, and once you hit that click it flushes nitro through the engine, but if you do it to soon you'll flood it. Take a hard turn in F-Zero while holding L, click it to activate the Right brake to spin on a dime, Press R to aim your uzi (recieve a reticle) while still being able to move - click it to hold the uzi with hands. Movement is restricted but aiming and accuracy improves. Pure genius.
The GC controller is not as ground breaking as the N64 controller as much as it is an evolution. But out of all the controllers on the market, it is definitively the most comfortable. If anyone complains that it's too small, then they must hate the PS2 controller even more. The GC controller feels like absolute sex in your hands, I just wish developers took more of an interest in GC.
Speaking of N64; Miyamoto did say that the N64 controller was designed around Mario 64, a game where you:
-Run in full analog
-Climb, wade, slide, crawl through every terrain imaginable (each one effecting your mobility)
-tiptoe, using analog to sneak (the first game to have this ability)
-swim in full 3-D with realistic physics
-fly with full pitch, yaw and tilt with realistic physics
-Interact with every imaginable prop and enemy type
-Has multiple variations of gameplay type, racing, treausre hunting, puzzle solving, platforming, throw in a little RPG elements to mix up gameplay and even it all out with the goal of 3 major boss fights (and a few mini bosses)
So just how versatile is the Mario 64 engine? It was reused in: (alphabetical because i'm bored yay!)
1080 Snowboarding
Bomberman 64 (& Hero)
F-Zero X (I shit a gold brick too)
Hey You, Pikachu!
Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Mario Golf
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party (1, 2 & 3)
Mischief Makers
Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Stadium (& 2)
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire
Super Smash Bros
Wave Race 64
Zelda: OoT
Zelda: MM
And a bunch of others I forget
So yes the N64 controller was designed specifically for Mario 64; A game that had everything except first person shooting, which Rare was sure to prove it would work pretty well there too. :D *plays PD for half an hour then comes back totally forgetting what I was posting* So... how is the controller being designed for Mario 64 a 'bad thing'? :D It's basically how any large dev house runs their content, you make one uber game that is using an engine that you can apply all your current and near-future projects to create a kind of painters pallette. From that one game, you'll be able to quickly release all your content.
Rare: the Blast Corps engine is the DKR engine = the JFG engine which before was the B~K engine that became the Dinosaur Planet engine that was almost entirely scrapped and rebuilt when hardware changed... engine that was taken out of the trash and used again for Conker's Big Fucking Deal that is being reused on Xbox TWICE with the BFD remake and a little game called Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Kameo from what I understand is a totally new engine.
*brain falls out*
The tiny camera stick works great for games that have a user-controlled camera. Or if it's being used for quick stabs in a direction to dodge, change weapons, etc. But for movement or looking in a FPS it's pretty krappy, my finger always slips off.
Z-Button. No one ever used this button as it was intended. It's a 'switch' button, like 'switch to stealth mode' or turn something on or off. It felt great in Time Splitters where you could hit Z to activate the auto-spin on the mini-gun. Even Nintendo didn't know how to work with the odd little button, it usually became the 'show map' button. But there are a few games that 'got it'. Z is the perfect button to turn a flashlight on or off, activate night vision, toggle a crawl or crouch mode, toggle a gun's secondary (instead of using two face buttons... idiots), it's a little piece of genius that could have been awesome. Sadly, we'll probably never see it again on future consoles.
but the feature that gets the award for innovation in the GC controller is the clickable shoulder buttons. Fully anal, with actual degrees of movement, with a satisfying click at the end. Again, barely used by developers, it would have been perfect for any racing game where you put gas on R, and once you hit that click it flushes nitro through the engine, but if you do it to soon you'll flood it. Take a hard turn in F-Zero while holding L, click it to activate the Right brake to spin on a dime, Press R to aim your uzi (recieve a reticle) while still being able to move - click it to hold the uzi with hands. Movement is restricted but aiming and accuracy improves. Pure genius.
The GC controller is not as ground breaking as the N64 controller as much as it is an evolution. But out of all the controllers on the market, it is definitively the most comfortable. If anyone complains that it's too small, then they must hate the PS2 controller even more. The GC controller feels like absolute sex in your hands, I just wish developers took more of an interest in GC.
Speaking of N64; Miyamoto did say that the N64 controller was designed around Mario 64, a game where you:
-Run in full analog
-Climb, wade, slide, crawl through every terrain imaginable (each one effecting your mobility)
-tiptoe, using analog to sneak (the first game to have this ability)
-swim in full 3-D with realistic physics
-fly with full pitch, yaw and tilt with realistic physics
-Interact with every imaginable prop and enemy type
-Has multiple variations of gameplay type, racing, treausre hunting, puzzle solving, platforming, throw in a little RPG elements to mix up gameplay and even it all out with the goal of 3 major boss fights (and a few mini bosses)
So just how versatile is the Mario 64 engine? It was reused in: (alphabetical because i'm bored yay!)
1080 Snowboarding
Bomberman 64 (& Hero)
F-Zero X (I shit a gold brick too)
Hey You, Pikachu!
Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Mario Golf
Mario Kart 64
Mario Party (1, 2 & 3)
Mischief Makers
Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Stadium (& 2)
Star Wars: Shadow of the Empire
Super Smash Bros
Wave Race 64
Zelda: OoT
Zelda: MM
And a bunch of others I forget
So yes the N64 controller was designed specifically for Mario 64; A game that had everything except first person shooting, which Rare was sure to prove it would work pretty well there too. :D *plays PD for half an hour then comes back totally forgetting what I was posting* So... how is the controller being designed for Mario 64 a 'bad thing'? :D It's basically how any large dev house runs their content, you make one uber game that is using an engine that you can apply all your current and near-future projects to create a kind of painters pallette. From that one game, you'll be able to quickly release all your content.
Rare: the Blast Corps engine is the DKR engine = the JFG engine which before was the B~K engine that became the Dinosaur Planet engine that was almost entirely scrapped and rebuilt when hardware changed... engine that was taken out of the trash and used again for Conker's Big Fucking Deal that is being reused on Xbox TWICE with the BFD remake and a little game called Grabbed by the Ghoulies, Kameo from what I understand is a totally new engine.
*brain falls out*