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games with good melee combat

praetor

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thanks for the recs, bros :salute: . long response is long, but here goes:

@Mangoose: tried and enjoyed Spehs Mehreen (it uses the Darksiders engine, right? that was also a pretty fun game). but the melee was more satisfying froma a pov of pure visual feedback than actual mechanics, if you know what i mean (and it had some really cool music to accompany all the destruction :)). that said, i'd really wish for a similar game set in the "other" WH setting (although hopefully less corridory and with a more complex/interesting melee system). i saw trailers/videos/lets plays for the Dynasty Warriors series and i have to say that the combat mechanics did not look really appealing. too much "swing weapon to kill over 9000 enemies in one swoop"

@SCO: the only Gothic i've tried is the 3rd (with the community patch) a long time ago and it left a lot to be desired so i abandoned it after the 1st/2nd town that i liberated from the ork infestation. as i side note, i have recently started playing Risen and it seemed a bit better. would you say the combat in Risen is more like the first 2 Gothics or the 3rd one?

@thesoup: i remember briefly trying Riddick before my previous PC died, and while the close combat seemed pretty good for what it was, i have to say that first person punching isn't really something that gets my phallus in an upright position :P

@sser: i am well aware of Bayonetta and i'll probably try it at some point in the future, but it's not really what i'm looking for (and, from what i saw, both NG and DMC do the melee part of this particular kind of game better). i have played Batman AA and enjoyed it greatly and i agree that it has good CQ combat mechanics (and i'm really looking forward to the sadly delayed PC version of the sequel :( ). that new Castlevania also interests me, although it looks more like a cross between God of War and DMC-style games. i have played all the PoP games and from what i remember, only WW had some decent combat mechanics (the 3rd also had some fun parts when you were in Kratos evil prince mode). by Ken Star do you by any chance mean Fist of the North Star (aka the Ken Shiro game), because if you do i'm definitely getting that because as a kid i have seen tha anime at least a full dozen times from start to finish :)

@deuxhero: fighting games aren't something that particularly interest me. especially since the only fighting game that got the weapons mechanics right is Bushido Blade. i am interested in Way of the Samurai and am "procuring" the first two installments as i'm typing this. hopefully pcsx2 plays well with them :P

@flabbyjack: i am aware of BB as i mentioned it in my first post. i still have fond memories of playing an imported copy in japanese without having a clue what the fuck was going on (it's way too easy as a game). i'm not quite sure i'd class Morrowind combat as "good" but i can certainly appreciate some things it did right (like the 3 different "types" of physical damage that depend on the move used). i have never played Arx Fatalis so i guess i should look into that :)

@gromit: DM looks extremely fun (yes, that video most certainly appeals to me) but not because its melee mechanics are particularly deep, complex or interesting. still, it is on my "to play" list ;). thanks for the Theif tip, i'll definitely try a murderous playthrough some time in the near future

@Dire Roach: i just checked a couple of videos of this God Hand and oh my god, that looks like boatloads of fun (i lost it at the mad midgets and gorilla bosses, although i have a feeling that it's just scratching the surface), although in all the videos i saw it looks like the camera is in a pretty weird position right behind the PC so that it takes up a substantial part of the screen

@BROBERT: hmm, that Zeno Clash looks interesting at least visually so i'll be sure to give it a try sometime. if by rabbit fighting game you meant Lugaru then i have to say "no thanks". i have tried the demo a long time ago and it felt really amateurish and very boring. its sequel Overgrowth, on the other hand, looks absolutely stunning and i'm definitely preordering it once i sort out my financial situation. i also hope that the mod tools will be extensive and friendly enough to mod out the furries and replace them with more "palatable" characters :) (if i had the skill, i'd most certainly start a Blade of Darkness sequel mod project because the world really needs more BoD)

@catfood: thanks for the reminder. i remember trying the demo back when the game came out, and i remember enjoying it quite a bit more than all the other Diablo clones because of that combat system. not really what i'm looking for, but it will serve as decent distraction :P

@Stinger: i just saw a couple of videos and i have to say that the melee combat in Divinity 2 looks very shitty. i will try it out at some point in the future if only to discover the mysteries behind the boner the codex has for this game

@villain of the brodex: yeah, i have only played the 1st asscreed game and combat seemed enjoyable. now if only it wasn't so damn easy (and the counters weren't so OP) and the enemies weren't so dumb that they waited in line to get their chests stabbed, necks chopped and groins slashed... a pity, really.

@SoupNazi: thanks for the tip. i'll look into that. is there any page with more recent versions? the moddb and the homepage were last updated 3-5 years ago

@tycn: that looks pretty cool. i hope they will work a bit more on the animations. that trailer really piqued my interest

btw, i just remembered tha Paradox is working on a M&B-like game. is there any info about this project? and i remembered/stumbled upon a couple more: has anybody tried Ninja Blade? it's made by From so i guess it can't be that bad, right? i have seen around a Conan (not the mmo) game, but it looks a bit too much like God of War.. am i correct in this assumption?
 

Mangoose

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Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity
@Mangoose: tried and enjoyed Spehs Mehreen (it uses the Darksiders engine, right? that was also a pretty fun game). but the melee was more satisfying froma a pov of pure visual feedback than actual mechanics, if you know what i mean (and it had some really cool music to accompany all the destruction Smile). that said, i'd really wish for a similar game set in the "other" WH setting (although hopefully less corridory and with a more complex/interesting melee system). i saw trailers/videos/lets plays for the Dynasty Warriors series and i have to say that the combat mechanics did not look really appealing. too much "swing weapon to kill over 9000 enemies in one swoop"
Cool, I had the same impression of Space Marine.

The funny thing is that Dynasty Warriors melee mechanics are at the high level exactly the same as Space Marine's. For better or worse. Relic stole the whole Basic-Basic-Basic-Powermove string thing from it.

has anybody tried Ninja Blade? it's made by From so i guess it can't be that bad, right?
It's ridiculous wacky and super campy version of Ninja Gaiden.

i have seen around a Conan (not the mmo) game, but it looks a bit too much like God of War.. am i correct in this assumption?
From what I've read and seen it is similar to God of War mechanically but the encounters are more on a realistic scale.
 

SoupNazi

Guest
@SoupNazi: thanks for the tip. i'll look into that. is there any page with more recent versions? the moddb and the homepage were last updated 3-5 years ago
It's perfectly possible that it's that old. If you want something constantly updated, there's Movie Battles, but that's online only, with a retarded community and not so great combat system.

This should be the latest version, anyway:

http://jediknight3.filefront.com/file/O ... nced;91118

The same authors are also working on a different mod that seems to build on the basics on OJP:

http://jediknight3.filefront.com/file/M ... e_R3;12658

I haven't tried that one though.
 
Joined
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2004 TDK/Cauldron game Conan: The Dark Axe has beautifully choreographed and sensibly executed sword play without any of that mad-button-mashing nonsense. And it's not a bad game either. The game really shines when you're fighting multiple human opponents and need to learn to manage block and counter attack properly but sadly, it's not short on shit monster bosses. It's not BB but if you're a Conan fan and interested in tasteful melee combat, it's worth it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtJa29HG7ao

Stay away from Knights of the Temple series. First game had some saving graces but combat wasn't one of them. Second game is pure shit.

Risen is a bit closer to Gothic I & II in combat but IIRC, Gothic I & II still has it better.
 

ricolikesrice

Arcane
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May 11, 2007
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1,231
i quite enjoyed the game "Gladiator begins!" for PSP and wish there was something like it for the masterrace platform ( PS3 :p ) but unfortunately its one of those great games nobody heard about....

for a PSP game it has quite good graphics and as the name implies you play a Gladiator through many arena battles and inbetween them the game has RPG elements as well as you constantly improve your gladiators stats, buy new equipment etc.

the combat is pretty fun with lots of different attacks, being able to disarm enemies (and pick up their weapons/shields/armor DURING combat - mind you they can do the same to you ), managing stamina being quite important etc. etc.- if you have a PSP give the free demo a try and after thats its just 15 bucks on PSN ( more than worth it imho) for the full game.

if you dont have a PSP then there s always emulators ( i hope, not up to speed whether those are good or not, since there s normally not much worth emulating from PSP games ... )
 
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I just remembered another one, Shadow of Rome. An excellent action/adventure game with puzzle-stealth elements. Combat is very brutal and fast, a little over the top but nothing like DMC. Very satisfying. PS2 game though. I played it on PC with emulator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGEgYRmNk7E

Arena fights are a real riot. Limbs and heads fly, excited audiance throws in weapons, impalings etc. Plus, it's ancient Rome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWR9ghbXnHY

How rare is that outside strategy genres? And the game is beautiful. Plus you even get to do crazy violent chariot racing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJg4Fon3rI8 (FF to 7:25)

It's crazy this didn't make it to PC.
 

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I thought "why the fuck has nobody mentioned Blade of Darkness yet" but yellowcake did two posts ago. Still, would've expected it to be mentioned much sooner.


 

Don Peste

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SLEEPING DOGS

CA83706FA4D1BA5CFFF098941357428E96099302
 

Hoodoo

It gets passed around.
Dumbfuck
Joined
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Messages
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The Warriors

Probably the best beat'em'up ive ever played. Story is a prequel and a play-through of the movie and its basically just beating up whoever you come across. You can rob stores, jack car radios, collect extortion money and then use the cash to buy drugs (health) and spray-paint to tag up other gangs territory in mini-games. Its fucking awesome. You can play with bros. (they become a gang member, you move as a gang of four usually anyways) You can pickup stuff from the scenery - from bricks to pool cues to electric guitars, throw people onto train tracks, into cars or onto the ground and have the gang stomp their punk ass. You can spray paint people to disorient them. You get different combos/animations with different items. Some of the boss-battles are a bit disappointing (the final boss battle is terrible) but otherwise, great game.



Other than that, The War of the Rose is out and seems to be decent. Melee CoD basically, with controllable swings/slices, blocking etc
 

zeitgeist

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Aug 12, 2010
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i quite enjoyed the game "Gladiator begins!" for PSP and wish there was something like it for the masterrace platform ( PS3 :p ) but unfortunately its one of those great games nobody heard about....
Sounds exactly like this for the PS2, is it a sequel/spiritual sequel/port?
 

Hoodoo

It gets passed around.
Dumbfuck
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gladiator road to freedom looks p cool
wonder if there is a rom

also +1 for butcher bay
 

Redshirt #42

Augur
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
337
Anyone played Blade & Sword?

It looks like a cheap, twitchier Diablo clone but I remember reading a review that praised its melee combat greatly and called it a flawed gem.
 

Statik

Educated
Joined
Sep 29, 2012
Messages
83
Condemned 1 and 2 have very satisfying FPS melee combat.
Haven't played 2, but the first one had good melee, yes.

I really liked the melee in Gothic 1/2 and Risen. Once you get used to it and learn to properly time blocks, it becomes very satisfying. For the record, though, Gothic 3 was a horrible click-fest that in most situations basically came down to whoever manages to hit first. The first time I liberated a town, I holed up in a house and just mashed lmb until everything hostile was dead. And I still have nightmares about the dreaded stunlock boars of doom.
 

MetalCraze

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Jul 3, 2007
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Did they fix that shitty melee combat in Chivalry?

It looked awful in that video - with people getting pushed by sword strikes and no hacked off legs/hands which is like 'what the fuck'
 

Tycn

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It has that sort of camp popamole aesthetic with the violence and cheesy voiceovers. It's fairly amusing though...

Did they fix that shitty melee combat in Chivalry?

It looked awful in that video - with people getting pushed by sword strikes and no hacked off legs/hands which is like 'what the fuck'

Knockback differs with weapon and is only really noticeable with 2-handers. There's plenty of dismemberment too.
 

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