Useful features you didn't realize where in a game?

[shrekfan246]

Final Fantasy X: didn't know how to open the menu until I got Ixion. No instructions and nothing had ever been triangle to open before.

To be fair... the rest of the Final Fantasy series maps the menu button to Triangle, as do many other JRPGs. Or at least, that's how they do it in the US? Do they generally map it differently in the UK? I could see that being confusing for a person who doesn't have any prior knowledge.

OT: I'm finding it really difficult to actually think of one, because typically on my first play-through of a game I'll spend the early part of the game figuring out what all of the different buttons do, if it's a game that doesn't have a "standardized" control scheme. So excluding context-sensitive actions or switching up the rules of the game itself, there aren't really a lot of things that I flat-out miss.

I guess maybe the lizard-killing to gain stamina from Shadow of the Colossus? I never really saw any lizards my first time around, and killing them with that bow is a pain in the ass, but I guess it's useful.

How about a mostly pointless feature that I wish were in a game? Because in that case then I wish they would bring back the "having a Pokemon walking alongside you outside of its Poke Ball" from HeartGold/SoulSilver and then let you pick which Pokemon you want walking, instead of it just automatically being the first one in your party.

 

[thespyisdead]

CONTROL AND SPACE AND MOUNT AND BLADE WARBAND.

Holy shit, for those who don't know it speeds the entire game up by like 6 times or something, it's ridiculously useful for not getting bored, and is supposed to be in the game - not considered cheating cause everything speeds up with you (gotta be careful about enemy troops a lot more now).

you gotta be kidding me! that IS a FUCKING useful feature

OT: ME3 (and maybe ME2) has a quicksave feature on their console counterparts... happens when you press the back key

 

[The White Hunter]

It took me about 30 hours on Skyrim before I realise how to set quick select on spells and weapons using left and right on the d-pad.

Final Fantasy X: didn't know how to open the menu until I got Ixion. No instructions and nothing had ever been triangle to open before.

WHAT??!! How... what??!! You NSG'd up to Ixion on your first run?! How did you manage to not die on like, Sinspawn Gui?

I have no idea, blind luck and and a gigantic pile of healing items :S I remember a few bosses taking hours to kill.

 

[The White Hunter]

Final Fantasy X: didn't know how to open the menu until I got Ixion. No instructions and nothing had ever been triangle to open before.

To be fair... the rest of the Final Fantasy series maps the menu button to Triangle, as do many other JRPGs. Or at least, that's how they do it in the US? Do they generally map it differently in the UK? I could see that being confusing for a person who doesn't have any prior knowledge.

OT: I'm finding it really difficult to actually think of one, because typically on my first play-through of a game I'll spend the early part of the game figuring out what all of the different buttons do, if it's a game that doesn't have a "standardized" control scheme. So excluding context-sensitive actions or switching up the rules of the game itself, there aren't really a lot of things that I flat-out miss.

I guess maybe the lizard-killing to gain stamina from Shadow of the Colossus? I never really saw any lizards my first time around, and killing them with that bow is a pain in the ass, but I guess it's useful.

How about a mostly pointless feature that I wish were in a game? Because in that case then I wish they would bring back the "having a Pokemon walking alongside you outside of its Poke Ball" from HeartGold/SoulSilver and then let you pick which Pokemon you want walking, instead of it just automatically being the first one in your party.

No it always used to be Triangle but I'd never played a JRPG except for Pokemon before I got FFX. So tht's why I was confused. No manual with my copy either cuz it was pre-owned...

 

[Padwolf]

Kingdom Hearts 2. I went through the whole game with no abilities added on Sora, Donald and Goofy. The whole damn game. I do not know how on earth I missed such a huge feature of the game. I just do not know. But hey, I made it through the whole game on normal difficulty like that, so that counts for something right?

I don't think you can make it through the game without abilities like glide and such.

Surprisingly you can, I made it all the way to Xemnas, wondering why it was so damn hard, then I opened up the menu and took a look and facepalmed at myself Couldn't believe how stupid I was not to notice all of that before that point.

 

[Legion]

The ability to hold a button to drink water in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
The ability to sprint in Skyrim.
The ability to sell things in XCom.

Two of those have been mentioned, but I also took some time before realising these.

 

[Generic4me]

I didn't realize that you could catch animals in Metal Gear Solid 3 until I accidentally hit one with a grenade when you escort EVA.

No wonder I was always desperate for food.

 

[King Billi]

Kingdom Hearts 2. I went through the whole game with no abilities added on Sora, Donald and Goofy. The whole damn game. I do not know how on earth I missed such a huge feature of the game. I just do not know. But hey, I made it through the whole game on normal difficulty like that, so that counts for something right?

I don't think you can make it through the game without abilities like glide and such.

Surprisingly you can, I made it all the way to Xemnas, wondering why it was so damn hard, then I opened up the menu and took a look and facepalmed at myself Couldn't believe how stupid I was not to notice all of that before that point.

I can recall discovering so many unknown abilities and secrets in that game just from trying to beat Sephiroth after completing the main story... My brother and I only started paying attention to alot of the customozation available when were were trying to figure out how to beat him.

 

[King Billi]

Another one from Dark Souls

Did you know you can zoom in with the camera when using the bow or binoculars?

I didn't.

 

[ADDmuse]

On my second play-through of Myst:Riven I forgot about the menu. Not any one part of it; the whole thing. I got to the final puzzle and couldn't figure it out and rage quit. Next day I wake up and my dad tells me there was a save function. And, having gotten a good nights' sleep, I figured out the answer to the puzzle but I wasn't willing to play the whole game again.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

I was pretty much halfway through Dark Souls before I figured out how to do the running jump.

This . I had no idea i could jump in the game until i got to sens fortress .

I found out about the running jump in a most unfortunate way. I was running toward the armored hollow knight just before the jump onto the bridge that leads to Undead Burg. The jump that takes you to the Ring of Sacrifice. Well, while I was running toward that monster I went to lift my finger off the button but twitched instead and hit the button again while running. Needless to say I jumped and promptly rolled my ass off the cliff to my death.

[sub]I always review controls and go through tutorials in new games so I don't really have a contribution.[/sub]

 

[Hawk of Battle]

It took me about 30 hours on Skyrim before I realise how to set quick select on spells and weapons using left and right on the d-pad.

Final Fantasy X: didn't know how to open the menu until I got Ixion. No instructions and nothing had ever been triangle to open before.

WHAT??!! How... what??!! You NSG'd up to Ixion on your first run?! How did you manage to not die on like, Sinspawn Gui?

I have no idea, blind luck and and a gigantic pile of healing items :S I remember a few bosses taking hours to kill.

Haha, I can imagine. Let me guess; Chocobo Eater pushed you off the cliff, you cursed every time Bombs and Garudas appeared and Lord Ochu was a nightmare? (if you even bothered to fight him). I bet you felt the difference once you realised what to do with those sphere levels though.

 

[SextusMaximus]

CONTROL AND SPACE AND MOUNT AND BLADE WARBAND.

Holy shit, for those who don't know it speeds the entire game up by like 6 times or something, it's ridiculously useful for not getting bored, and is supposed to be in the game - not considered cheating cause everything speeds up with you (gotta be careful about enemy troops a lot more now).

you gotta be kidding me! that IS a FUCKING useful feature

OT: ME3 (and maybe ME2) has a quicksave feature on their console counterparts... happens when you press the back key

I literally had no idea for the longest time about it!

 

[Irridium]

In Killzone 2, during the fight with the ATAC, I didn't know there was a tunnel right under you. Thought that one pillar was all you had for cover.

Beat it on normal AND elite using just that pillar. Hoo boy, was I pissed when I learned about that tunnel.

 

[tysonn101]

I managed to get through max payne 3 without discovering you could roll, would have made getting out of cover a ton easier,
also i played oblivion through several times before i realised you could actually draw the bow right back by holding down right trigger instead of just tapping it and watching an arrow fly a grand total of 1 metre..

 

[The Funslinger]

I didn't realize the Mako has rockets until the Prothean ruins.

You mean the little jump jet things? Or does it have actual "BOOM" rockets?

I mean to say the Mako shoots rockets.

Also, I'll say that Rooster Teeth's Geoff completed Crackdown without realizing you could lock onto enemies.