"YOU CAN STEER THE TORPEDO?" moments

[The White Hunter]

Alternate title: "YOU CAN TONGUE UP?"

Ever play a game so often, and feel like you know it so well, only to discover some major ability you never noticed before?

For example, Mega Man 2 is my number one favorite game. It was the first game I ever played, and I was raging over Air Man before I could read. Just a couple of days ago, I found out that you can shoot Metal Blade in any direction. WHAT? I had no idea. All these years. I thought the main advantage was just the bigger projectile.

Also, to a lesser extent, I was four hours into Fallout 3 before I found out you could jump.

So, how about you?

I have possibly the supreme on here.

I got all the way to Guadosalam in Final Fantasy X, my first RPG besides pokemon, without knowing how to open the menu.

So as a result I didn't know how to level up or anything. Never occured to me that triangle would be the menu, since Start was always menu in everything else I played. Try getting that far without levelling up I frigging dare ya > >

Also when I first played Sonic 3 I didn't know how to charge up a spin attack but that was when I was like 4.

A few incidents in RDR or something like that where I just had no clue how to do something.

 

[Ryank1908]

THE ANSWER TO THE PUZZLE IS ON THE DAMN CLAW?!

When I first played Skyrim, I was following through the main story missions, and got to the part where I had to open a door using a Golden Dragon Claw. When I got to the door in the depth of a murky ruined cave, I found an obstacle; a door, with three circles around a lock, which you could rotate. The rings had different pictures on them and I guessed I had to work out what the proper combination was.

I must have spent at least an hour, first just fiddling around, second, scouring the murals on the walls near the door for some kind of hint to the combination, and finally, just fucking hammering those buttons in every single possible combination. When I finally got it, I went on the internet to see if there was some kind of logical explanation for it, and sure enough... the combination is on the back of the claw the whole time. I did not know you could look at items in your inventory in that 3D view and I really didn't know it would somehow be a vital skill to learn for a mandatory bloody story quest.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Just yesterday found out that Fallout 3 had quick key slots on the controller...no more pausing mid battle to equip something, and then having to unholster it just to slash at an incoming Super Mutant with a super sledge while playing on the hardest difficulty.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

THE ANSWER TO THE PUZZLE IS ON THE DAMN CLAW?!

When I first played Skyrim, I was following through the main story missions, and got to the part where I had to open a door using a Golden Dragon Claw. When I got to the door in the depth of a murky ruined cave, I found an obstacle; a door, with three circles around a lock, which you could rotate. The rings had different pictures on them and I guessed I had to work out what the proper combination was.

I must have spent at least an hour, first just fiddling around, second, scouring the murals on the walls near the door for some kind of hint to the combination, and finally, just fucking hammering those buttons in every single possible combination. When I finally got it, I went on the internet to see if there was some kind of logical explanation for it, and sure enough... the combination is on the back of the claw the whole time. I did not know you could look at items in your inventory in that 3D view and I really didn't know it would somehow be a vital skill to learn for a mandatory bloody story quest.

I hate to admit that it took me a week to figure that out after I bought the game, while my friends were several hours ahead of me...

 

[KefkaCultist]

I got all the way to Guadosalam in Final Fantasy X, my first RPG besides pokemon, without knowing how to open the menu.

So as a result I didn't know how to level up or anything. Never occured to me that triangle would be the menu, since Start was always menu in everything else I played. Try getting that far without levelling up I frigging dare ya > >

... Fuck that ...
Did you just grind your ass off for stats or what? Because Guadosalam is actually a decent ways into the game with some pretty tough bosses prior that pissed me off even with a developed sphere grid. lol

 

[Rooster893]

I used to play the crap out of Worms Armaggedon, but the airstrikes were always a pain in the ass to do, since I thought that you could only do them in one direction. Well after accidentally clicking the directional buttons on the keyboard, you could tilt them to the left, rather than just the right. It really helped out -- I started winning a lot more matches.

 

[KefkaCultist]

Oh I got another one.

Final Fantasy 7 was my first real JRPG play-through and I was at Cosmo Canyon doing fine until that boss at the end of that place. You know, the undead guy. Obviously, the easiest way to beat him is to use some powerful healing item on it such as a Phoenix Down or an X-Potion. Things that you get moments before the encounter. However, being my first game like this, I did not realize that this tactic was a thing, so I tried to actually fight the guy. After something like 3 or 4 hours of dying, grinding, and repeating, I finally gave up and asked my brother to do it. I felt pretty dumb when he beat it in less than a minute then handed me back the controller.

EDIT: Should mention that my brother is kind of an ass and knew the whole time that I could beat it easily, but didn't tell me because my frustration was funny to him.

 

[omicron1]

YOU CAN GET EXCALIBUR BY DIPPING YOUR SWORD IN A FOUNTAIN?
YOU CAN GET STING BY NAMING AN ELVISH DAGGER? AND ORCRIST?

Nethack is chock full of these. Throw cockatrice eggs. Float over a sink when unwillingly levitating. Chat with priests. Name unidentified-yet-known items. (Bags of holding, for instance)

 

[The White Hunter]

I got all the way to Guadosalam in Final Fantasy X, my first RPG besides pokemon, without knowing how to open the menu.

So as a result I didn't know how to level up or anything. Never occured to me that triangle would be the menu, since Start was always menu in everything else I played. Try getting that far without levelling up I frigging dare ya > >

... Fuck that ...
Did you just grind your ass off for stats or what? Because Guadosalam is actually a decent ways into the game with some pretty tough bosses prior that pissed me off even with a developed sphere grid. lol

I had spent almost all my money on potions and yeah I actually was sphere level 99 when I figured it out. I was wondering why everything was so hard and bosses were taking hours and why those summoners were so friggin hard to fight (it still took me a while to figure out how to level up summons ¬_¬). As you can imagine once I found that menu opening button the game got a hell of a lot more easy.

Oh and I didn't have a manual, fucking pre-owned games. I can get throwing away a cardboard box but why the manual!?

 

[The White Hunter]

Oh I got another one.

Final Fantasy 7 was my first real JRPG play-through and I was at Cosmo Canyon doing fine until that boss at the end of that place. You know, the undead guy. Obviously, the easiest way to beat him is to use some powerful healing item on it such as a Phoenix Down or an X-Potion. Things that you get moments before the encounter. However, being my first game like this, I did not realize that this tactic was a thing, so I tried to actually fight the guy. After something like 3 or 4 hours of dying, grinding, and repeating, I finally gave up and asked my brother to do it. I felt pretty dumb when he beat it in less than a minute then handed me back the controller.

EDIT: Should mention that my brother is kind of an ass and knew the whole time that I could beat it easily, but didn't tell me because my frustration was funny to him.

Did that with the undead version of Evrae in FFX too. Didn't know a Phoenix down would hit for 9999 damage. ¬_¬

 

[Silvianoshei]

"YOU CAN CH- VAAN SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR A BIT YOU LITTLE SHIT- CHAIN QUICKENINGS?!"

In FFXII I had no idea you could actually chain quickenings. On my first playthrough, I never used them at all until I got to Archades, I just wailed on the bosses till they died. I had to grind so much to do that though, so by the time I got to there, I could literally one shot bosses with a quickening-chain. The first time I did that I felt like such a badass.

"YOU CAN USE ITEMS OUTSIDE BATTLE?!"

When I played the original Pokemon games on my GBC, I didn't realize you could use items outside of battle for a long time. Until I got HM01 I think. Would have been nice to know earlier, because getting through the cave path to Cerulean City was a horrifying ordeal.

 

[AgentLampshade]

Oh I got another one.

Final Fantasy 7 was my first real JRPG play-through and I was at Cosmo Canyon doing fine until that boss at the end of that place. You know, the undead guy. Obviously, the easiest way to beat him is to use some powerful healing item on it such as a Phoenix Down or an X-Potion. Things that you get moments before the encounter. However, being my first game like this, I did not realize that this tactic was a thing, so I tried to actually fight the guy. After something like 3 or 4 hours of dying, grinding, and repeating, I finally gave up and asked my brother to do it. I felt pretty dumb when he beat it in less than a minute then handed me back the controller.

EDIT: Should mention that my brother is kind of an ass and knew the whole time that I could beat it easily, but didn't tell me because my frustration was funny to him.

And just to add insult to injury, there's a chest containing an X-Potion right outside the boss.

 

[ninjaRiv]

Mine is probably even dumber than anyone else's...

I'm running through Skyrim, picking shit up but wearing strength enhancing gear and drinking strength potions when I carry too much stuff, halfway through a cave.

I'm carrying all this shit, wasting potions and wearing armour I don't like and behind me is a character I know CAN CARRY MY SHIT.

 

[psychopez]

Battletoads/Double Dragon - The Ultimate Team.

When you get to the Astroids inspired level:

"If you hold down the fire button, you can lock on to enemies and launch a homing missile?"

 

[tangoprime]

You can hold down the action button in Fallout 3 to continually drink from a receptacle, instead of having to press the button over and over.
My mind was blown when I found out on the forums a few months ago.

WHAT!? ...thank you.

Mine would have to be in Eve Online recently. I hadn't played in a long time, and used to fly with a very well practiced group in covert ops ships (recons/bombers) that could cloak. You used to have to maintain a minimum distance from all other objects to stay cloaked, making practice and knowing your position very important when working in a team. I re-subbed, started flying with a large bomber group and was scared out of my mind that I would decloak the rest of the fleet by getting out of position...

Then after a few nights of white-knuckle fleet actions and feeling of being very lucky and wondering why they were so careless, I found out they'd patched the game quite a while ago and now cloaked ships don't decloak each other.

 

[Shia-Neko-Chan]

Was playing Metal Gear Rising last week.

The last boss was kicking my ass, when I accidentally pushed a and x at the same time, and discovered that there is a dodge move. WHAT!?!?!? This entire game I had a dodge move!!!!

...you had to BUY that move, dude

Devil May Cry also had "buying" moves, but it also told you how to use them right in the place where you buy them.

MGR did not have that. >_>

it had named moves "the flippy smashy shabang", "the all american strawberry blast BOOYAH", etc, but once you bought them, it never once mentioned how to use those moves.

I ended up having the same moment as Another because of that huge flaw.

and so did my friend. He told me after looking it up on YouTube.

In fact, I beat the last boss on hard not really knowing how to use the moves I bought at all. Just the dodge move.

 

[MajorTomServo]

Edit: Why would anyone rage over Air Man? Two shots with the spinning leaf shield and he is done for.

When I was just a wee puff of smoke, I didn't know the bosses had rock/paper/scissors type weaknesses. Also, the oni face platforms, or as I called them when I was little, "The old lady heads."

Side note, since I couldn't read when I first played the game, I though Air Man was a washing machine, Wood Man was an American Football player, and Metal Man was a doctor.

 

[Fiad]

Kingdom Hearts 2. My first playthrough, The Castle that Never Was. I CAN SWITCH MY MAIN KEYBLADE?!

Was still fun, beating the game with the starting keyblade though.

I know that feeling. Was forever until I realized I could swap keyblades and even equip items.

 

[TilMorrow]

Lol jontron <3

YOU CAN SHOOT UP? in Cave Story + I felt like a total idiot ><

Related...

YOU CAN SAVE CURLY BRACE? *cue tears of joy and immediate restart of game*

I remember when I found out about this followed by the info that there was more bosses. Immediate fistpump and restart.

OT: ENEMIES GIVE YOU HINTS WHEN THEY ARE ABOUT TO USE SPECIAL ATTACKS?!
-Final Fantasy VII
I was like four or five years old when I first played it on the PC and kept on dying whilst trying to escape the Mako Reactor at the start as the first boss always chopped my health down with his bloody AOE lazer attack. Que coming back six years later and discovering that Barrett actually does out of his way to inform you not to attack the thing when it raises it's tail. Derp.

YOU CAN BOOST BY BUTTON MASHING THE C ARROWS! followed by I CAN BUTTON MASH?!
-Mischief Makers
This was actually a real treat to learn and blew my mind when I first discovered it's concept. I was stuck on the sports festival/ olympics level/stage in Mischief Makers cause I could never get enough points to win as I always lost in the sprints. Master pretty much everything else but always get screwed at the races causing me to lose. Originally I thought that when ever it mentioned the [> style buttons for boosting and stuff in the tutorials I only thought of using the grey D-Pad to move. However much to my surprise a few years later I discovered that by mashing the C buttons that you could send Maria speeding off in any direction as well as get her to float for a long time in the air. Mind blown and obstacle passed with ease. I then wondered if this phenominal discovery of button mashing could be used in other games which I was estactic to find that it did work.

YOU CAN LEVEL MAX AND MONICA SO THEY ARE NOT SHIT?
-Dark Chronicle/Cloud 2
Though it requires a serious amount of grinding to pull off. But the fact I didn't figure this out the first few times I played may be due to the fact I relied on the Ridepod way too much.

 

[hermes]

In Final Fantasy 8:
Magic drain too fast. Wait... WHAT IS DRAW? YOU CAN ABSORB MAGIC ?!?

I also have a friend that completed MGS 1 without ever knowing you can choke enemies.