The Bus

I've been thinking about the controls issue re: GTAIV. What games, in your mind, have had perfect controls? I've got a shortlist but it's headed by one, and only one game:

Super Mario Bros.

Now, mind you, the game has two things going for it: the controls are relatively simple, consisting of six total inputs (D-pad, run, jump) and it's a game most of us have played for a long time, making it easier to master it.

But damn it if I can't make Mario do whatever is possible in that game. That game set the bar for controls in 2D side-scrollers and I think everything is calibrated pixel perfect.

james2025a

I thought that Time Splitters 2 for the Gamecube had awesome controls. One of the few FPS games that i felt very comfortable playing with a pad rather rather keyboard and mouse. Crackdown i also thought had a very good control scheme in place.

boredsilly

I found Burnout: Revenge & Takedown had damn near perfect controls. For the screen to be moving as fast as it was, I never felt like it wasn't possible for me to make the snap decisions and hair pin turns the game demanded of me. In fact, when you get the feel of the game, you start to feel like a racing god by how expertly you can handle a course.

And while it's cliche, I agree that the 16 bit Mario's all are pretty stellar. But of them all, I think Yoshi's Island had the best controls, especially since the game had so many varied power-ups. Again, like the Burnouts, I never felt like I couldn't do what I was supposed to do and that the mistakes I made were my fault and not any fault of the game's controls.

Groucho

Zork

notkevinbacon

First one I thought of too.

Then Tetris, but I guess that's kind of a cheat.

I always thought the Tony Hawk games controlled quite well... but I only played up to THPS 3 (though just got Proving Grounds on the DS, quite pleased with it). I was amazed at the rhythm of the game. Pro Skater 2 ate up most of my life when it was released.

dvdsteve2000

I agree with the Burnouts listed above. Some racing games also feel like you're 'floating' on the road, Burnout Takedown & Revenge do everything right. I think PGR1 & GT 1 were also great with the controls.

NFL2K5 is also a spectacle. Madden should study that game & make every one of their games just like it.

As cheesy as this sounds, I love the controls of Halo CE, 2, and 3. Everything feels natural & comfortable.

Michael Corvin

Another vote for the Burnout games. The cars have weight and grip to them despite the speed and never feel floaty like the imitators (Flatout, Full Auto).

Also a nod to Halo which took my favorite FPS control scheme (Turok) and adapted it to two analog controls.

boredsilly

Halo is a good one. I really only got into the first game, but I really loved how everything felt.

Decker

Ratchet & Clank games on the PS2. They control perfectly and are the rare 3D platformers that don't lead to tons or cheap deaths from misjudging jumps or from fighting the camera. The Sly Cooper games also controlled exquisitely.

And of course it seems like a cop-out answer, but you'd have to admit that the Guitar Hero games control perfectly (which certainly wasn't the case with previous rhythm games)

And on the PS3, the controlling of Nate in "Uncharted : Drake's Fortune" is completely spot-on and intuitive (excluding that one motion-controlled log-crossing that you never repeat). The leaping from ledge-to-ledge stuff has nver been handled better.

metalhead212

Minus a small issue with melee I find the Call of Duty controls pretty damn perfect. Every time I pop in another shooter after playing that game I always find myself trying to use that setup with the other games even though the buttons are all mapped out different.

PopcornTreeCt

It's hard for me to say any game back in the 8 and 16 bit days had good controls. Because they flat out didn't. I agree about Halo that's one of the few that comes to mind.

uncle-frank

DKC series

lordwow

MVP Baseball 2005.

The Bus

Really?

fumanstan

If anything, it feels like most of the NES/SNES games had better controls due to the games being 2D and less complex. All the Mario games seem remarkably precise.

bretski

Tee-hee.

"light candle"
"ring bell"

GoVegan

I can still type words like "examine" or the cardinal directions slightly faster than anything else.

edstein

Doesn't get any better than Pong.

Lastblade

Megaman was pretty good, at least until you get hit and get bounced back 3 steps and fall into a pit.

Ninja Gaiden (the new ones on Xbox/PS3) have near perfect control, but the camera, not so much.

Goldblum

gta iv

orangecrush

Mario 64

firteen88

call of duty 4

PixyJunket

That's my stance on it. While there were some game that had poor controls in the old school (any NES games that were developed by Micronics, for example), it was a lot more uncommon than it is now. With 3D worlds, dual analog sticks, controlling cameras, accelerometers, optical sensors, styluses and twenty buttons on the controller, things can get really messy really easy nowadays.

kurupt

I prefer the fps controls of COD4 to Halo. Mario 64 really nailed the 3D controls on the first time out. Castlevania SOTN has perfect controls as well. I agree that on "old-school" 2d games, control seemed like it was never an issue like it is now on most games out.

DJ_Longfellow

I always thought the Halo series had GREAT controls for a FPS.

NHL 08 may be one with pretty unique controls...much better than I thought they would be.