What single mechanical touch do you find satisfying?

I apologize for not having the technical vocabulary to properly communicate this idea, but I've been spending some time lately thinking about which tiny mechanical touches stand out for me.

It kinda started with my love of Halo's Grunt Birthday Party skull. Hit a grunt in the bread basket and there's a small fanfare complete with 'yay' and a burst of confetti. I just find it emotionally engaging but practical in the heat of battle.

Really, the only two other ones I can think of are Squalls gunblade and that extra bounce you get in super mario when you hit jump right as you land on an enemy. Both are basically timed button presses to give a bonus, but i find them to be really engaging and I don't quite know why. Is it instant gratification for a skilled action or something else?

I'm interested in more, so I'll take suggestions.

Edit: I would also add Solid Snake's neck break to that list. Jamming on that button takes just long enough to be stressful, especially if you've got guards nearby, and the crack at the end does a good job of releasing it.

The touch of a mechanical woman

Those mechanical Suga Walls, ya digg.

The touch, the feel of mechanical cotton

I am so horribly confused by this.

Came here to post this

Oh, I thought this would be something way weirder. I'm not sure if this counts as mechanical. It's more of an audio thing, but I really like the voice that plays when you hit the next style ranks after S in dmc. Something about the game shouting Savage, Sadistic, and Sensational while I'm chopping stuff up makes it feel all the more stylish.

I like it when the explosion goes

A successful riposte in Dark Souls is so satisfying. There's a real oomph to that stabbing motion.

And apparently I still don't know how to properly use .gifs on this site. Could someone give me the cliff notes on how?

Your thread title could not be more misleading.

@sunbrozak: Don't have much Dark Souls experience but the collision and sense of weight look real good. Does it have a decent sound effect connected to it?

Been playing a lot of Skyrim again so that's my most immediate point of reference right now. Getting the throat slitting animation instead of just a regular attack when you're sneaking behind someone. Quite satisfying, especially when it's not a sure thing.

The only other thing I can think of that seems to fit OP's description is something like active reload, but I wouldn't say that's all that satisfying.

@shadowconqueror said:

I'll take suggestions on that too.

There is a sound cue that plays when you get a successful parry and then follow it up with a riposte, but the sound of your weapon stabbing into the enemy will different depending on the enemy. The sound is alright, could be better. There's also differ animations for the riposte for heavier and lighter weapons. I think the real satisfaction comes from pulling a parry and riposte on a more difficult enemy, but it does feel decently rewarding even when you're doing it on weaklings.

@aykay_47 said:

That's interesting. I was focusing on more 1 to 1 action but i can completely see why your example could be. The satisfaction comes from the release of tension wondering if you were gonna get spotted.

The active reload example is strange too, because i think that one is really dependent on the sound you get. I can't remember which game, but one of them gives this 'whooshing' sound when you nail it that i always enjoyed.

To try and clear things up for you, game mechanics are things the player can do, like jump, shoot etc. What you are describing is gameplay which is a consequence of a mechanic initiated by the player (as opposed to gameplay that has nothing to do with the player, like an NPC running into a wall and then exploding because VIDEO GAMES). So if you are asking what gameplay element/s feel satisfying after they occur, then I would say probably pulling off a long perfect knight combo in B:AC. As for mechanics, well, you can't really beat a Mario jump, can you? Other great gameplay moments are having a soldier in XCOM get panicked and take an alien out, that's some great gameplay.

Also, yes, I like robot hands to touch my penis.

@willza92 said:

Well to go back to the gunblade example I used, the player has to pull R1, so its a mechanical act but it causes screen to flash and greater damage. Its the whole thing I enjoy. You do have a good point though since the flash is a sensory stimuli reward for your performance and the damage bonus is the systems rewards. Do you know if those types of rewards have their own classification or is it just that: psychological and systemic?

It's possibly more of an easter egg than a mechanic, but since it is something that you have to initiate it yourself I'm going to throw it out there.

You know how you're driving along, listing to the radio when that song comes on. You know the one. It's the one that makes you start singing along without really thinking about it, and then getting caught at the traffic lights?

Well Saints Row 2 did that in game.

@nezza: Thats fucking hilarious. Can't believe i've never heard this before. They're incredibly poor singers.

The rhythm game of combat that comprises Arkham Asylum is incredibly rewarding when you really whip some ass. When you really get into a groove, you feel like you're fucking untouchable in a way that few games can top.

I really like Mass Effect 2's angling Throw or Incinerate around cover. I suppose Wanted tried something earlier with curving the bullets, but doing it well feels almost artistic. Especially if you're using Throw and you catch a guy at the right angle to send him careening through the air.

I like that rather than give you an endless amount of weapons that you're using and throwing out ('loot lust'), Bastion gives you a dozen weapons that act incredibly different to each other, that work together in very diverse ways, and vary in their efficacy based on the enemy that shows up. And allows you to spec each weapon in different ways that once again alters your playstyle. For all the praise the storyline, the art and the music of Bastion receives, I think the gameplay is one of the most intricately tailored experiences of this generation.

The chains in the new Devil May Cry are pretty fun once you get used to them, they give you the kind of mobility that you don't often get in chop-dudes-up games.

@brodehouse said:

I agree with you there. Its something that shouldn't able to happen but its curve feels natural through its animation. Plus the way it sells the biotics powers as governed by some law, especially when they could have just made those spells disregard level geometry all together.

Bait and switch topic.

Oh, that completely passed my mind. Definitely agree. In the stealth sections too, that game makes you feel like a Batman the thugs should fear.

Another that came to mind: the "blinking" power in Dishonored. Felt real good to be running along a rooftop then jumping and blinking onto another. Just with how fast it was, the way he clenched his fist when blinking and the sound effect. It felt stealthy too. Like you were disappearing and reappearing with not even a whisper. It fit the stealth approach I took for that game.

I like influence spreading. Completing missions to make a colored circle on a map grow makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something.

@sunbrozak said:

A successful riposte in Dark Souls is so satisfying. There's a real oomph to that stabbing motion.

And apparently I still don't know how to properly use .gifs on this site. Could someone give me the cliff notes on how?

Click and drag into the text box

@ajamafalous said:

@sunbrozak said:

A successful riposte in Dark Souls is so satisfying. There's a real oomph to that stabbing motion.

And apparently I still don't know how to properly use .gifs on this site. Could someone give me the cliff notes on how?

Click and drag into the text box

Ah right. Thanks for the help.