X is reload... because the developer says so...

Usually I don't have a problem with that because 99% of the action games I play have more or less the same button layout. But there are exceptions like Crackdown that have the reload button on the bumper and X is for weapon switch. It was no surprise that I fucked up many times during the game because it simply took me a while to get used to the different control scheme. Sure, you might say " Strongschwartz , you handsome devil, why don't you change the button layout?" see, that's the problem: You simply can't. Almost all games I own have 2-3 predetermined button layouts (if at all) and if none of them suits you, good luck learning the layout. Right now I play Half-Life 2 (I know I'm reaaaaaaaally late with that one) and in that game EVERY button can be configured individually, which is no surprise since it's a PC port. Flashlight on B? No problem. Sprint on the stick? Bring it. Primary fire on A? Impossible to play, but why not since you can do it. Guess what I'm trying to say is: Why do console games lack the convenience of free button configuration?
Next time I tell you why crowbars are better than any swiss knife, why carrying a little bearded guy around in an action game is annoying but worth it and why mysterious guys in suits know everything. See you soon.

Usually I don't have a problem with that because 99% of the action games I play have more or less the same button layout. But there are exceptions like Crackdown that have the reload button on the bumper and X is for weapon switch. It was no surprise that I fucked up many times during the game because it simply took me a while to get used to the different control scheme. Sure, you might say " Strongschwartz , you handsome devil, why don't you change the button layout?" see, that's the problem: You simply can't. Almost all games I own have 2-3 predetermined button layouts (if at all) and if none of them suits you, good luck learning the layout. Right now I play Half-Life 2 (I know I'm reaaaaaaaally late with that one) and in that game EVERY button can be configured individually, which is no surprise since it's a PC port. Flashlight on B? No problem. Sprint on the stick? Bring it. Primary fire on A? Impossible to play, but why not since you can do it. Guess what I'm trying to say is: Why do console games lack the convenience of free button configuration?
Next time I tell you why crowbars are better than any swiss knife, why carrying a little bearded guy around in an action game is annoying but worth it and why mysterious guys in suits know everything. See you soon.

I think the reason most games don't have button configuration is logistical. Most players simply don't want to hassle with control  changing, and changing the layout can ruin tutorials, make explanations nonsensical....all kinds of nonsense that is more trouble on the production end than it's worth, I'll bet.
Also, developers do have their own ideas for controls, which is why games can have many different control variations. It would be nice if every shooter played like Call of Duty 4, but that's a change that has yet to be implemented.

i used to hate it when you couldnt configure stuff, but i like getting a new layout every once and awhile.  If every game played exactly like another i feel it would become stale.  like playing COD style stuff and then going to killzone, not to much difference in teh layout, but just enough to keep things fresh.  Half life also does this.  So instead of trying to change everything i think its good just to get a fresh new way to play.  Only problem i have with this recently is with Fight night, i just can't throw my jabs as quick as i want to

Im playing through Half-Life 2 right now also (I don't get why people love it so much). The only problem i had with the controls is switching weapons is on the D-pad.

It's not that big a deal, just have the tutorial pull the button from the controller setup rather than being fixed, that's about 5 seconds of programming.

Display the pad and have a drop-down for each button.  Done.  It's gotta be better than "Here are 5 layouts! Default is ok and the rest are terrible! Enjoy!".

I agree you should be able to change controls. For instance, many Virtual Console games on the Wii seem to deliberately map the controls very poorly to the Gamecube controller, yet they're mapped just fine to the Classic Controller. It's unnecessary and unacceptable. In some cases, games are pretty much unplayable with the GC controller and for no good reason. It seems to me to be a scam that tries to get you to buy Wii Classic controllers.

Let me explain something that most game developers don't understand. This mainly applies to FPS games like Halo. When playing FPS games, it's important to be able to aim, right? This might get a little extensive, but I think it's a very valid point, so brace yourselves. I discovered this issues after countless hours playing Halo 2 online, while often witnessing or participating in one-on-one melee battles... which truthfully could be real ugly. This was a problem I had specifically with Halo 2 and I hoped they'd address the problems with Halo 3, but unfortunately Bungie didn't change things for the better. Certain moves, such as reloading or changing weapons, should be mapped to face buttons. Why is that? Well... in order to push a face button, you must let go of the right analog stick. What this does is it prevents you from being able to aim for a half second or so, right? You can't be moving the right analog stick to aim and pushing a face button all at the same time with one button. So ideally, actions like jumping or melee attacks should be mapped to trigger and shoulder buttons. That way, when doing those things, you can still keep aiming and attacking. When you're reloading or changing weapons, on the other hand, you don't need to aim since you can't shoot or attack until that action is completed anyway. I strongly believe this would make for a better gameplay experience.

yeah i wish halo 3 had a super customizable button layout

" I agree you should be able to change controls. For instance, many Virtual Console games on the Wii seem to deliberately map the controls very poorly to the Gamecube controller, yet they're mapped just fine to the Classic Controller. It's unnecessary and unacceptable. In some cases, games are pretty much unplayable with the GC controller and for no good reason. It seems to me to be a scam that tries to get you to buy Wii Classic controllers.