8 Video Game Mechanics That Were Too Complicated
4. First-Person Aiming - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is one of the greatest gaming sequels of all time that offers a colossal technological leap over its predecessor, as well as introducing killer new features like first-person aiming.
As brilliant as the mechanic is in theory, the execution is woefully awkward for a few reasons.
First and foremost, this being a 2001 game released before consoles had mastered twin stick FPS control schemes, you're unable to move your character while aiming, making stick-up situations limited and clumsy.
Then there's the imprecise pressure-sensitive gunplay on the original PS2 release, requiring you to half-press the Square button to lift your gun, and then full-press it to shoot.
This also made it easy for butter-fingered players to press a little too hard and accidentally cap a guard they had no intention of shooting.
As neat as the idea of first-person aiming was in Metal Gear Solid 2, it ended up feeling so aggressively counter-intuitive that it was often more trouble than it was worth, making stealthy stick-ups more messy and inelegant than they really should've been.