[Minion101]

Played all of Assassassins Creed 2 never counter attacking. Botherhood is what made me relies it was there. The combat is really really annoying without it.

[aaaaaa]

Hey guys who don't have the Super metroid manual: have you heard of this Crystal Flash thing? No, I didn't think so.

It wasn't in the manual. The only hint is in one of the attract mode movies.

[KSai]

something in xenosaga 2, i forget

The first time I beat the game I had no idea how the battle mechanics worked. The final boss fight dragged on for a half hour because I was doing all the wrong combos that had no damage effect. I must have really been in a rush to finish that game when I was younger.

[Gandara]

Not the end of the game but about 1/4 into Batman Arkham City, I forgot that you could slide and spent over an hour trying to figure out how to get under the door in the police station. You were showed how to slide early in the game and I completely forgot you could do that. I went and did other side quests and hunted down riddler trophies hoping that a new skill would be unlocked or event that would let me get under the door and found out I had it all along by checking a faqs.

[YoshiRider123]

I've heard about this mechanic but still haven't figured out how to do it. I looked in my inventory but didn't see anything, what am I missing?

I believe that you press a different button while the item is highlighted to initiate the trade, which is displayed on the screen. Keep in mind that this only applies to items tagged as collectibles.

[tinders]

I've finished killer7 about 5-6 times and I still don't know what Active Reloading is...

[Gandara]

Renonance of Fate. Didn't know you could change your starting Character. When I was trying to level up characters who had the machine gun, I would just blow my turn on the first character who didn't. And I guess the other thing in the same game was trying to understand how the bezels worked.

[big_z]

I didn't know there was power sliding in diddy kong racing until finishing the game and trying to beat the last two tt times. Broke a controller in frustration.

Project zero 2 wii took half of the game before I could kind of understand how the camera worked.

[djtiesto]

Ys 7 - never once used the "Flash Guard" mechanic, apparently if I did it would've made the game a helluva lot easier.

Resonance of Fate - beat it without ever once doing the "tri attack"

[GuardianE]

In Demon Souls, I didn't know you could run in the 5-2 swamp. When you press circle your character just does a strange animation. I just walked the entire time with a regan shield so I didn't lose health fast enough from the poison. After doing this for the ~15th time I finally held circle by accident and ran. I wasn't pleased.

Aw, what the fuck. I walked the entire time through 5-2.

[AlucardGV]

went through 90% of gravity rush without knowing how to reset the camera to the standard position.

[whalleywhat]

I usually do much better a second time through on SRPGs, or on occasions where I've had to restart part way through, because I'm more familiar with the game's systems and idiosyncrasies. I couldn't point out a specific mechanic, it's more about how you approach a fight, level your character, build your party, etc...

[CloudWolf]

In before Fallout 3/New Vegas hacking symbols.

I just looked this up... I had no idea, wtf

[Stinkles]

Zelda: Link to the Past - because I didn't have the center item (I think it was silver arrow or similar) my inventory looked complete, because it was symmetrical, but I couldn't defeat Ganon for weeks. This was before internets could help.

[jondabomb]

Just started ff8 and I can tell that I will never fully understand all the junctioning stuff

[-SD-]

Project I.G.I.

I was half way through level 8 when I first noticed the satellite map.

Made things a wee bit easier :D

[Currygan]

I can also say I never understood how sidequests work in the Tales games. I thought there were none.

[Celegus]

Anyone remember this?

We don't talk about that.

[elmariachi]

Diddy Kong racing, if you left go of A before hitting a turbo strip, you would go faster.

It was a tip that I ignored and was unable to beat Wizpig because of it. I started a new game and when I read the tip... lets just say I felt really stupid.

[Item_Screen]

Fast traveling in Wind Waker. I somehow missed the guy the whole game and never knew about it until I was watching a friend play it for the first time. And you're supposed to get it so early in the game! Agh!

[SJRB]

Pressing O near a ledge when sprinting makes you slide, drop and grab the side of the building in Assassin's Creed.

Don't know when they implemented that but it blew my mind when I discovered it. Same goes for pressing O when standing on a building and locked on a civilian on the streets below. You'll jump down on the civilian without killing him which will break your fall.



Also riposte in Dark Souls. Still can't figure out how that works.

[Ifrit]

People who have played this game, will know what this is about

[Item_Screen]

Red Dead Redemption: Fast-travelling through the campfire. I didn't figure it out until well past half-way. Until then I'd either ridden everywhere, or used stage coaches. I couldn't believe I missed that part of the game. The worst part is I didn't even figure out camping until half-way through the game, and I still didn't understand how to fast travel for another like... 15 hours.

Man, wtf. I rode my horse EVERYWHERE.

[leddmonkey]

I was schlepping along with the entire strategy/command mechanic in Brutal Legend until that long mountainous valley area, which I think was like 1 or 2 battles away from the end of the game.

[Myriadis]

- Sneaking in OG MGS3 requiring the D-pad.

This. Didn't know it until half of the second playthrough.

In before Fallout 3/New Vegas hacking symbols.

Just looked it up. So that means that selecting brackets facing each other, like (), regains all failed tries? Woah.

[TelemachusD]

Man, wtf. I rode my horse EVERYWHERE.

Even better, you can set a custom waypoint, and then fast travel directly to it: instantly travel to any point on the map.

[Mephala]

Final Fantasy VIII's GF and Magic Junction system. Discovered how to do this properly late in the third disc.

Skies of Arcadia, you can change your weapon's element! I was past halfway and struggled every step to get there because of this.

King of Fighters, I went through several games in this series and it was only until I saw a quick tutorial video posted here on gaf that I realized there are jumps, super jumps, hops & super hops.

Edit. Forgot one. Tactics Ogre: LUCT's Chariot feature. Didn't work this out until chapter 3. I was almost ripping out my hair trying to save an NPC who would die in the third turn while my army barely covers half the distance towards her. I also didn't know you could get a lot of useful information pressing Select and then moving the cursor over different things such as names, stats or status icons.

[Incitemaybe]

Tales of the Abyss. I'm at least halfway through if not more and I just can't get the Field of Fonons to trigger accurately or if I'm supposed to be using them more often or if they are really as difficult and rare to pull off as it seems at this point.....I just don't know.

[Zevenberge]

Link's Awakening: after >10 playthroughs I figured you could shoot bomb arrows by simultaneously pressing the bomb and bow/arrow button.

Although this doesn't really count - after spending five hours on a signle boss fight (failing three times) I figured how you could do a chain attack. Luckily this was in the beginning of the game, so that's why it doesn't count, in my opinion.

[WillyFive]

I didn't find out about the game mechanic to actually use the three fairies you saved to upgrade your sword and attacks in Phantom Hourglass until long after I finished the game.

Leaf, the Spirit of Power, will enhance the sword's strength and cause it to burn with flames. Neri, the Spirit of Wisdom, will halve the amount of damage taken and enhance the shield to stun some enemies. Ciela, the Spirit of Courage, enhances the sword, allowing it to shoot sword beams with every slash.

I went through the whole game without using any of that, and it was a full-blown game mechanic.

[Cyberquake]

Friend of mine was talking about how much he hated Oblivion. He finished it but just couldn't understand why everyone loved it so much with all the walking around over and over. I asked him why he was walking everywhere instead of fast traveling. The look on his face was priceless.

Ahaha, that happened to me too... but in Arena, when I first played an Elder Scrolls game. Wandering for hours on randomized scenarios whithout getting anywhere...

[.GqueB.]

FF7's Materia system. It was my first rpg ever so I had no idea what was going on. I didn't really understand the system until the very end of the game. I have no idea how I got that far.

[Hiltz]

Learning how to dodge properly in Monster Hunter Tri. I also didn't know that you could roll or side-step to avoid flinching during some of the roars of boss monsters.

I finished most of the single player mode without knowing and didn't figure it out until I went online and got up to Deviljho.I have done it before on accident, but didn't understand the exact timing and that you could dodge through certain attacks. I assumed you could only dodge before the attacks hits, but if you're a second off, then you'll still get hit. I was stunned when I first saw people rolling and side-stepping into Deviljho's dragon breath and dodging Uragaan and Agnakator's sideways body slam and other monster attacks.I felt like a god after using evasion+1 armor skill. Then I found a dragon talisman+7 with two slots to obtain evasion+2 armor skill. It particularly comes in handy against Barroth, Diablos, Uragaan, Agnkator, Deviljho, and Alatreon.

[EulaCapra]

For a while, I didn't know 2D Mario had a run button lol. I still hate having a run button but jumps became instantly less impossible.

And for a good 60+ hours, I played Tales of Symphonia thinking that the overworld camera was a pain in the ass because it was always rotating for some reason. Stupid game flaw! Then I realized it was rotating because the plugged-in second controller's C-stick was messed up. D'oh!

It was also impossible to enjoy Eternal Darkness early on because the game was (intentionally?) so dim and dark that floor traps and things like blow darts were invisible. Only when I turned up the brightness did things become really fun.

[jgmo870]

Drifting in Gravity Rush and getting extra rations/ammo in Peace Walker.

[Sora_N]

"What do you mean I can long jump in Super Mario 3D Land? I'm already in S-7 and you tell me this now?"

You can long jump? Shit.

[Mihos]

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize you could fast travel in Oblivion.

Also put me on the list for wasting Fire Keeper Souls on my first run through Dark Souls

[.GqueB.]

I didn't figured out you could heal quickly in Deadspace until waaaaaaaaay late in the game. I was fucking pissed. Manually doing that shit in game during a fight was fucking horrible.

[Corleth the Fey]

I was struggling a good way into Record of Lodoss War on the Dreamcast, when my friend pointed out that huge pile of mithril I had collected could be put to use in enhancing my weapons and shit.

[John Rabbit]

In Demon Souls, I didn't know you could run in the 5-2 swamp. When you press circle your character just does a strange animation. I just walked the entire time with a regan shield so I didn't lose health fast enough from the poison. After doing this for the ~15th time I finally held circle by accident and ran. I wasn't pleased.

you might have tapped O to roll instead of run. you can't roll in the swamp.

so...do some of you guys just not press all the buttons on a controller when playing a game? the amount of "i didn't know you could do [simple character action]" in this thread is astounding.

[nOoblet16]

Metal gear solid 3. I only found out years later that you were meant to sneak with the D-PAD!!

What the fuck? lol
I've played MGS3 about 5 times and I am playing the HD version right now and I have NO idea about this thing.

[Myriadis]

Link's Awakening: after >10 playthroughs I figured you could shoot bomb arrows by simultaneously pressing the bomb and bow/arrow button.

That one is actually a glitch. You don't need that combo anywhere. Even not in that cave where some claim that this glitch has to be used there.

[Jezan]

.

:O add this one to the list :D on my third playthrough

Also, morph ball jump in Metroid Prime 3, pulling the remote up, i discovered it in the last planet, by accident :(

Geometry Wars, like one month after the first time I played it I found out you could move with wasd, yes, I never moved only kept shooting incoming enemies :(

[Myriadis]

Also, morph ball jump in Metroid Prime 3, pulling the remote up, i discovered it in the last planet, by accident :(

Wait, you mean without using bombs?

[chun li's thighs]

Not me, but a friend of mine got to the island in RE4 before realizing that you could run.

[GuardianE]

That one is actually a glitch. You don't need that combo anywhere. Even not in that cave where some claim that this glitch has to be used there.

I always thought it was more of an Easter Egg than a glitch.

[McNum]

Wait, you mean without using bombs?

Yeah. Flick the remote up and you jump, just as if you did a bomb jump. Except without the bomb.

[Currygan]

Fast traveling in Wind Waker. I somehow missed the guy the whole game and never knew about it until I was watching a friend play it for the first time. And you're supposed to get it so early in the game! Agh!

WHAT

[chun li's thighs]

I thought weapons and armor in FF7 were one time use, so I didn't even bother with them until my second playthrough. It was my first RPG. :-|

I genuinely lol'd.

[Myriadis]

Yeah. Flick the remote up and you jump, just as if you did a bomb jump. Except without the bomb.

I played though the whole game and never knew this. Always used the bomb jump, like I did it in the previous Metroid Prime games.