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Most satisfying melee attack in a game?

Bum Rush, Sabin from FF6

Bumrush.PNG
 
The boot in battletoads, pick your version.

Here's a fun answer. What makes the Battletoad "finisher" attacks so good is the pause before they come out. There's wind-up and then BAM. Build-up, then release. You do a combo like jab-jab-jab-annnnd-UUH, BIG BOOT BITCH! Whether it's to regular foes or big boss encounters, it's always a joy because Rareware knew the simple power of building something up to make that release that much more awesome.
 
Too many favorites to list, but here are a few I adore.

Dead Rising: Mid-air kick. Extremely utilitarian, yet also fun to watch every time. Especially great when you're at max level and the victim can bowl over an entire crowd of his friends.

Brawl: Ike's Eruption. There's nothing better than watching someone helplessly fall into it and get spiked to kingdom come.

Dark Souls: The Claymore's 1-handed stab and Zzweihander's 1-handed "flattener" attack.
 
I read these boards like all day on and off how did this game manage to elude my radar?! I dont even think i ever heard one of my even more devoted gamer friends mention it. Weird. Looks awesome!
 
Parry/Reposte in Dark Souls.

Nothing better than slamming their swing away with your shield and then running the enemy through with your sword.
 
Demon's Souls/Dark Souls - parry & riposte. So satisfying.

+1
so good

Parry/Reposte in Dark Souls.

Nothing better than slamming their swing away with your shield and then running the enemy through with your sword.

Demon's/Dark Souls backstab + parry/riposte.

JamesFrancoSoGood.gif
This.

Also: Hammerin' in Red Faction Guerrilla, and nailing a successful Chargin' Targe hit with demoman in TF2, especially with the Ullapool Caber.
 
I'm actually not a big fan of Bulletstorm's boot. The fact that it ALWAYS slow-motions afterwards really sucks all the energy out of it.
 
I'm actually not a big fan of Bulletstorm's boot. The fact that it ALWAYS slow-motions afterwards really sucks all the energy out of it.
You're playing it wrong, bra. Plenty of energy if you chase after your target and boot him repeatedly across the arena, and then continue booting him against the wall until he splatters for the "grafitti" bonus. Of course, you can always accelerate the air-borne body by switching to a heavy projectile, since only the target goes into slow-mo, and everything else is still in real-time (a brilliant mechanic, I must say).

Best combo? Leash someone, strap him with remote grenades, kick him back into his buddies and hit the detonator. Or better yet, strap someone with a bomb, slide into him to knock him back, leash him in mid-air, use the thumper to bounce him a half-mile off the ground, then steer a remote-controlled sniper bullet into him as he falls, exploding his head, and then detonating the bomb to explode his corpse. MEATY RAIN.
 
monster hunter greatsword and hammer attacks. there's nothing more satisfying than successfully pulling off attacks with those weapons.
 
For my vote it has to be Iron Tager from the BlazBlue series. Every time he lands a hit it feels immensely satisfying. All the moreso in the throws, as you know the person on the other side has to wait just that much longer to see how much their life bar is going to go down. His throw special has given me some of the most entertaining reversals of fortune... given that it takes half the life bar off most characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF_59aLYJRE

Just the way Tager can absolutely manhandle characters makes you feel like you're dominating. Once you've got them magnetized (which drags the other character towards you with about half his attacks) and close, they're done for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R83LAK3HI9o
 
Elbow Drop in Prototype.

I channeled the spirit of the Macho Man constantly and kept trying to drop this move from the highest places imaginable. If I managed to bullseye military or people with it I would get up and give the double "number 1!" fingers in the air and take a victory walk cuttin' promos around the room.

GtXxB.jpg


God that game is good for stress relief.
 
You're playing it wrong, bra. Plenty of energy if you chase after your target and boot him repeatedly across the arena, and then continue booting him against the wall until he splatters for the "grafitti" bonus. Of course, you can always accelerate the air-borne body by switching to a heavy projectile, since only the target goes into slow-mo, and everything else is still in real-time (a brilliant mechanic, I must say).

Best combo? Leash someone, strap him with remote grenades, kick him back into his buddies and hit the detonator. Or better yet, strap someone with a bomb, slide into him to knock him back, leash him in mid-air, use the thumper to bounce him a half-mile off the ground, then steer a remote-controlled sniper bullet into him as he falls, exploding his head, and then detonating the bomb to explode his corpse. MEATY RAIN.

No, no, I know how to play Bulletstorm. Second-best FPS of 2011 after Serious Sam 3. And the Leash/Slide/Boot are brilliant tools. But taken out of the context of using them in conjunction with the weapons and environments in cool, interesting ways, the boot attack by itself isn't all that satisfying. The satisfaction comes from what you mentioned, combining it in interesting ways with the other tools in your arsenal.

Compare that to again, the finishers in Battletoads, where I can just do that shit all day, I don't need a whole lot of context.
 
Demon's Souls (haven't played Dark Souls yet) has my favorite swordplay in any game. The sense of weight to your attacks is very satisfying.
 
I loved Catwoman combat in Arkham City. One of the few games I actually felt like an agile ninja. Doing flawless brawls is endlessly satisfying.

batman_arkham_city_catwoman-2.jpg
 
Elbow Drop in Prototype.

I channeled the spirit of the Macho Man constantly and kept trying to drop this move from the highest places imaginable. If I managed to bullseye military or people with it I would get up and give the double "number 1!" fingers in the air and take a victory walk cuttin' promos around the room.

GtXxB.jpg


God that game is good for stress relief.

This is golden as well lol
 
Maybe not the most satisfying but, playing through Dead Space 2 recently I was fed up getting spooked constantly and took out my frustration on a dead Necromorph mashing R2 to hell and the animation turned into some sort of gypsy dance while screaming "Die...*panting*... dammit!".

It was hilarious. lol
 
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