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[KàIRóS]

So all the time we complain about terrible cameras in videogames we can probably all name at least one game (Castlevania 64 anyone?) but what examples do you guys think of when asked the opposite? actually good cameras that never get in the way and maybe even elevate the gameplay due to how properly implemented they are.

The one game that comes to mind for me is Rocket League, super simple one button press to toggle between locking and unlocking the camera to the ball, while never losing track of your car in the middle of the screen, in fact I would even argue that the proper use of the camera is one of the secrets to the addictive gameplay, if it had a wonky camera it wouldn't feel as good to play as it does IMO.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Max Payne 1 and 2.

 

[Shifty]

Shadow of the Colossus.

You probably wouldn't use its system for regular games, but for large open worlds and big bosses it can't be beat:



Note how it subtly locks onto the opening in the cliff when the player lets go of the right stick. That sort of contextual stuff is everywhere and does a great job of framing shots in a way that's not conventionally video gamey.

More open world games with big bosses should steal this cough cough Fromsoft cough.

 

[Captain Toad]

The fact we rarely think about how good or bad the camera is in most games is a testament to how far camera controls have come.

 

[Chronicle]

Tlou, SOCOM, Splinter Cell, GOW. Gears of War. RB6 Vegas in cover, The Witcher 3, many many more.

 

[kiphalfton]

God of War OG trilogy. Pulling the camera back really enhances the overall spectacle of the game.

Having the character take up 1/4 of the screen... no just no.

 

[Vaelka]

God of War OG trilogy. Pulling the camera back really enhances the overall spectacle of the game.

Having the character take up 1/4 of the screen... no just no.

The camera in the reboot is absolutely horrible.
What makes it worse is that it was a step back, it made it a problem when it really wasn't before.

The Souls games come to mind too, the camera is WAY too close for large bosses.
You can't see what's happening most of the time against large bosses.

 

[kiphalfton]

The camera in the reboot is absolutely horrible.
What makes it worse is that it was a step back, it made it a problem when it really wasn't before.

The Souls games come to mind too, the camera is WAY too close for large bosses.
You can't see what's happening most of the time against large bosses.

For third person SHOOTER games, the "over the shoulder" camera is fine. But not for third person ACTION RPG game.

Unfortunately this design philosophy has become more of a norm. Having the camera that close to the character may otherwise be okay on an ultra wide monitor, but it's absolutely awful on 16:9 display (i.e. on regular TV's)

 

[The_hunter]

Bayonetta's camera tracks towards an enemy, I rarely find myself having to turn it.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

They're all good today. It's basically been a solved problem in the game industry for the last 20 years.

 

[MafiaMurderBag]

RE2 Remake has the best camera angle to player to action ratio.

FF7 Remake had such a frustrating camera when it came to battles

 

[Thief1987]

They're all good today. It's basically been a solved problem in the game industry for the last 20 years.

Have you played any From Software game?

 

[Fredrik]

Metroid Dread
The Ascent

Side view and top down, with a small character and not quite static, both are perfection, always show what you need to see at all times.

 

[Shifty]

Have you played any From Software game?

Despite my low-key clowning on the Fire Giant fight, I was about to mention the Souls camera as a good one lol.

It's about as low tech as they come - no acceleration, contextual positioning or any of that stuff - but I think that's preferable to some of the worse examples of high-tech cameras that try too hard to help and end up getting in the way.
So long as the player is on the ball with controlling it, most bad situations end up being their own fault. Though the exceptions can be some A-grade bullshit.

 

[Fredrik]

Despite my low-key clowning on the Fire Giant fight, I was about to mention the Souls camera as a good one lol.

It's about as low tech as they come - no acceleration, contextual positioning or any of that stuff - but I think that's preferable to some of the worse examples of high-tech cameras that try too hard to help and end up getting in the way.
So long as the player is on the ball with controlling it, most bad situations end up being their own fault. Though the exceptions can be some A-grade bullshit.

Elden Ring has a terrible camera for the size of the enemies. It should automatically zoom out. The camera alone was like a boss fight on Fire Giant and Elden Beast.

 

[March Climber]

Never try to rely on a lock-on camera nor the automatic camera if the mouse or right stick is an option in any game. On controller, find a way to switch your controls to a bumper-jumper style so that you have to let go of the right stick as little as possible.

 

[Shifty]

Elden Ring has a terrible camera for the size of the enemies. It should automatically zoom out. The camera alone was like a boss fight on Fire Giant and Elden Beast.

Yeah, that's why I was clowning on that fight specifically; for general moment-to-moment play I find the camera fine, but boy oh boy those big bosses are bad.

Definitely agree that it should zoom out in those situations. Game developers seem hesitant to break out of the standard mode of presentation for whatever reason, but I think there's a lot to be gained from NieR-style perspective changes.

Playability concerns aside, you could get a real sense of the David & Goliath factor. As-is, you get diminishing returns as soon as a given boss passes into "bigger than the screen" territory.