Have Sports Gaming Controls Become Too Complicated for Their Own Good?

[TheSource]

Quote: Originally Posted by Trojan Man

I think they kind of have. I saw the new Show batting system, and there's no way I could move the left stick for zone hitting while also timing a stride and swing with the right stick.

but if you couldn't be successful with the new MLB the show controls would you want that control scheme removed from the game or would you want a simpler control scheme more in line with your current skill level and when you mastered that try the new control scheme when u were ready and be rewarded for doing so because this more advanced control scheme had control advantages like you could control when you wanted to hit opposite field or stay down on low balls etc?

[DaSmerg]

Yeah this gamer in the same age bracket as Mike here is going to say no, controls for sports games are not overly complicated.

What there seems to be, which some folks have already alluded to, is a mish-mash of left over legacy controls from previous generation(s), just really, REALLY bad planning and equally as bad development.

I also concur with a previous poster who said that sports is about twitch and reaction, not computer science step-by-step processes.

[SkillzKillz719]

Being 18, I'm fine with the controls. I feel like the more complicated the higher the gap will be between the worst and the best. Therefore, letting the better player win in most games.

[hesko]

No. things change with the times man. my elders bugged out looking at a dream cast controller being the generation that had atari. also in some sports games, they still have buttons that aren't even used. i think when games really "seem" too complicated to play, ill have a head full of grays watching my grand kids enjoy it!

[WoodsonsNelson]

I love the pitching mechanic for MLB 2K12 but when it comes to batting I always use classic. For one it helps remind me off the older baseball games I used to but its also the only way I can hit.

[BobSacamano]

I don't necessarily dislike most sports game control schemes today, but I will say that there is one really unfortunate byproduct of these complicated control schemes:

It's near impossible to have any fun playing with a friend unless that friend also owns the game.

There's nothing more fun than explaining controls to your friend for 10 minutes, seeing that glassy-eyed expression of non-comprehension, then playing a crappy game where they struggle to remember all the button presses and you handicap yourself so as to not utterly destroy them. It's just not enjoyable. By the time they get a hang of the controls you're ready to go home.

[cdh72469]

I too am a bit past 40 and used to worry about the more complex controls and options in all games, not just sports. I quit worrying and just play as simply as I can given the control schemes. I don't try to do too much and just have fun. As a family man my gaming time is limited and less of a priority these days so I just want to have fun playing.

[misterkrabz]

The thing that annoys me is when a company changes their control scheme. e.g. Madden....for a decade they pretty much had to same button lay out and control scheme, then they jumped to next and changed it all around and I'm still not used to it and hate it as much today as I didn't when they made the change. I can pick up a last gen Madden to this day and know exactly what I'm doing on the sticks and I still feel like I'm fumbling around on the control on the current gen of Madden. One of the many reasons I've grown to hate Madden. NBA 2k isn't much better...I can't do 99% of the moves available in that game...it's too complicated to figure out.