Games that play like Hotline Miami but with better controls?

[DaveMcDamage]

Apologies to all if I word this arse upwards, but bare with me.

 

Basically Hotline Miami is a game I always wanted to want to play but the controls are frikkin awful for me. When you're in your apartment in the game the control movement is superb but when it goes to the action rooms it goes all to crap for me. In the house you turn left with left stick and you move left whislt looking left. In the action rooms you face forward but move in any direction, as a soft of FPS birds eye view weird movement. I know about the auto-lock and stuff but it still feels like crap for me. 

 

So are there any of these top down shooters with better controls like at the start of HM, or am I just crap out of luck with this genre when it comes to how they need to be controlled?

[DrBloodmoney]

Twin stick controls are pretty set-in-stone at this point, I’m afraid.

 

There are some much older games in the genre, that predate the twin-stick model (one that you might look at is the Hamster port of Nova 2001) but to get to top down, 360degree shooters that don’t use the twin-stick model, you really are going a long way back - Nova 2001 is from 1983.

[Darling Baphomet]

Don't think so, no. Those controls are pretty standard, and for good reason. It'd be a major pain in the ass trying to beat Hotline Miami if you could only shoot in the direction that you're facing. Imagine trying to fight, say, a melee attacker but having to run towards him.

[Helyx]

48 minutes ago, DaveMcDamage said:

So are there any of these top down shooters with better controls like at the start of HM, or am I just crap out of luck with this genre when it comes to how they need to be controlled?

 

Not sure how bad the controls are in HM, since I've never played it, but there's another discussion about twin-stick games people actually enjoyed.

 

 

[DaveMcDamage]

2 hours ago, Darling Baphomet said:

Don't think so, no. Those controls are pretty standard, and for good reason. It'd be a major pain in the ass trying to beat Hotline Miami if you could only shoot in the direction that you're facing. Imagine trying to fight, say, a melee attacker but having to run towards him.

Well thats pretty much what you would have to do. I totally get what you mean though at the same time. Its good in how you can face them but back away at high speed. I dunno. I guess I am just frustrated because it feels sooo smooth. But theres just too many control commands for me to get to grips with and enjoy it. Not saying it would be impossible, but it would take way too long and thats when I would probably just chuck the game in. Had a few tries over the years, so I dunno. Might just leave it on my none completion account and hope that I gel with it one day. 

 

This is when I miss the days of demos and stuff. Let you try the game and then see if its for you rather than shelling out and hating it, or not even giving it a try. 

Edited January 30, 2022 by DaveMcDamage

[exsentry]

2 hours ago, DaveMcDamage said:

So are there any of these top down shooters with better controls like at the start of HM, or am I just crap out of luck with this genre when it comes to how they need to be controlled?

 

You could give The Hong Kong Massacre a try. Haven't played it myself, but heard good things about it.

[DrBloodmoney]

You know - there is a game called Serial Cleaner which might fit the bill.

I don’t think it’s anywhere near as good as Hotline Miami, but there are visual and control similarities, but without shooting mechanics.
 

The premise is that you are going in after massacres, and sneakily cleaning up the evidence, as the cops are investigating, so it’s more stealth and less action, but with a somewhat similar look and feel 

[You]

It's best to play the game on Vita like I did, since you can auto aim at an enemy by tapping the enemy on the screen. Something which you can't do on PS3 or PS4.

[DaveMcDamage]

7 hours ago, enaysoft said:

It's best to play the game on Vita like I did, since you can auto aim at an enemy by tapping the enemy on the screen. Something which you can't do on PS3 or PS4.

Yeah I was thinking I bet the game is so much better with a mouse or something similar. Cheers man. 

[You]

17 hours ago, DaveMcDamage said:

Yeah I was thinking I bet the game is so much better with a mouse or something similar. Cheers man. 

 

I remember I would scroll an enemy on screen, tap the screen to lock aim and then I'd be able to just concentrate on running in and out of the corridor and only shooting since the shots would not miss. I have no idea how is would work with proper twin stick on PS4. I liked it on Vita because the retro graphics look great on a handheld.

 

[edit] Shots would not MISS, no idea what I was saying

Edited February 1, 2022 by enaysoft

[DaveMcDamage]

15 hours ago, enaysoft said:

 

I remember I would scroll an enemy on screen, tap the screen to lock aim and then I'd be able to just concentrate on running in and out of the corridor and only shooting since the shots would not run. I have no idea how is would work with proper twin stick on PS4. I liked it on Vita because the retro graphics look great on a handheld.

On PS4 it just looks like a really awesome Commodore 64 game lol. I had the Spectrum back when I was a kid and was always jealous at how the C64 could do more colours and without bleed too. But it does move super smooth. As for the story, it reminds me very much of one of the old 80's straight to VHS movies. They could be a decent  movie, but not for the big screen and had a very dark story with its own fanbase. Sort of like 'Henry: Portrait of a serial killer', that really dark story with next to no censorship and real creepy vibe to it. They pulled that off superbly. 

 

Someone recommended Hong Kong Massacre. I have watched playthroughs as for its genre the look is amazing. But heard it was buggy as hell. I may keep an eye out if its ever in the sale.  

[maisie666]

On 1/30/2022 at 11:51 AM, DaveMcDamage said:

Apologies to all if I word this arse upwards, but bare with me.

 

Basically Hotline Miami is a game I always wanted to want to play but the controls are frikkin awful for me. When you're in your apartment in the game the control movement is superb but when it goes to the action rooms it goes all to crap for me. In the house you turn left with left stick and you move left whislt looking left. In the action rooms you face forward but move in any direction, as a soft of FPS birds eye view weird movement. I know about the auto-lock and stuff but it still feels like crap for me. 

 

So are there any of these top down shooters with better controls like at the start of HM, or am I just crap out of luck with this genre when it comes to how they need to be controlled?

I started enjoying Twin Stick top down shooters with Hammerwatch.  Fun, not too hard, and the puzzles are tough enough to make you think a little bit.  The twin stick thing takes a little while.  I ve played several more of these games since, and Hotline Miami was a Pita and never felt like a lot of fun to me.  Won t be tryin HM2 thats for sure.  Good news that only annoying trophy is A+ all levels, and the multipliers can be cheesed easily.