So during my break I've been playing (and replaying) a bunch of different games. One of the things I've noted - which is probably common sense, but not exactly something we discuss - is how the movement of the character you're playing sets the tone for the game.
Fluid movements are usually most prevalent in first and third person shooters - the action games where you quickly move from one fight to the next. Mass Effect 2 does this very well even though it has a cover system - your movements through a level flow from cover to cover, the characters animations are very fluid, and so it suits the action. Sliding in and out of cover is fast and easy, and this sets the tone for combat - the combat itself feels fast because of the ease of movement the character has.
However, if you compare Mass Effect 2 to Dragon Age Origins, you see something really interesting. The characters movements in DA:O are very weighted and slow. There is no sprinting from cover to cover. It's methodical and strong, and that sets the tone for the combat - which makes sense. Combat in DA:O Is meant to be slower paced and strategic than ME2. Now if you compare the movement in Dragon Age: Origins to Dragon Age 2, you can see how Bioware's feelings on combat in Dragon Age have changed - movements are fast and fluid all of a sudden. It seems like the intent is that you'll be flowing from battle to battle, not pausing between them for a break.
The main reason I have noted this is because I have been playing DC Universe Online, and recently Champions Online went free to play. So, I gave Champions a shot. Where DC Universe Online is very fast moving and flows extremely well, Champions feels very clunky and heavy - in the very early moments of the game, at the very least. This is not intentional design - the thing that makes DCUO so much fun (despite all its interface flaws) is the fact that your movements feel heroic. From the very start you can run up walls, fly or speed down hallways. In Champions Online your character feels heavy, more like a walking tank than a hero - it doesn't feel particularly heroic. And for a game where you are meant to be a hero, this is a problem. No Heroes I know of are incapable of running, feel like they weigh two tonnes and can't jump very high.
It's interesting thinking about it. I didn't realize just how much movement can set the tone for an entire gameplay experience until I began to think about it.
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