Ever since players were tasked with blasting hordes of staccato-marching Space Invaders, fighting has been an integral part of video games. And given the medium's evolution over the five decades since, it's no surprise that gamers are spoiled for choice when it comes to inflicting digital violence. 

Whether unloading Doom's iconic shotgun into the face of an unsuspecting Caceodemon or simultaneously hacking and blasting the robotic denizens of 2026's Pragmata, video games have long offered satisfying ways to lay the smackdown on foes both pixelated and polygonal. But not every game is made equal, and not every game gets it right when it comes to combat.

As the title of this article may indicate, each entrant on this list - whether via iffy shooting, irritating enemies, needless repetition or needless repetition - ensures its enemy encounters are more likely to induce sagging shoulders than pumped fists. Yet despite this setback through strong writing, excellent storytelling and impeccable atmosphere these games rise above their turgid battles to become experiences worth treasuring.

And few games offer an experience quite like the first game up for discussion...

Like a raging fever that induces the sweetest dreams, Deadly Premonition is a manic trip that will have you cackling with delight and howling in anguish until you emerge on the other side, sweat soaked and desperate to tell others what you've seen. Unfortunately, it is also like a bad fever in that it's first few minutes will have you begging for it to be over as quickly as possible. 

Deadly Premonition puts its worst foot forward in a combat-heavy opening section that feels like it was created by a developer whose sole experience of game design was watching a friend play Resident Evil 4 and thinking "I could do that!". As a result, combat apes Capcom's masterpiece while misunderstanding everything that made it great - the guns feel weak, enemies are woefully unresponsive to being shot, and there isn't a single memorable fight in the entire game (bar the barkingly mad boss battles, where the bosses' outlandish designs help paper over the kludgy combat). 

Fortunately, once the opening is dealt with Deadly Premonition unravels a yarn so compelling it becomes impossible not to follow it. Developer SWERY's love letter to Twin Peaks successfully emulates the beguiling eccentricity of its inspiration, resulting in a mystery so compelling you'll be more than happy to put up with a few naff firefights to see how it ends.

Our advice? Switch the difficulty to 'easy', race through the combat and immerse yourself in one of gaming's most enthralling tales.

Iain Taylor

Contributor

Hello! My name's Iain Tayor. I write about video games, wrestling and comic books, and I apparently can't figure out how to set my profile picture correctly.

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