And it's really weird that because even if it was also another difficult game....
Armored Core 6 of all things was a game that I felt gave the players a lot more options despite how fragile the core itself could still remain compared to a lot of the larger foes? Like one option can be..... just boosting away. Or offensively forard wwith a surprise kick to possibly unbalance a foe before they can strike. Or drawing out a pulse shield... or generating the shield burst effect/etc. Even just the different variant of invulnerability shield could be an intereresting meta between the giant area bubble shield(that could be used in a team fight), the "I'm about to die" nigh-invulnerable emergency temporary shield that trigger when hitting 0hp but which leaves you stranded when it burns but might just heke you out a win against your opponent if played well out VS the weaker temporary conventional pulse shield that burn out faster/have less hp but have multiple uses and could theorically make it so that you never have to enter an emergency mode at all. Etc etc
This said, comparison with Armored Core(where you ARE piloting a giant suit of hyperadvanced tech after all instead of Being a Dude/tte in Armor)I think the worst sin dodge roll is starting to produce for me however is just.... how increasingly forced as a way of mitigating damage it increasingly feel as the souls-descended games become prettier and advanced.
Especially as it further become more evident when looking at real people fighting with sword and armor in real life that.... a dodge roll isn't a thing, at all.
Heck I feel even Monster Hunter who can abuse the Dodge Roll a Lot at least had some more immersive stuff like the forward dive to the ground where you fall flat against the ground when your weapon is sheathed.... feel almost a more realistic way of dodging some of those giant monsters attacks? Like most people won't be doing rolls toward/etc a monster if they were fighting something of that scale, let alone repeatedly.
There would be a lot more "trying to find an object to put between you and the monster" or "diving and falling flat to the ground so to expose as little of yourself, likely while running away from Giant Beast That Want to Kill You as it breathes fire/etc" and so on.
And I'm not getting into the "giant shield" weapon classes like Gunlance and Lance (and greatsword to an extent) where blocking an attack IS possible and the fantasy of "tanking out" a massive attack actually is possible instead of acting like an ever bouncing ball by dodgerolling everywhere.
And that's before even throwing magic into the fray which the Soulsgames DO have and should have more options with than just status/attack spells?
Idk.
And that's just regarding games with like.... that combat focus that they're, well, focused on.
