History Main / DenialOfDiagonalAttack

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' doesn't let you aim downward while moving and while you can crouch, it isn't a simple button press. This hardly matters in singleplayer, but in multiplayer makes regular fly right over Oddjob's. When he's crouching, Oddjob becomes literally impossible to target at point blank range, where he'll proceed to karate chop you to death in amusement. Likely in response to this, ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' automatically aims at stuff lower than yourself, which makes fighting short characters like Elvis much easier.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' is an [[{{Pun}} odd]] example where this [[InvokedTrope trope's invocation]] is the result of one specific character/enemy and not a glaring, inherent flaw in the game controls: if you're playing multiplayer and your friend picks Oddjob, just declare him the winner and play something else. You could crouch in ''[=GoldenEye=]'', but it wasn't a simple button press, so quite a few players (especially those new to the game) had no idea how. Combine this with a crouching Oddjob and it was physically impossible to target him at point blank range. Normally the Oddjob would karate chop you to death in amusement.
** ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' thankfully avoided this, because the game automatically aims at stuff lower than yourself. Made fighting short characters like Elvis much easier.

* Yes and no in ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac''; the main player (and a few monsters) can only nominally shoot up, down, left, and right, but the player can whip shots by firing while moving. There are many items that changes how Isaac can shoot tears, like in a spread pattern, only diagonally, around him, in any direction, or even fully controllable. Mom's Knife is one of the few items, if not the ''only'' item, that can actually be aimed and fired in 8 directions.

* ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' can't fire while crouched, and more damningly, can't fire while jumping. However, the [[BenevolentArchitecture game was designed around these limitations]]; there's really never a point where you NEED to be able to do these things. There are a few weapons that can fire in a spread or hit things not on your horizontal level, but aside from a few secret bits, the spread isn't all that useful. This is also explained by the game -- Iji's nanogun is [[HugeGunTinyGirl so large]] she can only hold it properly while standing straight - trying to fire while crouched or airborne would result in the recoil knocking her over.

* ''VideoGame/MissionImpossibleKonami'': Your agents can only attack along eight directions, while the enemies can shoot bullets at you from any angle. Fortunately, Max's bullets travel a lot faster than the enemy's bullets do.

* The titular heroine of the UsefulNotes/PC98 game ''VideoGame/{{Rusty}}'' has all of the aiming capabilities as Samus from the original NES ''Metroid''.

* In ''VideoGame/ElevatorAction'', enemies can shoot from a prone position, while the player cannot. In fact the player cannot even drop prone, being limited to crouching only.