Killer is Dead has quite simplistic combat. It only really uses two buttons and their aren't complex combos to learn or complicated weapon switching mix up stuff or even jumping, but the games combat still succeeds because it FEELS really good. Everything Mondo does in that game has this weight to it that makes beating up on bad guys really fun. Not only that, but there are lots of visual cues that tell you when your being a badass. For example, dodging an enemy attack at just the right time will make everything go black and red for a second and you can do this crazy over the top slice thing that just involves mashing the square button on your controller.
This kind of extreme visual feedback makes you feel like your being some kind of amazing bad ass despite the simplistic combat and it really helps to carry the game. One of the reasons that Devil May Cry (not DmC) is so popular is that you have that amazing game feel AND really deep combat so it's satisfying on multiple levels once you get really good at it.
On the flip side, a lack of this game feel can really ruin the experience on some games. The best example I can think of right now for this is Aliens: Colonial Marines. Ignoring the fact that pretty much everything about the game is a pile of shit, the general feel of this game just makes it awful to play. The gun play isn't fun and visual and audio effects on hitting and killing enemies is just the absolute worst and as a result the game just feels like an absolute chore. Pile that on with all the other problems the game has and well......just go and look at the results for yourself.
If a game feels good there is a lot people can look past and it'll motivate them to keep playing. This is really the case with me and Dead Space, a game I can't stand for it's pseudo horror monster closet filled bullshit but killing enemies and stomping them with your giant boots feels so good I can't help but enjoy myself when I play it.
So yeah, game feel, it's important, get it right.
