Heya. Thanks for listening to the podcast!
To clarify, the lock-on allows you to pull off any "forward, forward" move the classic way: Hold lock-on, press forward and attack. This can actually be toggled in a separate setting, so you have options. You can opt to still be able to execute those moves with "forward, forward," or for both methods to work.
Note that weapon "specials," i.e., the launchers set to Circle/B by default, don't have special lock-on inputs available. But the one-button input for those moves was already kind of brilliant, so it's hard to complain, in theory. In ninja theory.
One cool thing about the classic input method for "forward, forward" moves is that it allows you to consistently pull off that weird trick with the Osiris's "Streak" where you do it in the wrong direction but you curve back around to hit the enemy anyway. Anyone know what I'm talking about? You see it sometimes in advanced play videos, but it was really hard to do consistently with the auto-lock. This was a discovery Sam D and I made when he was in the office.