Game Features You're Tired of Seeing

[Lazy]

Which popular gameplay features/mechanics do you wish would just go away?

Me, I'm pretty sick of RPG elements being shoehorned into everything. I'd like to see more modern AAA games that give the player a simple set of tools to use right at the start and keep things interesting through varied level design and enemy types instead of drip-feeding you a string of pointless unlocks/upgrades, particularly when said upgrades are poorly balanced and end up breaking the game's difficulty curve.

I'd also like to see an end to the NPC ally-slash-tour guide often seen in military themed FPS whose sole purpose is to drag you by the nose from set-piece to set-piece. They get to drive the action and plot forward while you get to follow behind like a third wheel and observe, and it often gets to the point where the player character starts to feel redundant.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

DRM. I want it to die in a fire. The single player Sim City coming out requires a constant internet connection, anything more than a few minutes of disconnect will stop the game, and you cannot save to your hard drive.
I.
AM.
NOT.
BUYING.
THAT.
GAME.

 

[StriderShinryu]

It's a pretty vague one for me. I am tired of every game being loaded down with options that attempt to make every game appropriate for everyone. I feel games overall would be stronger experiences if developers just focused on making games for the audience they want to reach. Not every game needs multiple difficuly settings. Not every game needs multi player. Not every game needs action elements and playforming elements and RPG elementts and casual elements and Etc.

Me, I'm pretty sick of RPG elements being shoehorned into everything. I'd like to see more modern AAA games that give the player a simple set of tools to use right at the start and keep things interesting through varied level design and enemy types instead of drip-feeding you a string of pointless unlocks/upgrades, particularly when said upgrades are poorly balanced and end up breaking the game's difficulty curve.

I generally agree with this. I think there's a lot positive to say about RPG elements and especially skill trees.. but they need to be thought out and balanced. Far too often there's only one real set of skills that anyone who knows what they're doing will pick anyways and the balance of the entire game is broken one way or the other. Either The set up is so powerful the game is balanced around it and everything else is useless or The set up is too powerful and anyone (aka everyone) who picks it can breeze through the game.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

The RPG elements can be so shoddy. Especially when you mix them with that choose-thy-path morality system where you get either the sadsack powers of good or the cool-ass powers of evil. And when this bifurcation matters not on gameplay or storytelling, and it's a purely cosmetic thing. Like, you get the same ending nonetheless, except they tack on a meaningless little clip of your character being good or evil, just to remind you of your choice. Meh.

 

[Beautiful End]

Also a bit vague for me but I'll say motion controllers. Not every game needs them and it doesn't make them innovative and cool. Like I said somewhere else, and this is just me, I wish I could play some Nintendo first party titles without the awkwardness of motion controllers. At least gimme the choice to play it with a classic controller.

And again being nitpicky, the game offering you to switch to Easy mode after dying a couple of times. Ok, so I'm having a hard time passing this level; just let me figure it out myself! If I wanted to play on Easy, I would have chosen to do it myself. Stop patronizing me, game!

 

[LeonLethality]

I hate slow games. Like I'm fine with a game that wants you to be methodical or even stealthy and stuff, but I want to be while doing it. I just finished up Hotline Miami and I am seriously getting in to Dishonoured and Mark of the Ninja and I love the ability to be able to go fast while still having the feeling of planning and being methodical.

Even Xcom Enemy Unknown which I am also currently playing through has some things that are fast compared to games in its genre and I'm loving it. There are some things that I wish it would stop doing (using that same introduction scene every time I see some dudes. But overall it's not as sluggish as a lot of other games in this genre.

 

[Orange12345]

Micro-transactions, it usually leads to terrible game design that makes you grind out to get somewhere or buy the stupid item that makes you level faster/better weapons/etc. I just want to buy a game and have that be that

Also any open world game that has quests that can only start between XX:XX am and XX:XX pm, seriously I just spent five minutes getting here, just make it dark and start the fucking mission

 

[lechat]

the usuals

quick time events: seriously fuck off

unskippable cut scenes

 

[scorptatious]

I guess it isn't a common issue but, small text that can only be readable on an HD TV. Earliest example I can think of Is Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, and the latest being XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

Thankfully, there's voice acting in the latter, so I'm not really lost on what I'm supposed to do, but dammit, I want to read those research notes about the various stuff we've created and aliens we caught! X(

I have heard that Rare fixed the issue with N&B, but by then I was already done with the game.

 

[aguspal]

Loading screens. I am pretty sure no one likes them.

Also, online related shit such as Steam and DRM and all that crap. Those can go die in a fire, I just wanna play the damn game!


+1 to both Motion controllers and nneskipable cutscenes. Althougt the latter is at least somewhat hilarious at times, if frustrating.

 

[krazykidd]

Reboots.

Fuck , make a new IP . Don't ruin an already established Series. Using the name to make money.

 

[Akiraking]

I am tired of dark world/light world. It is never that clever as all games seem to do the same thing. Here is a level in the pretty day light but don't worry we will cover it in a red haze or just make it unnecessarily dark. The feature in games has rarely been used in a clever way unless time travel is involved and generally is unnecessary. I am looking at you DMC. In the past games the exact same place with a blurry red filter was not necessary, we just got to fight demon's as they destroyed the real world and it mean't something. Now this limbo world just seems annoying and mostly is just an excuse to stretch out the plot.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Flashing UI shit / non stop prompts, I swear one of these days I'll choke a dev that does this, and then stick him on a pike as a warning to the rest.

 

[Furioso]

RPG's with simple mechanics that take forever to get implemented into the game. I know I'm not saying it right, so here's an example. Go back and play Paper Mario, notice how the combat (in my opinion) is horrendous until you get past the prologue and are then allowed to do the timed blocks and extra damage presses. Then it gets so much better. Why does it take that long for the game to give you the stuff to make combat fun? It's a simple mechanic, it's not like really complex RPG's where they have to spoon feed you the tutorial for an hour.

 

[Samantha Burt]

Loading screens. I am pretty sure no one likes them.

You're right. I'd much rather spend 30 seconds simply staring at a black screen as the game loads. That or spend £500 extra for the Solid State Drive on my console/PC to avoid the loading altogether.

OT: I think the main one for me is the Social stuff. Like NFS's Speed wall, and the radnet thing from Prototype 2. I don't have friends that play these games, all this is doing is taking up screen space!

 

[Racecarlock]

"What? You want to skip this tutorial? Well FUCK YOU! We need to tell you blindingly obvious crap!"

 

[octafish]

I just want to turn off the achievement notifications, how hard can it be to give me the option?

 

[gphjr14]

Unskippable end credits.
Pre order dlc , I remember a time when skins and weapons were unlockables not extra.
Also pointless multiplayer modes and lag comp.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

"PRESS START"

Okay, well, fuck your system, I'll press one of the face buttons.

"OKAY THAT WILL DO I SUPPOSE"

...

Do not reward my infidelity you stupid game.

 

[chocolate pickles]

Re-genning health. Far Cry 3 got this right: Instead of basically being already dead as soon as your med packs ran out, you could use first aid to heal yourself, the pay off being it didn't heal as much, the animation was longer, and it left you defenseless. There was a re-gen health perk, but it didn't heal you nearly as fast as it does in other games, and only filled up your current health box.