Quit assuming I'm an idiot.

[Exo-Mike]

I felt the same about the objective arrows on oblivion

Not so much that I felt it was calling me stupid but it just seemed that even in a mission where you are told that you will need to investigate to find the solution you just follow the arrows and miraculously find the person who knows exactly where you need to go with pinpoint accuracy.

Then it arbitrarily stops helping you at the worst moment, anyone who has had to do the Frozen Tears mission will know what I am talking about!

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Have you ever played a game that assumed you were an idiot? A game that held your hand so you could win at it? How did this make you feel? Did it undermine the gameplay experience for you, or did it make the game more enjoyable by guiding you towards your objectives?

Spoiler: Here is my experience if you care to read

I recently borrowed Perfect Dark Zero from a friend. I know that Rare was only a shell of it's former glory at this point, but still I was astonished at just how much lost potential there was in this game.

I couldn't quite put my finger on why the game bothered me so much. Sure it was just like every other FPS. Sure it focused too much on graphics and a cliche story. But I could forgive all this if if the gameplay was great. The thing is, it wasn't half bad. The single player campaigns seemed to attempt to stay objective based, and span multiple locales and scenarios, and feel like they should be entertaining and diverse...but they fell short.
I knew what it was that was bothering me though, as soon as I got lost in the first couple of stages, and an "Objective Arrow" was pointing to where I needed to go, as if to say "This way dumbass".

The problem I have with this is that because the level design wasn't intuitive, they compensate by giving you a linear path to follow. They make a level big and open and then when you try to explore every nook and cranny, an arrow appears on the floor telling you to go another way. Why make the levels all big and expansive if you don't want the player to see all of it? What is the point in all these fine detailed maps and graphics if you don't want anyone to pay attention to it?

It undermines the gameplay experience for a gamer when a company tries to cater to people who have never played before. I didn't need a guidance arrow in Goldeneye and I figured out where I was going. Anyhow, that was my experience, I'm sure not everyone agrees with me, so what's yours?

Your example is bad, but the worst WORST WORST ones are when the game not only gives you an obvious tutorial but makes its guidance manditory. I like tutorials where a little message pops up once every 10 seconds for the first min and i can ignore it and get on with the game, much like yours was optional. I hate tutorials where its like. "To proceed press the right thumbstick and run to all the markers". GAH! This is boring! This is NOT why i bought the game. "Now pick up an object and throw it with B at the target 20 times". Cod did it ok by making it shortish, and adding a challenge element on the pit. Lemme get into the game and work it out, or read the messagers and go from there.

 

[Meggiepants]

What's worse are the tutorials you cannot skip! Like Crackdown 2, if you start a new playthrough, you have to play the damn tutorial again. So annoying!

I just want to get out there and jump on buildings and shoot things!

 

[varulfic]

I'm gonna reinterpret the thread to be about game difficulty so I can rant about Zelda.

The gamecube Zelda games killed the franchise for me, because the games were just too damn easy. Guess how many times I died first time playing through Windwaker? None. I don't think that has ever happened before in any game. And it's not that I'm some exceptional gamer, but every time you kill an enemy, they leave behind atleast three hearts, and if they hit you (big if), they'll be lucky to take away half a heart from your health bar. Falling down pits takes a quarter of your heart. Twilight Princess wasn't much better. I stopped playing, I didn't feel like I achieved anything by winning. It's sad because the game concept is so brilliant that it could easily have been among the best games ever, if only there was a challenge.

The problem with this is Zelda is supposed to be about exploration. There's a huge world filled to the brim with secrets, but there's no reason to find them because there's no challenge that requires extra help. About halfway through, I straight up stopped searching for secrets, getting more heart pieces were totally unnecessary. I think open games like Zelda needs to present a challenge, so there's some point to finding hidden power ups.

 

[Soviet Steve]

Black & White 2.

Whenever you do anything, 8 times out of 10 you will start an unskippable cutscene where two unfunny jerks will pop onto the screen, blabber on and on and on and on and on about shit you figured out 3 levels ago, while the game world proceeds and you also get taunts like "THE ENEMY IS KILLING YOUR LAST 2 VILLAGERS HOLY SHIT YOU SURE ARE FUCKED" in the background while you flail in horror at the poor gamedesign.

You can't turn them off either, and on a second playthrough they will still be unskippable.

Did I mention the God simulator is entirely focused around "HAH, THERE ISN'T MUCH METAL ORE ON THE ISLAND, HAVE FUN TRYING TO GET ANY ORE SUCKA"

I cheated my way through the game because I heard there was a skirmish-ish mode like in the first game, but nope, but don't worry, you can play the awfull game as many times as you want, and you will never EVER be able to skip any cutscenes or tutorials (which persist to the last level and MGS has NOTHING on the length of the cutscenes.)

 

[tomtom94]

Forced tutorials in any game, any game at all, irritate me beyond belief.
They should be OPTIONAL. Particularly if you're playing through a second time.

The ones in Kingdom Hearts are the only ones I've experienced that are semi-justified because they offer some story and change the game significantly.

 

[Communist partisan]

The full subtitles in Half Life 2.

[Combine Radio Chatter]
[.357 Shot]
[Crowbar Thwack!]
[Pain]
[Shield Recharge]

WHY IS THIS NECESSARY?!

Some peapole can't hear you know.

 

[Evil the White]

The full subtitles in Half Life 2.

[Combine Radio Chatter]
[.357 Shot]
[Crowbar Thwack!]
[Pain]
[Shield Recharge]

WHY IS THIS NECESSARY?!

For people who can't hear the game. Y'know, the ones the subtitles are aimed at?

 

[Hoppetussa]

Red Steel 2. A 5-minute unskippable cutscene with a person who tells you how to do the most basic things. I hated that.

 

[Mr. Google]

I love objective points but arrows on how to get there are just annoying if i want to look around and find stuff then let me ass knots!

 

[jultub]

Forced tutorials in any game, any game at all, irritate me beyond belief.
They should be OPTIONAL. Particularly if you're playing through a second time.

The ones in Kingdom Hearts are the only ones I've experienced that are semi-justified because they offer some story and change the game significantly.

Especially when they're voice instructed tutorials. Where the voice actor talks as if s/he was talking to 6 year old who hasn't grasped the concept of language, or even detailed instruction yet. So they have to go through it slowly, and repeat the lessons several times.

This doesn't happen often, but I usually quit playing the game there.

 

[Plauged1]

I wish games would give you the option to turn off tutorials and tips.

Dead space, "Hey this is a heakth pack!". Dude Im on impossible mode I know what the fuck it is! I played perfect dark zero and the arrow annoyed me alot, cause I knew where to go and what to do most of the time, but maybe I want to find something, or get a gun. In gta4, Some of the tutorials were necessary, like cell phone/internet use, certain cars and bikes and guns. But why would I give a shit about changing my phone background or ringtone? Did I really need a tutorial section for that? If I wanted to do it, it wouldve been very easy to figure out.=/ Bioshock would let you turn off the guide arrows and subtitles, but it would still annoy you with tips like "b uses first aid" Or "L trigger to switch to plasmid". Im fighting the last boss, I think I know what to do.

More games need to give the option to skip, turn off, or at least ignore tutorials, tips and guides. Ive played a few games with those options but the ones that dont most definitely outweigh the ones that do.=/

 

[twaddle]

the new blaze blue in the tutorial. The girl giving the tutorial is a pratt.

 

[manaman]

The full subtitles in Half Life 2.

[Combine Radio Chatter]
[.357 Shot]
[Crowbar Thwack!]
[Pain]
[Shield Recharge]

WHY IS THIS NECESSARY?!

For people who can't hear the game. Y'know, the ones the subtitles are aimed at?

Some people forget that because like me they keep the subtitles on because they are used to the horrible voice acting of past, where it was not always apparent what was being said.

 

[expwnit]

Glowing trails towards quest objectives, ala Fable II.