Things that make no sense to you in video games

[RN7]

Why don't phoenix downs work on people who are dying? I've used them on party members who have been EATEN or exposed to the powers of the absolute void. I'm pretty sure that a minor sword wound can be covered in a list of what the item can and cannot work on.

 

[Irradiated Tiger]

Not being able to walk through shrubs or hop over fences.
Seriously, how fat is my character?

 

[Ben MacGougan]

So, I was playing Assassin's Creed and it finally clicked with me while I was taking down wanted posters, that a lot of them are way up on top of buildings. Generally out of sight to the random passerby. Now of course, I know this isn't true of all wanted posters, but a vast majority of the posters I took down were on the upper area of a building. Wouldn't the whole purpose of a wanted poster to be that people can SEE it and alert authorities of the subject? Hardly effective if they're up out of sight.

So I ask you, my fellow Escapists, what sort of anomalies have you come across in your video games that just made you take a second and think: Wtf?

I thought about this myself. However, it appears that in 13th century Italy the primary mode of transportation was via rooftop

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

DA:O Nobody gets infected with the blight despite having darkspawn blood sprayed over thier faces 80% of the game.

 

[TheAceTheOne]

Why do you not turn into a zombie when you're bit in any zombie game ever?

Inverted in Zombie Panic (A mod for Half Life 2), I believe.

What bugs me: Why, good God, WHY is all the ammunition in FPS games (Left 4 Dead, mostly) lying in places civilians would have access to? Why leave all kinds of high powered weapons around, like M-16's, for random chums to find? And how do said chums know how to reload and work them? Usually, firearms are much more complex than in games.

Also, on the topic of firearms, how do the firearms stay unjammed in many games?

And finally: Left 4 Dead as an example again, MOUNTED GUN AMMO NEVER SEEMS TO RUN OUT. The guns only overheat. Explain that, please. It makes no sense to me.

 

[FoxVI]

In Resident evil 4, how big is your briefcase? I had a rocket launcher, pistol, magnum, rifle, shotgun, mini machinegun, herbs and the tubs to mash them in, as well as ammo for all of those. And why would I put an egg in there with my expensive weapons?

 

[Alexxerth]

Drinking water to heal yourself in Prince of Persia. What kind of world would it be if water cured all physical injuries?!

Plain water...laced with LSD.

You mean "Confidence"

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Why do you not turn into a zombie when you're bit in any zombie game ever?

Now that is something I would like to understand. You just get a Game Over screen and boom back to alive and well. It'd be interesting to see something where you get killed and turned into a zombie, and you end up having to try and kill the rest of your partners. You'll die and get a game over regardless of whether you can kill them or not, but interesting nonetheless. But I seem to have gone off topic.

Another thing I don't understand is partially the camera views you can take in games that aren't in first person. You can look around the corner with the camera and know where the baddies are, even while your character's back is turned to the corner. SO you can plan an ambush for baddies your guy doesn't even know are there.

 

[Ldude893]

Elevators with only an "up" and "down" button with no other buttons whatsoever. What are they, pressure sensitive?

 

[Krantos]

Buying IEDs in Far Cry 2. Isn't the point of an IED that you make it yourself? Should have just gone with C4 there Ubi.

Nah, an IED is an Improvised Explosive Device, something which is cheap anjd effective but crudely made out of random stuff. You don't have to make it yourself for it to be an IED. In Ubi's version of Africa (and I'm sure in other parts of the real world too) people would make money from making cheap explosive devices and selling them for a profit. C4 costs a lot more than random junk and rocks.

See, but that's the problem. In the game you have everything you need to make your own. You wouldn't need to buy them. Also, this is the same gun shop that has access to all sorts of top of the line firepower. Seems to be a bit of a disconnect.

 

[Bob the frantic]

How can I be shot in the heart and live (with little consequence depending on the gun) but getting punched twice is instant death? Even more so in Crysis 2, when you can survive TANK ROUNDS but not some guy hitting you with a rifle?

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Why do you not turn into a zombie when you're bit in any zombie game ever?

Inverted in Zombie Panic (A mod for Half Life 2), I believe.

What bugs me: Why, good God, WHY is all the ammunition in FPS games (Left 4 Dead, mostly) lying in places civilians would have access to? Why leave all kinds of high powered weapons around, like M-16's, for random chums to find? And how do said chums know how to reload and work them? Usually, firearms are much more complex than in games.

Also, on the topic of firearms, how do the firearms stay unjammed in many games?

And finally: Left 4 Dead as an example again, MOUNTED GUN AMMO NEVER SEEMS TO RUN OUT. The guns only overheat. Explain that, please. It makes no sense to me.

Not just in Left 4 Dead, but in most games a mounted gun has infinite ammo. D: But suddenly becomes limited the moment you detach the weapon.

 

[TheAceTheOne]

My one is 'You Private, went against several direct orders, violated international law and may well have started a war between 2 superpowers. But you got the bad guy, so all is well. Here, have a medal'

There's a TV Trope for this: Called Arson, Murder, and Life Saving [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArsonMurderAndLifeSaving], I think.

 

[pyrosaw]

In Jet Set Radio Future, there is a health can. Let me say that again. There is a grafitti can that heals you. These kids huff paint to heal broken bones.

Also, I got fame points for picking flowers in Red Dead Redemption. Are you saying if I walk into town, people will be like "Hey, it's that famous flower-picker!"

 

[Exius Xavarus]

Inconsistent injuries, why do you not show damage when an enemy bullet or hatchet just took a chunk outa' you?! Halo, Crysis and others with armor get off scot-free here but what about every single other game in the world?!

Mortal Kombat has visible damage. Mind you it's pre-rendered damage, but I've always wondered about this, too. I'd like to see a game where, if a sword slashed my arm, there's a mark that shows I got hit by a sword there.

 

[Flac00]

Picture this: You're on a team of marines fighting against a vicious alien assassin squad. You're wearing blue armor. They're wearing red armor. The two groups hate each other for an unknown reason, but they found a way to settle the score: Capture The Flag. You have to go to the enemy base, pick up a useless flag and transport it ALL THE WAY BACK to your base. After you "Score" it(by cramming it into an already-occupied flagstand), it DISAPPEARS and magically goes back to their base. In a nutshell, you take something just to give it back later. Then, you do that 2 more times and the war is over.

well you could try the UT3 method of explaining that....didn't go over very well. I have no idea what F.L.A.G stood for but it certainly made just as much sense as what you explained.

 

[LinkasZelda]

A friend pointed this out to me, but Sephiroth's sword.
Not sure if I need to do this, but just in case:

Spoiler: Common knowledge?

I forget it exactly, but when Sephy murders everyone in the Shinra building and leaves his sword in the presidents body (I'm assuming, because Tifa goes "Sephiroths sword! it's got to be him! He's the only one who can wield it!" And there is NO explanation. Why is he the only one? Was I missing something? I didn't finish the game, but I got to the last possible part and was killed by a fucking random encounter so I raged. Anyhow, do they explain that? Because it's a little ridiculous.
Square:
"Okay guys.. so he has a sword.. but only HE CAN USE IT"
Cloud:
"Why?"
Square:
"Shut up and do your job, it's what we pay you for."

 

[Flac00]

Bullet Damage in all Shooters, It doesn't matter if I'm shooting a pistol or a nuke launching gun It should at lease slow you down and NOT take your entire clip of ammo to kill someone.
But I remember its all games and if someone made a TRULY 100% realistic game based around shooting, too many would complain and it would never be played.

SO I guess Its better to enjoy the chaos?

how about the whole killing someone by shooting them in the foot part. Sure, it would hurt like hell, but I can garuntee I can take a lot of bullets to the hand without dieing.

 

[blankedboy]

Portal 2 in some of those fucking annoying Cave Johnson chambers which I KNOW I solved the wrong way. Why the fuck does Chell not just fucking GRAB the pole and CLIMB THE FUCK UP? I spent a good half-hour trying to work that out, then just brute-forced my way into some momentum then did a really awkward pulley-jump thing. >.>

 

[hopeneverdies]

As powerful as it looks


Apparently it is still possible to block Master Spark and not be guard broken.