Things you just find ridiculous or stupid on games.

[Woodsey]

Having control constantly taken from you in FPS's.

Just playing Crysis 2, and the amount of times I - the player - want to look at something but can't is ridiculous. They don't even pick good camera angles, its always in just the right place to completely obscure what you want to see. Surely the whole point of having a silent protagonist is to put myself as the character?

In the first, it at least used to transition smoothly from me playing to a cutscene, and didn't do it very often.

 

[mechanixis]

How a game is considering boring if you don't get to kill things by the dozen. In most shooters you're generally killing someone once every three seconds on average. In Dragon Age 2, every time you get into a fight grunts literally started pouring out of the woodwork for you to slaughter.

Why not focus on giving each encounter tension and gravity instead of just adding more and more tissue-paper mooks? Death and killing have become so meaningless in games.

 

[The Apothecarry]

ON THE SUBJECT OF RIDICULOUS ARMOR:

I think Dawn of War II is an amazing RTS, but I've always wondered how the hell Space Marines can aim their bolters without a decent set of iron sights. And have you seen the size of the pauldrons they wear on their shoulders? I surprised they can aim a weapon at all without those getting in the way.

 

[sapphireofthesea]

So, I was just having this discussion today with some of my friends, and somehow we just went over things that we just find ... out of place, illogical, bizarre, and stupid in JRPGs. Don't ask me why JRPG out of all genre, but I guess I'll just start out with JRPG (feel free to use other genre).

Final Fantasy 7 -

Note: Cloud's hair is just way too easy, you probably dont even want to know how much hair gel or wax he uses.

1. Improbable Armor : Okay, so your armors are primarily bangles, armlets, and even WATCHES (Precious watch). I wish my watch can withstand cuts, bites and even gunshots from enemies. It just simply does not make sense. Okay, maybe the materia has these magic effect that deflects those shots or whatever, but I am sure as hell something like this :

Spoiler

Is not going to protect you from ANYTHING.

At least other entries put more sense in naming and describing their protective gears like say... a suit of ARMOR?

2. The ATB battle system (Most of what the whole modern FF series is built on): I just find this completely stupid and ridiculous. So my character have to run BACK AND FORTH and PAUSING after each action?!? If this is to translate to a real time combat sequence I would probably draw out a gun and shoot the crap out of them, and kite them the whole time leading to a likely perfect (no damage) victory.

Just like what Yahtzee says : its like as if the final fantasy world is just blessed with asthma that makes them having to take a big breather every 5 seconds.

3. The infamous phoenix pinion- Okay I have so many phoenix down which I can use on my dead party member which in effect will ressurect them (not into a zombie of course) even after being sliced, eaten, blasted by cutscene power to the max, etc. and yet Aerith cannot be revived with it.

For the bangle thing, it does avoif the obvious question I have in other fantasy games (yo equip gauntlets, yet your character still has bare hands). This has been adjusted in modern games but still exsists in older titles. I think the general justification is that it is the wrists items that could be made to work with Materia (presumably because they are close to the focal point of the hnads, where the weapons are as well).
As for the phenoex down question, I generally view the Pheonix down revivals as knockout revivals and the Aerith death, well as kinda perminent. More modern games have ATTEMPTED to fix it but still fail (Think modern warfare).

Which brings me to my wtf call outs in games. WHY oh why is it that in modern FPS's someone can take an ammo dump to the chest and recover by resting. Yathzee again deals with the omg side where they don't allow it in his STALKER review and at least Halo explianed it with their whole shield thing (though 1 hit kills still don't make much sense in that). But when you have armour akin to Iraq fighter gear and are actually pretending to be there, I see no reason at ALL that you should be able to rest and recover. At least the original BATTLEFIELD games (1942 and such) required you to find a medic (not 100% real but better to wrap a bandage around a bullet wound and down some painkillers than rest for a few second). I mean even DUKE NUCKEM got that right.
So yeah, I guess I agree with Yahtzee on that wtf grip XD.

Other, more humourous one I came across. In WoW (you know what I mean), you can get flying, you can fly in outlands, you can get cold weather flying (makes some sense as would need some adjustments to fly in snow), but you need a special Licence to fly anywhere (even behind a massive hill on the far side of planet) on the original two contients. One would expect you would be a decent flyer already after flying in outlands (where even the air is out to kill you) and flying in the arctic, so why do you need a licence. Secondly, where to I go to do the test and more importantly, who is policing it? Do you jump on your flying mount and suddenly some police orc come rushing in on their dragons to slam you with a heavy fine? And even on the far side of the planet behind afformentioned mountain.
It just kinda puzzles me to say the least and the whole police thought makes me and others in my guild chuckle XD

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

Being able to be shot multiple times in the face and not die. I don't care what kind of super human you are, you got shot in the face.

 

[winginson]

Hey NPC, machine gun doesn't mean sniper rifle with larger mag, sweep your fire across that horde of advancing enemies not line up headshots on each individual.

Hey RPG guy, this massive empire with craptons of expensive spikey things made of some unobtainium needs you to stop the world from blowing up in a few days time. Heres a rusty dagger and some tramps boxers.

Hey RPG guy, the world is about to be destroyed you must hurry. --Much side quests, exploring and whoring later-- Err shouldn't everything be destroyed by now?

 

[Unia]

Speaking of FPSs, seems to me the most common sight in an online match is people running full speed backwards, jumping around and firing an assault rifle all at the same time...and it works in their favor. What.

 

[Ghaleon640]

For me, it was playing one of the FEAR games. I was so hyped because of how good I heard it was, (though actually I just had one of the 'non official expansions' or whatever they're called. Basically, it wasn't one or two.

And when I took damage, I would basiclly just flash, my little hp number dropped like a fly and it began to feel a lot like what I would think Doom plays like. Sometimes I don't even remember their being clear indicators my health was going down, so I'd try to aim at the enemy, look down at my health and realize it was much lower than it was before. I don't even remember their being any kind of indicator pointing to where I was shot from. Maybe its because I like halo or something, but I think of myself as open minded. Nonetheless, it just felt strange and odd, so I didn't get very far.

 

[funguy2121]

RPGs in general. How they have managed not to evolve into action RPGs is beyond me. I've just never understand how they're supposed to be exciting or compelling whatsoever.

--old skool Final Fantasy boss fight--

Oo, look, a boss!

Select attack

Accept damage

Wait for game to decide your fate

Rinse and repeat

--newer Final Fantasy boss fight--

Oo, look, a boss!

He's calling his god to attack! We'd better do the same!

Stand and wait on the sidelines while your respective gods do all the fighting for you. Go with your enemy for a burger; come back and share a milk shake while the gods finish the battle.

Other than that, I guess I what I truly find ridiculous is the fact that, aside from a few landmark titles, the medium seems to regress as much as progress (technology aside). There are still more exciting and intuitive game mechanics in certain N64 shooters than in a lot of current-gen FPSs, and there simply is no excuse for that. It just seems like most developers are either clueless as to how to create an original game or have their hands tied by execs who know shit (I'm looking at YOU, Splinter Cell Conviction).

 

[sapphireofthesea]

- Do actual heroes spend so much time looting the corpses of their victims?

The cool ones do.

BUT One thing that bothers me in shooters is when you remove a partially full clip, apparently all of the bullets magically transfer to a new clip.

I blame bullet elves.

I vaguely recall a game where this did not happen. Can't recall the name or much more but do get the feeling I have come across it before.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

Gordon Freeman's crippling fear of doors without knobs. Seriously, he destroys crates, grates, robots, and a plethora of other things that are stronger then doors with his crowbar CONSTANTLY...yet when he runs into a door without a knob, he suddenly decides it's time to take a massive detour through Zombie and Soldier Land just to get to the other side?

What?

 

[Ghaleon640]

And I know its been done to death, but legend of zelda ocarina of time, wow, days are passing like there is no tomarrow. (mixing common phrases don't always work do they?)Anyway, wasn't I supposed to save the princess? I mean, is she just... hanging around the castle or what? No rush? Ok.

 

[StriderShinryu]

On the RPG side of things, being the hero of the entire world, who everyone knows is the hero of the world and their potential saviour, yet still having to pay for even common shop items.

Also, any first person game that reduces the player to what is essentially a floating camera that other NPCs occasionally talk at.

 

[funguy2121]

Wasting a button in modern FPS's to be designated as the "sprint" button. Just increase player running speed, or if you REALLY feel the need to include the "run faster, but only forward and at the cost of the ability to shoot" mechanic, at least make it so that on the console versions, the player automatically sprints when he holds the joystick forward all the way and isn't currently firing his weapon. Fun and convenience shouldn't take a backseat to realism, especially when the final product is unrealistic overall anyway.

With analog sticks why do you need a sprint button at all?

We need a congress of game developers. First piece of legislation - any person found responsible for the inclusion of a sprint button in a modern game shall henceforth be no longer allowed to take part in creation of electronic intellectual property!

 

[Draconicfeline]

a game where you do a quest and then nobody remarks upon that quest again.

IE: Oblivion and just about every questline.
What, do they each exist in a vacuum?

 

[sapphireofthesea]

The stalwart hero of the land must do everything himself... It's not like can get his party members to complete a fetch quest for him right?

Also i call bullshit whenever an Insurmountable Waist High Fence presents itself (worst offender is the Fable series i think)

Older resident evil games are also guilty of this (though later ones did try and encoperate some jump over ablity, just not when a boss or horde were involved.

 

[ragsmorrison]

making R3 the "crouch" button, as in fallout 3. how many times has your finger slipped in the heat of combat and left you wondering, "why am I taking my sweet time running from mean mr. deathclaw...oh crap, I'm dead?"

 

[The Harkinator]

How a game is considering boring if you don't get to kill things by the dozen. In most shooters you're generally killing someone once every three seconds on average. In Dragon Age 2, every time you get into a fight grunts literally started pouring out of the woodwork for you to slaughter.

Why not focus on giving each encounter tension and gravity instead of just adding more and more tissue-paper mooks? Death and killing have become so meaningless in games.

that 'kill someone every three seconds' mentality is awful. Its the bit between fights in Bioshock I liked, where I was so scared I had to keep playing and my mouth was open because I was so immersed I forgot to close it. Dont string the player along with an enemy, let them sit on the edge of their seat with suspense, anticipation or something more subtle than killing.

If you have seen it, think about the 2006 James Bond Film 'Casino Royale', in it Bond confronts (not kills) about 20 baddies over a 2 hour period, thats one every six minutes. If that was a call of duty games standards people would complain. But I think it is the way forward, if the average length for a shooter game can be hypothetically placed at about 10 hours, thats 60 bad guys, in cod terms, about 10 Minutes of gameplay, how to stretch this out then? With clever, thought out other things to do, in a James Bond game it could be something like following a guy to find out more about who he works for. Maybe attending a party and eliminating a potential threat (like that guy who gets killed in a toilet in Quantum of Solace). Stuff like that, don't assume that I am stupid, let me think about what I do.