You know, I still like a lot new games, but...

[lord.jeff]

Motion blur? I'm sorry, but I can't think of a single game in my huge library that has motion blur.

I mostly only see it in racing games and I think Mass Effect had it for sprinting, it is annoying when it is noticeably over done and the screen becomes a miss of lines but some motion blur is needed CG tends to looks off with out it.

Overly dark games, or games with a limited color palette, I like to be able to see the the enemies I'm shooting at.

Unskippable cutscenes

Retro graphics being passed of as artsy.

Games with to many confirmation screens.

Inventory management has always been a balls-mechanic in my mind. Especially when people try to use it as a way to describe how "pure" RPGs used to be back in the day. No, inventory management isn't good game design. It's not fun, it's not engaging, it's not even interesting. Going from slaying dragons and saving princesses to needing to organize a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet isn't the type of pace-change that I appreciate.

It works in games like Resident Evil where your limited bullet supply forces tactics but games like Skyrim the weight limit has no point your main gear will end up weighing around 150 which any character can carry, so there's no way for weight limit to change combat, the only thing it does is cause you to reenter the empty dungeons you just cleared so you can get that last bit of loot, that's not fun.

 

[woodaba]

I honestly don't like resorting to that meme but it's so painfully true. The only time I liked it was in Dark Void, where you play as Atton Rand.

I didn't play Dark Void, but was Atton Rand of KoTOR II fame seriously in that? I may have to actually play it, if thats the case...

 

[baddude1337]

Film Grain.

Who really wants their HD game to look grainy?

God yes. It drives me crazy. I didn't buy a HD game only to have it look like I'm playing it on a fat old CRT, because some designer though it would be 'arty'.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I honestly don't like resorting to that meme but it's so painfully true. The only time I liked it was in Dark Void, where you play as Atton Rand.

I didn't play Dark Void, but was Atton Rand of KoTOR II fame seriously in that? I may have to actually play it, if thats the case...

Not officially but just look at the character models:

I think they have the same voice actor too but I may be wrong about that.

 

[shrekfan246]

I think they have the same voice actor too but I may be wrong about that.

Nah, Nolan North was the voice of Dark Void guy. Also known as Demond Miles, Nathan Drake, and "that guy who has been in every video game released since 2005". KotOR II was just a tiny tad before he really exploded in popularity as a voice actor.

 

[Skoldpadda]

It has to be minor stuff? Because I'd love to rant about things like linearity, lack of meaningful challenge, focus on graphics, wanting to be slightly interactive movies, me-too mentality, almost never having any decent writing whatsoever and still getting praised to fuck for it, and general asshattery, that make modern gaming slightly more intolerable with every passing day. I'd be serious too. I still like some new games though!

But if it has to be minor, then yeah, I agree with the font thing. Although that's not really minor either. It's a general and rage-inducing oversight that can make a lot of games near unplayable. I couldn't play Dragon Age: Origins on my TV-set, there was no way I could read any of that without sitting with my face to the screen and bursting in migraines after five minutes. Had to hook up the Xbox to my computer screen, which isn't anything special, but which seems to work wonderfully with it. Dito with Borderlands, Mass Effect, Deus Ex, you name anything. Minor? Fuck you, developers.

And film grain is just stupid. But as long as you can turn that shit off, then whatevs, you know.

Oh yeah, I know a good one! Nolan frickety North! I don't mean to dump on his talents but he's everywhere. He's everyone in everything. Just stop it, ok. For once. Please.

 

[Ledan]

Intro sequences that are great the first time you play a game,
but that make you hesitate to make a new character because you dont want to do it again.
-_- im looking at you Skyrim, and borderlands, and a few others that i dont play anymore.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

I hate 2 things...

1) Making you reach watch a short 5 second scene in which your character turns around, or something, right before a difficult area because if you die over and over it really starts grinding on my patience...

2) Making the protagonist reach out in death animations because I don't want to have to watch that over long animation every time I die. (looking at you BF3)

 

[Innegativeion]

Motion blur? I'm sorry, but I can't think of a single game in my huge library that has motion blur.

Is your entire library on a Gameboy?

No. It's on the Wii, PC, Nintendo DS, Gamecube, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and the Nintendo 3DS.

Shit son.

Expand your horizons.

I agree with people that said unskippable cut scenes, weapon limits, lazily designed Caucasian protagonists,

and this insipid need to make everything "call of duty-esque" by saturating the market with military shooters and tacked on multiplayer modes.

1) Making you reach watch a short 5 second scene in which your character turns around, or something, right before a difficult area because if you die over and over it really starts grinding on my patience...

The fucking elevator and dialogue sequence that happens right before the krogon boss in Mass Effect 1, on the planet where you rescue Liara was one of the most traumatizing things I've ever experienced.

"surrender... or don't, that'd be more fun"

"Thanks for lowering those energy fields."


"Thanks for lowering those energy fields."



"Thanks for lowering those energy fields."


"Thanks for " YES I KNOW FIGHT ME NOW!

 

[thespyisdead]

I hate 2 things...

1) Making you reach watch a short 5 second scene in which your character turns around, or something, right before a difficult area because if you die over and over it really starts grinding on my patience...

in that case, matriarch Benezia's fight in Mass Effect would be hell for you on hardcore, let alone insanity.(i should know... played that part at least 10 times on HC till i got her)

OT: ummm... AAA games getting progressively worse? that's a good answer, right? i often find myself looking for new indie games, or games from the past, that i overlooked these days..

oh yeah... shoving in multiplayer for the sake of multiplayer (i'm looking at you EA)

 

[Eamar]

Save points before unskippable cutscenes or conversations that lead straight into a fight (usually a boss fight). Just... why? Why would anyone think that's a good idea?

Also anything that prolongs your death unnecessarily. Like in Mass Effect 1 where every time you die you have to watch the camera zooming out from Shep's corpse/the Mako, rotating slowly while that infuriating music plays. Grrrrr >.<

 

[Jynthor]

Film Grain.

Who really wants their HD game to look grainy?

I do. I was rather disappointed they removed it in mass Effect 3...

 

[CityofTreez]

Achievements. Fine, I get that some people, soft headed fools mostly, seem to like them.

Well isn't that adorable.

 

[thejackyl]

Regenerating Health - I didn't mind the shield and health in Halo 1, but in a "realistic" shooter it makes no sense.
Weapon Limits - 2 is not enough
Unskippable Cutscenes
Loading Screens (I like how Max Payne 3 did it, but show a progress bar at least)

The red screen I can forgive slightly due to the minimal HUD in a lot of games, but I think just the edges glowing red would be enough. And in a third-person game, the character could limp or walk slower (Like in Resident Evil 2) or have the type of HUD from Dead Space where they have the health bar on their back.

 

[mateushac]

Probably motion blur, regenerating health and freaking multiplayer down our throuats

 

[Dangit2019]

Scripted sections that have your character fall back or do something else that would be too short for a full cutscene. Examples are in Halo 3, Every COD since 4, and slightly ODST. When the character looks around and moves on his/her own, it feels like the game taking the controller out of my hand and saying "It's okay, I'll do it for you", and that really irks me.

 

[Navvan]

I hate everything to do with 3D. Not because I think it distracts from more important elements, gives me a headache, or anything along those lines. No, I hate it out of pure spite.

I can and never will be able to see this mythical thing you call 3D games/television/pictures. To me whenever other people start talking about it (in either a positive or negative way) its like everyone is talking about dragons (or your mythical creature of choice). Its something I can imagine, rationalize how it might work, and so forth. However no matter how hard I look I'm never going to be able to see the damn thing.

So screw you 3D games.

For more information follow the link [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escapist-news-network/1598-Money-Shot] from the escapist series ENN and listen to the completely unbiased and wonderful report by Jeremy Petter. The part begins around 1:30 if you want to skip through.

 

[Launcelot111]

Aside from the many great bullets already mentioned, I will add short animations for doing ingame things that you have to do all the time but are unskippable. Examples: In RDR when you kill a few bears and you want to skin them and they game makes you watch the *slice slice slice**pause**slice slice slice**pause**slice slice slice* for every single one. Or games with switch puzzles or something and every time you hit a switch, you have to watch the bridge or the door or whatever slowly move.

Also games with mission logs or glossaries or something that put in some flashing indicator that you have learned something new. I don't want half my menu flashing at me. Mass Effect was smart in that they put in a "mark everything as read" button to clear that crap, but in Final Fantasy XIII-2, the flashing started every time you got a fragment, and you had to go through five menus for each fragment to clear the damn exclamation marks.

 

[Dethenger]

Achievements. Fine, I get that some people, soft headed fools mostly, seem to like them. I don't, how about letting me turn that shit off in the options ok?

I... what? Turn them off in the options? Achievements are by their very nature optional, unless they're the story achievements that you unlock simply by progressing through the game. And "soft headed fools?" Really? For enjoying side challenges?