Video Game Pet Peeves (1 Viewer)

[Bryan^H]

Go ahead complain about everything that bugs you about the video game hobby. New, and old.

For me:

- Load Times. I guess it will no longer be an issue with the current systems, but with the PS4, and Xbox One, some games (like 'Control' for example) there was a load time of over 4 minutes from menu screen to play time. That was unacceptable, a deal breaker on any many games I played, and the reason I only tried them once. I used to think a 2 minute load time on the Sega CD was terrible.

-Loooong wait time between sequels. Holy shit I thought a 5 year wait between GTA 4, and 5 was awful. Well 5 was released in 2013. Yup, and not even the slightest mention of when 6 will come out. Some say 2024 at the earliest. I mean 11 years is cool right? Oh, and the Elder Scrolls.

-Quick time Events. Hated them when introduced, and still hate them today. Widespread, and in nearly every action game I play.

-Permadeath. Not a fan at all. I like to complete games, and I admit playing a game where you die permanently gets you much better at it fast, I still hate starting from the beginning every time I die. Sad because one of my favorite games until I got frustrated, and gave up had this. Lookin at you 'Strafe'!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

- Retro re-releases that don't have some sort of enhancements, specifically save states and cheats. I played this game 20 years ago for 100 hours, I want to enjoy the fun parts without having to grind for days on end so please just save us all the trouble.

- Games with online modes that are treated as integral to the core experience and have trophies/achievements locked behind them, but aren't in a multiplayer-focused game like Halo or Call of Duty. (Yes, those games have single-player modes, but let's be honest.)

- Reviews hailing a game as revolutionary when all it does is add one minor tweak to a long-standing formula and has a good marketing budget.

- Every game turning into basically a Souls game, in the sense that it's about playing a very difficult game through repetition to eventually achieve a "perfect" run which ideally is relatively short. (This is ironic because I'm thoroughly enjoying the games I'm referring to, like Returnal and Jedi: Fallen Order, and look forward to Deathloop.)

- Each new generation of consoles being the same kinds of games that play essentially the same with the only real improvements being to graphics. Very few games in each generation even attempt to do something truly new with the hardware available to them. If the fundamental difference between a PS5 game and a PS2 game is ray-traced lighting and polygon count, then that's an indictment of the medium.

 

[Bryan^H]

- Every game turning into basically a Souls game, in the sense that it's about playing a very difficult game through repetition to eventually achieve a "perfect" run which ideally is relatively short. (This is ironic because I'm thoroughly enjoying the games I'm referring to, like Returnal and Jedi: Fallen Order, and look forward to Deathloop.)

- Each new generation of consoles being the same kinds of games that play essentially the same with the only real improvements being to graphics. Very few games in each generation even attempt to do something truly new with the hardware available to them. If the fundamental difference between a PS5 game and a PS2 game is ray-traced lighting and polygon count, then that's an indictment of the medium.

Regarding the "Souls" thing, yeah I'm actually surprised by that. I mean sure the "Souls" games sell really well, but it is still a polarizing type of game for many (a lot of people loathe that style). I haven't played those games, so possibly they are that type but easier overall than the offerings from FROM Software?

Graphics on new consoles--I think back to Super Nintendo, and Genesis to PS1/Sega Saturn, and I thought what a huge leap in graphical advancement. Even if Polygon graphics haven't aged that well, at the time it was light years a head of what 16 bit gaming could do (Tomb Raider, Resident Evil would be impossible 16 bit)

Don't think there will ever be another historical jump in gaming like that.

Although PS VR was quite a surprise to me. It shows me great things are instore for gamers.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Bryan - I think the next wave of tech that changes things will be the ability to fake better performance (think DLSS and the fake surround sound that the PS5 does with Tempest engine). Applying that to the PS5 will only be impressive if it's put to good use doing something new. Sure, it's cool to see that Aloy in Horizon 2 is going to be super-detailed, but the game will likely play identically to Horizon 1, so what is justifying the next-gen? Oh wait, nothing is, because it's also on PS4 which came out 8 years ago.

Demon's Souls was an excellent launch showcase for the PS5's power but it was a remake of an older game. Returnal used the spatial audio and DualSense well but...the Switch literally has the same vibe tech and "spatial audio" is the same as the 5.1 sound system I already own. And nothing coming out any time soon looks to do more than just look really pretty.

I think the addition of VR to gaming was a huge deal, similar to motion control and Kinect. Sure, they didn't take off in a huge way but they used the tech to do something truly new and fun. I honestly don't know what that kind of new experiences we could get from gaming but even something like the AI in The Last Guardian was unique enough to be "new."

 

[Steve Y]

• Games that punish failure by forcing you to backtrack and repeat easy tasks over and over. Hollow Knight, most Souls games, Control. Checkpointing is a difficult art, but I have too many games in my queue to waste my time repeating easy tasks.
• "Smooth" filters in 80s/90s retro games, especially when they can't be turned off (e.g. Metal Slug games on X360). Also, when a decent retro pixel filter isn't presented at all, like in the recent Castlevania GBA collection.
• Console game menus that force you to use your left thumbstick to move a sluggish "cursor" around the screen to select options. Thanks, Destiny. Thanks, AC Origins and Odyssey. Who thought this was a good idea?
• The ubiquitous, obnoxious, confusing and predatory mixture of tiered game versions ("digital deluxe" / "gold" / "platinum"), pre-order bonuses like extra missions and items, and review embargoes that lock you out of potentially fun content unless you make a commitment to spend money a game that might not be good.
• The widening acceptance of particle effects and/or high native resolutions over a consistent framerate, especially when there's no option to turn them off.
• Games with important story dialogue that's easy to accidentally skip but can't be viewed in any kind of dialogue history.
• Obtuse gift-giving mechanics in farming/town sims like Stardew Valley. Harvest Moon started this tradition and we can't seem to quit it. Looking up gift tables on the internet is not a fun or challenging way to forge bonds with townspeople.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

MTX/F2P game economies. I'm sorry, but if people are willing to shell out extra cash in order to actually skip huge parts of your game, then your game is shit.

Useless rewards. When you complete and uber difficult in game challenge and are rewarded with an item that is now completely useless at that point in the game.

Not automatically pausing the game when the controller disconnects.

 

[Ruz-El]

We can't delete accidental posts?

 

[Ruz-El]

- Retro re-releases that don't have some sort of enhancements, specifically save states and cheats. I played this game 20 years ago for 100 hours, I want to enjoy the fun parts without having to grind for days on end so please just save us all the trouble.

- Games with online modes that are treated as integral to the core experience and have trophies/achievements locked behind them, but aren't in a multiplayer-focused game like Halo or Call of Duty. (Yes, those games have single-player modes, but let's be honest.)

This is getting to be a deal breaker for me with retro games. I was excited to be able to play the Yakuza remasters but then found out there are no save states, you have to find phone booths to save the game. I have no idea how easy that will be in these games but after getting those Kingdom Hearts remasters on the PS4 and finding they had the same save point deal as the originals I found them nearly unplayable at this point. It was not being able to save anywhere that kind of pushed me out of games for the PS2 generation.

It's why I'm hopeful for the GTA trilogy remasters that should be announced soon. Yes, I want to be able to save in a mission, but even if they added in rewind it would be a saver.

I hate the online trophies as well. I've kind of gone off trophies period now. I played Last of Us, the entire game and ended up 20% complete? Give me a break.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

This is getting to be a deal breaker for me with retro games. I was excited to be able to play the Yakuza remasters but then found out there are no save states, you have to find phone booths to save the game. I have no idea how easy that will be in these games but after getting those Kingdom Hearts remasters on the PS4 and finding they had the same save point deal as the originals I found them nearly unplayable at this point. It was not being able to save anywhere that kind of pushed me out of games for the PS2 generation.

It's why I'm hopeful for the GTA trilogy remasters that should be announced soon. Yes, I want to be able to save in a mission, but even if they added in rewind it would be a saver.

I hate the online trophies as well. I've kind of gone off trophies period now. I played Last of Us, the entire game and ended up 20% complete? Give me a break.

Just a piece of advice: if a game is 3D, don't expect any sort of rewind feature. And unless it's part of some retro collection/software (such as the Nintendo Switch Online retro games), don't expect save states.

 

[LeoA]

I doubt you'll be happy with the GTA HD Trilogy then, Ruz-El. I'm quite certain that there isn't going to be a rewind feature and I imagine a quick save option is a 50/50 proposition at best (Although with it appearing on a portable friendly platform with the Switch, such a save system would be very welcomed).

Past the tasteful graphical upgrade, they're talking about GTA V inspired quality of life enhancements and gameplay changes. So I imagine the standard save system will be like GTA V (it had safe houses and you had to go up and sleep in a bed inside of one in order to save).

At least actually playing them should be much better than on the PS2. Sounds like mission checkpoints will be a thing (No more starting at the beginning with every death), gameplay will be modernized (Combat in the PS2 games was painful even when they were new), etc.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Just waiting to see how badly Bethesda's Anniversary Edition of Skyrim will impact mods. (Auto-update is OFF.)

- Walter.

 

[Bryan^H]

the term "Metroidvania". I've hated it since I first heard it, and thought it would die away, but oddly enough it has gotten more popular.

It isn't Castlevania, it isn't Metroid. Stop it.

 

[Wookie Groomer]

• Unskippable cutscenes.
• Large open worlds filled with pointless side and fetch missions resulting in nothing more than extended development time and costs. Looking at you Far Cry.
• Quick Time Events.
• Call of Duty campaigns knocking you on your azz and someone else lending you a hand to get back up.
• No god mode or cheat code options on consoles.
• Not owning anything you download. In my world, you should be able to loan, trade, sell or give away any game you've paid full price for digital or not.
• Being trapped into sitting through an evenings worth of updates if you haven't visited the game in a while because you haven't had time to play, now you waste the time waiting for updates to install and the evening is shot.
• Beautiful photo realistic environments but the human characters have shipping tube arms and legs and often look like cartoon characters.
• Modern AAA games that don't have modern game engines making them look like indy titles.
• The creeping price of console games now reaching $70 as the base and still being forced to spend more if you want anything extra. The days of getting nice perks and discounted price for pre-ordering are long dead.
• Corporate shills defending the increased cost of games when developers insist on squandering resources and building games larger than the containers they are meant for.
• Demo's... where the hell are they? You're expected to fork over inflated prices on an unfished game months in advance without even getting a demo for it.

p.s. I tend to wait a few months for the physical media to drop nearly 40% while suckers still pay full price digitally for up to a year or more.

 

[kalm_traveler]

the term "Metroidvania". I've hated it since I first heard it, and thought it would die away, but oddly enough it has gotten more popular.

It isn't Castlevania, it isn't Metroid. Stop it.

haha I get where you're coming from, but at the same time it's a quick and easy way to describe a game with several common design elements (exploration with backtracking and a map to track, item upgrades, etc). We could have come up with a non-game-title word but ah well, too late now I suppose. That being said you just reminded me it's time to replay Castlevania Symphony of the Night and both GBA Metroid games

 

[Steve Y]

Inspired by Bryan's comment above, another pet peeve of mine is "Roguelike" and "Roguelite" to describe procedurally-generated games. Fewer people have heard of Rogue (much less played it) than either Metroid and Castlevania, but the terms now encompass a very large number of games. Rogue was undoubtedly influencial, but very, very niche. "Procedurally generated" just doesn't have that ring to it, I guess.

 

[kalm_traveler]

Inspired by Bryan's comment above, another pet peeve of mine is "Roguelike" and "Roguelite" to describe procedurally-generated games. Fewer people have heard of Rogue (much less played it) than either Metroid and Castlevania, but the terms now encompass a very large number of games. Rogue was undoubtedly influencial, but very, very niche. "Procedurally generated" just doesn't have that ring to it, I guess.

do I lose my gamer cred if I admit that I've never heard either of those terms or of a game called Rogue? that word only reminds me of World of Warcraft...

 

[Mike2001]

I loved Rogue back in the 80’s. We used to play it on our mainframe at work after business hours.

 

[Bryan^H]

Inspired by Bryan's comment above, another pet peeve of mine is "Roguelike" and "Roguelite" to describe procedurally-generated games. Fewer people have heard of Rogue (much less played it) than either Metroid and Castlevania, but the terms now encompass a very large number of games. Rogue was undoubtedly influencial, but very, very niche. "Procedurally generated" just doesn't have that ring to it, I guess.

That is the main thing for me, description of game type shouldn't even be a thing. It should start as genre (action, sports, puzzle, RPG etc.) and pretty much end there. There are reviews if one is curious enough to pursue it further. These buzz word, catch phrases is an extreme dumbing down of the hobby. I could come up with tons of descriptions for a game type that is similar to others in the same genre. Scary thing is, if I pushed hard enough, I'm afraid they would catch on and stick. That is how simplistic and mind numbing it is. Imagine if books, tv, and film were described as a "whatever type" based on different previous works before them. ( TV- 'Office Parks' , ' horror movie - Halloween 13th') Sounds incredibly stupid right?
It would drive critics, and viewers mad I'd think. Why are gamers so different?