A Game Feature You Never Bothered With.

[Brownie80]

Title.
Here's a MARVELOUS EXAMPLE:

Spoiler

Assassin's Creed II. Three words: SCREW MY BROTHER. You really think I'm going to actively search 100 feathers in the huge world? Oh game, you're so adorable! Also glyphs (although I found all of them, had to go to GameFaqs.)

Also, one more thing: it can be a weapon or anything the game gives you, but you got through the game perfectly without it. You've seen my pick above, how about yours?

 

[Sean Hollyman]

All the 'contest' equivalents in every Pokemon game after Gen 3. Seriously, contests were great in Gen 3. But after that it just went downhill and very very boring.

Also the whole movie star thing in Black 2/White 2. Did anyone actually bother with that...?

 

[Tom_green_day]

Turns out in Dragon's Dogma there's a whole tonne of skills you can buy and use. I only found out recently and I still haven't worked out how to actually use them.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

All the 'contest' equivalents in every Pokemon game after Gen 3. Seriously, contests were great in Gen 3. But after that it just went downhill and very very boring.

Also the whole movie star thing in Black 2/White 2. Did anyone actually bother with that...?

Those seemed like wastes of time to me too. Never bothered with those.

This is gonna sound like a weird one, but buying fish in the Mass Effect games. (Well, Mass Effect 2 & 3 specifically)

I heard it's possible for them to die if you don't feed them or something. So I thought 'fuck it', and never bought any.
The fish tanks in my Shepard's quarters remained empty of fish, for the entire series.

In ME3, you can buy a thing that automatically feed the fish you buy which completely fixes the dying fish problem. I bought fish during my first ME2 run and never bothered after that.


---

9 out of 10 games I play with online multiplayer, that online multiplayer will be completely ignored by me.

9 out of 10 sandbox games I play, I'm going to ignore side-quests that make me find all X-Hundred things. This is especially true of games where there are multiple sets of X-Hundred things in-game to find. I think the Arkham games are the only ones where I went in and got the collectibles but GTA, Saint's Row, inFamous...the collectible things can just stay hidden.

EDIT because I thought of more things

Despite all of the games I've played through and beaten on the PS3/360, I ignore platinum trophies unless I really REALLY like the game (translation: hard modes can suck it in addition to online multiplayer)

In the latest Pokemon, I not only don't use Mega Evolutions, I don't have mega-evolving Pokemon in my current party.

 

[Malbourne]

Assassin's Creed IV was chock-full of things I ignored.

There were the dictionaries of lore that didn't seem to contribute too much to the plot (but it was nice for those people who like pirate history). I actually didn't realize there was a multiplayer until halfway through the game. There were also collectibles, of course, that offered few benefits to the sailors vigilant enough to make a detour every time a fragment appeared on the minimap. After a while, even collecting booty (the stuff that pirates are supposed to love) gets tedious when you can kick back and watch money roll in from trading routes. Eventually the trading route minigame became somehow more repetitive than it already was and I explored every spot in the sea.

I didn't find any reason to upgrade the mansion; even the alternate costumes didn't excite me that much. All I want in the end-game is the ability to sail around like a pirate king and bring the might of the Jackdaw to bear on the obstacles that get in my way. It just didn't feel like I had control of the sea when the ship I started with was the same size as the one I ended with, albeit with more fusillade. I don't know why the core story had to revolve around stuff like corporate espionage. Seems like the game shoulda been built from the ground up with the story of a pirate/assassin in focus and collectible tosh left on the drawing board.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Eh, I will admit it was a pain in the ass to collect those feathers, and I even had to use a map to find all of them.

But I like collectables in games. >.>

Anyways, in Assassin's Creed III, it was the trading aspect. I tried it once and I never bothered with it again. I didn't see the point of doing it. Also, in Revelations that whole tower defense thing. After the first one, I never did that again. I just let my den be captured and then go take it back because it was way easier that way.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Multiplayer in the Uncharted games. The single player just feels like a complete enough experience that I don't bother with the multiplayer. Same with The Last of Us.

Also, never touched the flamethrower or assault rifle in The Last of Us. I just kept saving it "just in case" and never found a situation that was overwhelming enough that I needed either one.

I think the only game I've ever actually made an effort to look for collectables is Batman Arkham City, since finding them unlocks more of the Riddler side mission.

 

[kasperbbs]

Achievements in PC games, i just couldn't care less, if it happens then it happens, i don't look up what kind of achievements are available or try to complete them on purpose.

The same goes for collectables, i did clear most of the locations in AC4 mainly because some of them were placed in places that required some effort to reach, but i never got around to visiting all of the locations in the game since i got tired of it and swimming to every new location was kinda bothersome.

 

[Hero of Lime]

All the 'contest' equivalents in every Pokemon game after Gen 3. Seriously, contests were great in Gen 3. But after that it just went downhill and very very boring.

Also the whole movie star thing in Black 2/White 2. Did anyone actually bother with that...?

Yeah I never cared for those things, but I did like the musicals in Gen 5, if only for the novelty of putting silly props on Pokemon and watching them dance around.

OT:

Online multiplayer in most games.

Level/stage creators in games that allow you to do so.

Sleep functions back on the old Gameboy Advance games.

Most optional missions in games like Assassin's Creed or Farcry.

Forge Mode/theater mode in Halo games.

The lottery in Majora's Mask. I swear, in a game chock full of great sidequests and attractions, I've never felt the urge to try it.

Gummi Ship levels/customization in Kingdom Hearts 2. I hate those stages, why would I want to go through them again for a high score and Gummi parts?

 

[krazykidd]

Final fantasy 14.

I turned off the experience bar. I'll tell you why. Every mmo i played started out for fun, then ended up being a " i need x more experience to level up". Which ended up killing the game for me. So by turning off the experience bar, the game becomes more about the journey than the desination. Not knowing when i'm going to level made me not care when i did.

 

[FPLOON]

Potions/Hi-Potions/Mega-Potions in any Kingdom Hearts games after Kingdom Hearts 1... (with the exception of Chain of Memories for "reasons"...) Curaga or bust, basically...

The gems in Sonic 06... Most people [who have played this game] know why...

Most of the combos in Lollipop Chainsaw... I only bought them just for a stupid trochievement...

These are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head right now...

 

[AntiChri5]

This is gonna sound like a weird one, but buying fish in the Mass Effect games. (Well, Mass Effect 2 & 3 specifically)

I heard it's possible for them to die if you don't feed them or something. So I thought 'fuck it', and never bought any.
The fish tanks in my Shepard's quarters remained empty of fish, for the entire series.

After you invite Kelly up to your cabin in ME2, she will feed the fish for you.

As someone else mentioned, you can buy a VI to do it in ME3.

 

[The White Hunter]

PVP in Dark Souls can kiss my ass. Way too many hackers and it's all just a hassle that I didn't care for, particularly the abusive horseshit that tended to land in inbox when you lost to someone.

Lots of other things to but eh cba to list them and this one came to mind first.

 

[Malkav]

Achievements. Does anyone care about someone else's achievements? Do YOU check your achievement lists and go "oh yeah, I'm so proud of that, good memories"? The only one I ever tried was "carry the garden gnome through the entire game and put him in the rocket at the end of the game"-achievement for Half Life 2 Ep2, because that sounded funny. Until you realize the game is basically a long as drive through enemy territory, and your gnome will get flung out of your car every few seconds.
Mostly, achievements don't even deserve that name. They're more like milestones for statistics I don't care about.

Collectibles. I love exploring in games. I do not love backtracking for hours, because I always miss at least one collectible, and they're almost always useless and annoying to look for.
The new Thief game has these special loot items you can only look at in your hideout. Which sounds cool at first, but I did that once or twice and went "I put a crap ton of work in for THIS?".

For shooters, it's mostly satchel charges and tripmines. If I do place them, I probably just leave the area and lose them, or nobody will come this way. If they do, I won't see it in time. Mostly, I just use them if I'm out of grenades. Otherwise, I'll be too lazy to get out the detonator, and I will mostly time detonation poorly. As for the mines, they'll end up killing or obstructing me more often than enemies.
Sometimes, if I already know the game, I think I can rig enemy spawn points in advance. And then, they don't get triggered, they somehow don't cause damage or they disappear. These things never seem to work out for me.

Also, every game that features a swimming skill. Like Deus Ex. What's lung capacity good for in GTA V? For that one time I actually swim in water and decide to take a pointless dive? Yeah, like I have an hour to level that up.

 

[Evonisia]

League Play from Black Ops II just got ignored by me. I know it's more of a mode, but I consider it a feature seeing as it removes some stuff and puts restrictions of people who like having fun.

Oh, it's a game for all the try hards to be in. I will encounter all the same quick scopers, bunny hoppers, head glitchers and drop shotters I encounter in normal games, but they'll be doing it far more often with reaction speeds faster than I can press the shoot button, not that the lag comp will stop them. Oh and my perks are banned but not their stupidly powerful weapons? Sod this.

 

[00slash00]

Magic in Souls games. I play through the games using nothing but melee and sometimes bows. I never found any need to use magic...until Dark Souls 2, where the game seems to be constantly trying to get you to use magic. There are items you can't get unless you have magic or absurdly high health and with less than a quarter of the game left, I have not encountered a single boss that wouldn't have been significantly easier if I used spells or miracles. I still refuse to use magic though.

I also don't do co-op and play in offline mode whenever I'm in an area with a high invasion rate. I prefer playing online for the messages and blood stains, so I can be more prepared, but I can't stand pvp

 

[MoreThanANoob]

Grenades. Whenever there are grenades, I will forget about them until I realize I'm carrying enough of them to blow up a small country. At this point I'll throw precisely one and the cycle begins anew.

For a while in Bioshock Infinite, I didn't think to use vigors. Not because they weren't cool or fun to use, though. I was just too busy trying to get headshots.

I got through all of GTA V using each character's ability maybe twice each, not including the Rampage Missions. And even then, it was mostly during side activities rather than actual missions.

Collectables. Yeah, almost everyone else on the thread has weighed in here already. Moving on.

Blocking. I don't know what it is that goes on in my head to make this happen but blocking, to me, is basically the "grenades" of any fighting/beat-'em-up/action-adventure/whatever-the-hell that uses it. I know it's useful and could lead to me getting my ass handed to me slightly less, but it always gets subconsciously skipped whenever I consider what approach I'm going to take in a fight.