Glaring plot holes in games

[Wicky_42]

In Prototype if Alex Mercer isn't Alex Mercer but the virus reincarnating as Alex Mercer *cough* how does it not remember being a virus. It explains that Alex doesn't remember who he is because of the aforementioned mess. But wouldn't it know it's not Alex then?

Also in Call of duty 4 You rescue Nikoli in like mission 2 and he says "Have the American's started their attack yet?...Americans are making mistake they will never take Al Asad alive." Like he was implying he knew about the nuke. But then Captain Price admitting that the Americans don't attack for several more hours doesn't radio that golden piece of info in.

The Americans did know about the Nuke, they just didnt find it in time.

The biggest plot hole in COD 4 is,

"How the feck did the SAS get on the plane in Mile High Club? And why wait after it took off to storm the bastard?"

Oh, that one's easy - Stealth plane insertion; how else does one get onboard a commercial airliner in flight? I'm pretty sure I've seen it done in at least 2 films. Also explains why a fully loaded combat team went unnoticed whilst the terrorists were clearing everyone out.

Oh, and isn't it a training mission anyhow? Or something?

 

[soren7550]

*AHEM*

WHY DID SHEPHERD KILL ROACH AND GHOST?

As Shepherd said himself "That's one less loose end to finish off"

Task Force 141 did what he wanted them to do, so he no longer required their services. Also, over at the Airplane Boneyard in Afghanistan, Price and Soap found out he was a traitor and were relaying the information to Roach & Ghost (although they were too late). Shepherd didn't want to risk the chance of them either finding out his role in the shooting at Zakahav International Airport and he believed that they learned something about his involvement while they were at the Safe House.

So, the general of the US army wanted to start a war with Russia by getting one of the TF 141 members blamed for the shooting? Resulting in America being invaded?

"ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN," Shepherd chuckles to himself, as thousands of Americans are killed and the white house falls to Russians.

So what exactly was his role in the shooting, then?

Simply put, Shepherd was *pissed* that no one seemed to care about the 50,000 Marines killed in CoD4, which he put down as a lack of patriotism. Now, how can he get revenge for those killed and bring back patriotism? Start a war with Russia, who are essentially the reason why the Marines died. But how to do this? Easy: get into cahoots with a Russian terrorist, get him to attack Russians and make it look as if it was an American attack. Throw in an American for good measure. Have Russian terrorist kill the American so that blame on America can be pinned down easier.
An angry Russia now attacks the US for revenge against the attack on the airport, America now declares war on Russia. Angry Americans pissed about the invasion and attack on D.C. enlist in the military in a spur of patriotic duty. Shepherd become hero to boot due to him 'seeing this happening'.

All he now has to do is cut out the loose ends, which I've already explained.

 

[soren7550]

*AHEM*

WHY DID SHEPHERD KILL ROACH AND GHOST?

As Shepherd said himself "That's one less loose end to finish off"

Task Force 141 did what he wanted them to do, so he no longer required their services. Also, over at the Airplane Boneyard in Afghanistan, Price and Soap found out he was a traitor and were relaying the information to Roach & Ghost (although they were too late). Shepherd didn't want to risk the chance of them either finding out his role in the shooting at Zakahav International Airport and he believed that they learned something about his involvement while they were at the Safe House.

Now, for me, it's two words: Black Ops.
Need I say more?

Where the only plot holes in Blops really only the guns?

The guns were a big reason why, but there's a shit ton of plot holes & historical inaccuracies.
- Vorkuta riot happened more than 10 years prior to when it happened in game & was shut down before the game starts (if I recall correctly)
- Weaver (the guy with one eye I hope) being able to sat in service even though during the 60s, something like that would get you thrown out of service
- The numbers stating being right where Mason remembered it being, many years after he was on it (it's a fuckin' boat, they can move!)
- Mason's ever changing accent
- The whole mind control crap

I really wish I could remember more of what the hell happened so - wait, why would I wish that? The single player was god awful stupid.

 

[Korten12]

*AHEM*

WHY DID SHEPHERD KILL ROACH AND GHOST?

As Shepherd said himself "That's one less loose end to finish off"

Task Force 141 did what he wanted them to do, so he no longer required their services. Also, over at the Airplane Boneyard in Afghanistan, Price and Soap found out he was a traitor and were relaying the information to Roach & Ghost (although they were too late). Shepherd didn't want to risk the chance of them either finding out his role in the shooting at Zakahav International Airport and he believed that they learned something about his involvement while they were at the Safe House.

Now, for me, it's two words: Black Ops.
Need I say more?

Where the only plot holes in Blops really only the guns?

The guns were a big reason why, but there's a shit ton of plot holes & historical inaccuracies.
- Vorkuta riot happened more than 10 years prior to when it happened in game & was shut down before the game starts (if I recall correctly)
- Weaver (the guy with one eye I hope) being able to sat in service even though during the 60s, something like that would get you thrown out of service
- The numbers stating being right where Mason remembered it being, many years after he was on it (it's a fuckin' boat, they can move!)
- Mason's ever changing accent
- The whole mind control crap

I really wish I could remember more of what the hell happened so - wait, why would I wish that? The single player was god awful stupid.

2. Its a game, that less of a plot hole and just for a character design, the game doens't have to be 100% realisitc like everyone says it tries to be.
3. The boat wasn't in the same place it was when you first saw it.
4. Wait what?
5. Again, its not 100% realistic, last time I checked, they never strived for realism and plus its a video game.

As for the first one, I can't really say.

 

[MrGalactus]

Every Resident Evil. Every time someone does anything, something else is contradicted.

EDIT: I got another one. In Assassin's Creed, why the FUCK would Altair have to cut his finger off? What monumental idiot wouldn't point out the possibility of putting it BEHIND the third finger rather than THROUGH it? Stupid assassin arse holes, Altair doesn't know what he's playing at, the silly nonce.

As for the Assassins Creed one, The cutting off of a finger was supposed to symbolise commitment, that if you wanted in, you had to make a physical sacrifice in order to prove that you were serious. That may not be exactly it, but it's along those lines, it kind of get explained better in Assassins Creed 2 at some point but I haven't played that in a while so I forget.

In AssassyCree 2 someone's brain turns on and they put the blade where it should've been in the first place.
No idea why I got so worked up about that!
Although it is stupid.

 

[Worgen]

Most of MW2. Rushed campaign, tacked on, etc.

How did the Pillar of Autumn find Halo if they made a 'blind' jump? Though i think it may have been explained somewhere...

It was. In The Fall of Reach. Wasn't blind. They decided to plug in coords from a Forerunner artifact they had because they knew it would take them far, far away from Human Space.

in halo reach it sounds more like cortana is actualy a forerunner ai that we just found cause humans are too stupid to be able to do shit (sounds like the spartan armor was also based on forerunner tech)

Yeah... that kinda [TOTALLY] contradicted the books.

it contradicts the plot of the other games also since if she was a forerunner ai then she would know about the rings so instead of being suprised by them she would have been guiding humans to them but keeping them secret for some stupid reason, not to mention that in halo reach they refer to her as some kind of super weapon and sure shes helpful but she still dosnt really do anything

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

I'm pretty sure that the neurotoxin flooder mechanism was a total black comedy joke (i.e. it's not really a plot hole because it's not supposed to make sense.)

Okay, perhaps that was a bad example. But here's another: In Half-Life 2 (or pretty much any game where rag-tag rebels overthrow an evil government) what are they going to do after overthrowing the regime? Do they have any alternative lined up? After all, evil order is better than no order at all (and yes, that is highly debatable, but this thread isn't the place for that).

Ghandi once asserted that (I'm paraphrasing) a bad Indian government was better than a great British government. Moreover, in HL2, the stakes were higher than petty ideals like "freedom" and "democracy" (or whatever flavor of revolution you happen to like); the species itself was at stake (If you recall, humanity was unable to procreate for some reason).

As far as plot holes go, I'd say Modern Warfare 2 is an excellent example. I won't go into a lengthy analysis here but suffice it to say that the ability for the plot to begin at all was predicated upon the notion that achieving complete strategic surprise was a thing a major world power could do when planning a conventional assault that required crossing thousands of miles (this would require far more than a conveniently timed interruption of command and control moments before the invasion began and would have to include hiding the movements of thousands of troops, necessary supplies, vehicles and the like all of which are things that major world powers keep close track of in their rivals) followed by the presumption that the US was somehow incapable of launching a retaliatory strategic strike (i.e. the nuclear option) for unspecified reasons (The entire cold war was spent figuring out ways to ensure the nuclear option was always on the table no matter how bad things got. This is the reason (for example) ballistic missile submarines exist). Beyond that, the invasion itself consisted of an airborne insertion into complex terrain. Significant heavy support was required to spend hours in flight to and from a home station (that is, air support) where local US support was conveniently located. As a result, the russian effort had a supply line thousands of miles long with no access to any line of communication save air and even then said LOC was relegated to "shoving things out of the back of an aircraft in flight" which dramatically limits what one can send as a supply. The short version is the plot is predicated on a nonsensical scenario and the main "threat" is little more than Russia sending tens of thousands of airborne troops to their death. To put it another way, the attack required nonsense to work in the first place and once they achieved this once in a civilization stroke of luck they proceeded to choose a method of invasion with the very lowest probability of success.

There are a dozen better plans for conquest of the US that begin with an airborne invasion. But none of these have the nation's capital as the key battleground. It doesn't make Russia look like a threat, it makes them look like a bunch of gibbering morons.

 

[timeadept]

How about most RPGs, in which magic, curative items and skills don't work outside of combat sequences?

Good point... why the hell can't i use my revive skill on this person? I mean my party takes grievous injuries/dies on a regular basis and then pop right up again with a little spent mana/pp/phoenix down/take your pick/whatever. But it's a plot hole that needs to be filled creatively because many times you're just meant to gloss over this part as a mechanic. But it REALLY needs to be filled properly...

 

[Zannkimaru]

FF7, pheonix down, Aerith/Aeris. Ok seriously my characters have died a ton of times and i can use this handy item to bring them back to life except for when it's plot based? Actually why can't i use these items to bring back anyone else that's died?

 

[Fidelias]

*AHEM*

WHY DID SHEPHERD KILL ROACH AND GHOST?

Because they knew that he(Shepherd) was behind the entire conflict with Russia. Roach and Ghost ( and the rest of TF-141 were loose ends, and he needed to be sure that there were No Loose Ends.

But they were just soldiers. Actually, they were soldiers that weren't even following orders. They also hadn't pieced any of it together until after their men started dying. They weren't a threat until Sheperd started killing. Just doesn't make any sense.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Neverwinter Nights 2 has quite a lot.

For example: If the gargoyles were watching you during the OC how did no one actually see them? You had Bishop who was suppose to notice everything. Elanee who would have sensed something. Ammon who is extremely paranoid, not to mention the KC, who can be all of those combined.

Why is the sword so damn weak? You'd think a legendary sword would pack more punch...

Why did they close down Blacklake?

Spoiler

If demons did it, shouldn't they have been able to teleport in and out? How did the gith get into the city? Why, at the trial, didn't anyone bring up the fact that the PC was a paladin and thus would have fallen if he truly would have slaughtered a village? Or were I a drow, have worse odds because you know that drow are bloodthirsty?

So many questions...

I didn't think that more spoiler tags were needed but I will add them if necessary.

The sword was weak? It was a 1d8 + 3 (sufficient to harm just about anything in D&D. In the hardest fights of all the computer D&D games you might need a +4 (and at one point in Baldur's Gate 2 you need a +5). The base damage was simply a function of the rules (a long sword does a base 1d8 damage. All of them.) Beyond that it granted powers like "form a shield around the user that deals 3d8 damage every round for five rounds" or another which grants the user the equivalent to a high level magic missile attack (except things that stop magic missiles won't stop this particular attack!). And that's overlooking things like a health bonus that was equivalent to more than two additional levels of the flimsy classes and enormous boosts to various base stats along with protections against all sorts of nasty effects. The thing was, by far the best item in the game.

Just look at these stats:

Material: Metal (Alchemical Silver)
Cast Spell: Spell-Like Abilities [2 Charges/Use]
On Hit Cast Spell: Unique Power (OnHit) [Level 25]
Cast Spell: Sword Forms [2 Uses/Day]
Keen
Damage Bonus: Slashing [1d12]
Damage Bonus vs. Racial Type: Outsider [1d12]
Immunity: Miscellaneous: Mind-Affecting Spells
Immunity: Miscellaneous: Paralysis

Against an outsider, the sword does 1d8 + 2d12 damage per attack. A level 20 fighter (for example) can deliver nearly a half dozen attacks per round. It makes the user immune to paralysis, charm, dominate (etc). It hits for full damage in the face of most forms of damage reduction (material and keen property). Yes, it's only a +3

 

[darth.pixie]

snip

This is the MoTB one, not the OC one and for that even my regular sword worked better.

As for the one you mentioned, yes it was great, but ultimately I had crafted much better ones. I was dual wielding and did more damage with my regular stuff.

At that point in the game, you can dual weild greatswords(If you're a human, for example). I was expecting more useful stuff rather than paralysis or mind affecting since there were other items for that. It was good, yes. Very good. A game-breaker, possibly. But it didn't really explain the undefeated legend of Gith considering that there are more powerful items in the Planes.

 

[Blue_vision]

Playing Just Cause 2 right now (which might not be supposed to make that much sense either,) I'd really like to wonder what Panay wants to do after nuking some of the biggest world powers.

Dude...


...if you're playing Just Cause 2 for the STORY, you're doing it wrong.

Pretty much, which is why I qualified that example doesn't really count.

Though it does raise an interesting situation...

 

[ResidentialEvil]

Every Resident Evil. Every time someone does anything, something else is contradicted.

I was waiting for someone to say Resident Evil. That story is such a mess of retcons and later games at least seeming to contradict earlier games, it's not funny. Not all that people call "plot holes" are actually that, and I'm glad someone addressed that too many people call bad story writing "plot holes".

Anyway, the most massive one to me in Resident Evil is the Plot Device Wesker Virus. Here they are trying to come up with the perfect virus; the T-Virus obviously has bad results, then the G-Virus which has pretty bad results, later the Veronica virus, etc. These viruses are big deals with entire games devoted to them, and they took years of development. But oh...to survive the mansion explosion (obviously a retcon because they realized they screwed up killing off Wesker in both scenarios in RE) Birkin whips out a handy dandy virus he gives Wesker that just happens to bring him back to life and give him super human strength and speed and absolutely no loss of his human mind. GIVE ME A BREAK! So a throwaway 2 line plot device virus is pretty much perfect and we learn jack squat about it, but they run around Raccoon City and later over parts of the world to get viruses that are FAR inferior.

I can buy Wesker wouldn't want to give out his virus since he's become a god basically, but I simply cannot buy that a scientist who was obsessed with the G-Virus which caused MASSIVE mutations and left the host non-human anymore could build such a perfected virus on the side with pretty much no indication that he really gave a crap. Bull Capcom....Bull.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

But they were just soldiers. Actually, they were soldiers that weren't even following orders. They also hadn't pieced any of it together until after their men started dying. They weren't a threat until Sheperd started killing. Just doesn't make any sense.

While Roach and Ghost are being killed, you can hear Price over the radio yelling to them that they shouldn't trust Shepard, and that he was behind everything. TF141 did figure it out, but only just a second too late. Also, Shepard couldn't be sure they hadn't seen anything in the safe house that might compromise his plan, or that they had made a copy of the data. As for why Shepard would do it himself, the game makes it clear that he isn't the type to let others do all of his dirty work. Heck, the very first mission of the game has him fighting on the front line of a battle, despite being a general.

I might as well take the time to answer some other MW2 "plot holes" people are finding.

1. Pvt. Allen infiltrating Makarov's group and then being killed was part of Shepard's plan. He was planted for the express purpose of leaving an American body at the site of the attack. Shepard had no intention of bringing down Makarov until he was no longer useful, and likewise Makarov had no problem working with Shepard if he got to start a war that killed Americans, who he blamed for Zakhaev's death.

2. Shepard wanted to start a war in order to gain public and government support for the U.S. Military, and to secure a place in history as a war hero. The nuclear attack in CoD 4 had destroyed U.S. morale, turned the public opinion sharply against any sort of military expenditure or involvement, and left Shepard's name forever remembered as "That guy who got 40,000 people killed in a single attack". So he started a war with Russia, with the plan of winning and becoming a hero.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Literally the entire plot to Sonic 06.

If you managed to drag your way through, you know what I am talking about.

 

[Defense]

FF7, pheonix down, Aerith/Aeris. Ok seriously my characters have died a ton of times and i can use this handy item to bring them back to life except for when it's plot based? Actually why can't i use these items to bring back anyone else that's died?

It's a popular belief that you don't actually die when your HP hits zero, your party member just faints. If the whole party faints then I guess the animals have a meal.

 

[_Cake_]

Mine has to be Dragon Age (I LOVE the game but this has always bugged me).

They only give you the option of joining one person, why just him? Like if you need a warden to kill the archdemon, you only have two wardens, and you know how to make more. THEN FUCKING MAKE MORE! Gha... stupid... sorry.

This actually gets adressed at some point

Spoiler

(they also need the blood of a archdemon for their super happy luck juice. They lost that when Loghain marked the Grey Wardens as traitors)

In Dragon Age awakening, you actually get to make more Grey Wardens

Riordan has it, that's how he can offers to do the joining.

There are several problems with this plan.

1. After the events at Ostagar, Loghain branded the Grey Wardens traitors and did not hesitate to spread the word.

2. The process of the Joining Ritual includes drinking Darkspawn blood, not just anybody is going to volunteer for that. Especially not when the majority thinks that the Grey Wardens are traitors.

3. Even if you do find someone willing to join the Wardens and help them in their cause, you have to be sure that they are able to fight, not simply commoners.

Unless you mean the period when Loghain lost to you and gave up, then the only problem would be:

4. They might not survive the process.

Riordan has the blood and offers to do the joining after you have won the landsmeet, so you are in control with the support of the people at that point. Yes you would lose some people to the joining, but you would lose a lot more lives if the last few remaining wardens died and no one there could finish the job untill reinforcments came.

 

[Nostalgia Ripoff]

Spoiler: Red Dead Spoiler

John Marston steps out of a barn to meet his death at the hands of a bunch of lawmen at the end of the game, despite having multiple fire bottles and sticks of dynamite in his possession. With the building/roof climbing skills he displayed in previous quests, he could have easily just climbed up to the hay loft of the barn and taken out all of his attackers with a single throw. Then maybe we wouldn't feel totally gypped at having spent the entire game trying to reunite with the family and getting all of five minutes with them before being shot to a bloody pulp.

Or, Hell, he could have just shot them all. It's not like he's never faced uneven odds before... his whole character is built around his ability to take out ridiculously large hordes of armed men without a suffering scratch.

Spoiler

John did want to be with his family again. However, he also wanted his family to be safe. The U.S. Army was after him. It would be wiser to give them what they want than to put those you care about in danger.

 

[toastmaster2k8]

*AHEM*

WHY DID SHEPHERD KILL ROACH AND GHOST?

I know right? He blamed his pissed offness to when al-esad nuked the troops in Cod4. and he said " and the world just f***ing watched" umm, how did the world know he had a nuke and how the hell were they to do about? say "swiper no nuking!"