Make A Minor Change To A Game You Love That Would Depress The Hell Out Of You

[badgersprite]

Okay, so having been looking through a lot of the preemptive reactions to Skyrim and wondering why people were getting so worked up over some of the announced changes, suddenly a thought occurred to me. "What if they removed archery and stealth?" and I thought...yeah, I would probably be so disappointed I would cry if that happened, because that was what I loved most about Oblivion - sneaking around dark caves, sniping people from a distance, never being seen - and it's precisely what I've been looking forward to doing again. So, after that thought, I could kind of empathize with what people might be feeling if one of their favourite features has been scrapped.

So, I ask you, Escapists, what minor, relatively inconsequential change to an existing game you love (or it's hypothetical sequel) would devastate you? It doesn't matter how minor or petty the change. It could be the removal of one character, or one level, or even one weapon.

Joke answers are more than welcome.

 

[ShakesZX]

I'd prefer not to answer this seriously, as I currently suffer from a form of depression and theorizing or imagining a change that would make me depressed would create an awful chain of inner monologues leading to an even greater depression.

So anything, as making a change to a game would be stressful and well outside my skill set.

 

[Hader]

Halo CE. The pistol.

Change even one decal on that baby and I might just not play it ever again.

 

[TiefBlau]

The Katamari...it keeps rolling, and things keep attaching to it, but...IT'S NOT GETTING ANY BIGGER.

 

[ultrachicken]

If they took out Nords in Skyrim I would go on a rampage, for obvious reasons.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

Digimon World

Remove the small, half a second freeze when you walk close to JiJimon's house.

It's part of my memories, it's part of the game's soul. It's always there, waiting for me, and I expect it, and welcome it. If it was gone, then I am in a different game. I want to play Digimon World, not a remake. Unless they do remake it for PS3. In which case: "YES PLEASE!"

But I'll still want the freeze.

Calumon: Removing the music in Robot Unicorn Attack. :'(

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Rikku dies.

 

[Millky95]

No Garrus in ME1 and 2

 

[StBishop]

Calumon: Removing the music in Robot Unicorn Attack. :'(

Agreed.

My major deal breaker would be not being able to make my own character in an RPG. (Like in JRPG's) I don't expect the level of customisation found in some games (like... Oblivion) but I at least want to be able to pick what they look like from a couple of options and then pick their skill set, prefferably using a custom skill set.

I was really upset when I heard a rumor that you couldn't alter Hawke's face in DA 2.

I would still have gotten the game but it would have sucked so much balls when playing with the knowledge that it's just some guy.

 

[badgersprite]

Calumon: Removing the music in Robot Unicorn Attack. :'(

Agreed.

My major deal breaker would be not being able to make my own character in an RPG. (Like in JRPG's) I don't expect the level of customisation found in some games (like... Oblivion) but I at least want to be able to pick what they look like from a couple of options and then pick their skill set, prefferably using a custom skill set.

I was really upset when I heard a rumor that you couldn't alter Hawke's face in DA 2.

I would still have gotten the game but it would have sucked so much balls when playing with the knowledge that it's just some guy.

I also heard a fake rumor that Hawke had to be a warrior, and there was no option to be a rogue or mage. I was like, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

 

[SimuLord]

Joke Answer: Taking the repetitive, grinding, pointless quests out of MMOs. Oh, wait, you said "game that I love"...

OK, one simple change to the AI would do it---in Rome: Total War, the Senate sends a huge army to intercept you if you're playing as a barbarian faction and show up in any province that borders Latium (wherein lies the city of Rome). Makes attacking Italy in the earlygame a genuine challenge, even if as Gaul you manage to keep hold of Patavium and Mediolanium and start spamming Chosen Swordsmen at the Julii cities to the south. Chosens are pretty badass but well-equipped and reinforced Senate armies can make your life miserable if you don't know how to handle them. Keeps the game from being an automatic I Win Button for the Gallic player. Taking it out and having the Senate only react to the invasion of Rome itself would break the game and make playing as barbs a lot less fun.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

If Battle.net had a subscription fee.

 

[Hader]

OK, one simple change to the AI would do it---in Rome: Total War, the Senate sends a huge army to intercept you if you're playing as a barbarian faction and show up in any province that borders Latium (wherein lies the city of Rome). Makes attacking Italy in the earlygame a genuine challenge, even if as Gaul you manage to keep hold of Patavium and Mediolanium and start spamming Chosen Swordsmen at the Julii cities to the south. Chosens are pretty badass but well-equipped and reinforced Senate armies can make your life miserable if you don't know how to handle them. Keeps the game from being an automatic I Win Button for the Gallic player.

My solution was always to play as Saxons/Dacians/Germans, go by boat, rape Rome, GTFO. Rinse, repeat.

 

[Fredrikorex]

Super Meat Boy with limited lives...

 

[SimuLord]

OK, one simple change to the AI would do it---in Rome: Total War, the Senate sends a huge army to intercept you if you're playing as a barbarian faction and show up in any province that borders Latium (wherein lies the city of Rome). Makes attacking Italy in the earlygame a genuine challenge, even if as Gaul you manage to keep hold of Patavium and Mediolanium and start spamming Chosen Swordsmen at the Julii cities to the south. Chosens are pretty badass but well-equipped and reinforced Senate armies can make your life miserable if you don't know how to handle them. Keeps the game from being an automatic I Win Button for the Gallic player.

My solution was always to play as Saxons/Dacians/Germans, go by boat, rape Rome, GTFO. Rinse, repeat.

Saxons? That's BI, unless you mean the Britons. And yes, you COULD go by boat, but I've always favored the hard charge down the peninsula. Since I've beaten the game to death it provides one of the few remaining legitimate challenges, and it's so much more satisfying fighting for every mile.

 

[Hader]

Saxons? That's BI, unless you mean the Britons. And yes, you COULD go by boat, but I've always favored the hard charge down the peninsula. Since I've beaten the game to death it provides one of the few remaining legitimate challenges, and it's so much more satisfying fighting for every mile.

Yes I meant the Saxons. Only BI faction I actually enjoyed.

Numidia was the best challenge, but after having beat every campaign before that at least once, it was still pretty easy...hehe, I have probably beaten that game to death at least as much as you, if not more (mods included...lots of mods).

 

[SimuLord]

Saxons? That's BI, unless you mean the Britons. And yes, you COULD go by boat, but I've always favored the hard charge down the peninsula. Since I've beaten the game to death it provides one of the few remaining legitimate challenges, and it's so much more satisfying fighting for every mile.

Yes I meant the Saxons. Only BI faction I actually enjoyed.

Numidia was the best challenge, but after having beat every campaign before that at least once, it was still pretty easy...hehe, I have probably beaten that game to death at least as much as you, if not more (mods included...lots of mods).

I refuse to concede an "if not more" to ANYONE on Rome: Total War.

 

[Hader]

I refuse to concede an "if not more" to ANYONE on Rome: Total War.

I guarantee you I would give you a run for your money in that field. Even with out mods, I have a shit ton of playtime. With them, too much to count.

 

[SimuLord]

I refuse to concede an "if not more" to ANYONE on Rome: Total War.

I guarantee you I would give you a run for your money in that field. Even with out mods, I have a shit ton of playtime. With them, too much to count.

Steam gives me credit for 88 hours, but that's just on the Steam version of the game, which I picked up in late 2009 as part of a package deal during the '09 holiday sale. Between 2005-08, if I had to guess, I'd say I put something on the order of a couple thousand hours into it. Figuring 30 hours per grand campaign x at least a hundred full playthroughs plus countless false starts, "maybe I'll play someone else" campaigns, and the like...hell, it's probably close to four or five thousand hours total for my all-time favorite game.