One word I never want to hear from anyone in the gaming community again.

[Savagezion]

I think you might be having a bit of a chicken and egg problem here.

I agree that "rehash" is generally used as a criticism - and for the most part I think it's valid to criticise a game if it really is just rehashing a previous one.

But I disagree that its use means the person was deliberately looking for flaws (ignoring the fact that looking for flaws is actually a critic's job). All it means is that they found a flaw, whether they were deliberately looking for it or otherwise.

I wouldn't say that a rehash is automatically a flaw. Look at Darksiders. It is totally a rehash of about 3 different games and it is pretty awesome. Using the term "rehash" in a review is lazy critiquing. By using the term without explaining the many things it "rehashes" and labeling it as automatically bad, is foolish and lazy both. Usually, people only try to rehash popular things that sell well so why is it a good thing in that game but a bad thing in this game? An idea's merit doesn't gain or lose integrity based on who thought of it first. A good idea is a good idea no matter who is implementing it. Now if someone has an argument of how the idea is being implemented, OK - but then it isn't a rehash, as clearly that is different than the original game it was "rehashing".

Part of me wants to bring up "innovation" now but I defintely don't want to see that word go away so I will have to agree with this insane adolescent:

Unoriginal .

Sick and tired of people complaining that developpers are not doing anything new , but when they do no one buys ot or the look down on ot . Bunch of hypocrites i say.

But I will add not everything can or needs to be a completely new idea. Most of the "great ideas" people mention on this website have been tried before. There are many great games out there that are totally ripping off their premise from other games.

Media influences media. The gaming community would be better if people could just accept that and weigh games on their own merit instead of some hipster "who did it first" scale. Then as Krazykidd points out there, support innovation when it happens not sit back and say "I'll wait and see if it fails or not". Some people need to step back and decide if innovation is really as important to them as they claim it is.

 

[aprildog18]

"Noob/Nub".

Seriously, the lamest fucking 'insult' ever imaginable. Hypocritical as well, seeing as we were all new to each game at one point.

Thank you. I hate when people call other players "noobs" like it was an insult. Honestly, why would you want to discourage someone new from starting the game? That's just stupid. Particularly in MMOs.

Not so sure I'm using the word "noob" correctly. In BC2, I say that to all the useless snipers who camp 1000 meters away from objectives in rush, don't seem to know how to aim, and fail to use the mortars when an objective is on (same when "sniping" with a tank and not aiming at an objective). I don't care if someone goes 0 kills and 11 deaths. But if you are going to snipe, make sure you know how to aim first. Also, if there is a squad with three snipers in, and you are a sniper. I would expect you to move into the sniping squad and not bog down the squad that is trying to move forward.

I'm going to have to agree with Krazykidd with the word unoriginal. Is it still possible to make a truly original game anymore?

 

[Fleetfiend]

Not so sure I'm using the word "noob" correctly. In BC2, I say that to all the useless snipers who camp 1000 meters away from objectives in rush, don't seem to know how to aim, and fail to use the mortars when an objective is on (same when "sniping" with a tank and not aiming at an objective). I don't care if someone goes 0 kills and 11 deaths. But if you are going to snipe, make sure you know how to aim first. Also, if there is a squad with three snipers in, and you are a sniper. I would expect you to move into the sniping squad and not bog down the squad that is trying to move forward.

I do see your point, but I still beg to differ. Who's to say that it's not their first time playing, or at least their first time with this type of game? Sure, it's annoying, but insulting them isn't going to encourage them to learn more about the game. It's just going to make them want to troll harder.

 

[lacktheknack]

"Rehash."

99% of the time it's used, it's by a person who is deliberately looking for flaws in a game.

I tend to instantly lose any and all respect for people who use this word, because they're always using it in a way that makes it clear that they're trying to find flaws in a game where none exist.

Who here feels the same way?

"Arrow".

Seriously, I'm about to go postal.

I used to get all mad about people taking arrows to the knees, but then I took a sword to the chest.

(sorry)

OT: "Snuggie". Everything about the word makes me seethe, and I don't want anyone in the gaming community using it.

 

[repeating integers]

Unoriginal .

Sick and tired of people complaining that developpers are not doing anything new , but when they do no one buys ot or the look down on ot . Bunch of hypocrites i say.

Agreed. Apparently, everyone on the Escapist thinks that every game in a series should change itself completely from the last and be almost unrecognisable. So, naturally, when a sequel does change from the last instalment even slightly, they complain in droves and proclaim it to be the worst game ever for "betraying its fans".

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Immersion...

Imersion isn't something a game has a lot of control over, it's more the player! A person can sit down and play a game for a few hours, totally distraction free and be totally immersed in it, they could sit down the next day, after a bad day at work in which they are going to get a bollocking the next day, and they don't have anywhere near as much immersion in the game... This isn't the games fault...

Yes you can still have a game that is hard to become immersed in, due to a bad story (a mostly perspective complaint... people like different stories) or they get distracted by bad controls or whatever, but hell I have spent hours totally immersed in anything from Spyro the Dragon and Viva Pinyata, to Dragon age and Oblivion! I have also sat at Oblivion, and struggled to get the feeling of being there, due to the fact I have a presentation the next day, or my hamster died... or whatever!

 

[Daggedawg]

"Rehash."

99% of the time it's used, it's by a person who is deliberately looking for flaws in a game.

I tend to instantly lose any and all respect for people who use this word, because they're always using it in a way that makes it clear that they're trying to find flaws in a game where none exist.

Who here feels the same way?

"Arrow".

Seriously, I'm about to go postal.

I used to get all mad about people taking arrows to the knees, but then I took a sword to the chest.

(sorry)

OT: "Snuggie". Everything about the word makes me seethe, and I don't want anyone in the gaming community using it.

"Snuggie?" Never heard that before. What does it mean?

On topic, I would like it if people stopped calling everything "epic." (Though that rend seems to be dying out by now.) Yes, some games might be "epic2 in many ways, but usually, this word is used in cases where it simply doesn't fit.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

"Hardscoping"

Now, I have no problem when people use this in a quickscoping match or whatever; but believe it are not, I have been insulted for looking through my scope for more then 1 second in a public game. Little kids call me "noob"(another word that I wish got a lot less use) because I actually snipe like you're supposed to and not quickscope all the time.

Oh hell yes. I never knew that actually looking through your scope was the wrong way to go about things. Idiots.

I also dislike the entire casual/hardcore thing. We're all gamers, let's be friends.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

"brown" in a sentece decribing how much you cant stand brown

look, saying this isnt some fucking amazing insight..EVERYONE knows and your taste isnt any better because you keep going on about it

ohh and there are plenty of games that arnt overly brown

And brown. GTA IV was not brown. Quit complaining about "brown shooters". Heck even MW3 has tons of color. BF3 has so much color it actually blinds you. Fallout 3 was the only game to truly deserve being called "brown".

I actually remember Fallout 3 being more green, but yes there was a lot of brown too. I honestly dont get what the big deal about colour is though, it seems that unless a game doesnt have a goddamn rainbow flashing every two minutes its labeled as a "boring brown cod clone"
Also I dont get how people think GTA4 is brown, theres colour everywhere in that game

 

[manic_depressive13]

The word hardcore.

For me it used to mean people who were experts at games like Quake 3, CSS or Street Fighter.

Now it means "hey I play games that aren't farmville"

No I love that word. It reminds me of Pokemon platinum. In the electric gym there's a kid in a pikachu suit who says "Look at the way I'm dressed. Can't you see that I'm hardcore?"

Only a hardcore kid like me can make a Pokemon reference.

 

[JackWestJr]

'(my) opinion' Yes, I KNOW that you are entitled to a opinion on a game, just because what I said disagrees with your 'opinion' doesn't mean I'm bagging you out.. People opinionated statements explode especially when a new BF or CoD trailer or news comes out.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

"hate"

Unless it's actually causing you to lose sleep worrying about it, you don't "hate" anything, just dislike it.

Stop taking yourself so seriously, dammit.

 

[BrionJames]

You know what word I'm sick of, gamer. That word didn't use to exist to describe anything. Period. It's a stupid label that the media has created so that they can try to appeal to the folks who play video games. I like video games, I like going to the arcade, I like table top games, but I am not a gamer.

 

[Memoriae]

Unoriginal .

Sick and tired of people complaining that developpers are not doing anything new , but when they do no one buys ot or the look down on ot . Bunch of hypocrites i say.

Agreed. Apparently, everyone on the Escapist thinks that every game in a series should change itself completely from the last and be almost unrecognisable. So, naturally, when a sequel does change from the last instalment even slightly, they complain in droves and proclaim it to be the worst game ever for "betraying its fans".

Quite.

I'll take Dragon Age Origins, and DA2 as a perfect example. DA:O had a significant enough number of people complaining that the tactical side of the game was too heavy. Ordering around an entire party, micromanaging everything? Far too heavy apparently.

It was then changed to a more action-orientated system, and people complained that it was too easy in comparison to DA:O. WELL OF COURSE IT'S FUCKING EASY, YOU WERE WHINGING THAT DA:O WAS TOO HARD!


Anyhoo, more on topic... I'd probably have to go with linear as well.
To be fair to it, just about every game that is created is linear. Even when you look at something like FFXIII vs FFVII. FFVII was actually very linear until about half way through disc 2, it's just you had the illusion of free will. Take going from Midgar to Nibelheim. You had to go to Kalm. You had to go to the Chocobo Farm. You had to go to Juno. Yes, the Falcon was an optional part.
You had to go to Costa Del Sol, and you had to speak to Hojo. You had to complete the Golden Saucer lock-in. You had to go via Cosmo... etc etc etc.

FFXIII was verbose with the linearity, as you physically had corridors, instead of a map.

Story telling cannot be done without linearity. Look at Skyrim. You can spend hundreds of hours fucking about, and not get a single bit of the storyline done. That's bad if you want to get a narrative over.

Basically, you either have non-linearity, or you have deep narrative. You can't have both.

 

[Substitute Troll]

Just one word? Immersion. Yea, it's nice to have an immersive world that is believable and well written. But people nowadays tend to complain about things "ruining their immersion" way to often over EVERYTHING. You're never going to reach that zen-like meditation state where you kill orcs with bows almost like you were the bow itself. I can promise you that.

 

[Darkmantle]

Immersion...

Imersion isn't something a game has a lot of control over, it's more the player! A person can sit down and play a game for a few hours, totally distraction free and be totally immersed in it, they could sit down the next day, after a bad day at work in which they are going to get a bollocking the next day, and they don't have anywhere near as much immersion in the game... This isn't the games fault...

Yes you can still have a game that is hard to become immersed in, due to a bad story (a mostly perspective complaint... people like different stories) or they get distracted by bad controls or whatever, but hell I have spent hours totally immersed in anything from Spyro the Dragon and Viva Pinyata, to Dragon age and Oblivion! I have also sat at Oblivion, and struggled to get the feeling of being there, due to the fact I have a presentation the next day, or my hamster died... or whatever!

fair enough, but there are things that tend to break immersion that are the developers fault, like your AI partner running into a wall for half an hour, for example.

but if you deliberately go around trying to break the game (like walking in place in stealth mode for an hour to cheat the skill system in oblivion) it's not the developers fault your immersion was ruined.

I think it's equal parts player and developers responsibility for immersion. the player has to have a willing suspension of disbelief, but the the developer has to make a world consistent enough to make that suspension easy.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

I hate people using linear as an insult to a game. Saying that a game is bad because it's linear is like saying Pulp Fiction is bad because it's not an animated family comedy.

I'ma quote this one because "Linear" isn't getting as much hate as it should in this topic. Linearity is nothing more than a design choice. Some games are better linear, some games are better with multiple paths. I don't know what game everyone played that suddenly "too linear" so suddenly became such a popular reason to hate a game, but it's something people need to get over.

 

[Darkmantle]

Unoriginal .

Sick and tired of people complaining that developpers are not doing anything new , but when they do no one buys ot or the look down on ot . Bunch of hypocrites i say.

Agreed. Apparently, everyone on the Escapist thinks that every game in a series should change itself completely from the last and be almost unrecognisable. So, naturally, when a sequel does change from the last instalment even slightly, they complain in droves and proclaim it to be the worst game ever for "betraying its fans".

Quite.

I'll take Dragon Age Origins, and DA2 as a perfect example. DA:O had a significant enough number of people complaining that the tactical side of the game was too heavy. Ordering around an entire party, micromanaging everything? Far too heavy apparently.

It was then changed to a more action-orientated system, and people complained that it was too easy in comparison to DA:O. WELL OF COURSE IT'S FUCKING EASY, YOU WERE WHINGING THAT DA:O WAS TOO HARD!


Anyhoo, more on topic... I'd probably have to go with linear as well.
To be fair to it, just about every game that is created is linear. Even when you look at something like FFXIII vs FFVII. FFVII was actually very linear until about half way through disc 2, it's just you had the illusion of free will. Take going from Midgar to Nibelheim. You had to go to Kalm. You had to go to the Chocobo Farm. You had to go to Juno. Yes, the Falcon was an optional part.
You had to go to Costa Del Sol, and you had to speak to Hojo. You had to complete the Golden Saucer lock-in. You had to go via Cosmo... etc etc etc.

FFXIII was verbose with the linearity, as you physically had corridors, instead of a map.

Story telling cannot be done without linearity. Look at Skyrim. You can spend hundreds of hours fucking about, and not get a single bit of the storyline done. That's bad if you want to get a narrative over.

Basically, you either have non-linearity, or you have deep narrative. You can't have both.

I think that is more a problem with listening to vocal minorities . I bought DA:O because I LIKE the tactical micro managing side to it. I was a big player of games like balder's gate and neverwinter nights, it's the kind of game I like. so when they switched it was just a betrayal of expectations.

See, people who are satisfied with a product rarely raise a big fuss over it, so the guys who don't like it are the loudest complainers, sometimes, I would hazard to say most times, they do not represent the opinions of the fan base.

And changing DA:O to that new system was like taking 3/4 the units out of an RTS because some people were complaining that they had to decide what units to build and couldn't just spam away.