Outdated/Annoying gaming mechanics?

Megalodon

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May 14, 2010
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Quite a specific one, but why can I only have one save per game in pokemon games? I understand back in the Gamebot/GBA days, when the device didn't have its own memorey and space on a cartride is limited. By what harm would there be in letting me use some of that SD card in the DS for multiple save files?
 

The Funslinger

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Sep 12, 2010
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WouldYouKindly said:
Lives systems. I've never quite gotten why Nintendo feels obligated to keep them for some games, Mario games in particular.

Head bob, camera sway, whatever you want to call it can go the way of the dodo as well.

Obligatory gameplay change that is dropped immediately after the segment where it's relevant. If I spend 15 minutes fighting in zero gravity or some such awesomeness, it should be a hell of a lot longer than 15 minutes. In other words, stop abandoning mechanics for a one off bit that you could design a good game around.
Agreed. For example, the space fight section and its immediately succeeding zero gravity section in Halo: Reach were the best part of the game, and wasted potential.
 

Lightknight

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Nov 26, 2008
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Swimming or the inability to swim. Oh man, I still haven't figured out swimming in Uncharted 3 and drowing in the GTA games was hilariously frustrating. At least inFamous 1 and 2 actually made some sense but not when you consider he has to eat foods with water in them and drink water. Not to mention wondering how much he must stink without ever being able to shower.
 

krazykidd

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Mar 22, 2008
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Playing a game with a controller and to a lesser extent (or greater extent depending on who you ask) a mouse and keybord . Comon guys it's 2013 , embrace the kinect ! Where YOU are the controller . Motion controlles is the way of the future ! Thank the heavens that Microsoft is selling the Xbone with a free kinect ! They are so nice :3 .

[small] this is a joke btw [/small]

OT: while i don't mind tank controlls with the older games like Resident evil , dino crisis and fear effect , i would hate for a modern game to have controls like that ... Unless driving an actual tank.
 

TheEvilGenius

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Apr 18, 2010
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Regenerating health. It works for games like Call of Duty, sure. But not every shooter needs to have it. Nothing makes tension like hiding from the enemy because you know their next shot might kill you.
 

Gatx

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Jul 7, 2011
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I hate it when you beat a boss, and then the cutscene shows the boss getting the upper hand all of a sudden. I mean damn, if it's a "supposed to lose" battle then just make it so it's impossible to win and let us continue by losing so the cutscene makes some damn sense.
Megalodon said:
Quite a specific one, but why can I only have one save per game in pokemon games? I understand back in the Gamebot/GBA days, when the device didn't have its own memorey and space on a cartride is limited. By what harm would there be in letting me use some of that SD card in the DS for multiple save files?
Sometimes I get the urge to replay White, but I ended up getting some promo Pokemon on my file, and I've traded with friends as well, so I just can't bring myself to restart it. Damn you, Nintendo!
 

Flutterguy

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Jun 26, 2011
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turret sections, HOuse of the Dead style games get a pass on this because they do it well.
 

someonehairy-ish

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Mar 15, 2009
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At this point there's not much excuse to do things in a cutscene that it's possible to do whilst at least partially in - control. Some games get away with it, but not a lot. Also, overly long execution animations, and about 90% of QTEs.
 

MaAlGon3

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Nov 5, 2011
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Characters who take fucking forever to drink a potion or use an item, mostly to give the enemy a chance to attack you (i'm looking at you, Monster Hunter)
 

waj9876

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Jan 14, 2012
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Instead of making a fight harder than can actually be won, they make it a normal fight you can win, only to have you lose for no explainable reason during the cutscene.

I was kicking your ass! Why is my character the one on the floor bleeding to death!?
 

Lightknight

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Nov 26, 2008
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Oh, can't forget quick time events during story scenes. Are they just supposed to keep my attention? If the story is that boring then it shouldn't be happening.
 

Saulkar

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Aug 25, 2010
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Driving fast in vehicles forcing wider turn radius instead of keeping roughly the same turning speed but the threat of sliding out or rolling over.

Forced linear paths, invisible walls, non dynamic physical combat based upon a psuedosimulation of the physiology, mental, and physical state of the character that does not take into account weight, gravity, and momentum (something euphoria could theoretically subvert), scripted plot forwarding events, no choice, health bars, and physically fit characters that cannot dynamically climb obstacles in the environment. - Everything that has atrophied while graphics got better to the point that not being able to do even a third of the above is jarring to me.

kill walls.

Not really a mechanic but games whose gameplay do not fit the atmosphere.

Not having the same abilities as depicted in cutscenes.
 

HellbirdIV

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May 21, 2009
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I'm going to have to say quick-time events/buttonmashing sequences. I have never in my life played a game where QTEs added to a game rather than detract from it.

"OH NO A ZOMBIE HAS GOT YOU, BETTER MASH THAT USE KEY TO ESCAPE IT!" Hey here's a better idea, how about I use my movement controls to move away from the zombie, perhaps utilizing the combat rolling mechanics you've implemented to help gain some distance since combat rolling is completley useless in firefights where I need to sit behind a chest-high wall instead?

Everything else, including things like vehicle/fixed turret sections, lives systems and escort missions all have their place in a game and can be used to structure gameplay. But QTEs? It exists solely to take control away from the player in a cutscene, artificially lengthening "gameplay" by having you go back if you fail - It very nearly got me to quit Tomb Raider, but I stuck through it because my friend said the QTEs end soon after and lo and behold, the game became twenty times better as a result.
 

porous_shield

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Jan 25, 2012
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Games that have characters that constantly nag you while you're trying to do other stuff. It's great characters in your game can talk and can somewhat keep track of what's going on in the game but now I wish they would shut up. This also goes for quips a character or side character make that become grating after the millionth time.

Games that have on screen prompts for the buttons you need to push, but if you change them, doesn't show the button anymore or shows the wrong button.

Games with secrets and multiple paths that won't let you backtrack. For example, there are two doors and you go through one and the games locks the door behind you preventing you from going to check the other door.

I think the gaming industry should have moved pass this stuff. These are things we've been complaining about for years and it's still common.
 

hermes

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Gatx said:
I hate it when you beat a boss, and then the cutscene shows the boss getting the upper hand all of a sudden. I mean damn, if it's a "supposed to lose" battle then just make it so it's impossible to win and let us continue by losing so the cutscene makes some damn sense.
That is pretty disgusting. Specially because: if you fail to beat the boss, its game over; and, if you do beat him, even with "perfect", its still going to brag about how you can't touch him and he is so much powerful.

Come on, RTS has been making failable stages for decades now. Its not like they did it not to break the immersion of the gameplay, given that they included 20 minutes cutscenes!
 

MCerberus

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Hey, this unskippable fluff intro cutscene leads directly into an insulting unskippable tutorial where we learn that using the left stick moves your character.

Hey, the game noticed me trying to skip this. Let's pause the game!
 

Syzygy23

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Sep 20, 2010
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Lennie Briscoe said:
Arbitrarily huge jumps in difficulty while you near the game's end.

I get you're trying to up the ante a bit, but do you really have to throw entire regiments of the game's toughest enemies at me?

Bonus points if it's one of those "cinematic experience" games, where it just serves to kill the end-game pacing.
I dunno, if it's done wrong, that certainly can suck. Depending on the context of the game and it's story, doing it right makes the game feel awesome and makes the player feel like a badass. Case in point, Dragons Dogma. At the beginning of th game, you're struggling to fight bandits. By the end, you're murdering Arch-Hydras, Various flavors of Wyrm, and Beholders by the dozens. The Dark Arisen expansion ups the ante even MORE and it is DELICIOUS.

As for the main topic, friggin' footwork and 10-Bear-Asses missions. It's one thing to send me all the way out to then ends of the earth or earth-like analogue to get your ten bear asses, but making me WALK ALL THE WAY BACK? I've usually neutralized EVERYTHING on the way to the bear asses, can't you just fade to black and ASSUME I walked all the way back instead of wasting my time doing nothing?
 

Syzygy23

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Lightknight said:
Swimming or the inability to swim. Oh man, I still haven't figured out swimming in Uncharted 3 and drowing in the GTA games was hilariously frustrating. At least inFamous 1 and 2 actually made some sense but not when you consider he has to eat foods with water in them and drink water. Not to mention wondering how much he must stink without ever being able to shower.
He can ingest and handle small amounts of water (Sponge baths and drinking). They either explained that in the second one or in a tie in comic, I can't remember which, I just remember they did explain it.
 

Ushiromiya Battler

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Feb 7, 2010
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Lightknight said:
Swimming or the inability to swim. Oh man, I still haven't figured out swimming in Uncharted 3 and drowing in the GTA games was hilariously frustrating. At least inFamous 1 and 2 actually made some sense but not when you consider he has to eat foods with water in them and drink water. Not to mention wondering how much he must stink without ever being able to shower.
Wait a minute... Does it ever rain in Infamous? I can't remember and shouldn't that have killed the poor bastard?

OT: Checkpoint driven games where you can't save on quit... I simply hate that, I get the whole not letting people quicksave since it's rarely a challenge, but seriously. Let me save when I quit.

EDIT: Lvl scaling and the atrocious scaling from Skyrim. Hurr Hurr, I'm a dragonkiller, but I can't kill bears.
 

Machine Man 1992

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Jul 4, 2011
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Two weapon limits and regenerating health.

I'm so sick of every FPS having this, I just want to go back to the days of carrying huge numbers of weapons and having a health bar that I can actually friggin' see.