Your gaming "kryptonite"

[Smallfry]

What this is, is basically things that cripple either your gaming experience or the game itself for you. Mine would be multiple boss battles one after the other. Don't get me wrong, an epic boss battle here and there is a good thing, but if you have 3 or 4 bosses all lined up?

So tell me, Escapist, what is your gaming "kryptonite"?

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

Any game which has very difficult environmental puzzles.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Item Creation/Alchemy as a core mechanic of gameplay.

Fuck. You. NIS.

Especially the systems that basically require a guide and hours of grinding to get the most out of.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Metal Gear Solid 3.

I love the game, but I suck at it.

Probably because the controls are absolutely foreign to me.

 

[Miles000]

Loading Screens that don't fit in.

At least Portal 2's loading screens made sense.

 

[DoctorPhil]

A game being too easy or the story beingt too bad can completely kill all interest I have in a game, even though the gameplay might be the best thing ever.

 

[inFAMOUSCowZ]

cheap games, like Call of Duty on veteran. A guy blind firing from across the courtyard and killing you instantly isnt hard its cheap. Also underwater levels, lost me a bit at DMC and GoD of War. And mario, just underwater=/= fun.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Loading Screens that don't fit in.

At least Portal 2's loading screens made sense.

Mass Effect 2 somehow made me want the elevators back...

 

[AbstractStream]

Metal Gear Solid 3.

I love the game, but I suck at it.

Probably because the controls are absolutely foreign to me.

Funny you should mention it.
Rapid switch of controls is my gaming kryptonite. For example, I've been playing a game on my PSP where X is to confirm certains options and square for attacks, but then I just recently put in MGS 3 where O is to confirm and triangle is the action button. It takes me a bit to adapt back to it.

But if that doesn't count as kryptonite, I'd say too many sidequests...or open endings.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

When it's obvious that finishing the game will leave you without a single inspiring thought or emotion.

 

[madriani]

Games that were awesome about five years ago, but failed to age well...
I'm looking at you Sanity's Darkness: Eternal Requiem!

 

[AnikM]

Long or frequent loading times are enough for me to commit mass murder.

 

[iblis666]

being forced to play with people

 

[Feralcentaur]

Puzzles, even the most basic ones can get me stuck.
For instance, there was seriously a part in Half life 2 before you got to Ravenholm where you have to break a lock on a door with your Crow-Bar, and it took me 40 minutes to find that out and it would've taken more if I didn't look up the walk through...Needles to say, I didn't enjoy Orcarina of Time either.

 

[Smallfry]

I've got another one. AI that appears to have been programed by a 5 year old. The Bloodwing in Borderlands I found to be notorious for this. I ordered it to attack the boss character.

What does it do?

It attacks the MIDGET standing ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROOM.

 

[gamer_parent]

it's actually surprisingly easy for me to lose interest in a game. There are a huge list of things that can easily turn me off of the game even before I gave it a fair shake

- narrative dissonance between how powerful my character is supposed to be vs. how powerful they actually are. i.e. a superman game where superman gets taken down by a single stray bullet, Contra style? sorry.

- games that give you missions to collect multiple items of the same type. i.e. collecting 12 wolf pelts or some such. Doubly so if the act of collecting these items are not fun in the first place.

- narrative dissonance through characterization is another big one. Certain types of characterization are just too foreign to make any sense in certain settings. i.e. a far flung post apocalyptic setting with a genki school girl? sorry, doesn't work for me.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Mine would be multiple boss battles one after the other. Don't get me wrong, an epic boss battle here and there is a good thing, but if you have 3 or 4 bosses all lined up?

It isn't so bad when they heal you in between fights but that hardly ever happens. I hate when you get those but what's worse are old-school final bosses. The most recent example I can think of would be The Wizard from Castle Crashers who has 4 or 5 different forms that you must kill before the game is officially beaten (story mode anyway). Not kryptonite, just an annoyance.

What I really, really can't stand are current platformers like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. You think you've found the ledge you need to climb onto but no: that's background and that background will make you die. Not necessarily die but still...Stupid adventure games...

 

[Death God]

Bosses with regenerating health if you don't keep beating them to death. If I take a second to let my fingers rest from button mashing for 5 minutes straight, the big boss shouldn't be getting health back!

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

Levels where you have to guide a helpless npc some where.