Things You Hate About Today's Gaming.

Terrible pc ports. As a mainly pc gamer (though I do own all the consoles) this makes me rage.

Hyper realism in graphics that translates to making everything brown. This is mostly a problem with shooters.

EA. Just... fucking EA.

Terrible, archaic, game breaking DRM. Also, see above.

Forced multiplayer. That is, obviously single player games that have multiplayer forced into them because the execs heard that multiplayer games sell more.

EA again.

And finally, games that have major features or characters that can only be gotten by pre-ordering at a certain store. Or multiple stores, making you choose which one you want.

Motherfucking EA.

...that I am so broke that I can not buy 2+ games a month like I did when I first graduated from college 18 years ago

... damn 18 really?

Lazy storytelling. I swear it's gotten worse lately.

Also, Kinect anything. Seriously, just stop it.

Not quite gripeworthy yet, but I'm sure it'll be soon....3D.

For now though:

1. Always-online for games that aren't focussed on (or even include) multiplayer. Yes, I can accept being always-online for WOW. No, I don't want to be always-online for Solitaire.
2. Co-op shoehorned into what-used-to-be SP games. Especially grating in games where it's blatantly obvious and the whole "Single player" campaign is a 2-player campaign with some bot next to you. Less obnoxious in a FPS (though even there...) but really horrible in RTS (Red Alert 3 for example).
3. Complete and utter conformism in all AAA titles. Yes, there's plenty of artistry and new ideas (some great, some horrible, whatever) in indies. But all AAA games can be classified in, what, 4 genres? And even in their genre, they're all the bloody same. Whether it's all MMO's being WOW clones or all shooters being Call of Duty, there's really a drought as far as different games go. Even the ones that look like they might be interesting stick far too close to "security".
4. Linked to that, the exploding budgets for graphics, voice acting and marketing make experiments impossible. It also means other parts of the game suffer.
5. Bad ports can be a killer...
6. My personal lack of time and motivation to play like I used to.

I'm going to need a few hours to write this one.

- Half assed lazy writing
- EA (may they die in a fire)
- Always online nonsense
- Needlesly cramming multiplayer into a game when the focus should be single player
- Too much emphasis on fancy graphics/physics/technodoodles while not enough on good gameplay
- Oppressive DRM that makes it more inconvenient to buy the game than to pirate it
- Multiplayer games without LAN support (I'm looking at you Blizzard... you bitch... You used to be cool)

That's all I got for now... I may think of more as the day goes on.

An over-reliance on multi-player games. You see, I like people. The folks I encounter at random during my day are, for the most part, pretty decent. The people online are mouth-breathing twits who should be forcefully sterilized. I don't want to deal with them. So nothing pisses me off more when I hear a good concept for a game and I get all excited, only to find out it's multi-player only. Or, more often, the multi-player side of the game is what the developer spent 80%-90% of their time and resources on, and the single-player modes were an afterthought. It should be a 50-50 split.

I also hate the death of turn-based strategy as a genre. There are a few good titles here and there, but RTS dominates the genre to an absurd degree.

Most of the things I hate about gaming were already mentioned, so I wont repeat them, but I hate that the Spaceflight genre is as good as dead, I miss using a Joystick.

Also,just because you can upgrade your guns,dosnt make it a FPS/RPG hybrid.

I miss Leisure Suit Larry games, the Al Lowe ones, not the crap they put out in the last couple of years.

I miss combat flight sims in general.

Aside from other things already mentioned, the idea that $50/60 is a default fucking price regardless of how much content there is, or how long it takes, or the pace with which its delivered. It's not even the $50/60 tag so much as how there's an idea of default pricing at all.

It's funny how I don't think I remember anyone ever saying "I wish I could have more contact with unknown people during my gameplay. I'd love people from across the world to be able to drop in on my game unannounced."

Not that there's anything wrong with multiplayer, but... I don't know anyone who'd want it to be in all games, always, everywhere.

sixpackshaker said:

I miss Leisure Suit Larry games, the Al Lowe ones, not the crap they put out in the last couple of years.

I miss combat flight sims in general.

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You know that he just did a Kickstarter to remake the first one, right? There is talk of doing more if this one sells well.

Gilgamesh said:

I'm guessing you're excited over the Kickstarter project then?

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AshburnerX said:

You know that he just did a Kickstarter to remake the first one, right? There is talk of doing more if this one sells well.

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You know you're not allowed to claim "ninja" if there's more than an hour between the posts, right?

Bubble181 said:

You know you're not allowed to claim "ninja" if there's more than an hour between the posts, right?

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Optimization...really?

1) Over designed characters. I even have this problem in great games like Arkham City. There's just so many gratuity done in character/costume design that it doesn't just border ridiculous, but far surpasses it. It is very possible to keep it simple and practical while still looking cool. This goes hand-in-hand with females over-sexualized in games, but that's a problem in more than just games (comics). For example, when Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke redesigned Catwoman's costume to what you see now, such as Arkham City, it was meant to be practical. Hell, she was always depicted as having the zipper actually zipped all the way up. The way she's depicted these days (both in comics and games), she has it zipped all the way down to her naval. How the hell are her tits not falling out?

Then again, the men aren't much better. Gears of War, I'm looking at you.

2) Cutscenes. Some games are worse than others, but if I'm spending more time watching than playing, then it's not a game. If I'm sitting there with my chin resting on my hand, controller resting on my lap, and thinking to myself, "Gee, this would be fun to play," then you can bet I won't be playing it for much longer. Biggest sources of this for me are things like the last couple of Final Fantasy games, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Devil May Cry 4. Numerous others, but those are the ones I point out the most with this.

3) Stupidly Expensive DLC: Once in awhile, I'll check the Team Fortress 2 store to see what they have for hats and such. Mostly out of curiosity. And I just can't fathom why anyone would spend any more than $0.99 on something like that. Yet they charge upwards of $5 a freaking hat. I can buy a REAL hat - well, a cheap one - at Walmart. Why in the fuck would I spend the same for a digital hat for one frigging game. Hell, I can spend that money buying a full game on my phone. I said the same thing when I tried out Playstation Home (basically a glorified chat server). There were various articles of clothing that sold for $10 or more. To say nothing of the homes or apartments, which were at least $15 or $20, I think. It's ridiculous. Yet, the scariest thing about all this is...people actually buy it. I've seen numerous people wearing TF2 hats that are listed in the store for $5 or more. And these are sometimes hats that were released that day.

4) A Lack of Collections: We've had some HD remakes of some games, but I don't understand why they don't just take those original games as they are and release them on one disc. Can you imagine a single disc with all the Final Fantasy games, from 1 all the way to 10? Given the BluRay's space, it wouldn't surprise me they could fit them all on one disc (maybe two). Instead of releasing a buggy remake of the Silent Hill games, why not just throw in the original PS1 game and the PS2 games all on one disc as is? The whole idea of collection of older games is to see their progression. That's why I loved having the old Sierra collections, like King's Quest, Space Quest, etc. You could see from the very beginning the progression of how each game and its technology improved.

5) The Sims: This is part of my "fuck you, EA" but there's something about The Sims that always bothered me: they're up to The Sims 3 now, yet they've released the same expansion three times so far. Pets has been released for Sims 1 through 3. Ditto for Vacation or Hot Date. They're basically the same thing with a few different bells and whistles every time.

Of course, I might be pissed because they've yet to make a Sims 3: University. That was my favourite expansion of Sims 2.

6) EA Sports Games: Speaking of shit that's barely changed. Of all the games that could not only easily just be digital, but free-to-play, this is it. Instead of having baskets and baskets full of used copies of last year's game, why not release it digitally and charge DLC for updates and such? The most hardcore are going to buy it, anyway. At least then, I wouldn't have to see stacks of NHL '07 and up in the used bins.

7) Digital Copy Same Price as Physical: Seriously, this one just pisses me off to no end.

Agh so much. I've basically quit playing video games, partly due to time constraints, but also more and more I am forced to decide: is the disappointment/frustration worth my money? And I keep coming up with: no. I have a Companion Cube tattooed on my wrist, though, so I basically have to defend Portal to the death as the best game ever, even when they release Portal 5: FIFA (Master Chief Edition) where the companion cube is the ball.

Specific things I hate:
Linearity. There's a good image out there somewhere with a map layout from the early 90's and all it's mazes, and a map layout from a current shooter: it's a straightline with points marked "Cutscene".

Cutscenes: Fuck you.

Alright, I'll elaborate: in StarCraft, there were like 3 cutscenes per race, they were kinda cool, animation that, as a kid, made go "Whoa that's basically realistic!" and short. Now it seems like cutscenes are hours, and some games are just entirely cutscenes. I quit playing Metal Gear 4 because I couldn't with stepstepstep- I HOPE YOU DON'T NEED TO PEE FOR THE NEXT 45 MINUTES- stepstephidefromadude- OH WHAT NOW MORE TALKING ABOUT KILLING AND HOW IT'S BAD AND NOT GOOD. I rented the first F.E.A.R game, and after the opening cutscene, you're dropped into this sketchy building... you spend ten minutes climbing up and getting JUMP SCARES (it wears off after the second one), and then when you reach the roof, you get hit in the head with a wooden plank and there's another cutscene.

Morality: I suppose this is a limit of programming and time, but holy crap. It's just too binary. And then the 'different' endings are so extreme: everyone is dead because of you, or everyone found true love and nothing has ever gone wrong since.

Sandboxes: if you say it's a sandbox... I think Saint's Row 2 is like the perfect sandbox game. I can go anywhere and do anything, and that is basically unqualified. I can do whatever the balls I want. I can look like anything, wear anything, use anything, murder a person, help a person, spray a person with sewage... But games advertise themselves on their 'sandbox' qualities and then just suck suck suck and are filled with limits. Prototype, for instance, made you gain certain upgrades or abilities, whereas with SR2 you could go anywhere you wanted, you just risked being on rival gang turf.

I'll probably come back to this, but I'ma go cook dinner.[DOUBLEPOST=1346197311][/DOUBLEPOST]

ThatNickGuy said:

7) Digital Copy Same Price as Physical: Seriously, this one just pisses me off to no end.

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+1 000 000 000

I share a lot of the complaints here, but to the people complaining about EA's DRM? Ubisoft friends, Ubisoft Uplay and GFWL are much worse than Origin (and Origin is PC AIDS).

Chad Sexington said:

Morality: I suppose this is a limit of programming and time, but holy crap. It's just too binary. And then the 'different' endings are so extreme: everyone is dead because of you, or everyone found true love and nothing has ever gone wrong since.

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Obsidian games are almost all there is where it comes to doing this right. Oh, also CD Projekt Red.

Frank said:

I share a lot of the complaints here, but to the people complaining about EA's DRM? Ubisoft friends, Ubisoft Uplay and GFWL are much worse than Origin (and Origin is PC AIDS).

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Yeah, I hate EA for a lot of reasons, but DRM-wise, they might actually be the least of the three Prime Evils. Uplay and GFWL really are that bad. Of course, both of those and Origin are all three always-online DRM in the guise of "player connectivity", "cloud sourcing", "better service and support", "more regular updates" and "continued support", which are all nonsense and none of which requires an always-online secondary program running next to your game.
Battle.net 2.0 isn't that far behind, though at least it doesn't have a client.

I don't have a problem with DRM. I understand companies need to take measures to protect their intellectual property. I do have a problem with DRM that is intrusive, stupidly designed, or outright harmful, and hurts the legitimate paying customer without inconveniencing the pirates or reducing piracy.

I don't have a problem with DLC. I understand that DLC can be a good way to offer additional content, should the player want it. I do have a problem with DLC that is designed to nickel and dime customers to death, or obvious money grabs that add little value to the game experience. Soon all the meat will be DLC and the base game will be nothing but bare bones, and I don't feel like paying 60 bucks for bare bones.

I don't have a problem with multiplayer. I understand that the game experience may be enhanced when playing with someone else. I do have a problem with multiplayer shoehorned into a game or a series that really doesn't need it. I do have a problem with developers focusing on the multiplayer aspect of a game at the expense of the single player experience.

I don't have a problem with bugs and glitches. I understand that games are growing more complex, and that optimizing games for every single possible computer configuration, including video cards, RAM, CPU etc, is probably not a feasible task. I do have a problem with games released in a state of obvious beta (or even obvious alpha), with the company doing little to nothing to fix it afterwards. Instead they rely on fan patches. This includes crappy ports.

I don't have a problem with companies wanting to make money. I understand the bottom line is ultimately what keeps a company in existence. I do have a problem with companies trying to pass off unscrupulous moneymaking attempts as "adding value" for customers. No, installing Origin does not add any value to my gaming experience.

I don't have a problem with lengthy development times. I understand that a late game is only late until it's released, while a bad game is bad forever. But Half-Life 2: Episode 3 needs to be fucking released already, Valve!!!!!!

ThatNickGuy said:

6) EA Sports Games: Speaking of shit that's barely changed. Of all the games that could not only easily just be digital, but free-to-play, this is it. Instead of having baskets and baskets full of used copies of last year's game, why not release it digitally and charge DLC for updates and such? The most hardcore are going to buy it, anyway. At least then, I wouldn't have to see stacks of NHL '07 and up in the used bins.

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This. I'll never understand why these Madden idiots are so willing to plunk down 60 bucks every August for this year's version which is JUST like last year's version, except a feature or two & roster updates. At least this year they added voice commands via Kinect on the 360, which is something. But honestly, MAYBE if you add enough features you could ask 20 bucks.

My thing, as I mentioned in my Ubisoft thread, is the gimmicks they throw in for achievement hunters to ensure added hours played. The first I remember was the Lambdas in HL2 (or whatever version the Orange box was). Find them all, get an achievement. Uh-oh, game's over & I didn't get the acheevo, gotta go back & look for the one(s) I missed. Then there were the pigeons in GTA4 (I actually DID this one). The orbs in Crackdown, the gears in GoW, Riddler trophies, dog tags, computer intel, golden film reels, etc etc. Fuck it. I've decided that I'll get what I can get on my ONE playthrough, and IF I'm 98% complete, I might go back and complete the set.

Necronic said:

Honestly I hate the gamers the most. They're the ones creating demand for crappy MMO after MMO. They are the ones that push for graphics over content. They're the reason I won't ever see another Turn Based Tactical Combat game, or another Dungeon Keeper, but I will definitely see another "open ended" Bioware game or another round of "Will Wright creates garbage but gets called a genius."

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redthirtyone said:

My thing, as I mentioned in my Ubisoft thread, is the gimmicks they throw in for achievement hunters to ensure added hours played. The first I remember was the Lambdas in HL2 (or whatever version the Orange box was). Find them all, get an achievement. Uh-oh, game's over & I didn't get the acheevo, gotta go back & look for the one(s) I missed. Then there were the pigeons in GTA4 (I actually DID this one). The orbs in Crackdown, the gears in GoW, Riddler trophies, dog tags, computer intel, golden film reels, etc etc. Fuck it. I've decided that I'll get what I can get on my ONE playthrough, and IF I'm 98% complete, I might go back and complete the set.

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The Lambdas really shouldn't count for this... finding a Lambda was a reward in itself, as you would always find health, armor, or ammo at a Lambda catch. You wanted to find them all because finding them all had a tangible effect on helping you finish the game. That they made it an achievement (which doesn't DO anything for you usually) really isn't that dastardly.

Totally there with you on achievements redthirtyone. I don't mind so much if it's a sandbox-style game where you can keep playing after you've finished. Or being allowed to restart with all your previous upgrades.

Although, with that said, that reminds me of another major pet peeve of mine:

Achievements/Trophies, but no In-Game Rewards: Jesus Christ, this pisses me off. Remember with GTA III, where for every 10 (or 20?) hidden packages, there'd be something new waiting for you back at your hideout? Or getting some sweet rewards for finishing a side mission? These days, you'd be lucky to even get a trophy for all the hard work. I mean, look at the latest Spider-Man game (Amazing Spider-Man). A crapload of side stuff to do, including a bunch of comic book pages to collect. It gives you XP, sure, but it's easy to max out everything halfway through the game (same as many games if you do the side missions). After that, what's the point aside from the trophy? Oh, extra costumes? Sorry, you have to do OTHER stuff for that.

I think part of the problem these days is that most games have some sort of RPG levelling system. So all the side stuff gives you experience to buy upgrades rather than earning them through side missions. But you would think that they would still reward you with some fun stuff for taking the time to play the game longer than just finishing it.

I never played it. It was all I could find for new turn based tactics.

That link should have had a question mark behind it.

Here are some of my favorite games of all time:
Ogre Battle
Ogre Battle 64
FF: Tactics
Dragon Force
Brigandine

They all have three key elements in common: highly customizable armies set in a rich fantasy setting, complex turn-based combat, interesting stories. To my knowledge, there are exactly ZERO games like those on the market nowadays*.


*I don't own a handheld (3DS, Vita, etc.) and never will, so I don't pay attention to those formats. I want these games on a PC or console, dammit.

Going to wax independent here, and since I rotate through games pretty rarely, much of this is going to be about things I hate on principle.

When I buy a game, I want it to do what it says on the box for as long as I own both it and a machine capable of running it. Requiring me to be always online during play means that someday your game is going to go belly-up and I will no longer be able to play it. I don't care how successful you are, if I like your game enough to be still playing it 15 years from now, It needs to still work, dammit. Obviously I don't complain about this with MMOs, since they are pretty much defined by their online experience, but for games with no online content, this is quite a peeve.

The same thing goes for intrusive DRM. It's not my fault if your authentication server goes down or your company goes bankrupt. It's also not my fault if I decide to upgrade my computer to an OS which is incompatible with your 3rd party DRM provider. Your game should still work.

Nonskippable cutscenes are a real drag also. The same thing goes for tutorials which add nothing to the game after your tenth playthrough. Just give me the option to skip the tutorial and get a flat 1200xp or something rather than having to sit through the painfully slow hand-holding of the intro process.

The whole "We'll fix it later in a patch" attitude needs to die. Again, I want what's in the box to do what it says on the box when I take it out of the box. I understand there will be unforeseen issues which will be addressed in upcoming patches, but they had better be things that nobody could see coming, or critical game balance issues that were missed due to the sheer impossibility of testing every configuration, and not "Oh hey, we added an entirely new chapter that you couldn't access because it was broken at launch." The same sort of attitude applies to DLC. Any DLC should expand the play experience, not "fix" it. It's one thing to purchase an expansion pack later. Fan feedback can inspire a dev team to add some pretty awesome stuff after the fact, but DLC should not be something you "unlock." I realize the difference between virtual content and physical content, but if 25% of the disc is taken up by stuff that I have to pay extra for later, just take it off the disc entirely and put it on another disc labeled "expansion pack 1" and sell it separately.

Also, character design should take a back seat to storyline. 'nuff said.

--Patrick