Backloading the gameplay - This is probably my number one pet peeve out of the whole bunch, I can forgive and grumble less about the other six but this just bugs me to no end and it is easily the single worst gameplay design that Square ever introduced into the genre. Basically, this means that the bulk of the gameplay is available in the last part of the game instead of being evenly placed throughout the game, I'm talking about leaving all the sidequests to be opened up when its time to go to the final dungeon BS or in the case of games like FFX and XIII where the gameplay sucks until the game finally starts to open up all the elements of the gameplay or finally throws enemies worthy of the battle system at you in the 11th hour. No, I don't care how awesome you think your story is and no I don't want the gameplay to be dumbed down so the people who are only here for the plot can play the game without grinding. smurf you I spent money to play a game, not watch you fap about trying to be Steven Spielberg.

Loot Systems - I've seen these done well, and I've seen these done terribly but either way I just don't like them cause I never feel like the designers give it a proper balance to make me less aware of it. I like it conceptually but it I hate having to grind for loot/money and every loot system I've seen always has an unequal supply/demand element whereas typical money drops are generally more balanced depending on the game. The other annoying thing about loot systems is they allow designers to implement...

Fetch Quests - This one is a two parter! There is the obvious MMO Fetch Quest which are the lazy designers means of making a sidequest that balloons gameplay time without having any fun value to it. Listen MMO can get away with this cause they have the social element to make them less annoying but I don't have the time to sit around and collect 16 Rabbit tails for little Suzy's fur coat, Little Suzy is a selfish biotch and I hope PETA pours paint on it when its done. The other side of this is the old game design version of it of which the Mana series is a bit susceptible as are SRPGs where the plot demand me to stop what I'm doing in the plot to travel around the globe to collect four McGuffins so I can finally move onto the more interesting parts of the story. No this isn't compelling writing, this is padding plain and simple. Sometimes this can be done decently but it is also prone to being done poorly as well. Just say no...

Oversexualized fetish bait females - Most prevalent in JRPGs though Western games are just as bad, but JRPGs tend to take this to creepy fetishistic levels. Like having the jailbate characters like Rikku have a eerie cutscene of her changing out of an outfit which mainly focuses on her ass, or Vanille having an orgasm every time she uses her summon. Besides sexulaizing chicks that are partially illegal in most developed nations you also just get the chainmail bikinis or the jiggle physics (I'm looking at you Xenoblade) or the fact that some characters costumes look like they were pulled out of a lingerie store. It is starting to get to the point where I can't take your games seriously anymore or it gets distracting cause I'm seeing so much skin. When your female cast looks and dresses like the same archetypes seen on porn sites, maybe you need to take the team out and get them laid so they can comeback and actually create some characters that hold a semblance of reality.

Trivializing Shops/Equipment - Any game that has tried to remove shops as important elements, or heaven help us, remove the value of equipment in combat is always a broken game. I've yet to really see a game that removes or trivializes shops and equipment and not be a lousy game for some reason or other. Hell any game where your stats are 90% more important than your gear is always a warning sign to me that this game is going to fall into some really unbalanced territory. Besides I like customizing my character with gear and I actually enjoy the town/shop design of RPGs.

Linear Dungeon Design - Again, something I've rarely seen done well. I prefer a bit more substance in my dungeon design, hell I'll take bad platforming or obnoxious puzzles over a dungeon that is just a straight shot. This is largely cause I feel dungeons need more variety beyond graphics and because its rare for a battle system to be so awesome that it can be the sole form of gameplay entertainment.

Telling me how to feel - I hate games that try to egg me on to what I should be feeling. Don't build up something that I know will be bad and expect me to be bothered by it. This was a prime complaint against XIII where I never felt anything for Cocoon, the game is acting like we need to save it but I honestly kept asking why bother? As a writer and world designer, I should be introduced to an awesome world I come to care about, not be thrown into the fold and told that "hey go save the world cause its the right thing to do" I don't roll like that and I am not someone who is spurned on by emotion so trying to appeal to my sense of humanity with no effort of making me feel attached is going to work.