Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 54

Thread: Crap in games that people bitch about that doesn't bother you.

  1. #1
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Nowhere and Everywhere
    Posts
    19,544
    Articles
    60
    Blog Entries
    27
    Contributions
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Colbert Crap in games that people bitch about that doesn't bother you.

    To shake up the usual "games people hate you like" let's break this concept down further and just focus on the elements that probably made people dislike the game in the first place.

    Amnesia!?! - It's cliche as all hell, but it's rarely done poorly, so even if I do roll my eyes when it's initially brought up, I can still roll with the whole game and not be bothered.

    Trial and Error Gameplay - I blame this on my early roots of gaming being in the arcade scene so I'm usually not as discouraged by cheap deaths brought upon by needing to memorize the level layout, enemy placement, or boss patterns. I feel it's why my recent marathon of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Bloodborne was pretty positive overall. It's also why I don't really mind when a MegaTen game decides to cut me down to size cause I'm taking too many risks or not pre-planning the eventual run in with instant death magic that works.

    Dungeon Crawler Design - Maybe it's because I can compartmentalize the segregation of story and gameplay, thus I feel a dungeon should be about gameplay first, story second or perhaps it's the fact I generally find "scenic" or "set-piece" style dungeon design to be usually shallow from a fun gameplay perspective; but I honestly don't have issues with dungeon crawler dungeon design. What I mean is, I don't mind when it's obvious the designer just copy/pasted the same wall and floor textures and built a maze for you to get loss in. So for instance, I don't mind sewer dungeons at all since they are notorious for this kind of design. I'm usually more annoyed when the dungeon looks pretty and like a real place, but it's obvious it's all background and you're stuck on a simple road just admiring the scenery.

    Silent Protagonist - I've seen them done well, I've seen them done poorly, they don't really bother me.

    Impossible Secrets - Perhaps it's because I tend to play through most of my games two or three times before I shelve it for good, and thus I'm just prepared to go through a game and know I'll miss something; but this never bothered me. I know people whine about these kind of things being simple bait for the $20 strategy guide the designers want you to buy along with it, but I feel this argument is still a bit shallow in our internet age where I could discover crap like the Zodiac Spear on Day 1 by going to GameFaqs. I think part of this also stems from the fact that I feel a game where it's possible to accomplish everything in one playthrough is ultimately boring in design.

    Obvious Gameplay Mechanic Handicaps - No I'm not talking about the terrible out of nowhere stealth mission, I'm talking about things like a Stamina Gauge to limit your running or climbing, breakable gear, things like Vagrant Story's Risk System. If it makes sense and the trade-off works, I don't mind these types of handicaps. Again, I've seen some of these done well and some of them done poorly, but many games I really like actually incorporate these types of elements and I feel it makes the game richer for it. I feel it only fails when the mechanic seriously hampers the flow of the game even when you are playing well, and thus you can't really improve your situation.

  2. #2
    Radical Dreamer Fynn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Tower of the Swallow
    Posts
    18,929
    Articles
    57
    Blog Entries
    16

    FFXIV Character

    Fynnek Zoryasch (Twintania)
    Contributions
    • Former Editor
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    Off the top of my head - turn-based combat, long cutscenes, complicated stories. Also, a lot of things you mentioned like silent protagonists and missables.

  3. #3

    Default

    Boss fights that are easy gameplay-wise. As long as they're satisfying from a story and atmosphere perspective, I'm cool, barring a few exceptions.

    A generic protagonist. Not necessarily a silent one, just one that doesn't stand out. As long as the rest of the cast is memorable, I'm fine with the main hero being a bit of a vanilla cipher.

    Choices that don't drastically alter the storyline. Come at me, Telltale haters.

  4. #4

    Default

    Winning a boss fight in gameplay only for the plot to say "nope."

    "Evil" choices. Any choice in any game can be portrayed as stupid and evil. That's why you should have as many choices as possible.

    Linearity. FFX shows linearity is just fine if done properly.

  5. #5

    Default

    Linearity.

    I'll take some fantastic level design, gorgeous settings, and a much more straightforward story over an empty open world game.
    Last edited by Scruffington; 05-27-2017 at 05:01 AM.


    Pull my Devil Trigger!

  6. #6

    Default

    Unskippable cutscenes only really bother me when they're right before a challenging moment that warrants several tries. Otherwise I don't care. When I'm playing a game I'm playing it for the story as well.

    Impossible secrets also aren't bad (they're secret after all) unless they're also missable. Like four random chests that you're not supposed to open without notice that cause an item to become a 0.01% drop. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be salty over something like that.

    I've seen a lot of people not like DS adn Wii U touch screens. Were motion controls better? They stylus is actually responsive.

  7. #7
    Witch of Theatergoing Karifean's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wandering the Kakera
    Posts
    3,933
    Articles
    1
    Blog Entries
    146

    Default

    Melodrama.

  8. #8
    Huh? Flower?! What the hell?! Administrator Psychotic's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Posts
    53,267
    Articles
    71

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by KleinerKiller View Post
    Choices that don't drastically alter the storyline. Come at me, Telltale haters.
    Oh alright, I'll bite

    I don't have a problem with having choices not matter in the overwhelming majority of games because it's technically unfeasible. However, when Telltale's whole shtick is that your choices matter and they go out of their way to tell you this at the start of each game it's a letdown that they don't.

    I'm not a Telltale hater, though. I really love the stories that they craft and am fond of many of their excellent characters. But after having played through a few of them and realising there's actually very little going on under the hood the spell has been broken and I prefer to watch other people Let's Play them now. It's like when you find out wrestling isn't real when you're a kid. I can appreciate it for what it is, but the tension I once felt at having to make some gut wrenching calls has evaporated because I know there's nothing at stake.

    Oh, actually, I take it back. If they don't come out with The Wolf Among Us Season 2 soon you can label me a Telltale hater.

  9. #9
    Master of Kittens Galuf's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Shot land.
    Posts
    3,639
    Blog Entries
    4

    FFXIV Character

    Galina Astrum (Ragnarok)

    Default

    FFX and FXIII linearity. Maybe in ffxiii its annoying a bit. But in ffx wether intentional or not. I think fits with the game very well but people hate the linearity and I can see why but honestly doesnt bother me at all.

  10. #10

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Karifean View Post
    Melodrama.
    Does this come up a lot? I honestly thought I was in the minority for being particular about my drama. I think Wolf and/or Fynn sometimes join in when I give Japan crap for not knowing the difference between drama and melodrama. But they are writing aficionados like myself so we appreciate similar things in game writing

  11. #11
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Nowhere and Everywhere
    Posts
    19,544
    Articles
    60
    Blog Entries
    27
    Contributions
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Vyk View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Karifean View Post
    Melodrama.
    Does this come up a lot? I honestly thought I was in the minority for being particular about my drama. I think Wolf and/or Fynn sometimes join in when I give Japan crap for not knowing the difference between drama and melodrama. But they are writing aficionados like myself so we appreciate similar things in game writing
    I think the three of us bitch so loud and so often, it feels like it comes up a lot.

  12. #12

    Default

    The term melodrama is misused anyway. Melodrama is just fine as an art form and, indeed, most JRPGs are so over-the-top that melodrama is an appropriate term.

    Why I don't care if Virgil in Xenosaga monologues on top of his robot while the aliens politely wait for him to stop. Heavy-handed? You betcha but the story is written that way so I don't care.

  13. #13

    Default

    Linear games ( sorta ) if it's extremely linear like FF XIII then okay, but if it has some dungeons and towns etc, then what's the issue ? Really prefer linear games too, rather than the big ( usually) empty Open Worlds.

  14. #14
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Falling on your head
    Posts
    16,902
    Articles
    119
    Blog Entries
    133

    FFXIV Character

    Pumpkin Contrary (Sargatanas)
    Contributions
    • Former Editor
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    -Cute animu characters
    -More story than gameplay
    -Not difficult and challenging

  15. #15
    'Just Friends' Formalhaut's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Glenwood
    Posts
    13,325
    Articles
    54
    Blog Entries
    5

    Default

    A game being easy. I mean, sure, I want there to be some resistance - I don't want a cakewalk of a game - but at the same time I don't mind a game that is on the easier side of the scale.

    Linear games are also fine. Not everything has to be open-world. I mean I do enjoy those games as well.

    Oh, and a story one: wholesome good characters. I know some people find characters who are just simplistically 'good' and kind-hearted to be too simple, and would like characters with more shades of grey, but I'm happy enough if my character is just a good person. I'm fine playing as a pure Paragon Shepard or doing all the 'right' choices.


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •