Video game pet peeves.

[JohnBM01]

This is probably biggest gaming pet peeve especially of late. What is that? Simple- graphics over gameplay. The presumption most people make is that ugly-looking games aren't worth playing or aren't as fun as more "beautiful" titles. We have a saying that goes "beauty captures the eye, but personality captures the heart." Even the prettiest of titles can still be a hot mess of fail to play. You want games that look "ugly" but can still be great to play? Here are two games: "Minecraft" and "Fist of Awesome." I actually think Minecraft is beautiful even if it doesn't look like Crysis or Project CARS. "Fist of Awesome" may not be like the Final Fight games or even Streets of Rage, but the action does get to be pretty intense even if the graphics look like a secondary school student made the graphics.

If playing the OUYA and seeing games for the OUYA have taught me anything, it is that you can provide amazing gaming experiences even if the game doesn't look like anything even a low-budget AAA developer would make. I've played "ugly" games made by independent/indie developers that are still quite fun. I even play some bad indie games just to learn how to make games or even learn what not to do when trying to develop a game. I just hate when people look a game and complain about its graphics, and then make that the primary reason not to play the game. Look at it in a different way... would you rather be with someone who is attractive but has a horrid personality, or would you rather be with someone who is unattractive but has a wonderful personality? A lot of people would go with the former because pretty brings all the attention. As an analogy, choosing graphics over gameplay is like one guy who has this hot girlfriend who has an attitude problem at times. Do you really want that? How can you be sure the unattractive one can be better all around even at the expense of not being pretty? Like a recent saying of mine- "it doesn't have to be pretty; it just has to work."

So there is perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves in gaming- people who value graphics over game play.

 

[BKGlover]

This is probably biggest gaming pet peeve especially of late. What is that? Simple- graphics over gameplay. The presumption most people make is that ugly-looking games aren't worth playing or aren't as fun as more "beautiful" titles. We have a saying that goes "beauty captures the eye, but personality captures the heart." Even the prettiest of titles can still be a hot mess of fail to play. You want games that look "ugly" but can still be great to play? Here are two games: "Minecraft" and "Fist of Awesome." I actually think Minecraft is beautiful even if it doesn't look like Crysis or Project CARS. "Fist of Awesome" may not be like the Final Fight games or even Streets of Rage, but the action does get to be pretty intense even if the graphics look like a secondary school student made the graphics.

If playing the OUYA and seeing games for the OUYA have taught me anything, it is that you can provide amazing gaming experiences even if the game doesn't look like anything even a low-budget AAA developer would make. I've played "ugly" games made by independent/indie developers that are still quite fun. I even play some bad indie games just to learn how to make games or even learn what not to do when trying to develop a game. I just hate when people look a game and complain about its graphics, and then make that the primary reason not to play the game. Look at it in a different way... would you rather be with someone who is attractive but has a horrid personality, or would you rather be with someone who is unattractive but has a wonderful personality? A lot of people would go with the former because pretty brings all the attention. As an analogy, choosing graphics over gameplay is like one guy who has this hot girlfriend who has an attitude problem at times. Do you really want that? How can you be sure the unattractive one can be better all around even at the expense of not being pretty? Like a recent saying of mine- "it doesn't have to be pretty; it just has to work."

So there is perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves in gaming- people who value graphics over game play.

I've had to be distracted by staff in a local game store because I wanted to put a few 🤬-heads through TVs, then ask "How good are your 🤬 graphics now 🤬!" What makes them even worse is when they refuse to think otherwise. That makes them willfully ignorant and a stain on humanity. Harsh, yes but they refuse to learn, I refuse to acknowledge them as intelligent life.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Being forced to play the game badly.

Dirt Rally has an achievement called "Spirit of the Rally", which you get for finishing a rally with at least three components critically damaged. But in order to get it, you have to set your car up to be practically undriveable and then repeatedly and deliberately drive into everything.

 

[yabiggoose]

Following a NPC who is faster than your walk but slower than your run.

Ffs.

 

[ULTRAVIOLENZZ]

Speaking of. Escorting an NPC that's charging to its death.

 

[Com Fox]

People who constantly whine about how you win a match, when really they lost because they aren't good enough to know how to counter your own strategy.

All the time in Pokemon, it's always the people with nothing to counter my strategys that whine about my strategys.

 

[Obelisk]

People who constantly whine about how you win a match, when really they lost because they aren't good enough to know how to counter your own strategy.

All the time in Pokemon, it's always the people with nothing to counter my strategys that whine about my strategys.

Hey! I just get salty when I can't counter your stuff! That said, I do sign off with a "GG" and proper comments about your teams.

 

[Com Fox]

Hey! I just get salty when I can't counter your stuff! That said, I do sign off with a "GG" and proper comments about your teams.

Wasn't you I know the difference between salt and whine.

Had a friend rage quit on me and bash me numerous times after 2 Dragon Dances

 

[BKGlover]

Being forced to play the game badly.

Dirt Rally has an achievement called "Spirit of the Rally", which you get for finishing a rally with at least three components critically damaged. But in order to get it, you have to set your car up to be practically undriveable and then repeatedly and deliberately drive into everything.

Wait, you mean to tell me you AREN'T supposed to take 90s at 130? That explains why Finland gave me hell in CMR3. Hell, if this was a thing then, it'd probably require you to have Engine, Transmission, most of the suspension, all the body panels, AND still finish with two wheels missing...god, I love that game.

I know what you mean though. I've looked at achievements for some games and ask myself "How 🤬 do you really have to be to get this?"...Come to think of it, I want to say at least one other Codies game does so.

 

[Rallywagon]

Being forced to play the game badly.

Dirt Rally has an achievement called "Spirit of the Rally", which you get for finishing a rally with at least three components critically damaged. But in order to get it, you have to set your car up to be practically undriveable and then repeatedly and deliberately drive into everything.

Wait, you mean to tell me you AREN'T supposed to take 90s at 130? That explains why Finland gave me hell in CMR3. Hell, if this was a thing then, it'd probably require you to have Engine, Transmission, most of the suspension, all the body panels, AND still finish with two wheels missing...god, I love that game.

I know what you mean though. I've looked at achievements for some games and ask myself "How 🤬 do you really have to be to get this?"...Come to think of it, I want to say at least one other Codies game does so.

For perfectionists that need to 100% every game they play, I can see that being annoying. But clearly I am one of the few that may have gotten that trophy through the normal progression through the game. Kinda made me feel better about not quiting out.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

For perfectionists that need to 100% every game they play, I can see that being annoying. But clearly I am one of the few that may have gotten that trophy through the normal progression through the game. Kinda made me feel better about not quiting out.

I have had to repeatedly run Rally Finland in the Group B Audi, with stiff suspension and shirt gears. After six stages, I have completely ruined my radiator, have less than 10% life left in both the suspension and engine, less than 20% life in the gearbox, and less than 30% life in the driveshaft and the turbo. I tiptoe through the seventh and final stage ... and I still don't get the trophy.

 

[BKGlover]

I have had to repeatedly run Rally Finland in the Group B Audi, with stiff suspension and shirt gears. After six stages, I have completely ruined my radiator, have less than 10% life left in both the suspension and engine, less than 20% life in the gearbox, and less than 30% life in the driveshaft and the turbo. I tiptoe through the seventh and final stage ... and I still don't get the trophy.

Sounds like another instance of an excessively demanding, ridiculously specific achievement as well.

That said, I'd pay to see what you did.

 

[eran0004]

When the only mute option available in online multiplayer is to turn off the speakers.

You have an audio department that worked hard to create an amazing soundscape - and then some online gameplay engineer comes around and ruin everything by passing the microphone to a 12-year-old kid

 

[JakeMR2]

Always online only, no offline story mode. Looking at you NFS and The Crew.

I hate this so much that it just does not need to continue for racing games. So much stuff can happen to many of these games, but they should only be in MMOs, no other genre should, at least the next few years that might start something new for online and offline.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

That said, I'd pay to see what you did.

My Audi looked like a beer can that had been squashed by a frat boy's forehead.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Yes, I got it!

Did Rally Finland in the Audi. But instead of going through custom championships, I went through career championship on Masters difficulty. Rather than crashing into everything, I simply set the car up to be undriveable and then pushed for competitive times. Ground down the engine and the driveshaft, and made sure I hit the timing markers at the end of each stage to ruin the radiator. The hardest part was getting through the final stage with the engine in one piece; I had to accelerate gently and then coast. Ended up finishing fifth overall.

Still completely ridiculous, by the way.

 

[Scaff]

Always online only, no offline story mode. Looking at you NFS and The Crew.

I hate this so much that it just does not need to continue for racing games. So much stuff can happen to many of these games, but they should only be in MMOs, no other genre should, at least the next few years that might start something new for online and offline.

Steep is guilty of this and it's completely unnecessary in the title as well.

 

[GT5Redsucker23]

Always online only, no offline story mode. Looking at you NFS and The Crew.

I hate this so much that it just does not need to continue for racing games. So much stuff can happen to many of these games, but they should only be in MMOs, no other genre should, at least the next few years that might start something new for online and offline.

I feel you, man. I've been playing a lot of The Crew lately and I'm really curious as to why I have troubles trying to access the game's servers sometimes, I've done everything to port forwarding and such but no luck. Always online is a massive headache for me as our home's internet connection could get quite slow sometimes and that would mean that I wouldn't be able to play at all.

 

[Com Fox]

A problem with recent Pokemon game.

The regional Pokedex are getting WAY TOO *censored* big.

I know there is 802 Pokemon now, but that's usually fine since you usually play around with a smallar amount during your main gameplay.

However now ever since B2&W2 they've been doing 300+

It's so big that in X/Y they cut their regional Pokedex in 1/3 and in Sun/Moon they cut it in 1/4

So much Pokemon in such small regions makes Pokemon very missable and not that memorable. It also really hurts trainer battles. Trainer battles were always more interesting with a small Pokemon roster to work with. Flint, Sinnoh's Elite Four in Diamond & Pearl, had only 2 Fire Types out of a 5 Pokemon "Fire" team or Elesa who spammed Volt Switch with her 2 Emolga's, makes fights against monotype teams more memorable and interesting. It's hard to remember or get into an important trainer if their team is uninteresting, this issue occured during Plantinum where they expanded the Pokedex, they made Flint only use Fre types which while it makes sense, makes it boring as he's just a trainer that uses the best Fire types with nothing to spice it up, and does anyone remember that Elesa replaced her 2nd Emolga with a Flaffy during B2&W2?

There's a thing called too much variety, and Pokemon has become the prim example of that, 150 - 200 max for the regional Pokedex's please.

 

[Carbonox]

Being forced to play the game badly.

Dirt Rally has an achievement called "Spirit of the Rally", which you get for finishing a rally with at least three components critically damaged. But in order to get it, you have to set your car up to be practically undriveable and then repeatedly and deliberately drive into everything.

This brings to mind NHL 06 and some of the teams' Dynasty Mode target being to obtain the first overall draft pick.

As in, finishing dead last in the league, which inevitably means purposefully losing some games. Now I have no problem holding myself back to make the game feel more realistic, but sacrificing an entire season from the get-go just to be on top of the draft order doesn't seem right for any team.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Sounds like another instance of an excessively demanding, ridiculously specific achievement as well.

I think it's intended to be one that you pick up early on, when your mechanics aren't very good and you're most likely to be ricocheting off the trees.

 

[TeamCZRRacing]

Always online only, no offline story mode. Looking at you NFS and The Crew.

Wasn't The Crew advertised as pretty much a driving MMO? If so, then it's hardly fair to criticize it for that.

 

[TJ13]

Wasn't The Crew advertised as pretty much a driving MMO? If so, then it's hardly fair to criticize it for that.

It was never advertised as an MMO.
This is what I found "The Crew creative director Julian Gerighty has called the game a role-playing game with large-scale multiplayer elements."

Also NFS has an offline mode so I don't see why that should be online only unless that changed with the speedlists?

 

[R5]

Also NFS has an offline mode so I don't see why that should be online only unless that changed with the speedlists?

Always-on DRM seems like the best guess (Something rant-worthy in itself...)

 

[Rallywagon]

All I can say about NFS... EA... That alone should explain any issues. The Crew, idk, I also assumed the whole point was online play. Guess not?

 

[Wolfe]

The Crew is very much an MMORPG in ways that TDU hardly even brushed upon. Even playing it without PS+ like I've been doing, it feels like a buy-to-play and solo-able MMO like Guild Wars 2.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

When in COD Black Ops on the "Call of the Dead" map in Zombies mode, other players waste their time trying to kill George Romero rather than actually play through the map. Yes, I know the reward to killing him, but it's still ridiculous that players try to take him down really early in the game with just pistols, they're not going to do squat!

 

[Sonygamer455]

Useless teammates

Star Wars Battlefront (2004)
Was playing this game a while back and while I know it's a 2004 game and the AI isn't the greatest, it still annoys me at times, especially since I know it can do better, which it usually does. One example is, you tell them to "get in" and they will say something confirming they heard you, but they won't do it. Another is that they don't even try to fire back at anyone when they are in a vehicle with you, they just swivel the cannon around as if they forgot how to fire. Then lastly, sometimes the AI will just stand still at a command post and not even move, which to make matters worse, it can make the "jedi hero" bonus useless when this happens.

I really don't think the AI in this game is all that bad, but man does it have it's moments....

Star Wars Battlefront II
Been a while since I have invested a lot of time in this game to get to know it's AI, but I can think of one thing about it. One example is when you are in a space battle and you take something like the LAAT gunship for example that carries multiple troops. Well you cannot even depend on them to fly because they crash into the enemy ship almost every time. (For me anyhow)

 

[BKGlover]

Useless teammates

Star Wars Battlefront (2004)
Was playing this game a while back and while I know it's a 2004 game and the AI isn't the greatest, it still annoys me at times, especially since I know it can do better, which it usually does. One example is, you tell them to "get in" and they will say something confirming they heard you, but they won't do it. Another is that they don't even try to fire back at anyone when they are in a vehicle with you, they just swivel the cannon around as if they forgot how to fire. Then lastly, sometimes the AI will just stand still at a command post and not even move, which to make matters worse, it can make the "jedi hero" bonus useless when this happens.

I really don't think the AI in this game is all that bad, but man does it have it's moments....

Star Wars Battlefront II
Been a while since I have invested a lot of time in this game to get to know it's AI, but I can think of one thing about it. One example is when you are in a space battle and you take something like the LAAT gunship for example that carries multiple troops. Well you cannot even depend on them to fly because they crash into the enemy ship almost every time. (For me anyhow)

Yes! All of this! I love SWBII but Drs AI pathfinding and decision making can be painful. Polis Massa, which at times has it's own frustrations, may be one of the better maps for AI, and they're still fairly useless until the grenade game starts. And on space battles, if they don't crash they have set paths and have no self-preservation, meaning that remote missiles, almost useless as is, are unusable because you'll be killed before it gets there.

Still a fun game though.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Sounds like the companions in Fallout 4, who don't understand how elevators work. Fortunately, the game has a feature where they will re-spawn alongside you if they get too far away from you. Although it can be a bit finicky when you enter or exit an area.