Video game pet peeves.

[Joey D]

I've been playing Star War: The Old Republic again and one thing that drives me absolutely crazy, especially in the late game for some of the characters is the obscenely long travel time between objectives.

 

[Imari]

True, but I think the problem is that it's poorly-acted. Especially in comparison to the rest of the game. It's as if Square-Enix just took the actors' auditions and shoehorned them in.

I don't think that either. It's supposed to sound awful and forced. It just happens that the way it's supposed to sound is also the way bad VAs sound.

The VAs are clearly very good at their jobs as shown by the rest of the game, and the director clearly has a clue as well. You could argue that it might have been better if they'd had Tidus fail to be able to laugh or something instead, but if they've gone the uncomfortable laugh route then the way it was presented is actually pretty good.

Yuna shares that she has to put on a front a lot of the time, even though it's uncomfortable. Tidus shows that he's willing to trust her enough to do something really uncomfortable, and try and see things from her perspective. And then they both join in and it becomes a moment of shared discomfort, which brings them a little closer together as you can see by the friendly laugh they share. Previously Tidus is a bit in awe of Yuna, and this humanises her for him. And I think convinces her that there's more to him than this brash, egomaniac that he shows most of the time. It's an important step in them becoming closer, and I think the game would be worse without it.



It might be that there was a better way to have written that scene, but the actors did exactly what they were asked to and I think that in general terms the scene is important to the character development.

 

[Samus]

I'm probably in a minority but FFX will always be my favourite FF game. People always moan about the linearity but I didn't mind, because it was a well told journey that it felt like I really was on, not just going to X or Y for the sake of it.


Anyway on topic, I've been picking up some older games on PS3 and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has two peeves.

1. Games that give you specific hints for gameplay before you've even started or got to a point that it's useful. This game the first loading screen, before any cutscene or gameplay, tells you about powers that a character has, how to best use them. I don't even know who Trip is yet, why are you telling me how to use their powers?

2. Games that tell you the controls once during gameplay and expects you to just memorise them all, because they're not listed in any menus or manual.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

I honestly get peeved by some of the time trial challenges in Test Drive Unlimited. There's some where you have to drive a long distance within a short period of time while Dodging huge amounts of traffic and you get penalized if you so much as go off the track on accident. They just seem impossible to complete with a gold prize.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I'm probably in a minority but FFX will always be my favourite FF game. People always moan about the linearity but I didn't mind, because it was a well told journey that it felt like I really was on, not just going to X or Y for the sake of it.

It certainly was a well-told story; definitely one of the most focused in the series. But some of the characters were downright irritating. In the end, I just used Auron, Lulu and Kimhari.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

The drag races in the NFS Underground Games and NFS Most Wanted 2005. Basically, they are a major pain in the rear, especially in most wanted.

 

[MXH]

The drag races in the NFS Underground Games and NFS Most Wanted 2005. Basically, they are a major pain in the rear, especially in most wanted.

Yeah, some of them were truly awful. In far too many cases it was basically trial and error and about memorizing where the traffic and other obstacles would pop up. Didn't enjoy the drag races one bit actually.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

No easy way to start over

After I finished Final Fantasy XV, I unlocked New Game+ mode. It doesn't offer any additional challenge - quite the opposite - so I decided to delete my save data to start again, since I missed a few storyline achievemens because I didn't have an internet connection at the time. But, upon starting the game up again, the game automatically synced the data, recovering my saved games and only making New Game+ available.

 

[Sonygamer455]

Play guides

I can understand it when you're playing through your favourite game, and you get stuck. You entertain the game for a while, figuring that it's a puzzle that you need to solve. But after a while, it starts to get frustrating, and so you get online for a bit of help.

That's fine. The play guides I'm talking about are the ones that you buy at the game store, which give detailed information on every facet of the game - maps, treasure locations, enemy strengths and weaknesses and so on and so forth. They often cost (almost) as much as the game itself, and they take all the fun out of it because you're not playing the game yourself - you're following someone else's instructions.

I personally like them, but sometimes I wonder how NFS Carbon would have been for me if I had no idea what the car list was before getting the game. My brother bought one before we actually got the game and I already knew about the car list before I even played the game. It didn't phase me back then, but nowadays it probably would if it was new.

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.

Ironically, NFS Carbon has 2 reward cards that require you to get busted or lose a race in career. Which to be fair it isn't that bad, but it seems like I faintly remember the game having even worse requirements, but it's been too long since I played it again.

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!

Wow. They won't get very far if they are trying to defeat him with just pistols and even with the best weapons, it still takes a long time to defeat him. He has 250,000 health units, which will increase by that amount for every player you have. I really think it is best to just ignore him because the reward for defeating him just doesn't make up for it.

The drag races in the NFS Underground Games and NFS Most Wanted 2005. Basically, they are a major pain in the rear, especially in most wanted.

I haven't played Underground in over a decade, but as a person that has played Most Wanted daily for a while now, I agree. I recently posted about having trouble beating the drag race with JV. After that race, I was glad Carbon never included it. They were kind of stupid anyways with the way they were set up. I like Prostreet's drag racing though.

No easy way to start over

After I finished Final Fantasy XV, I unlocked New Game+ mode. It doesn't offer any additional challenge - quite the opposite - so I decided to delete my save data to start again, since I missed a few storyline achievemens because I didn't have an internet connection at the time. But, upon starting the game up again, the game automatically synced the data, recovering my saved games and only making New Game+ available.

NFS Most Wanted comes to mind for me. NFS Carbon would allow you start the career over again with what you already unlocked if you got all your cars impounded, which is the way I like it. Most Wanted however, if you try to do the same, you are forced to either reload your save or create a new one, thus meaning you have to start clean. I'll cut it some slack since it came before Carbon though. A different opinion than yours, but I think it still relates.

 

[Skygrasper550]

In recent Armored Core games wherein you are supposed to Load an AC design but end up Overwriting it because the Load and Overwrite options are so goddamn next to each other you spend a goof half-🤬-hour customizing your beloved robot with paint and camouflage and custom emblems, and then saving the design, then one day instead of wanting to go back to it you've accidentally overwritten the design.

 

[JakeMR2]

Games with different soundtracks (depends on region)

The older Gran Turismo's are guilty of this, there are some good ones in the Asian and Europe on these games. But, I guess a long time ago they could not fit every soundtrack in there with 5 GB's of disk room to spare back in the day.

 

[SPhilli911]

Games with too much realism or games that add things to be more realistic that make the game worse.

For example, racing games with window reflections on the windshield in the cockpit view that block the driver's view. Forza 6 does this and in some cases the reflection will not go away in different lighting like you'd expect. It's very obvious and distracting. Dirt Rally does this as well, but it's far less distracting than FM6.

Another example is the sluggish or "realistic" movement in FPS games, such as running and reloading a weapon. I can't give specific examples (because I'm forgetting), but I've played some FPS games that made me feel motion sickness simply because of the character's movement, where the camera moves around a lot simply to reload a weapon.

I get the part where people want more realism in games, but there is a point where it's unnecessary. It is still a videogame after all.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Traffic! Just plain traffic in racing games, always getting in my way to victory! Grrrrrrrrrrr and roaarrrrr!!!
I hate crashing into traffic when trying to win a race in any arcade type of racing game and the fact the AI somehow always are usually able to dodge it.

Note: This is me venting, not saying that I want traffic gone or anything.

 

[GTPVenomZombie]

Traffic! Just plain traffic in racing games, always getting in my way to victory! Grrrrrrrrrrr and roaarrrrr!!!
I hate crashing into traffic when trying to win a race in any arcade type of racing game and the fact the AI somehow always are usually able to dodge it.

Note: This is me venting, not saying that I want traffic gone or anything.

Need For Speed Most Wanted '05 was a nightmare for the traffic cars crashing into you. Many rages

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

Need For Speed Most Wanted '05 was a nightmare for the traffic cars crashing into you. Many rages

and that game is why I brought this up. I've gotten stuck in multiple races due to lousy traffic throughout my playthrough of NFS Most Wanted.

 

[Nexus]

Need For Speed Most Wanted '05 was a nightmare for the traffic cars crashing into you. Many rages

Not as bad as the traffic collisions in Underground, I've lost so many races because of that.

 

[JakeMR2]

and that game is why I brought this up. I've gotten stuck in multiple races due to lousy traffic throughout my playthrough of NFS Most Wanted.

Tokyo Xtreme Racer: Zero, lost so many times because traffic was turning in my direction when they can easily hear my roaring car on the highway..

Edit: Going 265MP/H on the Wangan expressway is insane if you think about it, that's why I always slow down a bit and let the A.I. lead, but I always bump them if they slow down to brake-check me, it's annoying.

 

[JR98]

The worst for this (IMO) is NFS Undercover. Those Highway Battles are more a battle with traffic than it is with your opponent, not helped by the fact you're often going 170MPH+

 

[GTPVenomZombie]

Not as bad as the traffic collisions in Underground, I've lost so many races because of that.

Underground 1 was the worst. Crash into a traffic car just once no matter how far you're in the lead, the other racers will catch up to you or overtake you. Nightmare that game. But golden.

 

[Sonygamer455]

You guys beat me to it.

Traffic! Just plain traffic in racing games, always getting in my way to victory! Grrrrrrrrrrr and roaarrrrr!!!
I hate crashing into traffic when trying to win a race in any arcade type of racing game and the fact the AI somehow always are usually able to dodge it.

Note: This is me venting, not saying that I want traffic gone or anything.

Need For Speed Most Wanted '05 was a nightmare for the traffic cars crashing into you. Many rages

and that game is why I brought this up. I've gotten stuck in multiple races due to lousy traffic throughout my playthrough of NFS Most Wanted.

Yea I definitely stand by what I said on my profile recently.

Ironically while on Blacklist rival #7, I noticed today that the traffic seems noticeably worse in Rockport than any where else on the map, which I imagine was intentional for obvious reasons. It gets much worse in drag races, which is where it gets the most annoying in my opinion. Most Wanted isn't too pleasant with the traffic at times, but it's not the worst I have ever seen though.

The worst for this (IMO) is NFS Undercover. Those Highway Battles are more a battle with traffic than it is with your opponent, not helped by the fact you're often going 170MPH+

Oh I forgot about those highway battles! I used to hate them too. I played Undercover on the PS2 recently and I tried to reach max speed with my CCX, but I couldn't because of the traffic. Undercover had the most traffic of all the 2nd gen NFS games I know. I ain't played Underground in 10 years so I don't know anything about it's traffic.

It's not just those games either, I revisited NFS Most Wanted 2012 months ago and it was even worse. Test Drive (2002) is another example, especially on Tokyo and Midnight Club Los Angeles was pretty bad from what I remember. I want so badly to say Midnight Club 3 Dub Edition is too, but it's been too long since I actually played it again. Gosh I know I have many other games I could mention here.

 

[BKGlover]

Games with 🤬-tons of traffic:

Midnight Club 3 and LA.
NFS Underground 2 through...well...how's the new one?
Burnout games can be bad.
GTA likes to flip the traffic switch on when you're at warp speed, then turn it off when your car explodes. Saints row has similar dealings.
Test Drive games on tarmac. 4, 5, 6, crappy reboot, Unlimited.
Driver 2 & 3.
That's all I've got for now.

 

[JakeMR2]

Burnout games can be bad.

It's all about how glorious your crash can be, how awesome can that be? Plus, you can use the traffic cars to your advantage in Revenge.

 

[BKGlover]

It's all about how glorious your crash can be, how awesome can that be? Plus, you can use the traffic cars to your advantage in Revenge.

It's more when the game spawns them 20 feet ahead of me.

 

[Com Fox]

Regional difficulty.

I really don't get the point of making 1 regions game much harder than other regions and for some reason it's usually the PAL region that gets the harder version of the game.

I see this as unfair on both sides. Someone might want an even more challenging experience but they can't because they're in the wrong region, and someone might want to play an easier game but the region they're in gives them an extremely difficult version of the game.

Luigi's Mansion (PAL), Devil May Cry 3 (non-Japan) and Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PAL) are example of this.

I'm jist gald it isn't as common anymore.

 

[JohnBM01]

That kind of reminds me of when I played "The Simpsons Arcade Game" on the PS3. You could choose to play either the American version or the Japanese version. Japanese version MUCH easier. I used that to clear the PS3 trophy requiring you to complete the game in 30 minutes.

 

[Wolfe]

I enjoy navigating traffic in street racing games, but it can be frustrating when racing against the clock or a player's ghost with randomized traffic.

 

[RandomCarGuy17]

A section in a game where you can't use any abilities or weapons you acquired.

 

[Wolfe]

One true pet peeve of mine (and not just a criticism of game design) is when you get pushed around, knocked over, bumped away, blown back, etc. with little to no control over your new unintended trajectory.

It can be something simple and generally acceptable like action/platformer knockback or environmental hazards. Some of my favorite games pull "gotcha!" moments with it or can even catch you in a nasty loop of it. Deserved or not, it's naturally irritating.

 

[Sonygamer455]

Screen obstructions
Things on the HUD that block your view in certain areas is one pet peeve I have.

Like in NFS Underground 2 and Most Wanted when it tells you what song is currently playing. Sometimes I find this annoying when I am trying to read something and I can't because it's blocking my view.

Although I haven't played this game in years, Ford Racing 3 is another game that comes to mind and I can remember one challenge I did has a pop up box that would come up constantly telling me my time had been extended. Like, I get it already....

 

[Liquid]

Regional difficulty.

I really don't get the point of making 1 regions game much harder than other regions and for some reason it's usually the PAL region that gets the harder version of the game.

I see this as unfair on both sides. Someone might want an even more challenging experience but they can't because they're in the wrong region, and someone might want to play an easier game but the region they're in gives them an extremely difficult version of the game.

Luigi's Mansion (PAL), Devil May Cry 3 (non-Japan) and Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PAL) are example of this.

I'm jist gald it isn't as common anymore.

In the original PAL release for Metal Gear Solid 2 and Metal Gear Solid 3, both games' Extreme difficulty setting were much tougher than that of the NTSC releases; you had no recovery items and if you were spotted once it is game over. Fantastically tough.

These were later added to the world releases under the European Extreme difficulty.