Pet Peeves in video games

[Bonkers225]

Someone has amnesia. Usually the protagonist. Lazy shit writing.

Unskippable intros when you start up the game, so you go through 4-5 different Devs/Producers and their shitty, obnoxious logos.

Insane encounter rate. Cheap way to bloat up the game time.

Open world with no life.

 

[beowulf848]

I absolutely cannot stand the newer trend of having damage sponge enemies and bosses. I don't have time to spend 30mins to an hour shaving off a sliver at a time from a boss's health bar. To me, that's not fun.

 

[RageBurner]

I really hate unskipable cutscenes, and I hate even more when said unskipable cutscenes are very long and right before a boss battle/difficult segment that will invariably force me to re-watch said cutscene with each attempt.
Thank god for save states.

This made me outright quit Tales of Vesperia on the 360. Long, unskippable cutscene before a boss.

 

[ObscureJigglypuff]

- I cannot hate anything more than bosses that heal itself.
- Escort missions, specially in hard games (i'm looking at you Growlanser 4)
- Very slow beginning.
- Awsome characters that appears only in the late game.
- Games that give you different answers to give a false sensation of multiples outcomes. If you try every posible answer the conversation lead you at the same spot.
- Last bosses that have 3 forms or phases.

 

[moonbits]

Intrusive UX/HUD elements like health bars and damage numbers.

Post automatically merged: Jan 5, 2025

Most of mine were already described here, so I'll add that I hate it when PC games and ports lack proper windowed modes. Either it should have as many resolutions as possible or a resizable window.

Here's the bonus round: I hate PC ports that don't have proper button glyphs for all major platforms.

it's a pc game bro use the keyboard p

 

[RageBurner]

Intrusive UX/HUD elements like health bars and damage numbers.

Post automatically merged: Jan 5, 2025

it's a pc game bro use the keyboard p

Some games are just better on controller still, plus a lot of them don't allow keyboard remapping.

 

[MasterEn]

I really hate unskipable cutscenes, and I hate even more when said unskipable cutscenes are very long and right before a boss battle/difficult segment that will invariably force me to re-watch said cutscene with each attempt.
Thank god for save states.

yeah, that's one of the two main flaws of FFX. no skipping cutscenes. i saw those a lot when i was playing the game when i was younger. i'd go get a snack, drink or go to the bathroom or change the channel until the scene ended.
the sequel also has an equal problem to it to, somehow. skip a single scene, no 100% ending; gotta go back and replay the entire game.

 

[Waffles]

RPGs that tie damage output to your skill level... I feel that's simply wrong: your aim, speed and accuracy should suck, but you should be just as lethal with a weapon as a seasoned veteran than as a rookie.

 

[AtlasM]

In general:
-Unclear numbers. "Raises your party members' attack power." By how much, dog????? Be clear, ffs!
-Damned stuck in a nearly invisible, but unwalkable terrain when walking around the map.
-Unskippable tutorial and intro/cutscene.
-Voice actingn't. Like, when the voice actors sound like they're not paid enough (because they probably don't).
-Bullet sponge enemies.
-Head-bobbing.
-Chromatic aberration.
-Completely uncontrollable AI allies.
-Good sequel, bad 1st game, but the story is directly related.

In RPG and games w/ RPG mechanics:
-Suikoden.
-When you have to kill off your units to recruit special unit.
-Wack economy. "Ah, yes! The famed legendary mythical dragon slaying sword! I'll take it off of you for 2500. Oh, this masterwork steel mace? 10000, take it or leave it."
-Fights so ez, consumables are basically collectibles, and buff/debuff skills are UI noise.
-Social/dating sim elements. Yeah, like in Persona 3 onwards. I hate it.
-Rescue or Bodyguard mission.
-No quest journal.
-Can only take one sidequest at a time.
-Sepiroth.

In Horror:
-Cheap jumpscare (both visual and auditory)
-Advanced Darkness™, when flashlight doesn't illuminate the surroundings enough.

In games of all genre where choice matters:
-UNCLEAR DIALOGUE CHOICES THAT CAN EASILY BE MISINTERPRETED (I'M SEEING YOU THERE, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, DON'T YOU FCKING HIDE!!!!!)
-Giving no choice to do something better. Like only "shoot or knock out," instead of "shoot, beat the crap out of him and rob him dry for selling me out and throwing a kettle at my face, interrogate for more information, or knock out." (Stay still, Stalker 2, it's still you.)

 

[Deebo]

A core part of so many RPGs is trying to date high-schoolers. I could do without that.

 

[jankusanagi]

Mostly in older RPGs: messages that make a "beep" sound when they appear, when there's any conversation onscreen, or even beep-beep-beep for every single letter in the message. Like it's some 1970's futuristic computer thing, ugh!

Also, most English dubbing of Japanese games with no option to use original Japanese voices (thank the planet for undubs!), and US/EU games where the amazing Japanese song with vocals in the opening or ending is replaced with an instrumental version, or a completely different song.

 

[Stingy Perry]

An escort mission where the npc you’re to supposed to protect was killed by friendly fire, man that sucks.

 

[Gorse]

Head-bobbing.

Who in the lord's name thought this was a good idea to add in video games? It quite literally nauseates me, and I simply can't play games where you're not able to turn it off.

Genuinely rage-inducing to me. If you know you know.

EHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

 

[AtlasM]

Who in the lord's name thought this was a good idea to add in video games? It quite literally nauseates me, and I simply can't play games where you're not able to turn it off.

I can play it, just sucks having to deal with it (which is why it's pet peeve ig). Some friends of mine are actually the same as you when it comes to head-bobbing, tho. One of them even had to lie down to recover lol

 

[ATenderLad]

The endless little items to pick up in games like Cyberpunk. I know I'm gonna run through every room like a Hoover with a Howitzer, blasting and looting, please don't make me recycle half the cities waste while I'm at it.

 

[Somnia]

I hate when games over-emphasize the player character and make them the center of the universe. A lot of JRPGs are guilty of doing this and while there are examples of games that I like committing this sin it is never NOT a massive annoyance.

You can even see it in games like Animal Crossing, where over the years the series has gone from a game where you are just a villager living in this town and having to earn your neighbor's trust to get them to like you to you being the mayor that everyone likes from the jump. Fire Emblem games with player avatars are also guilty of this. Having everyone's love life revolve around you and the writers bending over backwards to make you the most laughably and undeservedly overpowered character in the lore that always solves all of the problems.

It just comes off like pandering. I like friction in games so removing any tension from the story or character interactions because the devs made my character the most lovable and powerful goober of all time for no reason just rubs me the wrong way.

 

[retronerdgamer]

I think challenge is a plague on games. And I don't mean normal challenge I mean stuff that if I grind or try to learn but still can't do it... yeah no I'm not spending hours upon hours to learn and "git gud" or grinding for no reason.

 

[dropsmegamega]

Navigator or mascot type characters that are always talking. Even SMT V has this fairy girl with a baby voice going HEY LISTEN HEY LISTEN every few seconds

 

[Deebo]

Characters’ excessive grunting moaning and groaning while performing simple motor skills

 

[Skeetos]

Something that has really irked me so bad with recent games. I mean really pisses me off to the point of not wanting to even bother with the game anymore, are Boss Checkpoints. If you're gonna make your boss super difficult and them have multiple phases and such, let me as the player appreciate the challenge. God of War 2018 and Ragnarok have this bulldung and I absolutely despise it. I think the Soulslike genre has done some real damage to Action games of this style lately and it just gets worse and worse. I miss when action games were hard because of tight design that you had to learn and not just "whoops sorry man you didn't have enough stamina to dodge or parry." I miss Ninja Gaiden and DMC.

 

[Pockets]

I've got a lot but by far the biggest thing that bothers me is interruptible in-game dialogue.

Final Fantasy XV has a lot of fun character interactions while running around but half the time they get cut short by someone shouting "IMPERIALS!" any time the game decides it wants to spawn enemies.

Alternatively when games throw you into sections where you're intended to walk around while a character talks to you but if you walk too fast and hit the next script trigger it just completely skips whatever they were saying.

 

[BinaryMessiah]

• Poorly placed checkpoints. Don't have me restart right before a 10 minute cut-scene that I can't skip.
• Dumb camera cuts. I pulled a switch, and you're going to slowly drag the camera to the only door in the room that I know it opened. Games that treat the player like an idiot.
• JRPGs that have you walk 10 steps in between 10 minute cutscenes. Either let me play or stop giving me the controls. It's not immersive. Cute. Or funny.
• Unskippable tutorials in mobile games. It's why I stopped playing F2P mobile games. I don't want to spend an hour with the game highlighting every single button and how to play. Let me figure it out. Fuck off.
• Difficulty spikes. Figure. It. The. Fuck. Out.

Post automatically merged: Jan 7, 2025

Something that has really irked me so bad with recent games. I mean really pisses me off to the point of not wanting to even bother with the game anymore, are Boss Checkpoints. If you're gonna make your boss super difficult and them have multiple phases and such, let me as the player appreciate the challenge. God of War 2018 and Ragnarok have this bulldung and I absolutely despise it. I think the Soulslike genre has done some real damage to Action games of this style lately and it just gets worse and worse. I miss when action games were hard because of tight design that you had to learn and not just "whoops sorry man you didn't have enough stamina to dodge or parry." I miss Ninja Gaiden and DMC.

I actually prefer these because of the damage Souslike games have done. I also don't want to die 500 times. I want to actually have fun.

 

[SeisShooter]

I'll try and boil my gripes down to two overarching points.

1) Tutorials that assume you are actually braindead. Doubly so if they're really long or there's a million of them. I'd say it's a problem you see more in mobile games but other games are far from immune (Looking at you; Tears of the Kingdom). And there's seldom a happy middle ground where you can just skip the tutorials.

2) Blatant filler in boss fights. Normally you see this in the boss either self healing in egregious numbers or having extended invincibility periods. Honestly, I think the Ur-example on this one is easily Destiny 2; "oh the players got gud at the game and were beating bosses in record time, so instead of building better bosses we gave them HP checkpoints that when reached kick off an invincibility period, and no you can't skip them by doing high burst damage."

 

[Skeetos]

• Poorly placed checkpoints. Don't have me restart right before a 10 minute cut-scene that I can't skip.
• Dumb camera cuts. I pulled a switch, and you're going to slowly drag the camera to the only door in the room that I know it opened. Games that treat the player like an idiot.
• JRPGs that have you walk 10 steps in between 10 minute cutscenes. Either let me play or stop giving me the controls. It's not immersive. Cute. Or funny.
• Unskippable tutorials in mobile games. It's why I stopped playing F2P mobile games. I don't want to spend an hour with the game highlighting every single button and how to play. Let me figure it out. Fuck off.
• Difficulty spikes. Figure. It. The. Fuck. Out.

Post automatically merged: Jan 7, 2025

I actually prefer these because of the damage Souslike games have done. I also don't want to die 500 times. I want to actually have fun.

I get that. I'm also a weird one because I hate all of FromSoft's souls games besides Sekiro, but I really love games that are difficult. I think difficulty and the player's capacity to get through the game should come from nice design that pushes experimentation and tactic shifting when one thing doesn't work. For me if I'm getting through something too easily it actually frustrates me more than if I struggle. at least in games that are supposed to be a challenge. I mentioned the GOW Norse games. Those bosses aren't just bogged down by checkpoints. The checkpoints also accentuate a design flaw that both have where a lot of the harder to dodge/block attacks are only that hard because they didn't take in to account the area that you are fighting in and that the camera is locked to Kratos' ass the whole time. Little light ups and Mimir telling me (too late mind you) that someone is attacking from behind doesn't change the fact that artificial difficulty bogs those two games down.

 

[thanonyx]

Excessive random encounters
Missable items that are in areas that become inaccessible after you finish them
Fighting games where the AI is really cheap
Rhythm games that say your timing was off even though it was absolutely perfect
Card based games where the AI blatantly cheats (I'm looking at you every Yu-Gi-Oh! video game ever!)
Microtransactions in games you already had to pay for
Jumps in platformers where you clearly made it across but the game makes you fall anyway
Escort missions
Tower Defense as a whole (I'm sorry but I just find it EXTREMELY stressful)
When Pokémon get confused/put to sleep and they won't stop hitting themselves/wake up
Enemies/Bosses who keep beating you over and over again even though you had them dead to rights
Trophies that require online multiplayer to get
RPGs with dating sim elements
Boss fights that are just strings of QTEs
Cosmetic DLC (Stuff like that should be unlockable in game!)
When enemies get on either side of you and gang up on you in beat 'em up and hack n' slash games
RNGs that the game is clearly rigging in its favor