Pet Peeves in video games

[DunkeyKong]

There's already a thread like this: https://retrogametalk.com/threads/pet-peeves-in-video-games.2400/

@Waffles

Yeah

My apologies, I did not know that there was already a thread for this.

No worries though, it was almost a month ago anyway

 

[Somnia]

I'd really just say an overreliance on "chosen one" type stories. Games take the all-to-common chosen one story and crank up the pandering to new heights by having every character fawn over you as the player specifically. It makes me uncomfortable and endlessly groan, surely no one is lame enough to want the game to endlessly praise their mediocrity ALL THE TIME without merit right?

 

[Insomnia_ig]

Ah yes, the curse of the Yellow paint.

Yeah at first it didn't bother me too much but over time I've come to despise it lol.

 

[Cozycaliban]

For me, it's forced tutorials. I also hate crappy D-PAD layouts (The car racing mission in the Genesis' Toy Story release / walking in the original Resident Evil, etc.).

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

There's already a thread like this: https://retrogametalk.com/threads/pet-peeves-in-video-games.2400/

@Waffles

Done! Thank you.

(Also, I absolutely hate XenForo's search feature lol).

 

[Bakuma1997]

That item that is only useful for one or two quests but you can't get rid off once done, especially if the game lacks an storage mechanic, or in the contrary that item that you will need but you AREN'T PREVENTED OF SELLING forcing you to in more charitative cases having to buy or farm for the thing(s) again or in worst cases locking you of the ending you wanted

Breakable weapons, don't care if they add inmersion or tension, all they add in my book is wasting your time upgrading something that will break like any startgame weapon, this is why i hate Dark Cloud 1 and one of the few gripes i have with BOTW/TOTK

Hypocrital moral based endings, AKA when you aren't allowedd to punish the character that tried to kill you because you will lose the good ending only obtainable with pacifism, irking is in Undertale Yellow where

Spoiler: MASS PACIFIST ROUTE SPOILERS

Ceroba, the Pacifist final route, can be killed, but that leads to a lacking ending compared to sparing her, ¿The hipocrisy? SHE TRIES TO KILL YOU TO FIX HER OWN MISTAKE, granted, you end up giving her and the entirity of Monsterkind hope if you spare her, but... no

Barely rewarding hard sidequests, in EO1 there is a sidequest where you should stay FIVE DAYS in one floor, not in a strata, FLOOR, time only advance with steps, so my only way to beat it is to cheese it in a three tile aisle without enemies (As fun as you expect) ¿The reward for your troubles? A WEAKASS STAFF THAT DOESN'T EVEN BOOSTS INT, MAKING IT USELESS EVEN AS MAGIC CLASS IMPROVER

Redundant tutorials, i don't mind them teaching the unique gimmick, but stuff like "PrESs A TO ReaD TUtoRIAls LikE THIs OnE" makes my blood boil, i prefer more diegetic natural ones like BOTW's great Platea where you have to find your way before being able to leave or the famous 1-1 in OG super Mario

The typical "Hello, i am a wuby luby game I LIED I AM A HORROR GAME WITH ADULT METAPHORS AND BIBLES OF LORE OR SOMETHING FUCK YOU" it was original in Eversion, nowadays the poor horse at this point is liquid

 

[RanmyakuIchi's iconRanmyakuIchi]

I'd really just say an overreliance on "chosen one" type stories. Games take the all-to-common chosen one story and crank up the pandering to new heights by having every character fawn over you as the player specifically. It makes me uncomfortable eland endlessly groan, surely no one is lame enough to want the game to endlessly praise their mediocrity ALL THE TIME without merit right?

I do have to say I enjoy it when stories play with The Chosen One concept. Like Dark Souls 1, where your Chosen Undead is just being buttered up and played to uphold the status quo.

 

[enderx30]

When you win in gameplay, but lose in the subsequent cutscene.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a particularly egregious example.

 

[Taukyrie]

The typical "Hello, i am a wuby luby game I LIED I AM A HORROR GAME WITH ADULT METAPHORS AND BIBLES OF LORE OR SOMETHING FUCK YOU" it was original in Eversion, nowadays the poor horse at this point is liquid

Ngl, this actually pisses me off more than it probably should, but it's probably because the market is so saturated with "what if cute child-like thing...BUT ACTUALLY HORROR" things that it's disgusting.

 

[RetroLaw]

Ennemies that hides behind the corners of the screen in beat em ups. Probably already mentioned it but phukit, I really hate that.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's iconRanmyakuIchi]

Got a couple more, both related to stealth mechanics.

I hate it when being spotted by an enemy results in every single enemy now telepathically knowing my exact location, without any time for a radio call or an alarm activation. I also hate it when a mission or level that has stealth as a hard requirement auto-fails the exact moment I get spotted, even if I am mid knife stab when the guy turns around.

If I can kill or silence the enemy in the brief window between being seen and actually being detected, then it shouldn't break stealth. Who the hell is he calling in the 6 nanoseconds before I pierce his windpipe!?

 

[MasterEn]

Who the hell is he calling in the 6 nanoseconds before I pierce his windpipe!?

the midichlorians in his buddies and allies's bodies.

 

[ClarityZero]

Basically just wondering about things that irritate y'all when a game does them. Not on the level of "nah I'm out" but just relatively minor annoyances. I'll start, of course...

• When games don't pick the music back up where it left off after an enemy encounter
• When games tell me I can't go somewhere just because. No lore reason, no asshole NPC, just... "You can't go that way."

These two things, above all others, are the bane of my enjoyment.

 

[Elwiwi]

When you have a minimap that rotates when you do things

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24]

“American 2D platformers” is what I would describe as a pet peeve. America can OBVIOUSLY make great platformers, but what I mean is that weird, cluttered level design that many U.S. made platformers took back in the day. Games don’t need to be U.S. to suffer from this: Knuckles Chaotix is DESTROYED by this kind of design. If I can’t tell which part of the level I’m in, then you’ve failed to design the level to be fun to play and replay.

 

[ClarityZero]

When you have a minimap that rotates when you do things

That's definitely a good (bad) one, yeah. Like, what even is the point of a map if it isn't fixed in place? It's not completely worthless, but it's nowhere near as useful as one with the cardinal directions in the same position at all times.

 

[J.F.C]

I hate fetch quests so much it's unreal. No i don't want to collect 10 Munshishaki berries to complete this side quest, just make me fight an enemy or something instead of having me do this moronic bullshit.

 

[ClarityZero]

I hate fetch quests so much it's unreal. No i don't want to collect 10 Munshishaki berries to complete this side quest, just make me fight an enemy or something instead of having me do this moronic bullshit.

Understandable, if not personally relatable. XD

 

[OmegaPunch's iconOmegaPunch]

Unskippable tutorials.
Enough said.

 

[Elwiwi]

When you stand on top of fire in a game and doesn't do damage

 

[ClarityZero]

Unskippable tutorials.
Enough said.

Fair enough. Any allowances made for tutorials that are actually integrated into the story, or no?

Post automatically merged: Feb 22, 2025

When you stand on top of fire in a game and doesn't do damage

It just feels wrong.

 

[OmegaPunch's iconOmegaPunch]

Fair enough. Any allowances made for tutorials that are actually integrated into the story, or no?

Honestly, can't think of any LOL.

 

[Elwiwi]

Basic game mechanics locked by an ability chart , why all the games have ability charts and all that ?

 

[ClarityZero]

Honestly, can't think of any LOL.

Hm... I know they exist, and I've definitely played some, but... For the life of me, neither can I.

 

[J.F.C]

Unskippable tutorials.
Enough said.

I miss when tutorials were short and sweet or all of that information was on the game's manual. Games nowadays are giving tutorials on how to open doors when the player has already played like 10 hours of the damn thing.