Top 7 Things I hate in Video Games

Jul. 24 7:24 PM by Nikole

The vast world of video games offers so many amazing adventures, characters and experiences. But with all the good there has to be some bad, and for some reason the bad likes to show up in ridiculous amounts of games. Here are the top 7 things I hate in video games.

7. Cut Scenes
The perfect game has the right amount of action and story. And just when a good game is getting great they like to throw in this epically long cut scene. Not only is the cut scene insanely long, but it's usually pretty boring, filled with bad voice acting, and oh yeah, it can't be skipped. It's even worse if you know what the cut scene says, like if you have beaten it before, and you still can't skip it!

6. Respawning bad guys
Playing through a level with over a dozen enemies can be pretty tough. Finally beating them all, collecting their weapons, taking a breather, it's a great feeling. But hang around long enough and in some games and all those bad guys you just fought off will respawn. In games like Lego Indiana Jones as long as you stay in an area for more then a few minutes you will constantly be ambushed by the enemy. What makes it even worse is that in some games you only get EXP, money, life, or weapons the first time you kill them.

5. Save Points
The most frustrating thing that can happen is dying and losing all the data you just worked to get. Well if you are playing a game like Majora's Mask or Ninja Gaiden 2 this is going to happen a lot. Those games you have to hunt and find a save point. Ideally you should be able to save whenever you damn well please. It's even worse in games like GTA 4 where you need to go back to your lair in order to save.

4. Having to read dialogue
Some 10 years ago I wouldn't have cared about this much because it was the norm. Having to read the dialogue of the game's characters was something that every game did. But with the PlayStation, and even some games on the N64, voice actors were used more and more. Now game creators are shelling out tons of money to get real actors to bring the characters to life. But there always has to be someone late to the party, I'm looking at you Nintendo. Most, if not all the games on the Wii make you read through lines and lines of dialogue. And it's not even that I hate reading. Not having voices keeps the characters from really coming to life. .....And also I don't like reading!

3. Inverted Controls
Inverted Controls make no sense, none! Why would I tilt the joystick up if I want to look down. It's absolutely ridiculous. And for some odd reason, some games have it and some don't. So if I'm playing a game with inverted controls for a while and finally get to used the controls, which is very unlikely, the next game I play will have normal controls and I'll have to get used to it all over again. The majority of next gen games that have inverted controls give you the option of having it. However if you feel so inclined to pop in an old game you don't have a choice. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I think up should be up.

2. Camera Angles
Anything that leads me to die is bad. If this 'something' is leading me to die over and over again, without being able to even see who is killing me, well that's worse. The one thing that is always messing up my game is bad camera angles. I can't even think of a game that had perfect camera angles, where not once do I have to fiddle with buttons/joystick to get it to look the right way. Games like Super Mario 64 attempted to get the job done, having a camera man following you around. We appreciate the effort Lakitu, but it still wasn't what I wanted.

1. Swimming
No matter the game, no matter the level, swimming is never fun. There is nothing worse than having to swim in a video game. Almost always, the controls are inverted, slow and repetitive. Then you have an oxygen meter. You never swim exactly how you want either. But video game creators don't get it! They even dedicate whole levels this mind numbingly painful action, I'm calling you Water Temple. Name one game where swimming was effortless, easy, and the physics actually made sense. Go ahead, I dare you.

*Mad props to Jim, who I co-host The Game Show with. He made these rad graphics.

Comments

This list is pretty good except for the order. I would of put save points, camera angles and cut scenes at the top.

It sounds like you hate games with a plot.

I have to admit I liked the water levels in Super Mario Brothers.

water levels suck i agree... good list nikole

sonic 2 on the genesis water levels = fail :D i hate that music that plays, almost gives me a heart attack

You seem like one of those gamers who just wanna run and shoot shit and make big explosions... =/

Sounds like this chick wants to play Pong or Tetris for the rest of her life. Without cut-scenes or written text, how the hell is a game supposed to tell a story? Come on lighten up. Oh and GTA IV has an auto-save feature for right after you complete a mission, you never figured that out?

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All the other ones make sense. I can see why she doesn't like them.. but 7 and 4? I can understand if she didn't like them a little but the title is "TOP 7 THINGS I HATE IN VIDEO GAMES". I believe in people having opinions but i dunno.. I feel like thats what makes video games video games..

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7. "epically long cut scene"

4. "Not having voices keeps the characters from really coming to life"

I don't agree about #1. I personally would prefer bad swimming mechanics to having instant death water. And I prefer inverted controls, especially when in a plane.

Haha, I agree with these all.. ESPECIALLY inverted controls and camera angles!
Such a good post! The lolcats are a cherry on top <33

Aw, adorable kitties! And they say things about video games we're all thinking!

Great post!!! Although, I can name a game where swimming is fun.... playing a druid in World of Warcraft. No oxy bar, very fast seal form... typically can outrun the other side in pvp if you have a waterway near you ^_^

He He, nice list Nikole, altoght i will have to disagree on #7, that when i light up a cigarette and enjoy the moment, is a good aspect to n¡enjoy the plot-story in a better way, but IMO the most thing i hate and it seems like a thing that will always be on Video Games (no matter how new the next gen console are they all seem to have it), i am talking about the:

DAMN LOADING

1. i hate my friends that set their controls to inverted i mean what the hell did they play to make that normal for them why not use THE normal controls (execpt flight games)

2. gtaIV last mission was the gayest....EvEr i died so many times trying to get into a boat

3.it was nice how saints row had warp to shore

4.Gta...again when you need a car they have all gone

5. friendly AI that die and its their fault or do dumb things to make you start the mission all over (funny enough that also happens in gta its like they made that game to piss you off)

6.anti climax boss fights like halo3's boss fight..and fights were really really boring and easy

7.these numbers btw mean nothing i just wanted to put 1,2,3 etc why i did or why i'm talking about it i don't know but shall i continue...

yes so 8. Morrowind the whole game is basically dialogue but it was insanely big

9. movie rip offs they are just so badly crap

10.guns that don't sound right? mainly older games were the guns did feel quite right

11. when you don't feel like your really in the game for example some fps fail to draw you in for a those that do draw you in you start trying to dodge bullets in the real world while on your chair (i once fell off my chair while playing halo1)

and lastly people on xbl that just plainly are ANNOYING!

Good list Nikole, i would of changed a few in teh order but all these are definitely problems in games. Cut scenes are ok as long as they don't last 1 hour, lawl i hated teh ones in MGS4 couldn't stand all that crap.

I completely agree about 6, 5 and 2. Respawning enemies just become ole real fast and I believe that you should be able to save whenever you please and let's be honest, even though GTAIV saves every time you complete a mission, it's still a pain the butt not to be able to save whenever you want and actually having to go back to your place in order to save. Why, just why the hell didn't they add a save option right on that cell phone that even connects you directly to multiplayer? Bad camera angles can really ruin a game that would be awesome otherwise.

I would even agree with 1 to some extent. Swimming is almost always boring and just makes things harder but that's just my opinion. I am rue that there are games with good swimming mechanics.

As for 7 and 4, I have to disagree. It's fine that you don't like it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions but 7 and 4 were and still are integral part of telling a good story. I think that it is incredibly dull to play something that has no reason or purpose. Blow stuff up just to see the screen flashing or kill people just because your character has cool moves. I need and like plot driven games with interesting and engaging stories and cut scenes and most modern games give you the option to skip them anyway. I guess I am just the kind of person who likes something that engages my mind as much as it requires skill. As for reading, it just is impossible to expect games not to have text content in them. The costs for games based on speech only would be prohibitive but I agree with you about Nintendo. They always seem to insist in do things differently from everybody else, even if that means using archaic methods of telling a story. But regardless, I can enjoy a game with speaking characters just as much as I enjoy a text based one. I do like to read and I read a lot, from books, to comic books, to mangas and magazines (Gamepro :P ). It's just something I like to do. The day games become just dull and mindless slugfests with no plot and cut-scenes whatsoever will also be the day I give up on my favorite hobby.

I also disagree about inverted controls. It's fine that you don't like them but like you said, most current games give you the option not to use them anyway so it's a non-issue. In fact, the 360 even has a setup option under one of the blades that configure your games automatically to have either inverted or regular controls without you even having to change the option yourself once you start the game. In this case, I think that it is a matter of acknowledging that people have different tastes and habits. Some are left handed, others are right handed, some like to play with inverted controls, others like to play with regular controls. It's just a matter of understanding that each person is different but it's perfectly fine to have an opinion about it. I am one that cannot play games well if the Y-axis is not inverted. The option of inverted controls is not there just to annoy some people. They exist for a reason.

Anyway, it was good reading. I was just throwing my 2 cents. =D

Inverted controls? I have to disagree on that one. Perfect for flight and first person shooter games for me (right side/left side brain thing?). I do however see your point on the rest of your list.

5,3,2 and 1 are pretty much the bane of my existence. I generally LOVE cut scenes ... as long as you can skip them (I've been replaying the original Fable, and have been skipping them left and right to get to the next quest!).

I think someone mentioned it, but another one of my biggest pet peeves is underwhelming final bosses. Whether it be adventure, RPG, fighting or whatever ... if my "oh shit I'm gonna lose" alarm doesn't go off at least a few times, I'm disappointed.

water temple in OOT. enough said.

I disagree with #3 Inverted. Inverted is the correct way to play.

I hate stupid friendly AI. Game makers can never seem to get it right. They are either doing stupid stuff to get killed or standing in your way.

i use inverted controls but for only console fps. i think it's because the orginal turok for the N64 was and that was the first one i played

great list but i highly disagree with #3 as i said before it's like being right or left handed

From my reddit comment:

"Inverted Y axis is actually more intuitive, as the physical hand motions on the joystick map to real world movement.

Imagine if you went over to your coworker and grabbed him by the top of his head. If you pushed forward, he'd look down. Pull back and he looks up.

Many moons ago, somebody in game design incorrectly decided that pressing backwards on a joystick should map to a forward motion in 3D space, and this ended up as the standard. This is an ongoing, incorrect interface-to-real-world mapping."

Water Temple is a genius

This list was complete crap it just ssounds like you hate any game thats not a frag frest. I always use inverted controls too. Ever since Goldeneye for the 64. I played that game so much inverted just got stuck in my blood

about save points: Dead Rising - you had to find one of the 3 or so bathrooms in that Mall of America sized mall, that was the only way to save, and to get to it you of course, had to shove your way half a mile through hordes of zombies.

SWIMMINGFTL!!!

what swimming levels is one thing... but in a game where if your toe happens to touch water, you die, tht is a game i dont wanna play... i mean, who dies by touching water?

lol on what diablo2lod said, it remebered me the TMNT game on NES in the sewers level that they died if you fall in the water, COME ON, they are turtles for god's sake.

I agree with some of your points. I don't mind reading though. But I find the cut scenes really boring most of the time. I'm just thinking, "Where's the skip button? Where's the skip button?!"

i can't thin of a person who actually likes water levels, they will always be hated

This is spot-on. Bloody hell, swimming... >:(

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