Re: Outdated/Annoying gaming mechanics?
Originally posted by VG_Addict
What game mechanics were good, or at least tolerable in the time they were introduced, but need to go away, or are just plain bad?.
Clipping, and characters still running forward while facing a wall. Or right on the edge of a cliff. Like enough already. We've got the tech to fully prevent those types of gross errors now.
The lack of a scaling/climbing feature in most games, except in circumstances where there are ladders or vines or ropes or a trellis. To wit, in Skyrim. Let's see, there's a steep slope that I can either go around or try to climb. I choose to climb. Okay, now what? What does a person do to ascend a slope? Oh, yeah, jump repeatedly trying to exploit an invisible staircase until you reach the top.
And then there are other games where waist-high or even knee-high obstacles can completely block your movement.
Most boss fights are outdated and very predictable. Find weak spot, hit weak spot, repeat a few times. Mix with an occasional new form and find new weak spot, hit new weak spot, repeat.
Boss fights have been the weakest points of a few amazing games over the past several years, like Mass Effect 2 and the first Bioshock. I think they're largely unnecessary these days.
Yep.
Perfect example of how to do a boss fight right and wrong in the same game is Half-Life.
The level with the tentacle is a wicked example of a boss fight. Sneak your way around the level, throw a grenade to blow up the planks holding the door and then burn it. Wicked. Or how the huge Alien thing where you have to run away and then call down a mortar to kill it.
And then you get the last boss at the end of the game. Crap and more crap.
Originally posted by BackFire
Boss fights have been the weakest points of a few amazing games over the past several years, like Mass Effect 2 and the first Bioshock. I think they're largely unnecessary these days.
Totally disagree with you there
still need the boss fights when whatever character it may be eventually meets his antagonist for that big showdown
as for Outdated/Annoying, Invisible walls just there to stop you from exploring the levels even if there's nothing there.
On the subject of escort/rescue missions, they're only made worse when the character in question ends up getting killed anyway in the story, often times immediately in the following cutscene. I'd list the examples off the top of my head, but they're already flowing out at too high a volume to pick. Altogether, that's usually just a case of bad gameplay/story segregation, and it doesn't help that I never approve of any game that puts production value over general quality of design on a gameplay standpoint (so yes, I do think Quantic Dreams can go suck it). Really, the last escort mission I ever played that was actually fun was the one in Twilight Princess late in the first 1/3 of the main game.
Invisible walls. Especially in games where you are meant to explore everything. If I see a path up to something, and an invisible wall gets in my way, I'm going to get annoyed.
Backtracking for quest objectives. Nope nope nope.
Quicktime events. I've always hated them.
And copout boss fights. I like ones that have complex mechanics to figure out. Those are fun.
Another thing that pisses me off is games where upgrades are key and require exploration for them. It's not the upgrades or exploration of the environment, it's the time when you have two paths and you choose one path and the game locks the door behind you giving no chance ever visit that place again.
The Dead Space games are a prime example of how it's done right. You have the ability to point yourself in the right direction and if you have multiple doors you can go through, just use that ability and go the other way. I have never missed a section in those three games.
This is specific to the 3DS and Wii U 2D Mario games but I hate how the multiplayer doesn't make good use out of having multiple screens and instead forces everyone to share the same perspective. Can be really annoying when you can't see much further ahead or above you when in the singleplayer it's centered completely around your character.
Originally posted by Kazenji
Totally disagree with you therestill need the boss fights when whatever character it may be eventually meets his antagonist for that big showdown
Agreed. A bad boss fight is just a bad boss fight, but I don't think they're outdated.
The Metal Gear franchise was all about the boss fights.. And for action/hack n' slash games, they're kind of a bread and butter selling point (Games like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta. God of War, especially.)
The final boss battle in MGS4 was more of a throwback to the battle between Liquid and Snake in MGS1 and was supposed to be more of an emotional, dramatic experience than an engaging gameplay segment.
Metal Gear has without a shadow of a doubt the best boss battles in videogame history (Psycho Mantis and The End stand out in particular), though in sheer epicness you have to give Final Fantasy XI a mention. Boss battles that take hours upon hours to complete, battles that require the cooperation of dozens of highly skilled players, and some bosses that to this day still have not ever been defeated. You can't really top that.