The mother of all gaming sins

[Toaster]

Random. Item. Drops.

I absolutely hate the concept of randomly dropped items. Most commonly seen in an RPG, it's when you have to fight the same enemy over and over and over again in hopes that it drops something that has a 1/255 chance of doing so. Thankfully FF12 and TWEWY have implemented some measures to counteract and alleviate some of this unnecessary hardship. For some reason I feel like I may have made the exact same topic at one point in the past, but goddammit, I hate the concept of random item drops.

What kinds of things **** you off to no end?

[Big Rick Cook]

Yeah, cause FFXII really fixed the random item drop thing with their random item chests.

:doofus

[Red Dragon]

Games that have ok boss battles through the whole game then for the final throw somthing that is near impossible without changing all the tactics you have used through the whole game.

This is most often annoying with JRPGs. You fight through the whole game, then. BAM! The last boss requires you to grind 80 extra levels to stand a chance.

Or with games that try to change the main character for the sake of the last boss battle. Such with Geist, or Devil May Cry.

[Biggie]

Random ENEMY SPAWNS.

****ing hate that ****.

[Riotsword]

Thankfully FF12 and TWEWY have implemented some measures to counteract and alleviate some of this unnecessary hardship.

That didn't stop them from me spending seven goddamn hours trying to get one piece of equipment from a rare monster in FFXII... but I guess that was my fault because I wanted to be a completionist.

As for the question, I have a few answers:

Random battles with a ridiculously high frequency. Step, step, BATTLE! Step, step, step, BATTLE! Ste--BATTLE!

Horribly steep experience curves and paltry money drops. Dragon Quest VIII, I'm looking at you.

This one's isolated to one game, but sudden alignment changes that force certain party members to get booted from the party because you happen to have a Good Cleric that won't allow a suddenly-Evil Mage back in the party. Stupid Wizardry games.

[John Mora]

Randomization in general.

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/Crosswalk/man_Pained.125w.tn.jpg

[Denmo]

Using the same map repeatedly with only slightly different configurations each time to add 'depth'.

Lookin' at you, Halo.

[Toaster]

Yeah, cause FFXII really fixed the random item drop thing with their random item chests.

Yeaaaah. But you know that I was talking about chaining. Even then, like Riotsword said, it didn't help THAT much as he spent seven painstaking hours trying to get one drop. ;____;

[Denmo]

Making the plot as convoluted as possible for the sole purpose of 'searching the depths of human nature' aka sounding smart.

MGS.... Xenogears...

[Big Rick Cook]

Randomization in general.

http://media.salemwebnetwork.com/Crosswalk/man_Pained.125w.tn.jpg

Dark Cloud 2.

[John Mora]

Incredibly convoluted, maze-like dungeons.

PHANTASY STAR

[Big Rick Cook]

I wouldn't have a problem with maze-like dungeons that you have to navigate for long periods of time to get through. If they didn't have random battles in there at the same time.

One or the other, please. Not both.

[jacquel]

Making the plot as convoluted as possible for the sole purpose of 'searching the depths of human nature' aka sounding smart.

MGS.... Xenogears...

This and quick-time events where you die if you don't hit the button in the half second window. Resident Evil 5.

[Stormy]

Not properly balancing the game so that when the player defeats all the enemies that are near their level, all the areas left have enemies way too powerful for them to defeat. Especially bad when all the enemies are preset and there are only two times in the game year when enemies respawn D: (Might and Magic VI)

[BeeZee]

I think most of this is the fault of us as players for trying to be 100% completionists. I do it too, but it's a dumb habit that probably ruins the intent behind this style of game.

[salamander]

I am guilty of spending many hours obtaining some zodiac spears in FF12, hehe...

[marcus]

Using the same map repeatedly with only slightly different configurations each time to add 'depth'.

Lookin' at you, Halo.

Halo or Odin Sphere because it sounds like the latter.

oh and i hate terrible endings. a game has a 10 million dollar budget and the intro is awesome and the production quality is ridiculously high and then the ending is a 60 second long animation followed by "2 BE CONTINUED"

I'm looking at you Assassin's Creed. If I hadn't paid 50 bux for the game I would have broke the disc. That **** was retarded to the highest degree and the writers/producer who thought about that should be fired permanently from their jobs.

[Thief of Dreams]

Bioshock: worst ending ever for a game

[1ce]

Getting stuck, because I either don't know where to go or the puzzles are too damn difficult.

I'm looking at you, Soul Reaver.

I mean, how the hell should I know that I can pull out a block from a wall that's only slighty discolored?

[Big Rick Cook]

Because slightly discolored anything means "do something to it" in gamespeak.

[Shard]

Bad voice acting. I know for a lot of gamers voice-acting is a must-have, but if it's ****ty, just get it out of my game.

I love Valkyria Chronicles, and I'm not saying it's the worst offender, but I'm sure I could swallow a lot of the dialogue easier if I was just reading it.

[marcus]

Bioshock: worst ending ever for a game

THIS. Everything about the game was great until you hit the climax and the next 3 hours are a scavenger hunt and an escort mission; two big sins right there. What do you get for your hard work? A 30 second video where you blow up the world or die happy.

****

EDIT: Yeah, Shadow of the Colossus still has the best ending IMO followed closely by MGS3. MGS4's ending was too long and preachy for me. They could have cut that one short by like 10 minutes.

[Deeth Irteen]

you know what I hate? Enemies that, for some reason, level up in power as you do. That's aggravating. I do NOT like boss fights that never get any easier in any way. And how do enemies get stronger anyway? Do they level up by fighting other heroes while you're focused on one area? If enemies level up just like I do, there's no point in leveling! You can just send the whole game evading level grinding and defeating the final boss at a measly level 1. In summary..

**** YOU, FINAL FANTASY 8!!!
:middlefinger.

[Stormy]

Having custom character creation, allowing the player to pick a class and then add skills and use bonus points to tweak the party. THEN having an obstacle in one of the main quest dungeons that requires a specific skill be at a high enough level in order for the party to proceed. A skill that is completely unnecessary in the rest of the game. A skill I didn't bother to learn and now don't have enough skill points to level up to the appropriate level :explosion

[BeeZee]

you know what I hate? Enemies that, for some reason, level up in power as you do. That's aggravating. I do NOT like boss fights that never get any easier in any way. And how do enemies get stronger anyway? Do they level up by fighting other heroes while you're focused on one area? If enemies level up just like I do, there's no point in leveling! You can just send the whole game evading level grinding and defeating the final boss at a measly level 1. In summary..

**** YOU, FINAL FANTASY 8!!!
:middlefinger.

I agree that this is a strange design choice. It's usually chosen with good intentions: particularly in more open-world games, it allows the player more freedom to go wherever they want without making any areas too easy or too difficult. In doing so, however, it creates a new problem which you described above. It's a pretty inelegant solution to the problem; instead of having two systems in place that cancel each other out, why not eliminate levelling entirely or establish character growth in a way so that you gain options but don't necessarily get more powerful in a "numbers-growing" sense?

[Deeth Irteen]

I just thought of another one (Thenks, Smarti!)...

Save points. Ugh. I've gotten used to them, but seriously, why must I travel across 20 rooms filled with terrorists, monsters, demons, and used car salesmen that all tend to respawn often just to save my game? Why can't I just save from the menu whenever I want? I often just hang out on the world map in RPGs because of this.

You what's the opposite but still annoying? Auto saving. Yeah, it's great when the game decides to save every3 feet. Even better, saving right over a pit of death or during an action-packed battle or even a CUTSCENE!!

Oh, and I also hate load screens. Everyone hates load screens.

[Stormy]

Sacrificing continuity to introduce a twist. Be consistent!

[Duel]

Length of MOST! JRPGs

[Tintenfisch]

When you're fighting a guy that kicks your ass through a long grueling fight and then later joins your team and is weaker then everybody on your team (****ing grandia 2)


Or how about when you're playing an action game kicking butt, not getting hit once and ruining everybodies ****. Then a cutscene happens and you get knocked out from falling down a hole or something.


Also fighting weak enemies in a turn based RPG. Come on, game. I'm level 25 here why do I have to do a battle with level one guys. Earthbound solved this problem way back in the 90's why can't every one else do this?

[Denmo]

I want to say this is both a sin and a blessing depending on the game you're playing, but,

stuffing the game with collector sidequests to the point that it becomes almost superficial.

Assassin's Creed did it, and did it the wrong way. But Okami... man, I never thought being obsessive/compulsive in my explorations could be so rewarding.

[salamander]

I'd say the lack of realism in a lot of RPG games. In lots of RPGs , you are able to save the freaking world, but not able to jump over a log in your path...Legend of Dragoon was the worst about this that I can remember. Others were kinda bad too, such as Ocarina of Time, chrono cross, ect. I'm not saying they should put a jump feature in every RPG, just don't make the characters able to save the universe, but not able to cross a stream or something.

[Deeth Irteen]

In lots of RPGs , you are able to save the freaking world, but not able to jump over a log in your path...

"Oh Noes! there's a leaf in the middle ofhte road! We can't go that way until we do some stupid quest in that town over there!"

[Stormy]

Also fighting weak enemies in a turn based RPG. Come on, game. I'm level 25 here why do I have to do a battle with level one guys. Earthbound solved this problem way back in the 90's why can't every one else do this?

This. That right there. I killed three gods and a Deadra Lord, yet I am not powerful enough to scare away rats and worms?

I'd say the lack of realism in a lot of RPG games. In lots of RPGs , you are able to save the freaking world, but not able to jump over a log in your path...Legend of Dragoon was the worst about this that I can remember. Others were kinda bad too, such as Ocarina of Time, chrono cross, ect. I'm not saying they should put a jump feature in every RPG, just don't make the characters able to save the universe, but not able to cross a stream or something.

Ocarina of Time? When was that a problem in Ocarina of Time?

[Tintenfisch]

Another one that ticks me off. In turn based RPGs when you have to fight with the character you don't use (worse if they have to do it by themselves)

Breath of fire 2 is guilty of this on all accounts.

[salamander]

Ocarina of Time? When was that a problem in Ocarina of Time?

Well there's no examples I can think of right now, other than only being able to jump when you run off of ledges, which is ridiculously funny and confusing.

[Riotsword]

Another one that ticks me off. In turn based RPGs when you have to fight with the character you don't use (worse if they have to do it by themselves)

Breath of fire 2 is guilty of this on all accounts.

All I could say is, start using those other guys more often... it's too bad most of those lesser-used characters lack most if any redeeming qualities. Hell, I only level up Jean so I can use his fusion later on. Spar's almost completely worthless, even at a high level and with fusions.

I'd hope that's who you meant and not Bow. His healing magic gets pretty good later on.

[Tintenfisch]

I was actually referring to Sten. I love Bow. I'll use Spar everyso often. And I have never once used jean.