Oh, there are certainly many more bad escort missions than good, in video gaming. And I can't think of even one escort mission that is a highlight of a game ('highlight' as in, a part of the game that you look forward to playing).

Another thing I really dislike about escort missions is the scripted failure. You know, where you have to escort someone, and if they die then it's game over. So far, so normal. But with the scripted failure missions, when you reach a certain point, then the person you are escorted gets killed, and you can't do anything about it, and the game (and it's story) carry on. It just feels so wrong that you have to struggle to keep them alive (and if you fail, then you have to start the escort mission again), only to have him/her/it unavoidably killed as part of the story anyway.

Other things I hate in games include:

- Unskippable cutscenes (no gamer in the history of gaming has ever said "Wow, I wish these cut-scenes were unskippable)",

- First/third person games where you can't invert the Y-axis,

- The lack of subtitles in games,

- Bad (and user undefinable) controls (well, duh!),

- Games that rely on checkpoints but the checkpoints are badly placed or too far apart,

- Games where the checkpoint is before a boss's cutscene (which is usually unskippable, grrr), so when you are killed by the boss, you have to watch the whole cutscene again before you can fight the boss,

- Cutscenes showing your in-game character behaving in a way that they would never do if you were controlling them. For example, you're playing the game, and you come across an enemy. A cutscene then begins, showing the enemy unfurling itself and taking parts of the environment and using them to create a huge shield, whilst your character just watches. The cutscene ends, and you now have to fight this boss battle, against an enemy with a massive, and very strong shield. Whereas if you had had control from the start then you would have chosen to shoo the enemy from the start, instead of just standing there whilst it builds up it's defences pre-fight.

Or when you've been playing the game very carefully, not charging into rooms because they might contain enemies, instead you have been vigilantly moving slowly into new rooms and areas, careful not to draw attention to yourself, and assessing every room or areas as you approach or enter it, so as not to leave yourself vulnerable to ambush. And then mid way through the game, a cutscene starts, and your character casually walks into the room, not looking left or right, walks to the centre of the room, and then your character gets jumped by multiple hidden enemies, and they capture you.

-Force stealth in non-stealth games. I do like some stealth games (the Thief games, especially), but for some reason, when you have a stealth level in a non-stealth game, then the stealth is usually badly done, and more of the trial-and-error variety, with no easily discernible rules as to when and how the enemy can detect you, and often the (and I HATE this) if-the-enemy-sees-you-then-it's-instantly-game-over type mechanic. If an enemy sees you in a stealth game, then you should be able to, if you are quick enough, take him down before he raises the alarm, and so continue the level. But no, most often, if one enemy sees you then he seems to psychically and immediately be able to warn every other enemy in the level, and it's game over.

Kerr Avon wrote on 2022-04-28, 13:27:

Another thing I really dislike about escort missions is the scripted failure. You know, where you have to escort someone, and if they die then it's game over. So far, so normal. But with the scripted failure missions, when you reach a certain point, then the person you are escorted gets killed, and you can't do anything about it, and the game (and it's story) carry on. It just feels so wrong that you have to struggle to keep them alive (and if you fail, then you have to start the escort mission again), only to have him/her/it unavoidably killed as part of the story anyway.

Yup yup yup, frigging hate those.

Apparently there's a way to win at Kurasawa 2 in Wing Commander, but it's reputed "almost impossible", 4 Gratha and the rest of your flight is almost useless, gotta take them all out yourself, unless you take too long to take out the first one, then they'll get one, but you're screwed by then. Feels like the script starts as soon as the last Gratha, no matter which ones you took out first, is suddenly in perfect position to begin run on the Ralari, but even though you seem to be "playing" for another 15 seconds or so, it seems immune to fire at that point. Replayed that level over and over and over and over back in the day and still couldn't get it, really pissed me off.

Kerr Avon wrote on 2022-04-28, 13:27:

Or when you've been playing the game very carefully, not charging into rooms because they might contain enemies, instead you have been vigilantly moving slowly into new rooms and areas, careful not to draw attention to yourself, and assessing every room or areas as you approach or enter it, so as not to leave yourself vulnerable to ambush. And then mid way through the game, a cutscene starts, and your character casually walks into the room, not looking left or right, walks to the centre of the room, and then your character gets jumped by multiple hidden enemies, and they capture you.

several games have your level clearing hero become an easily knocked out and captured dunce, its a cheap move - though tolerable to move the plot forward and i suppose, begrudgingly, such things do happen

-Force stealth in non-stealth games.

even in stealth games i never find it well implemented, there are always glaring anomalies such as being able to creep up to people when you would be seen in one place and being barely able to move for fear of 'stepping on the wrong pixel' in another. They feel less like actual environments and more like abstract game mechanics

not that realism is essential...

take medal of honor: allied assault, the infamous snipers last stand level. Sure it's realistic - a soldier wouldn't have known where each sniper was and soldiers would have died revealing them - but as a game this translates into multiple reloads while memorising where to shoot. It goes from simulated reality to remembering when to jump in a mario game real quick. the game itself overall was good though.

gerry wrote on 2022-04-29, 07:05:

even in stealth games i never find it well implemented, there are always glaring anomalies such as being able to creep up to people when you would be seen in one place and being barely able to move for fear of 'stepping on the wrong pixel' in another.

Didn't Hitman have similar problems?

👀

Turrican

appiah4 wrote on 2022-04-21, 17:59:

JRPGs.

I amassed a large collection of JRPGs over the years before finally admitting to myself that they're really not very good.

Although I did quite enjoy Suikoden 3, if only for its Rashomon-style storytelling.

-RPGs in general. Even more if they are competitive (what is to compete anyway? The one that grinded the most wins). There are very few I enjoyed and it was a straight playthrough (not many side quests).
-Starcraft (1&2): I tried a few times to enjoy the game, but I don’t like having very limited resources and micromanaging so much. I’d rather play Age of Empires.
-Sports games: All of them, never got my attention.
-Card games
-Open world games: Too confusing and too much boring stuff to do.
-“Cinematic” games. Those games that usually tell a (cliche) story by feeding you with little pieces of it, with some annoying gameplay in between each piece.