10 Outdated Video Game Design Tropes That Must Die In 2017

10. Narrative Choices That Don't Impact Plot

Many video games now offer various ways to complete the story, often including some sort of ‘choice’ you have to make to advance the story in a certain direction. In games like Mass Effect, these narrative choices are well thought-out and really stay with the player long after they’ve finished the game.

However, some titles include gameplay or narrative choices that literally have no impact on the plot whatsoever. They make out that this choice or action will have a massive impact, but when you get to that point, you realise your decision made no difference whatsoever.

The story mode in FIFA 17, The Journey, was guilty of this. No matter how well you played, Alex Hunter always ended up on loan to a Championship club. You could score a hat-trick every game and be keeping that Gareth kid out of the team, but every single time you would end up on loan, while he became the golden boy.

The fact that this happens no matter what actions you take makes the early stages of the story seem pointless. Why bother trying to play well if you know this event is always going to happen?