10 Hugely Influential Video Games (That Made Everything Worse)

7. Shenmue - Quick-Time Events

Uncharted 2
Sega

Quick Time Events, used sparingly, are a great way to keep players immersed and attentive. Usually during cutscenes, to stop them nipping off to make a cuppa and missing plot.

Shenmue popularised these back in 1999, and they weren't necessarily hated then. Alright, they weren't exactly praised either, but we accepted it as a core mechanic.

Well, until just about every game afterwards starting exploiting QTE's. Now the mere mention has people raising their fists and yelling "Shenmue!" into the night sky.

David Cage is the worst for this. I get that he wants to make "interactive dramas" but... come on, man, I don't need to micro-manage every joint manipulation of my character. Oh, I do? Yay...

When used on odd occasions, they can be fun. To keep you on your toes in an intense scene, preventing Spider-Man from bungling in a burning building, for instance.

Pressing X to Jason though, that was the real nadir of the mechanic.

You know they've outworn their welcome when God of War, a series rife with them, toned it down for its reboot. Take lesson, other developers.

Contributor
Contributor

Player of games, watcher of films. Has a bad habit of buying remastered titles. Reviews games and delivers sub-par content in his spare time. Found at @GregatonBomb on Twitter/Instagram.