10 Outdated Video Game Design Tropes That Must Die In 2017
Why would you put the checkpoint BEFORE the cutscene?!
Despite graphics, level design and stories all improving over the years, many games still include mechanics that are outdated, lazy and/or just plain irritating.
Whether it’s complacency from the developers, rushed release schedules implemented by publishers or apathy from gamers, these issues have been allowed to remain, blighting many otherwise innovative and enjoyable video games.
Because as the technology improved during the early days of console gaming, trends began to appear; if one developer came up with something good, others would follow suit, creating the gameplay tropes and basic mechanics that gamers know and love today.
Unfortunately, because many of these tropes quickly became built into the very fabric of gaming, it’s now almost impossible to get rid of them. Trends and mechanics that were cutting edge during one console generation were already outdated by the next; let alone the current generation.
Because many of these tropes have become associated with specific genres and franchises, developers find it hard to improve or replace them. However, with gamers always looking towards the latest innovations in both hardware and software, they’ve become willing to accept that many of these once great tropes need to go.
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?