10 Video Game Mechanics That Make No Sense

8. Random Enemy Encounters

Final Fantasy 13 Good luck finding an RPG that doesn't have these. They do make sense to a degree - in that enemies are going to want to get the upper-hand by way of a sneak attack - but from a design perspective, it's stupid, because most games will literally fling enemies at you out of nowhere. You'll be walking along the world map and then, BAM, you're in a fight without any warning that anyone was approaching you; it's just silly. At least an animation of an enemy sneaking up on you would make sense. When you're assailed by a giant plant monster out of nowhere when walking along a plain with no hiding place, it really makes suspending your disbelief rather difficult. Pokemon hilariously tries to pawn this off as the enemies hiding in tall grass - at least they're playful with it, rather than flat out hurling enemies at you without a rhyme or reason. Final Fantasy VII has to be my least favourite game for this; you're literally just running around and you're sent into battle mode. It can be immensely frustrating as well if you're simply trying to get to the next area, and have to spend 10 minutes trying to escape fights.
 
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Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.