8 TINY Things Video Games Do That Drive Us Crazy
4. Scripted Sequences Disguised As Gameplay
There are parts of video games where you are given the illusion of control which, in many cases, is way worse than more hard line split between gameplay and cutscene. After all, another obvious and thankfully less prominent complaint for this list could be quick-time events. But how is it any different when you're being forced to hold forward to push your character through a flaming corridor when you could simply be watching?
The idea is immersion, to feel your character's struggles... by pushing a stick, though? It doesn't feel like controlling your character, it feels like gently pushing the nervous video game forward in a manner akin to "come on now, let's just get to the next piece of actual gameplay".
This sort of thing rears its ugly head in a multitude of ways. For example, the ol' walking-and-talking sequence. These were popular in earlier generations as a way to hide the loading of the next map segment but now they just crop up in games for no reason. You'll be forced down to your slowest possible pace whilst two characters have a chin-wag.
Then again, is this better or worse than those moments where you have to walk alongside an NPC and your walk is too slow and your run is too fast...? Yes, I can hear your teeth grinding from here, dear reader.