I finally got around to reading Jason Schreier's excellent Blood, Sweat and Pixels. A common theme that runs through successful game development is the question "is it fun?". This applies to everything from the UI, the mechanics, the story, the gameplay, etc.
I always thought my most hated game mechanic was the mandatory slow or injured walk. You are wounded or in a dream sequence and you are forced to move ever so slowly while a story is told. It sucks. You want to tell a story beat. Make a cutscene. Don't make me hold a button and go agonizingly slow especially in a game that is fast paced. It sucks.
But I digress.
I finally picked up COD: WW2 on PC. I love a good WW2 FPS. Put me on the beach at Normandy and let me channel Band of Brothers and kick Nazi ass. So I'm storming the beach. Dying to random explosions and gunshots. Get that bangolore into place and I'm the bunkers. Then it hits. The first QTE. After about 10 frustrating tries I luckily get it. I don't feel accomplished. i'm annoyed. Then I get another which I couldn't do so I rage quit and eventually got back and beat.
But it got me thinking how much I hate this mechanic and really want it to die. There are some places it works like the new God of War and other console style button mashers. Even in non-Western games. Which is fine. Spider Man got it perfect by making it optional which was the very first thing I disabled.
Maybe I'm just a crotchety older gamer, but I would be happy to never see another QTE again.
I always thought my most hated game mechanic was the mandatory slow or injured walk. You are wounded or in a dream sequence and you are forced to move ever so slowly while a story is told. It sucks. You want to tell a story beat. Make a cutscene. Don't make me hold a button and go agonizingly slow especially in a game that is fast paced. It sucks.
But I digress.
I finally picked up COD: WW2 on PC. I love a good WW2 FPS. Put me on the beach at Normandy and let me channel Band of Brothers and kick Nazi ass. So I'm storming the beach. Dying to random explosions and gunshots. Get that bangolore into place and I'm the bunkers. Then it hits. The first QTE. After about 10 frustrating tries I luckily get it. I don't feel accomplished. i'm annoyed. Then I get another which I couldn't do so I rage quit and eventually got back and beat.
But it got me thinking how much I hate this mechanic and really want it to die. There are some places it works like the new God of War and other console style button mashers. Even in non-Western games. Which is fine. Spider Man got it perfect by making it optional which was the very first thing I disabled.
Maybe I'm just a crotchety older gamer, but I would be happy to never see another QTE again.