3 Genres We Wish Would Disappear
Roguelikes
Ok, maybe we don’t want actual roguelikes to disappear, but developers, please stop adding “roguelike mechanics” into your shooters, RPGs, card games, and whatever other genre you’re working in. Adding a fail state that makes the player start over doesn’t add “tension,” it just makes the game tedious and frustrating. If you can’t create tension through story, characters and level design you aren’t going to solve the problem by slapping on a repetitive loop. Adding a roguelike doesn’t make your game the cool kid at the party, ’cause everyone is doing it and no one likes it.
Multiplayer Games That Pretend to be Single Player
Aliens: Fireteam Elite was, at least in theory, playable by a single gamer alongside two AI companions. To do so was a frustrating, tedious and lonely experience. At least with two human players, you could complain about how repetitive the game was. Alpha and Beta (the oh-so-cleverly named AI characters) were mute cyphers nearly useless against anything but the easiest enemies, and had the personalities of plastic houseplants. Developers, if you game is really co-op multiplayer, be up front about it and don’t even try to include a single player component. If you are going to advertise a single player experience, make sure it’s actually fun.
Platformers
Platforming games are the part of the origin story of videogames, and a well made recent platformer like Rachet and Clack: Rift Apart is still a joy to play. What I wish would disappear — and not just for a while, but forever — is games that have a platforming element that is obviously poorly conceived and frustrating. I’ve played so many otherwise decent games that have included “platforming” that ruins the game, or at least seriously degrades the experience. Sometimes, this mechanic is simply added to make a story or character-based game seem more “game like” but no one enjoys it. Note to developers, if you feel like you need to add game-like elements, maybe consider what you should make is an animated film instead of interactive entertainment. Just saying.
So, what genres or mechanics do you want to see more or less of? Let us know!