I was playing Assassins Creed 2 earlier. I like the game but it has some problems that cannot be overlooked.
The detection system with the guards. I enjoy climbing the rooftops but for some reason guards want to instantly kill you. The worse is if I happen to fall down and on my way land on a guard he wants you dead. Why not a warning? I've had too many of these encounters and it slows down Gameplay. I think the developers do this to artificially lengthen game time.

Lack of first person option. This has always bothered me. The game revolves around a virtual reality like experience. Most of the games for Oculus Rift have been in First Person. I always thought by now they'd have an option to switch between first and third person perspective like the Elder Scrolls games.

Dark Souls 1 and 2

The lack of difficulty option. I played through and finished DS2. Had a lot of fun. Went to try the first and can't get into it. It seems much harder than 2. I would love to explore the game on an easier difficulty. I know people say that would hurt the experience but there should still be an option for other gamers. This is what's holding the series back from being a better seller. Even sell it as DLC if they want.

What are some games you guys enjoy but have serious flaws the hold back from a fully enjoyable experience?

I'll disagree on Dark Souls. It's a roguelike that lets you level-up and keep your levels when you die. So you learn from each experience. The beginning is the hardest, but if you make an easy mode I think it destroys the game. You already get infinite lives, what more do you want?

(there are times I wish there were an "easy" mode for a game like Mario, which would prevent insta deaths from falling off a platform so my daughter could play by herself but that, too destroys the game.)

Resident Evil. The tank controls, I think, are necessary in creating the scary environment but still suck overall. The crappy voice acting, though, is not a flaw, it's part of the charm.

I'm pretty sure I disagree with everything in the OP. Why shouldn't a guard be pissed at you if you fall on them from a roof?!

Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2. That damn camera.

Great and challenging games. Love them.

The first Kingdom Hearts and it's amazingly bad camera control.

Pretty much every Grand Theft Auto game has at least one infuriating element that makes me wonder what the fuck they were thinking.

Spec Ops: The Line. And no, I don't believe that the clunky gameplay was intentional or that it "enhanced" the game.

Why do you think the guards in AC are there in the first place? Also, while not explicitly required (with some exceptions), AC is partially a stealth series and you're not necessarily supposed to run around without taking the view of the guards into account.

First- and third-person games have different design considerations, and usually you can't just switch views and expect it to play the same way. The Elder Scrolls games demonstrate this with their third-person view, which is awkward and clunky. While a first-person AC would be interesting (Mirror's Edge meets Super Spy for Neo Geo?), they'd have to design the game with it in mind.

Most recent offender? Mario Kart 8. Nintendo has done everything possible to remove anything in the game that required an ounce of skill to level the playing field for everyone. They've essentially neutered the game. No manual power slide, no picking up a second item while holding one, no forcing the item box item to pop so you can use it faster, zero chance of recovering from hitting a banana, etc.

Any Wii game with forced motion controls. Mario Galaxy, NSMB, Zelda, etc. etc. etc.

Little Big Planet with the shitty floaty controls.

Dead Rising and the save system. 2 save slots and only in bathrooms?

Diablo 2 reused enemy models far too much, and it was not well balanced if you played single-player and didn't cheat with "players 8".

Absolutely. I'd forgotten how absolutely terrible it was until I tried the HD remix. Time has not been kind to that flaw.

This is a difference in how Japanese developers tend to approach games. From an interview with 2 developers:

Oh I get it and really didn't have a problem with it, but that doesn't make it less of a flaw. The bathrooms are fine, at least let me have multiple saves to screw around and try stuff without negative consequences.

Just started playing RE6 and it is an issue as to WHEN exactly you've hit a checkpoint. Sometimes that typewriter ain't a checkpoint.

The original Far Cry was fantastic and cutting edge... but I'll be damned if the baddies couldn't detect you coming from a mile away despite hiding in the foliage and them having no idea you were in the vicinity.

LOVED AC2 Probably my 2nd favorite XBox 360 game of all time...

There was so much to love about LA Noire, and yet... *sigh*

I agree It's a great game. I plan to finish it up this weekend. But those damn guards are everywhere and one of the best aspects is parkouring rooftop to rooftop

The first resident evil. There are times where you can run out of ammo and not be able to go back to wander around to get more.

Interesting. I never had an issue with them. I'd either take them out or be able to run off.

Love that we got it for free on XBL. I'd never played it but always wanted to. Fell in love it immediately and then got the next two Ezio games. Still need to beat Revelations.


I admire what they attempted but holy fuck was it boring.

I know some people would hate this idea, but I'd love if Rockstar reused that game world and assets for different games. The game map, the cars, and so on... I wasn't a fan of the gameplay mechanics, but I think the land would be used for a number of different stories.

I've always been baffled that game makers make these huge elaborate worlds and only use them for one game (and maybe a DLC release). Why not set a 50's UFO/alien invasion game in LA Noire's map? Or have a Dead Rising style zombie game in GTA V's world? I'm not talking just a simple DLC, but entire new games with their own characters and gameplay mechanics. Instead of building the entire world from scratch they could simply retool things as needed and even expand upon it... like make more buildings you can enter.

Shadow of the Colossus: That. Fucking. CAMERA.

LA Noire was a great adventure game waiting to happen, it failed.

As a third-person shooter, Alpha Protocol is frustratingly clunky and not very attractive. As an espionage role-playing experience, however, it's fantastic. You pretty much have to stick to stealth to get any enjoyment out of the shooting controls, but it's worth dealing with its gameplay issues for the dialogue system, the skill trees and upgrades, and the freedom of choice.

It wasn't just the save points in Dead Rising that were frustrating (I could not care less if some pixelated-porn-watching Japanese prefer their games this way). The timed objectives were maddeningly frustrating as well.

Deadly Prem

Yeah, Deadly Premonition immediately comes to mind.