10 FLAWS That Held Back BRILLIANT Games

Introduction

Sometimes games are perfect, and sometimes they're 99.9% so close to perfect, but they're not, and man, it's frustrating. Hi folks, it's Zaid Ikram, and today on Speed Tool, 10 flaws that hold back brilliant games.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's Mini-Games Overload

Starting with number 10, it's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's mini-games. At least some of them. So here's the deal. Rebirth is an excellent game in many ways: the visuals are stunning, the music is fantastic, the world is beyond fun to explore, the combat's great, and pretty much all the mini-games are well-designed and have a lot of depth. But you know there's a "but" coming. Stick with me. Queen's Blood, in particular, is great. It's got enough complexity to keep things interesting, but each match is quick enough that it doesn't bog things down. Like, they designed a great mini-game that enriches the experience, and then they made another and another, and about a dozen more, and then didn't stop there and kept making more. Like, to be a proper follow-up to the OG Final Fantasy 7, yes, there's got to be mini-games. The Golden Saucer needs all its stuff from the original. But they could have stopped there. Why? Well, 'cause there's way too much stuff in this game. It's kind of too much of a good thing. Like, we have the Chocobo riding mini-game, did we need a Chocobo catching mini-game? Do we need a memory game at the shrines? And do we need to herd mules? Or do this annoying car challenge thing? There are so many mini-games that they turned Costa Del Sol into a mini Golden Saucer just to have a place to put most of them. And most of them are good. It's just so much. By the time they introduced Gears and Gambits, I was just done with the mini-games. If I ever come back to this game, you had better believe I am ignoring the entire Proto Relic quest line. It's got the most infuriating mini-games by far. It's just too much. Next time, go a little lighter on the mini-games. After a while, they just start to get a bit exhausting.

Deathloop's Golden Loop

At number nine is Deathloop's Golden Loop. This game got a bunch of Game of the Year buzz when it came out, I think rightfully so. It's a really good game. But as time went by, the hype settled down pretty quickly. There are a few reasons why this is, but for me, the most glaring issue with the game is the so-called golden loop. Your basic goal in Deathloop is to eliminate all seven Visionaries in a single day. They're bosses. Their being alive causes the day to continuously loop. If you screw up, there's a bit of a roguelike element here. But there's no mid-mission saving, and there are a lot of ways to fail. At first, it seems like taking out all seven targets in a single day is a complex puzzle to solve. But unfortunately, it's a lot more basic than that. There's pretty much just one defined path that you have to take, which the game all but tells you. It's like if you had to follow one of the mission stories from Hitman, and the only way to finish the game was that. Like, you had just one way. There are other ways to kill targets, but they don't matter. There's a golden path, and that's how you beat the game. You know, you're one of us, right? A Visionary. Kind of figured as much. And yeah, I know what that means. What do you think is going to happen when you break the loop? Are we all going to get off this rock? I'm sorry, but no, we're all going to be dead. It's still ultimately a very good game. It's incredibly fun to play and has some fantastic world-building and visual storytelling. But it seems like it should be a lot more systematic than it is. Like, it has all the trappings of an immersive sim, and it could utilize time in that direction. But it doesn't. And keep in mind, this is coming from somebody who loves Deathloop. This is a game I think is phenomenal. However, it's a lot more linear than it seems like it is. And I think the promise of the game, what really would have made it something over-the-top new and different from a developer that's done that a couple of times now. I mean, Prey and Dishonored are both unique, awesome things. It just needed some more freedom in terms of how you can beat it. Oh, see back, and number eight is Batman Arkham Knight's over-reliance on the Batmobile.

Batman Arkham Knight's Over-Reliance on the Batmobile

There are a lot of controversial things about Arkham Knight. Like the true identity of the titular character, for instance. But the thing people probably argue about most, and still to this day, it's the Batmobile. Some people love it, others just do not like how much the game relies on it. I like a lot of the Batmobile stuff, but I recognize the complaints about it. I'm not saying I love every single instance of the use of Batman. I am not saying I load this game up to drive Batman's car or anything. But I don't hate it. That said, any part where you have to fight wave after wave of drones gets old, especially on replays of the game, which at this point, we're all doing if we're playing Arkham Knight. Confirm contact with multiple organic defenses. Ivy's still helping him. Send in more drones. I back the wrong it sucks that all the boss fights in this game are car-based, which just feels odd for a Batman game. Just the fact that you're rolling around Gotham in a battle tank with machine guns, cannons, and rockets feels at odds with Batman's no-guns policy. And the riddle challenges where you have to drive the car through the death courses, they're frustrating. Still, the Batmobile is an important part of Batman's identity. And like I said, some of the stuff Rockstar manages to do with it is fun and to this day, very technically impressive. But it does overdo it. This is supposed to be a Batman game. I like rolling around in the Batmobile. I don't like all the bosses being in car fights.

Devil May Cry 5's Level Design and Character Depth

And number seven, Devil May Cry 5, Kylo and V. The most recent game in the Devil May Cry series is undoubtedly a masterpiece with some of the best action combat ever in a game. But that doesn't mean it's perfect. Probably the most obvious issue with the game is the level design and how it starts to get around the halfway point. The thing is, they limited pretty much all of the in-between stuff in DMC 5 there are hardly any puzzles or minigame-like events in levels, so it's all just forward momentum broken up by combat encounters. And at least the first half of that works out pretty much just fine. The levels where you're in the city outskirts are visually interesting and a lot of fun to explore. But then you get to the roots of Kyo, you know, around the halfway point, and you just never leave. It's level after level of red routes and corridors, barely anything to distinguish one area from the next. By the end, things do get more interesting, of course, but you do have to slog through a lot of dull monster hallways to get to that point. It's not a big knock against the game because the thing that matters, the combat, is excellent. At least most of the time. Playing as Nero and Dante is fantastic, but the new character, V, is a bit of a weak link. It's not that he's bad; he just doesn't have the depth of the other two and ultimately is the least fun character, at least on repeat playthroughs. If the other two weren't so incredibly good, though, I think the relative lack of depth probably wouldn't stand out as much. It's just that everything else in the combat is so impeccable. He can't help but stand out.

Witcher 3's Combat Shortcomings

At number six is Witcher 3's combat. Yeah, there's one thing that people can't get past when it comes to Witcher 3, and it's the combat 'cause everything else about the game is phenomenal, and the combat's not quite there on its terms. I think it's pretty functional. I don't dislike it. I like it. I just don't think it's what it should be. Like, there are much more responsive and deep combat systems in other games that, frankly, are nowhere near Witcher 3's level on so many other things. So to have it come up short on such a major thing, I mean, the combat can be very shallow, the enemies can take too many hits, and it's unresponsive. These are all, I think, straightforwardly true criticisms. It's not like people are exaggerating that stuff. Like, in most games, you pretty much always know exactly what's going to happen when you press the attack button, and in Witcher 3, it's not the case. Geralt can just kind of... he'll do his own thing. Let's just say his combat flourishes look cool, but the fights kind of feel floaty and unresponsive due to... well, them among other things. I think for the year the game came out, combat in Witcher 3 is pretty impressive, and it has more depth than a lot of other open-world fighting systems, but the complaints are valid. It's awkward a lot of the time.

Team Ninja's Random Loot System

Moving on to number five, it's Neo and pretty much every other Team Ninja game. I'm talking about the random loot, specifically. Team Ninja is responsible for some of the best action games of this and the last generation, but there's this one flaw in their game that they just either can't fix or refuse to. I'm talking about the random loot system. If it were Diablo, this probably wouldn't be a problem. But Neo, Neo Long, and Final Fantasy Origins are all Souls-likes. In pretty much every other game of this type, equipment is unique and only found once, which has its positives and negatives. But in comparison to Neo's, it's a godsend because Team Ninja just... I mean, they give you a lot of... a lot of junk. Too much. It's a constant issue with these games when they shower you with tons of vaguely different loot. And at the end of the mission, you're forced to go into your inventory, scroll through all the crap, and eventually find the one or two things that are better than what you got and sell off the rest. If this were only one or two things, it probably wouldn't be that much of an issue. But it's dozens. It might even be hundreds of weapons, armor pieces, and random dads that clutter your inventory. It's just way too much stuff, especially because the actual loot table isn't made to be all that satisfying, at least if you're just playing through the campaign. The loot grind gets more interesting in the late game where you really can lean into different builds and collect loot that complements your character. But for the main game, most of the stuff you get, it's just vendor trash. Again, it's not like Diablo where it's obvious what junk is and what's worth keeping. So if you're serious about getting the better stuff, you'll have to tediously sift through everything to find the gold nuggets. And yeah, I usually start doing that when I start one of these games, but I end up bulk-selling everything by the end. It's too much for me. There's got to be a better balance out there, but Team Ninja doesn't seem interested in finding it. It's the most common flaw in their games and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.

Metroid Dread's Emys

At number four, the Metroid Dread emys. This game is an amazing return to form for the Metroid franchise, but there's one element that's proven to be pretty divisive. While you're exploring the game in the usual Metroid style, there are these special zones inhabited by unkillable robots called emys. All you have to do is avoid them, but if they catch you, it's instant death. Eventually, you do get the ability to destroy them, but their mere existence is too much for some people. Many find these encounters frustrating or tedious as they slow down the pace of the game. For others, they break up the Metroid formula too much and don't evolve enough as you play to remain interesting. I don't mind them; I think they add a certain unique flair to the game. But they're pretty hard to stay enthusiastic about after they keep happening. They feel repetitive. That's kind of my problem with them. And they do break up the flow of the game a little too much. They're interesting, and I think a good idea, but if they had scaled the idea back a bit, I think it would have been a lot more interesting and effective. I mean, I'm glad they tried something like that as an experiment, but if you have something like that in another Metroid game if by some miracle we get another Metroid game, it needs to be about a quarter of it or just leave them out entirely.

Fallout 4's Dialogue Wheel

And number three is Fallout 4's dialogue wheel. Among certain communities, Fallout 4 is extremely divisive, even though in many ways it's a big improvement over Fallout 3. The problem isn't the last game; it was New Vegas and well, Obsidian knows Bethesda. That said, the combat and gunplay in particular with Fallout 4, are all light years ahead of previous games. The open world is top-notch, a lot of the new additions to the Fallout canon are interesting, and the companions are a lot more unique and memorable, at least compared to Fallout 3. Again, maybe not New Vegas. But the thing that's contentious among fans, other than Preston Garvey, is the dialogue wheel. Rather than having your classic list of dialogue choices like in previous games, Fallout 4 has a Mass Effect-style wheel that allows you to select what you want to say. And in pretty much every possible metric, it is inferior to every previous Fallout game. Even Bethesda recognized that because they went back to the list style in Starfield. The problem here is the wheel makes it so that what you say isn't completely clear 'cause you only get a short description of what your character is going to say. In a lot of instances, you might pick a dialogue option and it ends up being completely different from what you expected. Nothing's free, I know how it is. What if I paid 100 caps upfront? Oh, you seem to be cautious. I respect that, but I think I can handle it. She'll just give me a chance. I'm sorry. The other option is that there's not enough room for the wheel in every possible option. So dialogue, in general, is just made simpler. The fact your character is voiced is another issue. It limits a lot of the role-playing options available to you and railroads you into a plot about searching for your baby. The Fallout series is known for the amount of agency it gives to the player, but in Fallout 4, in terms of the dialogue at least, you're always the desperate parent for a big chunk of the game, no matter what. And it's kind of lame, especially if you're like most people and ignore the plot once you step foot in the open world.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution's Boss Fights

And number two is Deus Ex: Human Revolution's boss fights. The game is a brilliant return to form for the Deus Ex series and a real breath of fresh air when it came out back in 2011. But it's not without its flaws, mainly a huge glaring one that everyone immediately noticed and never stopped talking about, which is, of course, the boss fights. Remember all the tedious discourse about how games should get rid of boss fights from the early 2010s? It was basically because of games like this. The bosses in Human Revolution are just bad. They're horribly out of place and much more annoying than fun. It's not doomed. Deus Ex isn't about circle-strafing and blasting targets; it's about slow, methodical stealth. Unlike Dishonored, it was really difficult to go on a rampage in Human Revolution, even if you wanted to. The somewhat clunky controls just didn't make it easy. So when you get into a boss fight, it's frustrating because all the game mechanics, just work directly against you. Come on, K. I like a man. They could have made bosses work by making it so you could avoid them or give you alternate solutions, which they did in the Director's Cut version of the game. But that doesn't make the bosses good, just tolerable, I guess. I'm all for a good boss fight, but Human Revolution is not the game for that.

Metal Gear Solid 5's Unfinished Story

And finally, number one, Metal Gear Solid 5, simply not being a finished game. So what happens when you take a series known for its dense narrative and release a game with very little story? Well, that's Metal Gear Solid 5. Wouldn't be bad if I don't know if the lack of story was intentional, but in this case, it's just that it's not finished. This isn't a game that ends; it just sort of stops with a lot of major plot threads still unresolved. Like, remember when Eli stole the Metal Gear near the end of the game? And then, okay, I guess that's it. Nothing happens. That was supposed to be resolved in the final chapter. There are even animatics out there for it in the making of DVD, but it's not in the game. Instead of a proper ending, you just play through the opening again, and that's it. The ending leaves you with more questions than answers, but not in that good mysterious way that Metal Gear often does. The game just feels incomplete in a way no other Metal Gear Solid game does, and it sours the whole experience. The sneaking, the atmosphere, and the bones of the story are all excellent, but there's so much missing in it that it does hurt the experience. I do have a bonus for you in Dark Souls: the back half of it. Two words for you: Dragon asses. That's it. Nothing else needs to be said.

Outro

That's it for today. Leave us a comment, and let us know what you think. As always, we thank you very much for reading this blog. I'm Zaid Ikram. We'll see you next time right here on Speed Tool.