My pet hate

I'm sure that everyone has little niggling things that annoy them about buying and playing games. Mine is packaging. If I pay upwards of forty dollars for a new game I reckon the least they could do is give me a jewel case so I can keep it in my CD rack. I don't like keeping the game in the box since then they get torn up over time and I have no desire to shuffle through a stack of identical white paper envelopes or deal with a cardboard fold out CD holder. What the heck is so hard about putting a cheap plastic case around the CD?

Okay, now that I vented, what gets your gaming goat?

Visionism, The jewel case vs. the paper sleeve has been a hot topic here before. I agree, I hate the paper sleeve. I put all my cds in plastic sleeves after I unpack the game, but I do like the jewel case with the front and back insert. It makes it a lot nicer for the collector, as myself.

I hate manuals with print that is too small to read - or is printed against a background that is almost the same color as the print. Even worse is no paper manual at all.

Paper sleeves are better than cardboard folders that leave cardboard lint all over the back of the CD. The worst packaging I ever had was a cardboard sleeve where the glue that was holding the cardboard together on the edges was stuck to the back of the CD. Essentially the CD was glued to the sleeve. Yecch!

I hate when you buy the game you are just dying to play, you get home, pop it in, but you can't get it to launch, and you have no idea why! Grrrrr....!!!

It's because you're using XP

Actually, it is usually because of some weird conflict between the game and the video card; at least, in my case. It is frustrating.

Sandy sleuth - me to!!!!! and its happening more and more

I'm with you Sandy AND Visionism regarding BAAGing a game that was hyped, like Sherlock Holmes Silver Earring, and finding out that not one of our 3 computers will run the darn thing. What gives? And then to see all the negative comments about the quality of the game on top of that makes me sooooooooooooooooo glad I did not pay a lot for it. And, yes I do have one computer with XP on it but the other 2 have WIN98 with different hardware in each of them, different from the other. But still, at $20 for one game that will not run I might just as well have lit a match to a $20 bill! I do like the Sherlock Holmes games and am very disappointed. And I truly hate it when I see that I have to be a Computer Genius to fiddle with all my settings just for one game that is being stubborn/stupid and then those settings mess up everything else I have on my machine......POO! (That's a polite way of saying c..p!) and NUTS! to the 'genius's that do this to us! Thanks for letting me VENT!
Love, Betty Lou "laughter is the best medicine" they say

I also hate games that come in a box without jewel cases for the cd's! Talk about cheaping off! It infuriates me to have to put my cd's in the box, search through the documentation for them when I want them, usually hurting the loose manual in the box and the box in the process.

I keep my boxes in a separate place from my cd's also, Visionism. That's definitely one of my pet peeves also.

Melanie

I have the paper sleeved ones in a drawer and the manuals stored seperately. It is a pain to go through the stacks to find a game to replay but then thats beacause I'm not organised enough to put em in alphabetical order!!

My pet peeve is when the settings are so dark it makes it very difficult to play certain areas. Surely it wouldn't take much to lighten them up a bit???

Sandy I think you jinxed me! Last night I came across my first ever "won't run at all" game with Syberia 2. Since it wouldn't get past the splash screen and some CD accessing I thought the copy protection might not like my wife's CDROM drive. Fixed it finally and now we're happily wandering around Romansbourg!

Like I said to her at the time, "Who's your favorite geek?"

My "hate", for the moment is that I have installed URU: Complete Chronicles and it won't make an AVATAR for me. It just sits there "creating" it but never quite making it. If the darned game can scan my computer and determine all the hardware, etc., that is on it and say it is compatible with the game then WHY is it hanging up at this point? Never had this happen before!

For a regular, always to hate problem, I guess I have to go along with Jenny100. Print too small to read but, even worse, print that is on a background where you can barely see it.....and too small, too (usually)

Visionism: Sorry!!! Never meant to Jinx you!!
Tigger, That just happened in the last game I played, Dracula. The settings were so dark, it was difficult to find the hot spots. I was forced to peek at the walkthrough for that very reason!!

Sandy

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Playing: Shivers

Wow, I feel really fortunate. There's only one game I haven't been able to get to run at all, and that was because of a software conflict.

My pet peeve in this area, though, would be games that crash for no apparent reason or games that don't run smoothly (choppy sound, video, etc) eventhough my system meets or exceeds the game requirements. It makes me think they're not being honest about what the requirements really are. Come to think of it, though, I haven't had much of a problem with that since I got my new 'puter.

WW

my hate is that I can't find any good games around at the moment!

Guess you must have played them all. Not a happy place to be in!

I never thought of putting them in a drawer, Tigger. That's a good idea but my drawers are a disaster. I must be more disorganized than you are.

I either put them back in the box or if I have lots of empty jewelcases at the moment, I put them on the shelf with the games that came with jewel cases.

Melanie

As far as CD's in paper sleeves are concerned, I simply remove the CD's and put them in plastic jewel cases. Usually the face of the CD identifies the game. However, I don't have the end identification and I use racks for storage, so I have to pull them out to check the CD.

Probably my pet peeve is to find technical gliches which hold up my playing of the game. VISIONEER has guided me on a recent difficulty. Why can't they get a game right without having to resort to patches? Are they in too much of a rush? Cutting back on Beta testers? Whatever, it's annoying.

The last thing I'll mention are puzzles that seem to have no logical solution. That is frustrating to me. I don't like cut and try solutions. There should be some good rationale to any solution. Otherwise its grumble, grumble.

My personal pet hate is upcoming games that have websites that haven't been updated in weeks or months. I like to get a sense that something new is happening with a game -- a new screenshot or a bit of news. Something to keep my hopes alive.

hmmmmm....my personal peeve...games that are called 'Adventure' and turn out to be Action/Adventure...(w/ridiculous timed puzzles and not a good length of time to solve in, and/or jumping/leaping), games that do not allow you to save when /where you want, games that do not have separate gamesave files for each save...U R U , and you have to wait FOREVER for it to reload ( ummm U R U )..games where you have to go back and forth so much you almost think your mouse is going to wear out. It is really a shame (for me anyway) about Myst IV...beautiful game, but i won't replay it...there are 2 puzzles that i cannot do (and believe me i have tried..you have no idea how many hours..)but dadguy got me thru, and Uru, same thing...except you are really out of luck there because you cannot even send a save and get help. i just managed to luck out for the jumps...of course i onlyjust finished Uru prime a month or so ago and now blundering in the expansion (been working on whole game for MONTHS) clueless. Again, beautiful , but so frustrating i will never replay. AND even worse, to me, not going to pre-order Myst V ! I loved the Myst series, but this last one has sort of put me off.

Very definitely! Broken Sword III has been a major disappointment for that reason. I keep leaving it and not getting back to it again and will probably never finish the game. And I loved the 1st two so much. Why'd they have to go and do that?

I hear ya Shadowimr! I'm waiting impatiently for some games too.

i agree with the thing about not being able to get games to run. is nothing simple anymore?

Gamenut, sorry to say it but you're really going to dislike Path of the Shell if that's how you feel about Uru Prime. I really, really disliked POTS and I *liked* Uru...

WW

Atlantis evolution was the same way-

Um,
A game is just a game. Some come with pretty covers. Some come with JC and some with not.
I love them all, just the same.
WoW, This could be a thread about guys and girls.

I have to agree with those who are aggravated with the action/adventures! I've been very disappointed with some of them because they did not disclose the information about the action needed to play.

Melanie

I also dislike the paper boxes. The big problem is that they get worn - jewel cases hardly does, and if they do, you can just replace them with new ones. This is a major concern for me when buying used games. It's unbelievable how some people treat their games!

On top of this, getting the CD's out of the Adventure Company boxes is an adventure in itself. I'd rather solve a timed slider puzzle any day.

one thing i do not like is the jewel case that stores 2 cds that is the size of a single jewel case. worst invention ever made. give me 2 paper sleeves instead any day. as it is whenever games come that way i have to separate them into 2 separate single jewel cases. i know paper sleeves are looked at as cheap but many a time i have bought new games and the jewel case has been slightly cracked or the center part has been slightly broken. and good luck trying to exchange the game for that reason. paper sleeves all around are a lot better solution. that way you can use your own jewel cases- some people like the slim line, other likes to store cd's in albums as they throw out the boxes.

My solution is that I bought a bunch of empty jewel cases at a swap meet of all types. When I get the game open, as I am loading it, I just put the cds in the appropriate jewel case (1,2,3 etc. size).

Mike

For all that hate the aper sleeves, you can buy jewel cases in bulk dirt cheap in most computer stores (CompUsa, Best Buy or online). Just pop them in there and the problem is solved. Another solution is to do what I do with all my games. I get the double sided CD pockets and put my game cd's in there and keep them all in a box. I have over 250 games and all are stored this way (for those of you that shop at Cosco the boxes with the large trash bags are perfect for this. They store games in 2 rows and I have 2 1/4 in use now which I keep under my computer desk with games all arranged alphabetically for easy finding. End of problem.
My major complaint is being confronted with gmes that are bug loaded that crash and/or cause the computer to freeze or not install at all as if the developers wanted to get the game out in a rush and never bothered to beta test the game before releasing it, or at least it definitely seems that way(Forever Worlds????!!!!!). Another thing I hate is when games come with a limited # of save slots (3-4) or none at all and you have to sort of play the game continuous to the end (only encountered 2 of those but still ----).
Comment for Shadowinmyroom, pick up Moment of Silence (one of the best ever!!!), Legacy-Dark shadows and Sentinel-Descendants in Time, all good games.
Happy gaming,
Bill

I've gotten a number of games that have come in paper sleeves and have a supply of empty jewel cases on hand. Most jewel cases are constructed so the plastic piece that holds the CD snaps out and back in again easily. I cut down a 5"x8" index card the size of an insert manual with a little extra that, when folded, becomes the end piece where I can write the name of the game. This way, all my games, which I store in an apothecary-like chest, can be identified without pulling them out.

Playing a game with tooooo much dialog gets on my nerves. Stop all that yimmer yammerin and let's move along.

I put them in my own jewel cases too but I reckon if I just paid fifty bucks then I shouldn't have to.

I don't have any major hate right now. But I do wish that adventure game boxes would specify things like if there are time/action sequences; 1st or 3rd person perspective; and whether you can die or not. Ok that last one may be a bit too much but these are the things I always look for and have to look through reviews of a game to get. Oh while I'm at it, I wish all adventure game reviews can have a section at the top listing all these things I mentioned so I don't have to look for it inside the review.

Aquila..i agree w/listing stating info about the game. especially if there are action/or timed action puzzles. and if so that game should not be labeled 'adventure' it should be labeled 'action/adventure'. i think those things are not mentioned intentionally..just to get regular point/click adventure gamers to buy the game. I also think there should be some way to include 'auto solve'in the game itself (after so many tries) or cheat codes for those types of games when you purchase that game.

Boxes---
I save my boxes & put them in folders. I love the colorful graphics. Five of my boxes where accidently destroyed & I can't find a replacement for them. Wish the company that made them, had kept some of the boxes in stock so I could buy them. I have even bought some games again just to replace some boxes that got damaged by water.
I also buy the official strategy guides, when I run across them.
I try to get at least two to three different walkthroughs for my games. I keep my walkthroughs in colored folders & have them listed in a loose leaf notebook, to help locate them in a hurry.
I have to agree with Gamenut, I hate TIMED PUZZLES. They seem to take great pride in not giving enough time to complete them with ease. They could at least put in a bypass button, so if you can't beat it, you can pass it. I have stiff fingers & can't move my mouse very fast or smooth.
I also admit that I cheat my way through the games with walkthroughs---I just want to play the game --not have a heart attack.
Well, goodnight to all.
Jtiffin

jtiffin....yep Timed Puzzles..i can't stand 'em. Most are doable, but seems like lately time is shorter and shorter. i know what you mean about stiff fingers! Have you played URU? i had been playing it until a week or so ago, one Age-Garheesen, near the end is more jumping and i tried my best to be able to drop off an area and climb to another to drop down to where i needed to go...BUT game would not let me...see, WE can think of other ways, if they'd just let us use 'em!! ahahaha

I know this has been mentioned but it feels good to get it out. I HATE games that are sent to you and the discs are in just plain little envelopes. Whats with that. You can get the plastic disc holder for so little and so why can't a company at least do this??????????????????????

Gamenut,
Yes I have finished all myst related games.
URU was one of my favorites.
Are you talking about jumping from big rock to little rock, then to the door. I found that if you stay in first person to make the jumps, that you would come closer to making them for some reason. The first time I played URU everything seem impossible, but the expansion packs 1 & 2 caused me to have to replay URU 5 times. I now know how to do it by heart & real fast.
I hope Myst V plays completely on it on & doesn't require the other games to be on your computer like the expansion packs did. I like to wipe the games off my computer when I have finished them, to free up the space.
Don't give up on URU.
Jtiffin

The things that I dislike most are games that force a change in screen resolution, or don't give the option of a custom install.
Viz

I guess my biggest pet peeve is that developers keep pushing the envelope with system requirements so that we keep having to upgrade in order to play the new games. My old XP has less that 32MB of video RAM and I can no longer play any of the new games because of the demand on the video. And I can't put in a new video card because I am limited to PCI and the power supply on the computer is too wimpy. So I am limited to playing older games because I just don't want to upgrade again. It wouldn't be so bad if the new games combined interesting and well developed stories with the beefed up graphics, but most of them have the requirements soley because they want to "wow" us with great animations and graphics. Hey, the graphics and animations for Syberia I were out of this world and you could run that game on 16MB of VideoRAM, why do we have to increase the demands on the system?
That is one reason my hat is always off to Her Interactive because they have always kept the system demands for the Nancy Drew games low. Hopefully, they will continue to do so. Developers would sell more games if they didn't force us to buy new computers to play the ones they put out.

Paul

OH-jtiffin, i did finally finish Uru Prime, and have started into To D'di, etc. I finally lucked out and made my jumps, but would have rather spent an hour dropping off revolving tower onto ground, and going on up and dropping from top of cave entrance onto pathway into Garheesen Journey door. Maybe, just Maybe, they'll give us those options in any 'follow up' games they do!

Well done Gamenut,
I'm now in the middle of Bad Mojo. I am sure not looking forward to the timed parts. I think if I can just get through it once, I will be happy, I am not going to try all the different endings.
Hope you have the fun with D'di that I did!
Goodnight,
Jtiffin