Listen up: I'm sure that we've all played games that would have been great, but there was one problem that held the entire game back, one big detail that ruined an entire game that was otherwise fun and well made.

The first game that comes to my mind is Oblivion, if it was just a tad more immersive...

so what do you think? what comes to your mind when I ask about this?

I believe Yahtzee coined a term for this phenomena-- it's called "Indigo Prophecy Syndrome". That was the first game that came to mind.

SargentToughie:

The first game that comes to my mind is Oblivion, if it was just a tad more immersive...

a Tad? that's saying it lightly! I'd say something more along the lines of, "If they added any immersion at all, it could have been a very fun game."

Assassin's Creed comes to mind with an "Almost but not quite" - if they didn't use the story as an excuse to riddle the game with bad design, then put in linearity and trigger points (In an OPEN WORLD game) - then perhaps the game could have actually been good.

HSIAMetalKing:
I believe Yahtzee coined a term for this phenomena-- it's called "Indigo Prophecy Syndrome". That was the first game that came to mind.

Was that when he was talking about stories which go window licking mental at the end, such as Condemned 2? I agree with that. Also, quick time events. I know hating them is getting about as cliched as the bastard things themselves, but they really do grind my gears. Especially the ones where you have to do a combo of buttons. The only time it's ever worked well is in Resi 4. Also, cover systems. Hiding behind a wall in a gunfight and then moving to the side to shoot is not rocket science. I don't need a button dedicated to sticking me to the wall so that when I accidentally drop a live grenade at my feet I have to figure out which button to press to set me free so I can leg i- *BOOOOOOM*

For me this is a problem with most MMO's these days. I started out with EQ when I was young joyfully getting my Rogue up to the 60's until I finally started thinking every level I do +5 damage but it takes 5 more to kill the next level mob.So it finally dawned on me it was just a grind as you never truly got powerful as your next target was adjusted for your new power.So It came down to only reason you play is for social and talking to guildies and groups.

I think this happens with MMO's and badly made hack and slash when you realize your just in a giant hamster wheel running nowhere.

Chiasm:
For me this is a problem with most MMO's these days. I started out with EQ when I was young joyfully getting my Rogue up to the 60's until I finally started thinking every level I do +5 damage but it takes 5 more to kill the next level mob.So it finally dawned on me it was just a grind as you never truly got powerful as your next target was adjusted for your new power.So It came down to only reason you play is for social and talking to guildies and groups.

I think this happens with MMO's and badly made hack and slash when you realize your just in a giant hamster wheel running nowhere.

QFT.

Chiasm:
For me this is a problem with most MMO's these days. I started out with EQ when I was young joyfully getting my Rogue up to the 60's until I finally started thinking every level I do +5 damage but it takes 5 more to kill the next level mob.So it finally dawned on me it was just a grind as you never truly got powerful as your next target was adjusted for your new power.So It came down to only reason you play is for social and talking to guildies and groups.

I think this happens with MMO's and badly made hack and slash when you realize your just in a giant hamster wheel running nowhere.

O.O <===Thats my eyes being opened...Wow, Never thought about it like that. haha good thing i dont play any MMO's anymore. =D

If destroy all humans didn't have that annoying Psi bar. you can only disguise yourself for like 15 seconds before having to find a person and steal their thoughts over and over before you de-cloak and be killed be everyone. They fixed it in the 2nd one, but the 2nd one wasn't nearly as well done as the first one i don't think.

I'd have to say Dragon quest 8. The first form of the final boss made the 80+ hours of grinding and mixing things in my alchemy pot fell like a big waste of time. He was incredibly difficult to fight, but the form he took made me hate the game so much that I deleted the file and traded the game in. He made me feel like the game was making fun of me for not being able to beat such a silly looking blob of an enemy who was supposedly the greatest evil in the dragon quest 8 world.

Indigo Prophecy... yeah, don't think I need to explain this one.

Tekken Dark Resurrection, with the ridiculous Jinpachi; it basically FORCES you to buttonbash/spam the same attack over and over.

Call of Duty 2: Fun at first, but after a while I just realised this was first person whack-a-mole, with Germans respawning at the exact same spot, running to the exact same spot, until you move one step forward. Doing that makes them spawn a bit further and go hide behind something else.

Guild Wars. With each expansion, the game just got worse in the long run. Oh, sure, the new PvE content was fun for one playthrough, and the metagame got a good mixing-up, but now the game is just all about title grind.

Condemned 2, the gameplay was tighter, the set pieces were great, and although it wasn't quite as scary as the original, one thing totally ruined it: the god damn ending....WTF monilith?? why would you end the game in such a stupid and batshit crazy way??!!

I've had a number of games with dissapointing final segments, but Final Fantasy 9 took the cake for me. The genome/Terra claptrap I took in with some effort, but then not only does every single town get blocked by roots for the endgame (I would have thought Square had learned their lesson with FF8 doing the same thing for Disc 4), but the random encouter set becomes the same no matter where you are in the world. Then there's Necron. You never actually get to kill Kuja.

Much like Condemned 2 was accused of, FF9's story seemed to fall apart in the second half and just wander aimlessly from dungeon to dungeon until it's time for the prerequisite last boss. Maybe another subtle tribute to it's ancestors for which the game is known, maybe just laziness. We may never know.