Inventory Management/ Over Encumbrance

Preorder Bonuses

Zombies

Wastelands / The Post Apocalypse

I agree entirely. I have grown to despise all of the concepts above.

I don't think we'll see zombies take a break anytime soon.

Agreed. Also, day-one DLC and DLC already on the disc is bullshit.

My god I agree with every single thing you listed

add level caps to that too

I like zombies and wastelands 
 
 
they never let me down !!!!!

I actually want a few more post-apocalyptic games, since every one I can think of to come out recently, besides Fallout 3, has been crummy. Actually... I guess I just want another Fallout game. I hope Vegas is actually good. I don't like Obsidian's track record.

Morality-It either needs to be vastly improved or abolished altogether  
The whole "here's the good option and here's the bad option, youll get slightly different items and the end cut scene will be different depending on what you pick" is getting very VERY tired 

especially preorder bonuses

I agree.
 
Over-encumbrance can work for certain games, I think. It would have to have a really realistic tone to it, though. I think inventory systems like Freedom Fighters and most fps games use the best method. 
 
Maybe if for RPGs, you had a satchel and could carry like 10 potions, plus a sword/shield/bow on your back, dagger on hip, and one piece of armor at a time, it would be cool. There's no need to haul every piece of loot back to town, as long as the game isn't designed that way. Maybe have a realistic money system, where you get rewarded barely any gold for quests, and every item doesn't scale up 20% in cost for each successive level.
 
Also, I hate pre-order bonuses( especially store-exclusive).

I just want smarter, more powerful, and less frequent AI.  That would add a lot to a game.  Oh, and quicker, more efficient targeting systems would be great too.

DLC that should have been in the game (the ENTIRE multiplayer in a game, like 5 levels, the best weapon in the game, etc.) 
although all that stuff (minus the mulitplayer thing, to my knowledge), has also been done in preorder bonuses. 
 
And while zombies have been overused, the fact that they sell so well (L4D2, anyone?) means that people likely won't stop in the future.

I don't think any of those are going away anytime soon.

Many times I left a pile of collected stuff around my feet in a video game. STALKER was the same way, but I was so broke I made that long trip back over and over and over.
 
Zombies can't catch a break, they also seem to be a staple of political correctness killing. The apocalypse doesn't seem to piss people off either.

Agreed on pre-order bonuses, especially since that exclusive retailer is usually Evil Empire GameStop.

I agree with all of those points, especially the post apocalypse one. It feels like everything has be post apocalypse now to be cool. I am so sick of it. Worst of all that scenario has bled over into other media. Has anyone seen the trailer for that upcoming movie "The Book of Eli?" That's not a book about Eli. It's Fallout 3.

The inventory management in Dead Space is actually a key contributor to the atmosphere of the game. While some games use a pause button to detach players from the action, the real-time fluency of games like Dead Space and Resident Evil 5 actually make the action more intense.
 
Zombies might have been overplayed, but i'm prepared to play and Left 4 Dead game valve pumps out regardless of market saturation.

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Inventory Management/ Over Encumbrance

 
 

Preorder Bonuses

 

 

Zombies

Wastelands / The Post Apocalypse

 

Yeah, sure.  I wouldn't mind seeing all those things left in the past for a while.

Valve and Capcom can keep making zombie games.   I am also not tired of wastelands, but the only wasteland game I played is Borderlands, which I am only 10-12 hours into.

Out-of-game preorder bonuses (T-shirts or whatever) are fine. In-game preorder bonuses can take a hike, though.

" I don't think we'll see zombies take a break anytime soon. "

Zombies and post-apocalyptica are fine if used effectively. I am very bored of unnecessary zombie moments, though. If they're not our real antagonist, we don't need them. They don't really add anything to the experience other than longevity. 
 
Pre-order bonuses suck, as do retailer-exclusive bonuses. Inventory management is pretty annoying, especially when it's as limiting as it is in Fallout 3. It's not realistic, and it's at the point where it's also annoying. XP 
 
I say we need to say goodbye to "do this 1000 times" achievements, and also the "find all 100 little random items" achievements. If they did anything for you before the end of the game, it'd be another story, but Petruccio's Feathers and the treasure you find in Uncharted 2 are both completely worthless throughout most of the game. 
 
Next year, I see an over-abundance in third-person action titles; in the first quarter alone, we see Bayonetta, No More Heroes, Dante's Inferno, and God of War III. And I'm sure there'll be more by the end of the year, right?

Nolan North 
 
I'm not wishing harm on Mr. North of course, I just.. don't want to ever hear his voice again outside of Desmond and Nathan

Quick Time Events - it was fun in Shenmue, then God of War, then Resident Evil 4... now, on the eve of 2010, it's old. Please, die in a fire.  
Franchise reboots - if it's dead, let it rest in peace. And don't even reboot something which has just been rebooted (Prince of Persia).  
Insomniac Games - stop making shit. No more Ratchet, and either get Resistance on track or don't bother making them. 
PSP games on PSN - overpriced and often with issues as a result of compression. The Go killed itself, this is a few more nails in the coffin.

I wouldn't worry about zombies so much now. Everyone knows it's all about Vampires now!
*Gets ready to shoot self should this come to fruition.*

On-screen displays, health bars, icons, symbols when they are not necessary.

Bad writing, weak storytelling

Long cutscenes

Wii games that don't use MotionPlus

Space marines (especially bald ones), post-apocalyptic wastelands, huge fantasy dudes with gigantic weapons & co.

Embarrassingly immature and ridiculous female characters

"Anti-piracy" measures

Matchmaking, no ping display, bad non-US performance in console MP games

Preorder bonuses NEED TO DIE!

Inventory management does suck.  Dealing with that in Borderlands, but the amount of damage per weapon helps you get rid of the non-useful stuff pretty easily.  I like to horde fun weapons in those games, even after their usefulness is gone, and you can't do that in these types of games anymore :/
 
On the preorder bonus front:  I got hosed in inFamous on my good guy playthrough because of that POS gigawatt blades preorder bonus.  I burned cash on that instead of the original abilities to max out and get the damn trophy.  I wholeheartedly agree on day 1 DLC and DLC on disc being BS.
 
Zombies are getting a bit tired, why not use werewolves, crazy ass worms like the movie Tremors, and other random demons and "share the love"
 
The apocalypse games could have  a nice take if say half of it is post-apocalyptic.  You know, nice futuristic city for the first half, *cataclysmic event*, then post-apocalyptic wasteland where you put the pieces back together again... or just give up.

crazy ass worms like the movie Tremors,

The "it has to be an action game" trend is getting a bit annoying. Sure, there are other genres being made, but I feel like 3/5 quality games made these days are some form of action game where killing, shooting or otherwise engaging in some form of violence is the norm. While I love me some Modern Warfare and Assassin's Creed, I dont need to spill blood every time I turn on my console in order to enjoy myself and I dont fancy myself fitting into the Wii demographic either, so what the hell? I dont believe mature games have to be violent.
 
While it hasn't taken a real start yet, I am calling it out early; the "let's put a sex-scene in our game because that's part of real life" trend. Yeah, sex is part of real life, but I dont need to have sex in my game to make the characters feel more real (but if it fits and suits the story, sure). And furthermore, the day "got laid while drunk and woke up with an STD and an ink mustache" scene enters a mature game, I'll accept it.. because that's gritty real life stuff.

I still love the wasteland, but everything else I agree.

If you don't like micro management you probably shouldn't have bought Dragon Age in the first place. The game isn't about sprinting to the top of that tower as fast as possible as you eluded to, it's about taking your time, using your head and doing things the right way

If you could bring back a thousand items all at once from one outing, then the selling prices would have to be near worthless to balance that.  So instead they have a carry limit, forcing you to better manage what items you bring with you and take back.

@Cerza said:

"I agree with all of those points, especially the post apocalypse one. It feels like everything has be post apocalypse now to be cool. I am so sick of it. Worst of all that scenario has bled over into other media. Has anyone seen the trailer for that upcoming movie "The Book of Eli?" That's not a book about Eli. It's Fallout 3. "

I dunno about Zombies. It's either Zombies or people-what else can you have, other than aliens? And if Aliens come along, they aren't just going to stay friendly for you to shoot them. They're gonna have to destroy stuff, which will lead to post-apocalyptic worlds.

Unskippable Cut Scenes:

I like Wastelands thank you very much.

Space marines (especially bald ones), post-apocalyptic wastelands, huge fantasy dudes with gigantic weapons & co.

We've been balding badasses with deep voices shooting aliens in brought-down buildings for almost a decade now. It was fun, but it seriously needs to stop.
 
Worst offenders: Borderlands, Demon's Souls
Shining Examples:  Heavy Rain, The Last Guardian
 
Here's a crazy thought: Let's explore as many different (maybe even true-to-life) people and worlds in video games as we can.  

I'll side with you on preorder bonuses, at least the in-game ones. I recently discovered that some cars in Forza 3 are locked out because I bought the wrong version of the game. Can't even buy those cars through DLC. I love your game, Turn 10, but up yours!

 The "it has to be an action game" trend is getting a bit annoying. Sure, there are other genres being made, but I feel like 3/5 quality games made these days are some form of action game where killing, shooting or otherwise engaging in some form of violence is the norm. While I love me some Modern Warfare and Assassin's Creed, I dont need to spill blood every time I turn on my console in order to enjoy myself and I dont fancy myself fitting into the Wii demographic either, so what the hell? I dont believe mature games have to be violent

" I don't think we'll see zombies take a break anytime soon. "

I think you guys forgot about one thing:

The World War II setting. This type of games DESPERATELY needs rest after basicly 10 years of exploitation. I mean, there is so fucking many great periods and settings in history that were barely touched - like the reneissance, the French Revolution, the first World War, ancient East, comunism in Europe... Give that war a rest.

Although I am utterly disapointed with Assassin's Creed plot (not the execution - the overall, too far fetched conspiration and maybe the neglectful endings for the Animus characters), I was exploding with love to those guys after they said in an interview there won't be an AC game in WW2.

"I was exploding with love to those guys after they said in an interview there won't be an AC game in WW2. "

  @Meowayne said:

 There's your mistake then. Plenty of games you sound like you'd enjoy very much if you gave the console a chance. Want more good games that aren't explosion simulators yet refuse to play Wii? Too bad. "