What's your pet peeve of each generation

[blipcs76]

There seems to be one main thing that annoys me from each generation of gaming. 

2600/InTV
Shovelware.  Horrible games that flooded the market and brought around the video game crash.

NES/SMS
Overly ambitious graphics.  The games that knew the limitations of the hardware and worked within the limitations of the hardware visually stand up the best today, like Mega Man, Mario, Metal Storm, etc.  Stuff that tried to do too much, like Metal Gear, often look muddy and awful by comparison.

SNES/GEN
"Every direction" sidescrollers.  In the NES generation, most sidescrollers followed a linear path even when it scrolled up or down.  In the 16 bit era, the map wasn't locked to one direction, and was instead one giant 'field'; we ended up with games that became a nightmare to traverse because everything looked the same and you had little clue to which direction was right.  Stuff like Aero the Acrobat and similar platformers fell victim to this flaw.

PS1/SAT/N64
Bad 3D.  This generation transitioned to 3D gaming, often because they felt they had to.  Many 3D games do not hold up well at all simply because they tried to shoehorn 2D style platforming into 3D, usually with poor results.  2D games from this era easily hold up the best today, like Castlevania SOTN or even pseudo 3D games like Einhander or Tomba.

PS2/XB/GC
Stealth.  It seems that many games seemed to force stealth missions into them.  It works great in games that are centered around stealth, but felt awkward and out-of-place in action games.

PS3/360/Wii
Weak single-player campaigns.  FPS games are most guilty of this, where the single player campaign suffers or almost seems like an afterthought in games that push online modes.  Stuff like Bioshock from this gen seemed like a breath of fresh air because they made the game about the single-person experience, rather than tacking a single player mode onto an online-focused game.

What is your biggest pet peeve of each generation?

[turf]

2600/InTV - There is so much trash on this system.  It's really hard to find something you would even consider a game.

NES/SMS - Like was said before, trying to do too much.  Super Mario games are awesome, because it was gameplay over complexity.  Make it fun. Then, you can make it pretty.

SNES/GEN - I don't really have a big gripe here.  I guess if I played more games, I would find something.

PS1/SAT/N64 - Everyone here agrees that early 3D sucks. Right? 

PS2/XB/GC - It did seem like there were a ton of Metal Gear Solid ripoffs, didn't there?  I didn't notice it until now. 

PS3/360/Wii - Early on in this cycle there were a lot of escort missions in games.  And not the fun kind of escorts either.  To hell with stupid NPCs that can't stay alive without my help.  Escort missions have to be my least favorite game element.

[haloofthesun]

I agree with everything everyone else has said. The only thing I would add:

PS3/360/Wii: Microtransactions, DLC in general (though some games warrant it and have amazing DLC, like Borderlands, most games just make it as a quick cash-in and it isn't worth the price), quick-time events (although that one could be attributed to the generation before, but it became heavily prominent here).

[burningdoom]

-1st Generation - Can't really say, I haven't played any of it except for the Pong-clone console I have.

-2nd Generation - Games were too simplistic for my tastes, for the most part. And I'm not a big fan of joysticks; give me a D-pad over any joystick (or thumbstick for that matter, but I don't dislike thumbsticks).

-3rd Generation - Blowing into freaking cartridges and playing with them until they worked (NES, I'm looking at you). And awesome looking artwork that tricked my kid self into buying terrible games (there was no internet back then to research your purchases, first).

-4th Generation - Not much I can complain about here. Except I wish there were a bit more action-RPGs available than there were. And I wish the Neo Geo AES wasn't so dang expensive.

-5th Generation - The N64's controller, and bad camera angles.

-6th Generation - Nothing to complain about here.

-7th Generation - Lots to complain about here:

1. Nickel and diming people on ridiculous DLC.
2. Paying for online multiplayer when you've already paid for the console, the game, and already pay for internet service.
3. Ridiculous prices on consoles.
4. Ridiculous prices on controllers.
5. Games holding you're hand far too much.
6. Regenerating health in EVERYTHING!

-8th Generation - It's too early to complain about anything. I have a wait and see attitude here.

BTW, no, I don't agree that early 3D sucks. Some of the best games of all time are on the PS1. And I didn't think the classic gamers here worried too much about graphics, as long as the gameplay was good. But I guess I assumed wrong.

[haloofthesun]

I don't really care very much about graphics, but that doesn't mean that early 3D didn't look awful.

[htimreimer]

7th gen:

over reliance on focus testing
trying to squeeze as much money out of people with DLC
graphics looking like a sewer exploded
if a game doesn't  have a story, it wont be published and even is dose it will not be a "AAA game" and will not get much marketing
the gaming industry idea that if they keep on throwing money at a game, it will some how be good
too much hand holding in games
regenerating health

if stuff like this continues in the 8th we will see another crash

[elraiser]

I like each generation, the only gruge i have is with this one.

Tired to be foreced to pay for DLCs to have a full games. What are we gonna do when this generation is over and it will not be possibvle to download what we paid for?

I still enjoy my old 2600 games which are simple but complete 

[stethebubble]

i hate the DLC. sure some games should have it but not unless the game is doing good and people demand it.
saints row 4 DLC is already announced. the game is not out yet. why was this not in the game.
i think DLC should be free.

having to pay to play online. this is dumb.

the adverts everywhere on the home pages.

the game publishers greed. this really upsets me. adding stuff like pre-order bonuses and online codes. if they made a truely amazing game then people wouldnt trade it in as much and you would get more people buying the game new.

[sin2beta]

I decided to post this before I read the others so not to color my view. So, sorry if I missed the point.

Pong Consoles - Too many!! There should have been Sears Pong. That sentence ends there.

Atari/Coleco/Intellivision - Numeric keypad controllers.

NES/SMS - Nintendo's hold on third party developers.

SNES/Genesis - Lack of light gun games compared to 8-bit systems. Plus, the light guns had to look like bazookas.

PSX/Saturn/N64 - Went to 3D too early. Plus, there was some strange need to make everything 3D.

Dreamcast/PS2/XBox/NGC - The fact that memory cards did not stay like VMUs. May sound fanboyish. But honestly, I love the VMUs.

360/PS3/Wii - The fact that the 360 and PS3 are the same freakin' console with different controllers. I miss having consoles with personalities.

[soera]

Since its been mentioned, I think this generation's habit of announcing DLC (for money) before the game has even been released is the biggest bunch of shit period.

[turf]

Since its been mentioned, I think this generation's habit of announcing DLC (for money) before the game has even been released is the biggest bunch of shit period.

We really need that Faceworld "Like" button.

[thomascozine]

2600/InTV
Shit ton of PONG clones. Games are classics but very very short. There's only so much replay value.

NES/SMS
Nintendo's censorship.

SNES/GEN
The start of the whole fanboy wars of "Genesis does what Ninten-don't." etc... It's one thing to have a brand loyalty. It's another to be a non-paid spokesperson for some corporation selling you things.

PS1/SAT/N64
It's been said before, but early polygonal games just look terrible. And most don't control well today either.

PS2/XB/GC
Can't think of much of an issue I had with this generation. Just more fanboy wars I guess?

PS3/360/Wii
DLC. By that I mean stuff that was cut from a game's development to be later sold as DLC. DLC itself is fine. I like the idea of extending a games life. But what I can't stand is when we get content that was originally meant to be sold with the full game to be parted out to us later. Also, on-disc DLC. If it's on the disc I paid for it already.

[pacpix]

2600/InTV
Shovelware.  Horrible games that flooded the market and brought around the video game crash.

I actually kind of like the early crappy 2600 games.  I find it interesting how many different weird ideas that were tried like Lost Luggage, 3D Tic-Tac-Toe, and Sneak n Peek

[blipcs76]

if stuff like this continues in the 8th we will see another crash

If anything leads to another crash, it's going to be the fact that game budgets are getting bigger and bigger, thus publishers are less likely to try something creative.  We've been seeing games become more and more 'safe' this past generation and there's less things to differentiate one game from another.  Big franchises will be like COD, just cranking out yearly sequels to the point where people just stop caring anymore.

Devs and publishers seem to be dropping left and right recently (THQ, Atari, Atlus, etc.), so we're heading for a future where everything is going to be made by EA, Activision and Ubisoft.

[blipcs76]

PSX/Saturn/N64 - Went to 3D too early. Plus, there was some strange need to make everything 3D.

I blame Sony for that.  They forced 3D on us because they wanted their system to seem far more advanced than the 2D games from the previous generations, so they made it really hard to get 2D games published on the PSX.  Ironically, the 2D games on that system are the ones that look/play the best today.