There's nothing quite as misery-inducing as a great game destroyed by a pitiful design flaw. I had the displeasure of experiencing such frustration in two games this weekend, EyeToy Kinetic and Buzz! The Music Quiz, both of which are anticipated best-sellers in the Christmas holiday season and which otherwise appear perfect. Unfortunately, it's badly implemented human-computer interaction which turns both seasoned and novice gamers off interactive fun.
EyeToy Kinetic, the Nike Motion and Sony PlayStation 2 collaboration, is an excellent way to combine work and pleasure. Flail around the living room/bedroom trying to hit and kick invisible (to observers) objects to increase points while avoiding the ones that reduce your score. An excuse to exercise, without even realising you're doing it. A perfect marriage, no?
Well, it would be if the EyeToy camera, the add-on which projects you and your movements onto the screen, had more consistent movement sensitivity. First of all, you must play it against a completely white wall in a room large enough to allow all appendages to flail freely. There must be no dark patches (read: shelves, pictures, animals), and lighting that casts no shadows.
Secondly, there must be no sharp corners or furniture to accidentally collide with. I have become a master furniture mover, but honestly, I didn't get the game to find my ideal interior decorating self, and I don't like having to move my house around every time I want to play a game.
Third, and most irritatingly, if you're in the middle of a personal training routine and suddenly discover that there are shadows/objects that interfere with your point scoring (I was on the left side of the screen and an object went off on the right, officer), you can't jump out and get into the options menu to adjust the dimness/brightness/sensitivity. Instead, you have to either suffer through and get a bad mark for the day's exercise (and a patronising comment from the digital personal trainer), or you can quit out and not be able to get back into the routine (and get a bad mark and a patronising comment from the digital personal trainer).
Not being able to adjust the control options in the middle of a game is seriously flawed.
This is essentially the same problem with Buzz! The Music Quiz. Apart from the PlayStation-era graphics, the basic concept is an excuse to print money. Use bespoke controller, answer questions. Easy peasy.
However, it seems that having finished the game back in April they could have implemented something that allowed players adjust the options in the middle of a quiz. Accidentally pressing the button while playing in a round can cause a dramatic and irreversible change which ruins the rest of the play. The button was on the floor, I stepped on it and a "new player" joined in the fun. Sure, not a problem. The more the merrier. But there are rounds where it's impossible to continue if someone doesn't take hold of the controls. Why isn't there, for example, an "exclude contestant" option?
Yes, it's petty, but little things like this make me less likely to pick the game up again. What little things irritate you about design?
