Support NeoGAF

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Now I'm no fan of QTEs; put me in the camp that says that QTEs are never fun. Then again, I think it's realistic to think that some people might find them fun under certain circumstances. IMHO, they don't detract too much in games that already have a very high level of action or interactivity. I don't necessarily like them in Bayonetta or Metal Gear: Rising but I'll give them a pass there because they're just a small part of action packed, skill based gameplay. Still, I'd prefer to pull off what's happening on screen using normal game mechanics instead of bland timing based mini-games but I digress...

I'm not talking even talking about normal QTEs.

I'm talking about shit like this:

You know what I'm talking about: mash the button to do a thing.

I first remember encountering this sort of thing in the original God of War for PS2. I remember thinking it was shit then and it's shit now. And tons, tons of games do this. Naughty Dog is particularly guilty with every Uncharted game I've played thus far featuring it heavily, alongside The Last of Us. I roll my eyes and unenthusiastically press the button as limply as possible every time I see it. Maybe if your main game play is so shallow you need to add weight to every fucking door I need to open by inserting the "mash the button" mini game you should think about your design choices.

Opening a door, opening a chest, pulling a lever, spinning a wheel, turning a crank, pulling a pully should all be fast animations that act as a means to an end. Not an opportunity to get your audience to mash their controllers like a bunch of impatient children.

The following is the only situation when mashing a button is appropriate and should be performed:

Spoiler

when a wild pokemon is trapped inside your pokeball. shit makes them easier to catch, yo

 

[dottme]

Track and field o/ yeahhh

 

[PSqueak]

Do people like it? Doubtful.

Why do devs do it? To mask Loading times.

 

[Neptonic]

nobody likes it

Why do devs do it? To mask Loading times.

shit you're probably right

 

[old manatee]

The older my hands get the more I resent it.

 

[duckroll]

I like it. The feel of exerting force!

 

[Luminaire]

While I don't like it, I'm not bothered by it. It keeps the attention during what would otherwise be just watching 5-10 seconds of a scene.

 

[inpHilltr8r]

Sorry.

 

[RoboPlato]

I don't have an issue with it when it's meant to represent a character struggling with something. Hate it for sprinting and such.

 

[Kholdy]

IIRC UC4 had an option to just hold the button, I've turned that on and never looked back.

 

[MegaSackman]

U4 gives you the option to mash or hold, I picked mash.

 

[enzo_gt]

I always figured it was one of those creative ways to mask loading.

 

[ForkNetwork]

MW2 had a cool one
edit: forgot to read "mundane thing" oops

 

[Imp the Dimp]

I remember playing Metal Gear Solis 2 on extreme difficulty and I couldn't get past a stage where you had to click X or ▢ rapidly as the game apparently increased the difficulty for that shit too.

 

[Papercuts]

Ah, the telltale special.

For most games its to mask loading (as you said, ND do it a ton but it's basically always for this) but there are some just dumb uses of it for sure. God of War does this all over the place.

 

[vareon]

Isn't that part of Uncharted 4 basically a loading screen?

 

[LousyTactician]

As long as it isn't overdone I don't mind it.

 

[Zonic]

Obligatory:

 

[Dwayne]

Player interaction while a long animation plays out, probably better than not having it. Loved it in MGS4.

 

[CharminUltra]

Cuz IMMERSHUN

I actually don't mind it as long as it's not too frequent.

 

[jdstorm]

Because Insert Wonderful 101 Press A.GIF

 

[jholmes]

I hate it, and I hate it the most in Platinum games. C'mon Platinum you're better than that.

 

[ComputerBlue]

IIRC UC4 had an option to just hold the button, I've turned that on and never looked back.

Yup, and it took someone with a disability to point it out to them that had them finally realize, shit, maybe its not the best game design.

 

[remz]

The only time I really like it is when you're punching or kicking the shit out of something, or that dope one at the end of W101

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

You can be clever with it, Walking Dead Season 1 was.

 

[Ocarina_117]

Obligatory:

This and Resident Evil 4 are the only times I've enjoyed them.

Damn, the last stretch of W101 is outstanding.

 

[PhantomThief]

I just recently finished Arkham asylum remastered, and pressing X to get rid of a grate really gets annoying.

 

[psyfi]

This is one of those things that, when added up with other annoyances (usually in AAA games), will make me quit a game and never go back. It's border line insulting to me, lol. Don't make me do that shit.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I dislike it. I'm a slow masher, though.

 

[El Sabroso]

where is that mario party clip when i need it ?

 

[SephLuis]

This and Resident Evil 4 are the only times I've enjoyed them.

Damn, the last stretch of W101 is outstanding.

Add Asura's Wrath to your list of games with incredible QTEs.

You can fail them and they change nothing, but actually pressing the button on some cutscenes is damn fun.

 

[semisonic]

Obligatory:

I just noticed Yellow trying his best in the corner. God I love that game.

 

[Salvatron]

 

[mindsale]

RUNNING in a RockStar game requires this. It ruins them for me. A human in a sprint should not feel like inflating a fucking bicycle pump.

 

[Catalix]

The mashing never really bothered me... until Uncharted 4. For some reason the rhythm and frequency in which you had to do it got irritating very quickly.

Thank the lord they added a "hold down button" option. I'm sure people with physical disabilities are the most grateful.

 

[low-G]

It'd be funny if someone made a Heavy Rain parody where you have to mash the button to do really mundane things like 'get out of bed' and 'drink water'.

 

[Breakaway]

God of War is really the only time I played a game and got irritated by it. In something like Vanquish where it's easy and doesn't happen all that frequently, I don't mind it too much.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Do people like it? Doubtful.

Why do devs do it? To mask Loading times.

Ain't no load time to open a chest.

 

[Neiteio]

"Hey Sam, help me lift this"

edit: ha, it's in the OP

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

I like it. The feel of exerting force!

Press and hold and make the MC look like they're trying to pass a kidney stone or particularly bulky shit.

Feeling of exerting force without the arthritis. Everybody wins.

While I don't like it, I'm not bothered by it. It keeps the attention during what would otherwise be just watching 5-10 seconds of a scene.

Then that scene shouldn't be 5-10 seconds long.

RUNNING in a RockStar game requires this. It ruins them for me. A human in a sprint should not feel like inflating a fucking bicycle pump.

Fucking hell you're right. Not this way with M/KB but I find it impossible to drive with m/kb controls.

 

[rulerk1]

Obligatory:

lmao is that real? i need this game

 

[Kssio_Aug]

As long as it's not excessive in any way (not too many in the same game, and not asking too many inputs either) I actually enjoy it. It's like a minor interaction with some sections that doesn't add much, but don't hurt the experience either.

I hate when they do it excessively though.

 

[AALLx]

 

[Demoskinos]

The only time I ever felt like it massively added to an experience was during the microwave hallway scene in Metal Gear Solid 4. That whole sequence is still amazing.

 

[frankie_baby]

lmao is that real? i need this game

Yes very real and the most wonderful button mashing in history

 

[RandomExpletive]

Obligatory:

OP did say mundane. I wager most people are fine with QTEs for climactic scenes or battles.

lmao is that real? i need this game

EVERYONE needs this game, the final chapters are INCREDIBLE

 

[Mandoric]

It's tactile, and is sometimes a skill check (alternate a/b, rhythm, or just testing your Takahashi-ness with a stringent requirement). I don't really like it when it's common unfailable filler but it doesn't bother me any more than elaborate animations.

 

[Son.Ralph.Funk]

A bit different than what the OP is talking about, but I remember renting Mischief Makers on N64, and there was a level I couldn't beat because you had to tap the button as quick as you could to sprint, and I couldn't do it fast enough. I think you were in a race against another character.

 

[BouncyFrag]

It's the only way to kill Zeus.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

It's tactile, and is sometimes a skill check (alternate a/b, rhythm, or just testing your Takahashi-ness with a stringent requirement). I don't really like it when it's common unfailable filler but it doesn't bother me any more than elaborate animations.

Unfailable filler is precisely what this thread is about though, and I say as much in the OP.