Top 10 Things that Make Video Games Too Easy
Video games used to demand patience, sharp reflexes, and the occasional acceptance that you were about to get absolutely wrecked by the next level. Losing meant something. You learned the pattern, tightened your strategy, and tried again until victory finally felt earned.
Modern design sometimes smooths those rough edges a little too much. Systems meant to help players along can quietly remove the pressure that once made success feel thrilling. When the danger fades and mistakes barely matter, the challenge that defines great games starts to slip away.
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Giving the player way too much health
Super Metroid giving Samus a maximum health amount of 19 tanks (counting Reserves), Wario Land 4 giving Wario a maximum health amount of nine hearts (counting the Piece Meter), Cave Story giving Quote a maximum health amount of 50 hearts (55 if he goes for the game's Sacred Grounds ending), et cetera.
If another guy gives you a ton of potions of healing, it should be super easy.
Or adding extra lives or health too often.
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Over-usage of scripted segments
As big of an example of this as Metal Gear Solid 4 is, I'm personally going to have to go with Undertale as the definitive example.
Toriel literally holds Frisk's hand in the Ruins, and her boss fight at the end of the Ruins is practically un-loseable. Papyrus allows you to outright give up on his fight and just walk past it after losing enough times in Snowdin. Mettaton has a literally un-loseable introduction fight in Alphys' Fake Lab, and a non-existent tile puzzle in Snowdin. Alphys literally walks you through Hotland.
Mettaton's cooking show and self-destruct sequence mini-games in Hotland are obviously rigged in the player's favor, and his tile puzzle there is deliberately near-impossible. The fight with Snowy in the True Lab is also practically un-loseable. Flowey's boss fight at the end of the Neutral Run and Asriel's fight at the end of the Pacifist Run are both literally un-loseable.
There are also various one-hit-kill bosses scattered throughout the Genocide Run, etc.
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Extremely overpowered attacks and/or weapons
Cave Story alone has the Spur, the Machine Gun, the Blade, the Level 3 Bubbler, the Fireball, you name it.
Ratchet & Clank has its default "pistol" and "grenade" weapons, let alone legends like the RYNO.
Most irritatingly of all, Skyrim has offense magic dual-castings once the Impact perk is applied to them.
Coughs Terraria coughs Last Prism cough
Fierce Deity, anyone?
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Constant checkpoints
Old video games: We will be hard! Some checkpoints. But not OP!
Nowadays: Checkpoint. Checkpoint. CHECKPOINT.
Honestly, the only game in which I don't mind this is Super Mario Odyssey because you have to explore the whole map for moons, and you don't know where they are (except for Story Moons). It's really helpful when trying to unlock Darker Side. And those who haven't played to Darker Side in Super Mario Odyssey, please don't argue with me. And go play that amazing game!
This is especially common nowadays due to the chronic over-usage of autosave features.
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Too many health and ammo pickups
There are too many generated structures in a Minecraft world filled with valuable chests. It could be good for people who don't mine as much, though.
Do I even need to explain how much of a problem this has become in Metroid games? (Also, Mario's ability to instantly recover all of his health just by collecting coins in 3D Mario games, enough said.)
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Little or no penalty for failing or dying
This is one of Guild Wars 2's only notable flaws in certain recent story missions. If you die, you don't restart the encounter or even get a debuff.
Most notoriously with BioShock's Vita-Chambers (although if you're brave enough, you can always turn them off).
Looking at you, Super Mario Odyssey.
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Too much hand-holding for mission objectives
Deliberately pinpointing the exact location of every single one of them is something that should be illegal. (By the way, I am also looking at you in particular VERY angrily right now, Metroid Fusion.)
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Checkpoints that automatically restore all of the player's health
This is seen most egregiously in Undertale, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and AM2R.
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Failure to move out of the "tutorial" progression phase
The original Portal is definitely a major example of this, along with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
"Hey Link, this hallway is twisted." Stuff like that.
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Easily exploitable enemy AI
In Minecraft, all you have to do to beat a Pillager is to hide behind a wall and start wailing away with swords! It's way too simple!
In Minecraft, the zombie is just too easy. You just stand there and swing a sword.
Also, the Space Pirates in Super Metroid (good LORD).
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Cheat codes
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Overly generous timers for timed missions
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"Instant health regeneration" mechanic
Does it help that the sniper jackals can one-shot you from any point of your body while your own marines can take five to their back? I am voting for this one, but the mechanic can be used well if it coincides with the lore.
Easily Halo's worst feature.
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Overly generous performance-grading system
(Cough, Sonic Generations, cough.)
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Ability to stun-lock enemies and bosses to death
(Cough) Impact in Skyrim (cough).
Also, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt in the original Earthworm Jim.
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Weak enemies
It is ridiculous in "LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures" where you kill enemies in one punch. SOOO ridiculous! I like "LEGO Indiana Jones: The Adventure Continues" because you have to hit enemies like 5 times before they die.
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Forced linearity
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Over-grinding in RPGs
Pokémon. Just Pokémon. I mean, put your hands up if you grinded your monsters to above level 20 to beat Whitney the 'Normal' (Oops, I mean DEMONIC) gym leader and her INFAMOUS Miltank of doom in Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver.
If you don't know, Whitney was the third gym leader in the Gold, Silver, and Crystal games (and their remakes). She was located in the Goldenrod City gym, known as the 'Incredibly Pretty Girl!' (I don't think so.). She consisted of normal type Pokémon: an OK Clefairy that liked to spam metronome and a MILTANK. AND THE MILTANK HAD SOME OP MOVES. First, she would use attract, meaning that if your Pokémon is male then you're stuck with loads of missed turns. Next up, ROLLOUT. And if you managed to almost kill it then TOO BAD. SHE USES MILK DRINK.
This has caused so many rage quits over the years and literally the only way to defeat her was to GRIND, GRIND, GRIND or trade with a friend to get an OP Pokémon. But still, the Pokémon might disobey if it is too high levelled.
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Overpowered defense/evasion mechanics
Super Smash Bros is a big example, although the overpowered dodging mechanics are often what makes it ANNOYING in its case.
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Movement speed that enables your character to outrun everything else
Doomguy, for example.
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Enemies that are melee attackers in a game where your character is a projectile master
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Over-exaggerated aim assist in shooters
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Lack of skill requirement in action games
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Defense upgrades that raise your defense too much
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The "evil" path in most games that have "good/evil" morality systems
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"Hidden gameplay depth" that only exists to make the game easier
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Lack of strategy requirement in RPGs
EarthBound and Chrono Trigger, we're looking at you two.