This rant is brief but to the point. I can’t stand hacks of any kind, especially the garbage people watch on TV. But as much as I enjoy gaming I can’t help but notice in my games the overused trends that seem to say to me: “Hey, we don’t have the time or creativity to come up with an original thought, so have this regurgitated bullshit!’

One of my favorites has to be the SWAT enemy.

You probably know what I’m talking about here, but I’ll explain. In 3rd person shooters, and about any action title out there, you’ll almost ALWAYS come up to the enemy (usually via a cut scene where they drop in from the ceiling) donning masks and talking through radio chatter.

They usually take 10 times the damage that they normally should  (How about the SWAT guys in the overrated Dead Rising?), supposedly work as a team despite horrible tactics (“flank them!”), and ALWAYS appear late in the game, after the developers run out of steam while designing maps with any thought. I remember playing Enter The Matrix and killing no less than 100 SWAT members in one level.

Even GOOD games end up using this cheap tactic; like for instance, Manhunt. After killing thugs, rapists and people from an insane asylum, apparently the next enemy in line is hundreds of special force ops. I remember my audible groan as soon as they introduced the black-clad radio-chattering assholes that always seem to yell really loud into their radios when you kill all of them.

That’s all for now, just some of my observations. Toodles!

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