This thread is hereby dedicated to the most annoying FEATURE found in games today(or even back then). It can be something that makes the game too easy('Cure' kills zombies), to something that makes the game tedious/hard(autosave features that make you restart your 5 hour mission), to something that's just cosmetic(looking down in an FPS and not seeing your feet).

To start with, I'm going to put Fire Emblem's save feature on the table. The one that says, "Oops, your lord/favorite character just got knocked the **** out by a myrmidon, and you have to start this 5 hour campaign all over if you want to keep them alive!". And yes, I do try to be careful...it's exhausting maintaining that over a long campaign, however.

So, fellow FFShrine goers, what say you?

Grinding.

Basically any game that requires you to significantly deviate from the path of the story to level enough to face enemies in said path, is a pain in the ass.

Now, I'm the first to tell you that there's some zen aspect to it, but that's just rationalization. I'd love to play Xenosaga again to take a look at some of the lovely plot holes and weirdness, but I don't want to have to take the time to level enough to make it through. I lose the flow of the plot (which might be some game designer's intention ;) ) when it takes me weeks to finish a game, let alone 3 in a single span of time.

I can play Silent Hills endlessly, because I can zip through them. Same with say, Metroids or Resident Evils (yeah, I grind for points in 5, but most people don't want infinite ammo for ALL the weapons, just their favorites).

Some games with leveling systems do get it right, though. I can get through Chrono Trigger without going out of my way, and the same goes for Symphony of the Night.

Yes, I play Pokemon, shuddap :p No, I don't really care if this isn't technically a 'feature.' I typed it, it's staying

AI companions.

Pretty much all of them, but especially if you have to keep them alive since they are without fail dumber than a box of rocks. So many great advancements have been made in gaming and it all falls apart the moment your partner dives face first under a tank while trying to reunite with you.

/hits Eileen with a rusty axe

The day they swapped the accept and cancel buttons on newer Final Fantasy games.

#1. Too much meaningless dialogue and gabble, much of it is found in some Final Fantasy games, and JRPG games in general today. It's more of a personal problem, if the dialogue isn't going to help me, then it shouldn't be said, hours of games are filled with pointless dialogue about nothing.

#1. Too much meaningless dialogue and gabble, much of it is found in some Final Fantasy games, and JRPG games in general today. It's more of a personal problem, if the dialogue isn't going to help me, then it shouldn't be said, hours of games are filled with pointless dialogue about nothing.

This has been my biggest problem with Xenogears so far (I haven't finished it). The plot points are distanced from one another by several hours of dialogue if you don't know what you're doing, and I'm sick of reading each character say in 1,000 words what they could have said in 10.

*emerelda glares at you sternly*

I know, I know. It's supposed to be a great game, and I'll truck on. But my criticism stands.

#1. Too much meaningless dialogue and gabble, much of it is found in some Final Fantasy games, and JRPG games in general today. It's more of a personal problem, if the dialogue isn't going to help me, then it shouldn't be said, hours of games are filled with pointless dialogue about nothing.

This is a big one, but the biggest for me is a forced story.I understand that it's a part of RPGs, but I don't need them in every genre.

/hits Eileen with a rusty axe

Those games with the IWBTG style jumps required to progress; like landing a jump perfectly, where just by a stroke of luck you happen to avoid a series of traps. I know IWBTG was a complete exaggeration of those 'Kaizo traps' (sp?), but when they appear in other games that are not supposed to be like Kaizo Mario or IWBTG, and you need quick-saves or save states just to repeat a jump seemingly infinity times, I find it really annoying.

Grinding.

Basically any game that requires you to significantly deviate from the path of the story to level enough to face enemies in said path, is a pain in the ass.


Ugh, this. Definitely. I think you should be able to go through a dungeon, front and back (and I'll even accept some additional battles for some random roaming around the dungeon your first time through), and for the most part come out at the appropriate level to take on the next dungeon/boss.

Ridiculously high levels and the grinding that you need to do to reach them should be reserved for optional bosses/dungeons, imo.


Also, games that are "GAME OVER" if the main character dies (assuming you are in battle with at least one other character). If you can revive every other character with an item/money/whatever, why is the main character so vital to the battle? I see this more in SRPGs than anything. if I'm fighting alongside my companions and the leader goes down, I can't imagine I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and say "Okay, that's it". Hell, I'd even be okay with some sort of morale penalty if the main character dies, but complete Game Over's are BS.

if I'm fighting alongside my companions and the leader goes down, I can't imagine I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and say "Okay, that's it". Hell, I'd even be okay with some sort of morale penalty if the main character dies, but complete Game Over's are BS.

LOL!

Also, games that are "GAME OVER" if the main character dies (assuming you are in battle with at least one other character). If you can revive every other character with an item/money/whatever, why is the main character so vital to the battle? I see this more in SRPGs than anything. if I'm fighting alongside my companions and the leader goes down, I can't imagine I'm just going to shrug my shoulders and say "Okay, that's it". Hell, I'd even be okay with some sort of morale penalty if the main character dies, but complete Game Over's are BS.

I dunno, I keep thinking of the war movies I've seen where the troops see the general fall and start screaming "FALL BACK! ABORT OPERATION! FALL BACK!". However, I do agree that a Game Over shouldn't be the result.

That's when, ideally, someone should step up to take control of the situation. That SHOULD be easily done by continuing the battle with your remaining troops, as Cassie said.

Matchmaking.

/doesn't hit Eileen with a rusty axe

Tacked on puzzles to extend (read: waste) game play/time.

LOOKING AT YOU GOD OF WAR.

Have not read the thread a bit tired at the moment, but was not being able to skip cut scenes been mentioned?

i was gonna comment on that.

i just hate it.
i finished the game, cool and all, but the game has over 8000 unskippable cutscenes that i dont want to see again.
in cutscenes, i include those parts where a character doestn even talk, and just letters appear in a box.
final fantasy games comes to mind

In the same vein, unpausable cut-scenes. Your first time through a game and you are getting to a juicy cutscene and someone knocks on the door or the cat pukes or something, and your last save is before a bad-ass boss fight that you don't want to do all over again.

A feature I've noticed in recent detective/mystery type games is the test at the end of chapters. I first saw it in Trace Memory, then Hotel Dusk, but now I'm playing Jake Hunter Detective Story where I'm finding it again. It's where at the end of a chapter you go over certain plot points in the story and are asked multiple choice questions. It's not the most annoying thing but it's becoming trite.

Did Cing make Jake Hunter, too? And, is it on DS?

Love these modern takes on point-and-clicks. Lux-Pain has an interesting vibe but there are so many typos and it's driving me MAD.

Did Cing make Jake Hunter, too? And, is it on DS?

Love these modern takes on point-and-clicks. Lux-Pain has an interesting vibe but there are so many typos and it's driving me MAD.

Cing didn't develop Jake Hunter (which is on DS), it was WorkJam. WJ also developed the DS game Theresia which I found to be pretty good. But you can look forward to Cing's next game Again: Eye of Providence. Yeah, I've heard mixed things on Lux-Pain, but I think I may try it out. The one negative thing I keep hearing about it is the bad translation though.

It has some really strange dialogue and descriptions that sound like some college freshman trying to pull philosophical ramblings from their ass. But, mainly, it's the typos. I don't mind horribly that the text hardly matches the voice overs, because they are basically saying the same things in different ways. Weird, but tolerable.

And yep, I made a thread about Eye of Providence a couple months ago :D

I hate tutorial battles in general, but I absolute despise forced tutorial battles. OK, I can understand having a tutorial for a game that has a complicated system of game mechanics but it seems to me for the most part that they are only put in because they feel that their players are too stupid to figure it out for themselves. Hell, isn't the purpose of instruction manuals is to teach the players the basics of the system and then have them learn from there?

Back when I was in the single digits playing my nintendo, master system, or atari, the games were notorious for just throwing you right into the game and having you to actually read the instruction booklet and/or figure out how to systematically beat the game by trial and error.

Most games nowadays seems to hold you by the arm and use a usually boring introduction sequence to explain how every little thing works. Now for some overtly complicated rpg games I can forgive that somewhat, but most other genres of games aren't that hard to figure out how to play. So when a supposedly hard core game like Gears of War 2 comes along and has not only a tutorial sequence but gives you achievement for going through it, that kind of annoys me.

To me, the only game I have played that was completely justifiable in having a tutorial section was Carnage Heart for the PSX. I read through the entire instruction book (yes I said book) and I still needed to go through the tutorial section (one disk was dedicated to this.) to understand how to program my mecha forces to fight.

Fun game though, once you figured it out. Anyway, that's what grinds my gears. happy gaming to you.

Lord Brimstone, that's one reason I love the new Simpsons game. The video game cliche "Tutorials" has the best comment for it; "Wah wah, I'm too busy to read the manual!".

Yeah, forced tutorial battles are shit.

Once again, thought it was Hynad posting.

Was all ready to say WB, but no...

Yeah, forced tutorial battles are shit.

unless your playing a game called nightshade, one of the hardest games ever, cant button bash and no easy combinations.

Why, thank you Neg. :D

HEEEEEEY, Whaddaya know :)

wbwb

I'm not sure I'll post any more than I used to... There's some really silly shit going on around here, and I'm not sure that's my cup of tea. But whenever I'll see something interesting, I might add my grain of salt. ^^

Tacked on puzzles to extend (read: waste) game play/time.

LOOKING AT YOU GOD OF WAR.


Why do you hate the puzzles in God of War? I think they make a very interesting variation from the standard battle scenes. I am pretty sure that if God of War would have been pure action like Gears of War, it would have become boring and repetitive and you would have been able to finish it in about 1-2 hours.

I hate tutorial battles in general, but I absolute despise forced tutorial battles. OK, I can understand having a tutorial for a game that has a complicated system of game mechanics but it seems to me for the most part that they are only put in because they feel that their players are too stupid to figure it out for themselves. Hell, isn't the purpose of instruction manuals is to teach the players the basics of the system and then have them learn from there?

I agree with you, especially if the you can use/create another character in the game and try out other things (or something like new game+) Gawd, we already went there and done that

In the game Tetris universe for ps2 (i think thats what it's called) the up button on the d-pad made the current block fall in to place at light speed and when i was trying to make fast choices the slightest movement of up would through the piece down, usually where i didn't intend it to be.

I hate forced tutorial in sequels. I already know htf to play the game already. Just let me skip it. The one thing I hate the most is making things random. I just need this one more item to 100% complete the game and 3 years later you still haven't got it yet.

Ace Attorney is usually pretty clever about the tutorials. Phoenix losing his memory, making Mia's second case the first case of T&T.

Okay, just the second one is clever, you got me~

It has some really strange dialogue and descriptions that sound like some college freshman trying to pull philosophical ramblings from their ass. But, mainly, it's the typos. I don't mind horribly that the text hardly matches the voice overs, because they are basically saying the same things in different ways. Weird, but tolerable.


Yeah, I wouldn't knock it because the dialogue is off. It's kind of like if you play an anime in the English dub but you leave the subtitles on. They say different things which are pretty much the same.

AI companions.

Pretty much all of them, but especially if you have to keep them alive since they are without fail dumber than a box of rocks. So many great advancements have been made in gaming and it all falls apart the moment your partner dives face first under a tank while trying to reunite with you.

Agreed. Most of them are truly annoying and a pain in the ass, especially if you're mission is to protect them or else mission failed. Or what about if the dumby gets in your way in a tight spot and you can't move around them? Your stuck! lol

The attack button.

adding pointless extras to sequels. i don't mean like extra characters, i mean like entirely new gameplay segments, pointless new gimmicks that aren't needed, and remaking the main character yet again and again.
Yes, the most annoying features in games to me is the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

edit: also, escort missions.

stupidly powerful bosses that require a one hit wonder to kill or you'll be on the receiving end of one.

The single most annoying features (I'm directly attacking Kingdom Hearts for this) Is. Releasing an extra extended feature game that has new cutscenes, harder bosses and more features to your gameplay. BUT it only gets released in Japan or US. Please tell me whats wrong with releasing a game worldwide?
Thats why i love Koei, they always release in the U.K.
(KH: Final mix had showdown of fate 1, KH2: Final Mix had Terra. Minor examples, but they hold significance if your paying for a copy of the non extended version)

Unskippable cutscenes, escort missions, idiot partner A.I. &...... SNK Boss Syndrome. *right eye turns red*

Minigames.

Minigames.

(depending)

(depending)

Let me rephrase:
Badly executed minigames that you are forced to play in order to progress through the game are probably one of the most obnoxious parts in games I know, if not THE most obnoxious.

Examples:
The shooting minigame in Star Fox Adventures
The minigames in Bomberman Story DS
Card or Slot games in several games.

edit: also, escort missions.

Oh god, don't remind me! The Ys series in particular has become notorious for adding escort missions to their remakes and later games ever since Ys Eternal 1 and 2. While some of them aren't too bad, others can be a downright bitch as enemies seem to go out of their way to target the person you're escorting and the escort can't take very many hits.

Then there was Ys 6 where you had to protect and escort two people at the same damn time!

I love beating Eileen for her insolence~

Region coding. Full stop. Do you know how inane it is that I can't play Darkstalkers Collection just because I'm not in the right region? Emulators will solve some problems, but not for consoles like the PS2. Why?!

Wait, what? Problems with the game itself? Alright then, SNK Bosses. I'm talking monstrocities like Gill and Rugal, that are pretty much indestructable. Gill is pretty much the only fighting game boss I've ever given up on, and Seth made obtaining the Arcade Rat Trophy a nightmare. Heck, I've eaten up over 20 continues on Pyron in Capcom Fighting Evolution, and I almost gave up at being beaten so much. The only good thing about an SNK Boss is that it lets you decide which colorscheme you like the best for the character who's about to die.

That's why I only play console ports or emulations. Paying for these nightmares is simply too much. >_<

The fact that older games don't have the option to play in widescreen format. I thought it was stupid that KH: ReCoM didn't.

SNK Boss Syndrome. This feature can and will regress players down the evolutionary ladder. *stares angrily at Motaro, Night Terror, Magaki, and Gill*

SNK Boss Syndrome. This feature can and will regress players down the evolutionary ladder. *stares angrily at Motaro, Night Terror, Magaki, and Gill*

What, no Omega/God Rugal?:D

The fact that older games don't have the option to play in widescreen format. I thought it was stupid that KH: ReCoM didn't.

PS2 looks like ass on HDTVs, I'm not surprised at all. Please explain to me why the PS2 port of Origins has widescreen support?

Level grinding in J/RPG's. Spend way too much time doing that...

Random Encounters. In some RPG's I've played, get into a random encounter, kill the enemies, win the battle, take a step, back in another battle (Yes Konami... Suikoden IV is guilty of that).

PS2 looks like ass on HDTVs, I'm not surprised at all. Please explain to me why the PS2 port of Origins has widescreen support?

Get Component cables for the PS2 and solved, PS2 games look awesome with it, man!

Not skipping cut scenes.

Quick Time Events (more so in cut scenes).

Shitty save places.

Forced Guard Break Tutorial in Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny.

Forced anything before you start gameplay, really.

How about mandatory tutorials?

They almost always SUCK.

Eh, tutorials are useful when you're new to the game or a series, but making them mandatory sucks. :<

Eh, tutorials are useful when you're new to the game or a series, but making them mandatory sucks. :<
That's what the manual is for...
:/

1. Mandatory tutorials
2. When you have to first unlock something, then you have to play more matches in order to buy it for use. Example: Soul Calibur 4 and Rumble Roses XX.

1. Quick-time events. I hate these because instead of bosses actually being a challenge, or you figuring out how to beat them on your own (much like Shadow of the Colossus), quick-time events basically have you put yourself in the right spot, hit the right button, and the game plays itself. Sure, they look cool, but why don't the game developers actually and try to make the game itself play like that, instead of including it in player-engineered cutscenes?

2. The game levels up with you. This is the most aggravating thing to find in an RPG ever. The world is populated with rats for the first few levels, then mystically it is all cliff racers or fire ants. It makes exploring far less rewarding and allows for very few areas where you can actually encounter a real challenge. Biggest offender - Oblivion.

3. Escort missions. This needs no explanation.

4. Black and white morality. Many games, especially by Bioware these days, only allow radiant and saintly good decisions or hideous and evil bad decisions and no in between. Oftentimes these games actually force you to choose between one and the other by the end of the game, despite the fact that virtually nobody is truly that virtuous or nasty. Where's the gray morality everyone?

4. Black and white morality. Many games, especially by Bioware these days, only allow radiant and saintly good decisions or hideous and evil bad decisions and no in between. Oftentimes these games actually force you to choose between one and the other by the end of the game, despite the fact that virtually nobody is truly that virtuous or nasty. Where's the gray morality everyone?

I'm guessing you are referring to Bioware's Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II The Sith Lords, Jade Empire, Mass Effect and the upcoming titles, Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2, yes?

There's good and evil, right and wrong, everywhere. In real life it's all around us, why not in Videogames? IMO, there's nothing wrong with having to choose if the character you're playing is going to follow the path of the Angels or descend the path of the Daemons.

Being given the choice to choose though... that is something I enjoy in those games I listed (Yes, I have all of them above, with the exception of the last two.). Instead of the game telling you, you have to be good or you have to be evil, I'd prefer being given the choice to decide which path I tread.

There are other games, Sacred 2 Fallen Angel comes to mind, where from the very start of the game you, the player, can choose which alignment you want to be and play the story on either the Light or Dark Campaign.

Get Component cables for the PS2 and solved, PS2 games look awesome with it, man!

I've read around enough to know that that is not a guarantee.

It works great, man. I play on component cables dude.

Link to the brand you bought, I could stand to get rid of this gargantuan sdtv once and for all.

Here ya go, man. Sony (http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-3-Component-AV-Cable/dp/B000MIXFWA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1255147703&sr=8-2) brand.
I could send you mine, man if you want?

Allen, that's PS3 component cables. I use HDMI.

I was talking about PS2.

Dude, I use that same one for the PS2, man.

MSN so we can discuss?

Oh shi~

I'll have to get some, they have those at Best Buy.

Also, when you get them make sure you go to your PS2 system configurations and change component video out from RGB to Y Cb/Pb Cr/Pr.

Clever. Will do.

How about mandatory tutorials?

They almost always SUCK.

Yeah, I already made my disdain known for forced tutorials here, but they are so bad, it should be mentioned again.

Also about SNK Boss Syndrome: It all started with the guy on my avatar, and being a big Fatal Fury player back in the day and as such I totally understand the frustration of fighting these horrible monsters that call themselves bosses. While Geese was the starting point, I think it was Rugal that really took it to the level of frustration that it is today.

I found it rather fitting that in MVC2 if you did it right, You have Rugal just owning Akuma in a similar fashion to Akuma owning Bison in Super street fighter 2. Everyone knows that Rugal is the king of God Bosses.

That all the characters whom I love will never love me in return.

after playing tales of symphonia again..
i must say i completely dislike the fact that certain characters that will inevitably join you have over 9000 (literally) HP, but when they join you they have no more that 500.
im looking specifically at the tales series, and some final fantasy games.

How about Wii games with tacked on motion controls?

Freaking-A!

I don't need to waggle the wiimote to open a freaking door!

PREACH

Ok

How about Wii games with tacked on motion controls?

Freaking-A!

I don't need to waggle the wiimote to open a freaking door!

pretty soon, you will do that on xbox and ps3.
and to think ps3 fanboys said waving a controller made you look stupid.
now they will be waving a glowing dildo.

OH THE SWEET IRONY

It's not irony, it's stupidity.

>_<

after playing tales of symphonia again..
i must say i completely dislike the fact that certain characters that will inevitably join you have over 9000 (literally) HP, but when they join you they have no more that 500.
im looking specifically at the tales series, and some final fantasy games.


What's even worst is when you loose a character for hours and then they come back 3 levels behind with no easy way of getting there techniques maxed out because all the enemies that are at your disposal are low level fights that last 3 seconds.

Another feature I was thinking of...

Forced Losses/Wins:
Like in 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' and you face the big bad the first time.

I kicked his arse three was from sunday, complete overkill and at the last moment that Jedi hoe comes in and 'SAVES' me?
What-the-freck!

Another feature I was thinking of...

Forced Losses/Wins:
Like in 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' and you face the big bad the first time.

I kicked his arse three was from sunday, complete overkill and at the last moment that Jedi hoe comes in and 'SAVES' me?
What-the-freck!

Those types of battles are referred to as 'Unbeatable Bosses' and are usually in place for story purposes. They have been used numerous times in numerous games and that's their sole purpose. To progress the story.

i was gonna say that, mentioning specifically final fantasy 3.

True... also in the following that I recall at the moment:

Suikoden series
Final Fantasy IX

There are others, but I can't remember more yet...

Those types of battles are referred to as 'Unbeatable Bosses' and are usually in place for story purposes. They have been used numerous times in numerous games and that's their sole purpose. To progress the story.
Then make the boss impossible to beat.
Like level 100 when you're at the start of the game.

Or a 'super move'...uck.

Then make the boss impossible to beat.
Like level 100 when you're at the start of the game.

Or a 'super move'...uck.

Often those sorts of battles at the beginning of games (Suikoden IV, I'm glaring at you here >.<) are used to introduce the main villain or to show the player how tough your foe in the game is going to ultimately be.

Plot driven devices is all they are, pretty comonplace in the majority of RPG's etc nowadays. Sides, it often helps a player to want to 'settle the score' with those bosses.

Player Character: Alright, I'm gonna kick your ass!
Boss: You want to fight?

Fight ends, with Player Character running away/ko'd and the boss picking the PC's teeth from his boots.

Later in game

Player Character: REVENGE!!
Boss: Yeah right...

Fight ends, Player Character victorious and dancing on the boss's grave.

Then make the boss impossible to beat.
Like level 100 when you're at the start of the game.

Or a 'super move'...uck.


Often those sorts of battles at the beginning of games (Suikoden IV, I'm glaring at you here >.<) are used to introduce the main villain or to show the player how tough your foe in the game is going to ultimately be.

Plot driven devices is all they are, pretty comonplace in the majority of RPG's etc nowadays. Sides, it often helps a player to want to 'settle the score' with those bosses.

Player Character: Alright, I'm gonna kick your ass!
Boss: You want to fight?

Fight ends, with Player Character running away/ko'd and the boss picking the PC's teeth from his boots.

Later in game

Player Character: REVENGE!!
Boss: Yeah right...

Fight ends, Player Character victorious and dancing on the boss's grave.

I think we're all thinking the same thing but not understanding it. tanis_lionheart isn't disaproving of those types of battles but of the fact that a lot of the time you beat the enime to a pulp during the fight with little or no help but then in the cut scene you've been thrashed totaly. The right way to pull this effect off would be like in Tales of Synphonia when you fight Ziggy Starbust for the first time and every attack only did 1 point of damnage and he can kill anyone with one hit.

@Tom's Toonami Tunes: Yeah, that's what I'm getting at.
I hate that crap.

If you want me to auto loose/win, make it so I don't have to try for half an hour or, don't let me have a chance of winning.

Seriously, KOTOR I, WTF?

because, like the spanish inquisition, YOU WERENT EXPECTING IT, NO ONE WAS.

I think we're all thinking the same thing but not understanding it. tanis_lionheart isn't disaproving of those types of battles but of the fact that a lot of the time you beat the enime to a pulp during the fight with little or no help but then in the cut scene you've been thrashed totaly. The right way to pull this effect off would be like in Tales of Synphonia when you fight Ziggy Starbust for the first time and every attack only did 1 point of damnage and he can kill anyone with one hit.

Ok, some of those battles 'may' be in Cutscenes in which case all you can do is sit back and wait for the inevitable end to that particular fight.

tanis_lionheart was referencing Knights of the Old Republic, in which case the fight in question is NOT a cutscene but a player controlled fight. Considering how the story of the game is flowing at that time, that fight was pretty much easy to see coming.


@Tom's Toonami Tunes: Yeah, that's what I'm getting at.
I hate that crap.

If you want me to auto loose/win, make it so I don't have to try for half an hour or, don't let me have a chance of winning.

Seriously, KOTOR I, WTF?

That's why you should save your game frequently. So when a battle like that occurs, you can reload and when you come to the fight, proceed accordingly. KotOR allows you to save your game at any point, no matter where you are.

Having to fight several difficult bosses in a row without getting a chance to save.

..Yeah, I'm looking at you Viewtiful Joe, don't think I've forgotten.

Also, Xenogears, Diend~

Well, you can't refuel or repair, and that's just as bad.

Having to fight several difficult bosses in a row without getting a chance to save.

..Yeah, I'm looking at you Viewtiful Joe, don't think I've forgotten.

Viewtiful Joe was one of the hardest games I've played, it always made me kinda sad when I did something epic but got killed by something I didn't know how to get past and on the second time make it through but not as spectacular as the first time.

That's why you should save your game frequently. So when a battle like that occurs, you can reload and when you come to the fight, proceed accordingly. KotOR allows you to save your game at any point, no matter where you are.
Why should I, as a gamer, have to 'know' when I'm suppose to loose?
It's stupid.

The whole point of boss battles are to show your power and kick its ass.
If I have a chance of winning why stop me?

Let me win the battle but then have the boss do some 'OMGWTF!' attack right after.
Not grind for 5 hours, come back and spend another hour on the boss only to loose 'at the right time'.

Like FF9, tanis? Where you could beat on Beatrix for a while, but then she pulls that Shock Blade/whatever the hell attack that knocks you all down to 1 hp?

Like FF9, tanis? Where you could beat on Beatrix for a while, but then she pulls that Shock Blade/whatever the hell attack that knocks you all down to 1 hp?
Yeah, but for me she did it pretty early on.

Like the 5th attack or something, so I didn't care as much.
It's been a while since I've played it.

But having to use a random move or talk out 200k HP when you're doing a make of 9999 damage is BS.

Why should I, as a gamer, have to 'know' when I'm suppose to loose?
It's stupid.

The whole point of boss battles are to show your power and kick its ass.
If I have a chance of winning why stop me?

Let me win the battle but then have the boss do some 'OMGWTF!' attack right after.
Not grind for 5 hours, come back and spend another hour on the boss only to loose 'at the right time'.

There are some battles in games, which you are not meant to win and their sole purpose is to advance the story. There usually are some hints which can lead up to these sorts of fights.

I'll use KotOR in my reference here.

The fight on the Leviathan (which you referred to) against Darth Malak.

Firstly being on that ship, being told that Malak is on the way should be one warning of a possible fight coming up soon.

Secondly the revelation that Saul Karath tells Carth, along with Carth and Bastilla's responses is another clue.

Thirdly, when you enter the corridor and see Malak standing there, I would say that is a opportune time to save your game.

Fourth, Malak puts Carth and Bastilla in stasis, and you're one on one with him.

Granted that you do fight Malak one on one at the end of the game, take into account that the fight on the Leviathan takes place when you still have one world to go to for a Star Map, then the Unknown World where the Star Forge is orbiting. It's kind of obvious that the fight with Malak on the Leviathan is not a 'major' battle per se, that it's sole purpose is to advance the story.

In KotOR II TSL, Atton Rand (If he's in your current party) will comment something along the lines of:

"I've got a bad feeling about this." (ingame reference to Luke Skywalker saying similar in Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope)

Which the game even states that you should save your game whenever he says it.