-Videogames and Gameplay-
Differences between this generation and earlier gens.

In this thread we list and look into what developers these days are doing wrong.
Me and my older brothers have been thinking about frustrating games.
Are we the only ones frustrated with recent gameplay?

-Redundant Unnecessary Excessive Dialogue-
NPCs telling you what you already know. Nurtured gameplay interrupting us with tutorials throughout
the entire gameplay experience.

-Difficulty (or lack thereof)-
The fourth generation (16-bit era) had a well balanced difficulty that both new and experienced gamers could enjoy. During the 3D transition (N64 and PS1 era) things changed. This current generation is close to 'pathetic'. Where is the challenge? Single player difficulty has become a joke. Playing online with others is our only hope!

-Unlocking Essential Game Content-
Imagine back in 1991. You've purchased the original Street Fighter II. All your friends and classmates are playing it. You're excited. The graphics are great. Everyone are talking about the game. Finally you insert the cartridge into your Super Nintendo only to find out that the only characters you get to play are E. Honda, Zangief and Dhalsim. In order to unlock Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken, Guile, Ken and Blanka, you have to play through a whole set of boring needless challenges. Not a very good prospect, right?

-Hampered Obstructive and Static Gameplay-
Example: Platformers. Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World had a world map. We could move around at ease. Super Mario Galaxy is the exact opposite. We are forced into listening to NPCs ranting. Sooner or later us gamers are bound to be frustrated. Wasting time navigating around through world hubs.  Is it fun? In RPGs this is acceptable. But in platformers??! Nintendo. What are they thinking? They should go back to fluid menu selections and fluid gameplay.

Are we the only ones getting tired of this BS?
Response appreciated.

Please. Do add your own thoughts and frustrations. Give examples.

DLC was free...

Frustated for the Super Mario Galaxy hubs? They did that since Super Mario 64 and is great.

Fluid gameplay? Super Mario Galaxy is one of the best games this entire gen.

I enjoy running around the Gateway in Galaxy...

Game Over screens...

Back in the days Game over was Game over... not continue from the last 5 sec ago...
Now that I'm saying it... I havent seen any Game Over screens recently.. do they even stil exist???

You're right about SP difficulty today... no games have given me a serious challenge lately. On the SNES, it's another story...

First off, welcome to the forums.

Some of the things you've listed have been around for decades. The redundant NPC advice, for instance, has been a staple of RPGs since the original Final Fantasy (and probably earlier). The same goes for unlocking stuff (as you yourself pointed out). I'm not saying these things aren't frustrating, but they're not new.

I'll also add that I don't completely understand your last point. The example you cited sounds more like you're angry with games like Mario 64, Grand Theft Auto, etc. which force you to go through an elaborate open-world hub to get to the next portion. Am I reading you correctly?

As for difficulty, I'm mostly okay with what we have now, but that might be because I remember the NES era, where 99% of games had the difficulty cranked up to "OMGWTF?!?", which is far worse in my opinion. Still, I don't object when a game comes out which gives you the option to punish yourself: sometimes it's fun to do so. Overall, however, current games' difficulties don't bother me too much.

But mandatory tutorials. Man do I hate mandatory tutorials...

Advance Wars 2 was no fun to play the second time on normal mode, because the first hour was them force-feeding you stuff you already knew. I hate this new-er trend of games making you play the long tutorial; it's helpful the first time, but incredibly annoying thereafter. Still, I do remember what happens with complex games that don't make you play the tutorial. I can't recall how many people I've met that played Ogre Battle 64 and were completly lost, because they didn't bother to go through the excellent (and optional) tutorial at the start of the game.

Another thing that bugs me this generation is how more and more games are adopting stat growth. It's not the stat growth itself I object to. Quite the contrary, it can be quite fun at times. But sometimes I want to play a game which gets harder as it goes along, and in which my character is just as weak as he was in the beginning; I've just gotten better since then. In my opinion, for example, Resident Evil 4 would have been even better if Leon didn't become stronger at the same pace the enemies did. Instead, you'd have had to become a better player as you went along.

Alright, there's more ranting I'd like to do, but this post is already getting long in the tooth.

Editing as we speak. Now inserting three-part treatise about how every game wants to be GTA, AI's are even more retarded now despite the extra processing power, and how back in my day we had to walk uphill in the snow both ways just to play Level 1.

The good news about all you mention is it opens gaming up to a wider audience base

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii) - If just one of your characters die it is Game Over all up in your face.