Great Wringer Commodore! It's clear that you listen to your fans, so that already makes you better than George Lucas in one way. Anyway, on to the question!

Hmmm... least favorite video game genre, this is a hard one, but i'll have to go with life simulation games.  To me there is nothing exciting about this genre, because in the end I can do all of it in real life. I f I want to drive a car, ill just get in my car. If I want to go to the grocery store, ill go the the grocery store. If I want to have a baby, ill... uhh... have a baby. Nothing those games offer is rewarding to me, because after I achieve something in the game I feel obliged to go out and do it in real life. To me games are all about imagination, and simulations don't require much of it. This idea goes with all games though, and for an example, i'll choose Mortal Kombat 9. Would I rather play as Scorpion/Sub Zero, characters who harness the power of ice and flame that have imaginative backstorys? Or would I want to be Stryker, the run of the mill cop. To me the choice is obvious.

Firstly, thanks for the warm welcome, Commodore. I clapped softly aloud when you announced me (easily pleased, I know). Oh, and for all readers who care about what I type (very few, I know) I think I'll format my Weekly Wringer comments like this from now on for easier digestion. I know I sometimes prefer TL;DR's, and this will at least let you pick what you read.

Comments on this WW: I agree completely that if a movie is "good enough" to be re-released after tinkering with it, it's even better to be re-released if you leave it alone! My boyfriend and I recently (October) went and saw a short-term re-release of Ghostbusters. It was amazing. I've watched that movie countless times but that was really super special. I literally was a little disoriented when we left the theatre because of the low-quality, graininess of the movie paired with all of the actual references to the 80's in the movie paired with the nostolgia. It was amazing. In late November my local theatre also played Clue (SO mad I missed it) and in January was Blade Runner (also mad I missed it). Check your local theatres for these "cult classic" things. Here's a link to what I'm talking about at our local theatre chain: https://celebrationcinema.com/cult . They also play classics. Check that March out! Fricken Day The Earth Stood Still, Indiana Jones (the crappy one), Holy Grail... srsly gais. It's usually discounted too. Ghostbusters was only $3. I don't know if all of these are nationwide, but I KNOW Ghostbusters was.

QotW: After consulting Wikipedia for a list of game genres I have two answers. Technically speaking, they say there's a subgenre of simulation for "Vehicle Simulation". That would definately be my least favourite. I can't think of something much more boring and simulating driving a vehicle. However, I feel that's a bit of a cop-out. I don't vehemently hate Vehicle Sims. On the other hand, I have always disliked, and as of the past few years, have fostered a burning hatred for FPS's. Yep, hate 'em. I've never really liked them, but that was because it's just not my style. However, I now actively hate them due to this generation's handling of them (see all of the brown-gray shooters like MW, CoD, ect). They have over-saturated the market as well as inviting more "bros" into the gaming conversation. Bros and Jocks aren't welcome in my gaming world. Sorry if that offends but that's how I feel. The only exception I make to this rule is Fallout because it's more of a RPG/FPS. I love Fallout. Don't come between me and my Fallout or you will lose limbs.

Sitting overtime at work and hearing my new title with the 'the' attached has made my otherwise day quite un-dreary.   I feel very welcome and thank you, Commodore. 

On to the subject of least favorite game genre is an easy one to answer: the sports genre. Worthless, worthless. There is no change. they are rehash of rehash. No creative work other than on interface and changing the names. The technical skill to make the games is subpar as well. The engines are generally developed long beforehand on other projects like RPGs or adventures. No real work is put into them and far too much work is put into working them.  While I'm sure that people love Madden and Tiger Woods, they can't take the really be memorable individually. 

Watch what happens when you put Madden 2007 against say the first Assassin's Creed. Madden has a hidden blade between the ribs, just on memorable gameplay and just down right fun. 

On another level, the sports genre is stuck to do the same thing over and over again. The rules of the real games haven't changed. Nothing has changed in real world so nothing can really change in the virtual. The same people stay in their teams until they actually retire or get traded. The adventure and other genres can bring each other together, good example being Soul Caliber inviting Link and others into their universe. 

On the whole, the sports games aren't creatively inventive, and give little room for any sort of real hands-on changing gameplay. 

First thing: Commodore, are the people really that annoying during a viewing at your cinema? I actually never had problems with that. Just some people coughing, but that's it. I really find it rude to check the phone during the film.

And now to this week's question: There are really only two type of games I don't like. The first one are strategy games. Don't know why, but they never appealed me.

But the only "genre" that I really dislike is: Casual.

And yes, I know that casual games can be divided in several genres, but I think you get my point. And I'm not talking about casual gamers, I'm talking about the huuuuge load of crappy games for the Wii. And that's just an example. The Wii and the DS got degraded to some obscure consoles that got sentenced to play that kind of games.  

Casual games had a huge impact on the market and I'm not quite sure why. This changed the whole gaming market and things like this Free2Play (Yeah, whatever...) are popping out of the ground everywhere. And EA is jumping onto that trend. I really don't like this. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about games like Limbo or Super Meat Boy. Those are great games. I'm talking about games like "All Star Cheerleader", "Just Dance" and all that junk. Or to talk about online games: "FarmVille" and blablabla.

I hope the developers get a grip and forget about that kind of games. But I guess it's the same with 3D re-releases...as long as there is an audience...

I have to say adventure games that are along the lines of text-based, point and click and Sierra type adventure games due to the fact I have issues figuring them out, and after watching LordKat and Paw's videos on the Sierra's adventure games some of the solutions are weird and would never come into my mind to try, also how the words/phrases need to be typed a certain way.

I want to add I do enjoy watching these types of videos by the people above and I give the games credit for what they are/were.

On a side note I was going to say sport games too but after reorganizing some video games I notice I have a few golf games and one of my favourite Genesis games is a tennis games and I am looking for a cheap copy of Mario Tennis on the N64.

Comment to above post: ElBartoME for me at a theater people shout out during the movie, like in Speed Racer someone shouted 'It's Mario' and during the first Death Note movie when L was first show a guy shouted 'I'll do him'.

The easy answer is sports games. They only work playing with someone else which is very limiting. No value otherwise.

If I was to exclude sports games from the question... the answer becomes much more difficult.

I'm going to have to settle on puzzle games. Even though I enjoy them, the feeling that comes with finishing them is shallow because the solution is always on the lines of "oh ya, of course". This means it ends in an even leveled sense of nowhere. I win.. sure... but I should have figured it out earlier.

Perhaps a boring answer... Sorry, I need story with my games ;)

(Yes, some puzzle games have a storyline as well... I'm talking about those which are just puzzles)

The first thing i thought of when i thought about this question was survival/horror games.  I hate playing them.  But i do like watching someone else play thru them.  They arent bad games i just hate playin them.  But sports games are terrible too.  Even games for sports i like watching i hate.  They just arent fun for me. 

Sports games are getting too much hate so far. A good franchise mode in a sports game has great RPG elements.

If we are talking about the direction of various genres, I would say im getting increasingly unfavorable towards the evolution of western RPGs. You don't see WRPGs with DnD elements like a Baldur's Gate or Planescape much anymore. Skyrim and the first dragon age were a decent bounce back in the right direction though, even if skyrim didn't really have DnD elements...

With that said, I know that the question is your least favorite, but I can't really think of one that I can't stand or anything. I once (for another forum) made a topic with small writeups for my top 25 games of all time. It was pretty diverse by genre.

I guess I'll just say over the past generation of gaming, the only genre I really have not liked the overall evolution of is western RPGs. I know i'll get some hate for that, and I mean no harm to those who do like fallout 3s, oblivions, and mass effect type games, but i guess that is my current "least favorite" genre.

  I'd love to be able to talk with you about Star Wars sometime, Commodore; that would indeed be great! Mayhap, the time will come.

   The thing about Star Wars, unfortunately, is that while fans like us agree that the Original Trilogy is fine on its own, Lucas, of course, severely disagrees. This is why he's going to just keep altering the movies, I guess until the end of his life; Matthew Wood, at Lucasfilm, has said basically, every time Lucas watches the movies, he finds more he wants to change. He's never going to stop, unfortunately, and isn't interested in listening to fans like us. We were lucky he did agree, probably reluctantly, to release the theatricals one more time on disc a few years ago. It may not happen again, no matter how much we demand it; he just isn't interested, and wants fans to love his altered versions instead. Lucas has been detached from his fans for a long time, I think we all agree there.

   I posted about this in the forums recently; Lucas has even recently gone so far as to blame fans and critics as to why he doesn't want to make Star Wars  movies any more (as if he was going to anyway), and as you and Roo mentioned on the Echo Screen, he's basically trying to convince fans that they've been hallucinating for 35 years during the Han/Greedo confrontation. The man...has just lost it, Commodore. He is so detached from fans. :/

   Anyway, for this week's question, I honestly don't have a real least favorite genre; I think a game in any genre can be fun. It's all about how the game plays and the experience you have with it, afterall. However, I suppose my top one currently  might be Online RPGs.  First of all, I don't like subscriptions because I don't believe I should have to keep paying for a game I already bought. Secondly, I just don't like the format of these kinds of games themselves; I'd rather just play a regular RPG with a great story and it doesn't need to be online. I'm just not part of the online RPG 'culture' and I don't understand most of its apparent appeal, like using real money to buy items in games. I...don't think any game is generally worth it to me to do that.

   I realize that a lot of these games are subscription-free, so a lot of people would probably say there's 'no excuse' to not play them then. Yes, there is; because I don't want to. Now, I don't think all online RPGs are 'bad;' again, I just don't have a general interest in playing them. It's not my preferred style of playing, and they jsut eat up so much time; I'd never get anything else done that I want to do with myself, and that's just not an option for me. So I pass on all of them.

   I also tend to pass on games in the genres of Strategy, Sports/Racing, and Simulations. Strategy games, I'm just not good at; I can't hide it. I love Worms,  StarCraft, and I like WarCraft, and I have a Fire Emblem game; I'm just not good at them.  Sports games, eh, I'm not a real sports fan, so...I don't play these. I've played some fun ones, sure, like I played Blades of Steel, and sometimes Bases Loaded, when I was a kid, but usually I just pass on them. I do want to get Punch-Out! on Wii though...For racing games, I tend to just stick to Mario Kart games; they're just usually the most fun to me. I have a friend who loves the WipeOut series, but...they just look too hard for me. Seriously. Simulation games, eh, I played Sim City when I was a kid, but otherwise I guess they just take too long, and like online RPGs, I'd just play them forever and not do anything else. Not gonna happen.

I actually like sports games and simulation games (NFL/NBA Street, Roller Coaster Tycoon as examples of such). As much of a fan of sports and sports video games I am, I cannot stand Madden or any other of those "realistic" sports games (I've yelled at my TV quite a bit when the ball bounced off my reciever's helmet and he didn't even turn around after I had thrown it). I'm not too big into games where I sim a life as a character (I used to be obsessed with Animal Crossing, though).

Anyway, I'm going to say FPS is my least favorite genre. I liked playing Goldeneye and Halo with my brothers back in the day when each FPS felt completely different. I enjoy solo play in them as well as Metroid Primes, Half-Lifes, and Mass Effects. I just hate how overwhelmingly popular FPSs are like Call of Duty and Battlefield. A lot of people (including me) continually bash them because they're the same game except they added a few things and stuck the number +1 on it (I get BF is different than CoD, but they don't feel any different). The funny thing is, if I ran Activision, I'd do the exact same thing they're doing because it works. Why fix something that's not broken? I guess it's just the fact that FPSs are so overproduced, it's getting to be very stale (you could say the exact same thing for sports games like Madden, and yet that's quite popular as well).

On a side note (which is kind of on-topic), I remember being aged 6-13 and completely hating the RPG genre. My older brother was praising games like Chrono Trigger, Lufia II, Illusion of Gaia, and I could for the life of me not figure out what I was supposed to do or where to go. I think part of the reason was because I didn't read anything that the people were telling me. I think a part of the reason also is because I was just simply immature and didn't actually try to figure out what I had to do. Around 16 I decided to give the original Final Fantasy, the NES copy, a go again (last time I had played it was when I was like 5 and it creeped me out with everything looking dark and evil). Needless to say, I found it a blast, and have been hooked on the RPG genre ever since.

Great Wringer as usual Commodore!

And I shall give you an Amen. I would absolutly go see the original theatrical Star Wars movies if they came out, no questions asked.

On  the subject of least favorite game genre... Now I'm one to give any game a chance, wether it is indie or not. The games that I really can't stand are sport games (NHL, NFL, etc.) and Racing games (NFS, GT, etc.). The reason for this is the lack of, or failed attempt of, dimensions in those games ,i.e. immersion or story line. These aspects are what makes a good game. But the thing that makes me grin when my friends want to play these games is the repetition... oh boy the repetition...

Now I'm not talking about "Grinding", I could grind all day in Harvest Moon. lol. Now I understand why people would want to play these games. It's fun for group gaming and such, but it just not that appealing to me.

Now I seen non sporting games have less dimension, but that's just poor design. Everytime a new sport game comes out, it's just the same thing.

Thats just me... I'm more of RPG/Adventure/Shooter gamer, (not to mention Classic Gaming).

Hi Commodore,

Just like you I would be very excited to see episodes IV, V, and VI re-released in theaters in their original format.

In regards to this weeks question I would say that hidden object puzzles are to bane of my existence.  At first I was going to say platformers with punishing jump puzzles, like Mega Man, or Prince of Persia games, but honestly those games have really solid gameplay.  All one needs to do is memorize patterns and take some deep breaths and victory is yours.

I hate hate hate hidden object puzzles.  All there is to do is click objects.  I don't mind pointing and clicking.  I love the Monkey Island games Sam and Max and Day of the Tentacle etc  I like to play character driven games with a compelling story.  Hidden object games have a very weak story (IMO) and the character are underdeveloped.  

In real life I value relationships above all else.  So I like playing games where the characters grow.   (The Persona series comes to mind.)

Anyway Ithink I made my point.

take it easy.

My least favorite videogame genre is the FPS. It took me literally less than a second to come up with that. More specifically, as a gamer I can't stand the console FPS. The kind that uses a joystick.  I can't stand the joystick. Give me a mouse or even a Wiimote but please don't force me to aim in such a clunky way. But even though I can't stand the play control (or the repetativeness for that matter) of FPS games, that's not actually the issue.

What is the issue? The FPS has saturated the market and I would argue that it's taken over in ways that the mascot platformer never did. For the most part, these games aren't original or even that fun and I have a sneaking suspicion that they thrive on the illusion that they are cool and therefor those who play them are cool. The nastiness of this genre's culture has spilt over to the way that many of these companies even portray themselves. The new CoD commercials are flat out obnoxious while Sony treats its fans as bad as a trash talking kid playing Gears of War. If you don't believe me than watch the atrocity that is The Tester. I was on the fence about getting a Vita but, at the end of the day, I just don't want to continue to support a company that treats it's fans like that.

Now please allow me to digress a bit because I feel like I need to clarify some things. I believe that FPS games should exist and that the genre has the right to expand freely. It's not my place to add to an ever expanding rift in the gaming community. I fully believe in having a "live and let live" mentality. I don't see the value of just going around tearing things down like some B grade horror movie monster. If you don't like something leave it for those who do. The world doesn't become a better place when we force our taste onto others or judge each other because they care about things that we don't. Saying it out loud, it sounds like common sense but, sadly, our culture is one that loves to destroy things.

The FPS genre, or any genre for that matter, is not in and of itself a bad thing.  It's that the culture around it has become so dank. That's what I really want to see removed from the gaming community... the environment of destruction that has risen in these last years.  In general, things have gotten much worse and people justify it by saying things like, "that's just the way things are" and "welcome to the internet/online gaming." It's not like I can really blame FPS games for this, though. I bet it has more to do with insecure gamers hiding behind the mask of anonymity who, seeking to feel better about themselves, find solace in the defaming of others. Even going back to the conversation about girls playing online games... the problem is directly tied to adolescent boys not genuinely caring about others (in that case, girls) in their search of self validation.  The issue is given free reign to grow as the culprit is actually pride and pride is unwilling to see itself as an issue (I hope that makes sense).

So, as I dive deeper into this issue and mull it over, I can't help but see a positive correlation  between FPS games and that negative attitude I'm talking about. The question in my mind is... why is it evident there but not in other competitive genres? Maybe it is there but the community for those other genres isn't quite big enough for the issue to really show itself. Maybe it's because games like RTSs take higher thinking so in general RTS gamers have a mutual respect for one another. Maybe it's because MMOs like WoW utilize the concept of teamwork and thus cultivate a value for other people in the minds of those who play those games. Who knows for sure. Maybe there's a good reason why Nintendo doesn't want to let you talk to fellow racers online in Mario Kart... maybe we'd see this problem there too.

Much like Unseasonably up there, I have a theater near enough to go to, and each Friday and Saturday midnight they play a classic movie, and it's always packed. I have no problem shelling out some money, and even having everyone yelling and screaming, when they're all watching The Warriors, or Caddyshack.

I don't go as often, in my old age (need naps) but I'd still go to one of those old movies before paying for any new movie, let alone one somebody hacked up to try and make it more profitable, but it isn't the movie I remember, and love.

On to the question, I'd say this counts, but conditionally.

I have no problem with a lot of genres. I don't play sports games, or driving games, but I'm not saying they're all bad. There are some great ones. I'll admit the Gran Turismo series is amazing, but I still don't really like to play them. I hate first person shooters, in general, but the Portal and Half-Life series are among my favorites.

I don't play rhythm games. I just don't care about them.  I'm also not good at them, which may be a big part of it, but I've never cared for just pushing buttons for the sake of pushing buttons.

So I don't hate the rhythm puzzle genre, but I hate when they shove one into some other game I'm trying to play.

HATE HATE HATE

A memorable example was God of War 3. At one point, you're in the middle of ... I don't know if this is a spoiler type thing, or not, but to keep it vague, you're raging and destroying things, and then suddenly there's a big thing, and it turns out it's a rhythm puzzle.

And the relentlessly awesome non-stop action game comes to a screeching, burning, crashing, grinding halt, in a smoking wreck.

Because I can't do this thing. It ends up having you play the theme song of the game for a while, but until I can do it, that's the end of the game for me. If I don't finish it, I'll never get any farther, and I'll never play the game again, because all that's waiting for me is a game of a genre I specifically did not buy, and did not expect.

It very nearly ended, and ruined, that game for me, because it didn't belong there. It didn't help the story at all, and it didn't fit with anything. They had problems coming up with new things to do, to keep gameplay from being boring, but that doesn't mean I want a rhythm puzzle in my action game.

If I had been able to skip it, or maybe go a different, harder route, or something, then I would have, and the game wouldn't have been over at that point, but there was no way to proceed.

Luckily, I had a friend come tap his way past it, and I finished the rest of the game, but that one dark stain will always be there.

Rhythm games do not belong in action games.
This isn't to say I dislike Arkham City, etc, where the fighting itself goes better with a kind of rhythm, but when I'm button mashing, don't make me slow down.

You can't slow me down.

Sports games for sure. I may rant about FPS games more than I do Sports, but they at least have community and passion that I can respect.

I've just... never liked sports. Period. The megatons of NFL/Hockey etc games on discount and used racks also give evidence to just how worthless they are in the long run. A good FPS game can have life long after it's out of print. Just look at the popularity of Goldeneye. But Sports games continually devalue.

I dare say that along side Mario Bros/Duck Hunt, NFL games will probably be the most dominant thing on the 25 cent rack at your local used game dealer. Unlike Mario, though, which has seen multiple releases and such across consoles throughout time... Football games are oneshots. Actually, any Sports game with a rotating cast/roster is a oneshot flash in the pan.

They're not even the kind of thing that you can really play online or make a good multiplayer experience out of (or that I've yet to come across). And while FPS games have things like Team Fortress 2 and other quirks or epic stories (And I do loves me some Portal as well), try finding a sports game that isn't EA, is good, and uses original characters ideas and concepts in execution.

-Mario's ventures don't count!

This is no doubt a tough one to deal with as it can't just be as simple as a genre I don't play. I'm not a fan of the insistence on making just about everything an FPS these days, but I can find enjoyment there. I don't quite understand racing simulators, but I've found some fun with specific titles. Even my usual punching boy, the sports genre, has a few shining examples such as Fight Night Round 3, one of my favorite games on the Xbox 360.

When I get right down to it, I think my least favorite genre may actually be one I truly do want to enjoy and convince myself that I do, and that's the Fighting Game genre. Yes, I love Smash Bros so very much, have a soft spot for Marvel vs Capcom 2, and spent more than a few summers with Soul Calibur 2, but when I think about it, when I look at a new game and see that it's a fighter, I always want to like it but never, ever pick it up for one simple reason:

I am not part of the club.

What i mean by this is the entrance fee for a Fighting game is generally much higher than any other genre. Call of Duty may be frustrating playing online as you start out with poor weapons and perks, but given time, anyone can get competitive. Fighting games, no such luck. No matter how much you play, if you aren't devoted to studying, flat out studying with graphs and frame-by-frame attack animations, then you will never be able to really "get" the game. I can get a pat on the back for collecting every star in Super Mario Galaxy 2. I'm not getting recognized for my pitiful moves in Street Fighter IV.

In fact, let's go back to Street Fighter IV. I got excited enough that I rented it when it came out for $9 at Blockbuster. Within the first night I discovered that I couldn't beat the final boss after dozens of tries, playing on the easiest level, and so I found that I couldn't keep it any longer and had to return it for fear that I'd lose my temper. I'm so very glad that i didn't purchase it though as, like most fighting games these days, a better, "Super" version came out no more than a year later with more characters and content. That's bush league.

That competitive aspect that I mentioned, man, that can ruin me. The only genre that has nearly taken me to real world blows with my friends has been the Fighting genre. I've finished matches in Smash Bros, only to look my best friends in the eye and say with utter venom that they cheated and that I wanted nothing to do with them, only to come out of my haze a moment later and apologize with tears in my eyes. Fighting games bring out a vicious emotional yo-yo for me and I just can't handle it.

Man, I just hate Fighting games, even though I wish I could be good at them.

If I had the interest in getting the rights and putting everything together, then I so would setup a few movie/grill theaters to show the original Star Wars, amoung other classics.  Could make a few bucks out of it.

Anyway, tough question this week. In the hands of a good developer any genre can be fun. I don't really like Sport games, but Tecmo Bowl and the occasional HangTime can be fun to kill time. FPS is also not my flavor, but get a few people together and games like Swat and Rainbow Six can be fun as well. I am going to have to go with Sport/Simulation games, games that try so hard to be actual representation of the real thing, like Fishing games. This is actual fishing games, dealing with rods, bait, and such, not talking as side quests and the like in other games. I am not a fisherman (though I like to consume their results), but I can understand the joy they get out of it. So, why are there fishing video games, I don't know.

I sort of feel the sameway about golf simulation games, though thanks to motion controls they aren't as bad. I also admit that I don't understand the appeal of watching Golf in the first place.  Take a look at those 2 games played during the CD-i Marathon, Pebble Beach something and Wacky Golf, both represent the extremes golf games can go.

First comment here. Really like this series. I usually catch most of them. I think you are doing something really interesting here Commodore. Interesting from a social perspective. So props.

I have re-written this comment a few times so hopefully this time I can articulate myself better and avoid having two screens worth of text. To do this I am going to leave alot more up to those who read it (hopefully the Commodore included) to make some of the conclusions I am trying to pinpoint or draw out in this discussion. So here goes:

I hate rythm based music games and MMORPGS as genres--though it's hard not to associate these genres with particular examples (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, WOW). After thinking about it for a bit, what I realy don't like about these games has something to do with how they compare to reality. Alot of games are simulations of reality. A few people have commented on this video saying they dislike genres that focus on realistic simulations of reality, especially the simulations of mundane reality. However, I feel that perhaps some genres (this is more easily said about particular games within those genres) offer a more rewarding experience despite the fact they are nothing more then simulations which have little effect upon reality other then their social impact. For me, some genres (though again, maybe it is just because the games which have come to define these genres are just good exmaples of what I am trying to talk about) are nothing more then thinly veiled, digitized hoops the player has to jump through.

Maybe this is true of all games. An argument can be made for and against this I believe, and I know of a particular Post-modern theorist who  would probably have a field day when talking about the fetishized/heavily nostalgia based aspects of the gaming industry today (I don't want to be pretensious but this theorist's work is very relatable to videogame and pop culture in general, for anyone interested read some Frederic Jameson). But what I am getting at is that for me, personally, music based rythm games and MMORPG's are so 2-dimensional and shallow in their sumlation, that they are insults to other gaming genres. This is a bold statement and a great generalization, so I'll try to ground this claim a bit more. I just see guitar-hero or rock-band (If anyone had a different game in their mind then this argument obviously doesn't work lol) as nothing more then a type of controller based technico-digitized masturbation. Where people are offered a simulation that has simplified the "real" experience by simultaneously offering a deceptively engaging, mimicked experience complete with an interactive combination of controller, graphics, and sounds. My problem with this is that the "real" experience is mocked so well by the simulation that it just seems bizarre people would prefer wasting their time with the later.

I find MMORPG's have done something simular, but perhaps something more extreme. They have created this world, populated with "real" people and structured this experience around progress. All games simulate progress on some level. However, I would argue some actually give you a memorable experience that perhaps is worth the fact you don't progress anywhere's in the real world. MMORPG's are structured in such a way that in-game progress is very important to the game. I argue this defining feature heightens the experience, turning it into a simulation that simulates the worst features of reality--I'm thinking of the mindless "rat-race", but there are other aspects this genre simulates all to well. It's no longer an imaginiative escape. It takes on this incredibly demanding structure which some people end up becoming entrapped in. Its nothing more then a thinly-veiled linear path which people progress along by jumpign through the right hoops. The creative, imaginative, I'll even say utopian based ideals present in most gaming experiences are absent from this genre.

I don't know if I was able to articulate myself well enough, but does anyone get what I'm trying to say?

That's an 80%-20% split, Commodore. ;-)

The answer is incredibly simple: sports games. The rules of sports games are always the same because rules define the sport. If the rules aren't changing, and the levels aren't changing, and the abilities are not really changing, then NOTHING OF VALUE IS CHANGING. You might say some *could* have different controls than others, but they're all designed to give you access to the same moves and abilities. So there's basically no innovation. You are also so limited by sports games that there's no room for actual creativity. And if I wanted to play sports, I could just play them in real life and get a whole lot more nuance and enjoyment out of it. Video games are for doing things that are impossible or incredibly unlikely in real life!

There *could* be exceptions, like Baseball Wars, but you could probably count every example on two hands (maybe even one).

Now, if someone INVENTED a new sport for a video game (zero-G hockey or something), I'd probably actually like it as long as it's not strung out.

Hmm a tricky one. I would have to say sports games, due to the fact that many of the more common sports games that you see out there on a yearly basis are just basically the same game as the year before, but with an extra feature added, or the graphics made slightly better.

Note that in cases where a sports game goes for a wacky feel outside of the realms of reality (ie NBA Jam) or has some element of time investment = good rewards (ie Gran Turismo) then I absolutely love those. But I do not see those games as what you would call "traditional sports games".

Traditional sports games have always, and will forever always bore the hell out of me. You tend to find (not always by usually) that people who don't usually play video games, playing sports games often. Which is another annoyance I have with it.

To throw in a second genre I strongly dislike it would be casual games on the Wii as they are designed for people who normally wouldn't play a game other than solitaire in their life, and as such usually are centered around physical related activites (ie exercise, sports), which compared to games for other platforms offers no longterm enjoyment.

For example, I would go back anyday and play Doom or 7th Guest, but in say 20 years I couldn't see myself thinking "hey I feel like some wii tenis. That kicked ass back in the day".

I don't require the exact theatrical release version of Star Wars, because I'm fine with upgrades to sound, picture quality, and special effects such as the new Death Star explosion. Lucas' mistake was shoehorning things in that don't work and wallpapering over the original cast members. I think if you had never seen Han shoot first, you would still be able to tell that Greedo shooting first looks wrong. And that reinserted scene where Han encounters the slimmed-down Jabba and steps on his tail? Absolutely ridiculous. Lucas took a scene that added nothing to the film and made it actively detract from it.

Least favorite game genre: There are a number of types of games that very rarely find their way onto my radar -- racing, rhythm, fighting, MMO, 3D platformer -- but I would say that the genre that I dismiss out of hand would be Mini-game Collections.

The 'why' is probably not very interesting. A singular, cohesive experience is what I base my purchase decision on. It's the drill that bores its way into my brain and it's the lever that separates me from my time and money.

When games don't have that solid "depleted uranium" core,  they just bounce right off my armored hull. It does not occur to me to buy them. It does not occur to me to try them. I can't even site specific examples, because they enter and exit my consciousness so quickly.

Hello Commodore

I've been a fan for a while of the Weekly Wringer and 16-Bit Gems, but only now I've decided to comment.

I've decided to do it now, because I think I have an uncommon view of videogames genres and I'd like to share it with you and your viewers.

I have mild Asperger's syndrome so my choice of videogames are affected by that. I can't enjoy videogames that don't have a well explained story, with logic and a minimum of reality involved. If games are based only on imagination or sci-fi without a tie in with our world and reality, I just hate them. For example, I can play and enjoy Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto series, and every sports games simulations. But I can't enjoy, because I can't see logic in them and don't see a link with reality in them, games such as Little Big Planet, The Elder Scrolls, Borderlands, Dante's Inferno, Sonic or event Super Mario Bros, for example.

When I play one of those, I keep thinking that that game it's impossible to happen and it ruins my time.

So, for me, and I know this is not the kind of answer you're looking for, my least favorite games are those that are a complete fantasy.

Keep it going, cheers.

hmmm, least favorite video game genre, that's a tough one.  In my opinion there really isn't any one genre as can universally be declared as the "worst" as all genres have full capabilities of having both good and bad games.  Whether a given genre has good or bad games is more dependent on who is handling the genre (i.e. what companies are making those games and how much effort they put into them)

now since I have to choose, I personally would say that Sports games in general is my least favorite. 

I must say though that this decision isn't stating that the games themselves are bad, though I do feel that when you play one current sports games of today in any given subgenre such as Football, baseball, golf, etc. you've played them all, just with roster changes and other such details that I generally don't care for.

My real issue with Sports games is that the market is simply oversaturated with them, every year there's a new Madden, a new Fifa, and the overabundance of other companies trying to get a piece of what is declared as the "#1 highest selling franchise in gaming", and while that statement might be true, it is also true, by what I have witnessed, that it is the #1 most resold game genre as well.

I have frequently brought sports games (inadvertantly obtained through gifts and buying bulk sets of games at rummage sales mind you) to pawn shops, and used items/games stores and have had them returned to me simply because the store has far too many that are coming in faster than they can sell, and some have chosen to stop taking them at all regardless of how many they do or don't have. (sadly I've had the same issue with games for Sega consoles)

anyway, that's just my opinion, and my 2 cents.

Sports- Always enjoyed actual sports rather than the simulation.  The fact that they are pretty much the same game every year and always in the bargain bins seems wasteful.  Have some replay value, dammit!

Point and Click Adventure Games- I saw clips of gameplay in Darkseed, Carmen Sandiego, and King's Quest series.  It's great for puzzle-solving, but I like having my reflexes tested as well.  I'd rather play a JRPG or action adventure game.  They don't really make these anymore either.

Vehicle Simulation- Games like Top Gun and even Roo's recommended Star Trek and SeaQuest games do not interest me.  They seem a little boring. 

First Person Shooters- The first experience I had with one was Duke Nukem on the N64.  I love his character, but the gameplay is not for me as I am unable to see what is in all directions which leads to cheap deaths in terms of game design.  The audience for them today... *shudders*  Remember when you said "lack of gentlemen" in gaming, Commodore?  This genre is pretty much the bane of all gaming today.  The lack of any great soundtrack destroys it for me as well.  The exceptions are Doom and Duke Nukem.  Give me Contra or Gradius any day over these.

Beat em' ups- I just suck at them.  I need to get better.  I do own TMNT IV Turtles in Time for my SNES, however and it is very enjoyable.

MMORPGs- Have an ending, damn it!  I'm quite OCD about item completion and having an entire evening wasted trying to get one ticked me off in ANY RPG.  I'm looking at you, Pink Tails, Glass Mask, Dragoon Lance, Dragon Whip, from FFIV, and you Sword of Kings from Earthbound!

Wow.. Hard one... I guess, even tho some of my favorite games are in this category, it would be a tie between Shooters, and JRPGs.. I am not that big into mindless run and gun games.. I like games with a little depth. If I want to just run and gun, I'll play Halo.. As for the JRPGs, I have never played Terranigma, or Earthbound. So I am refering to some of Final Fantasy games... When I se games with Whiney, annoying main characters, like say Squal from 8; I get annoyed, and disgusted.. Now I will admit, that I have never played a FF game before.. Um I don't like games like COD, or GOW.. They don't interest me at all. Sorry for the Rant and all. And thanks for the great, Warm Welcome Commadore! You made me feel welcome.

Heyyyyy you guyyss

new member JIMEPCOT here, big fan of the site some of you may know me from my ball busting comments on pat the nes punk marathons, and i was fortunate enough to see roo and pat play zelda during there marathon.

jsut syaing hi first post will have more to add in the future

DO A MOTHA FAWKIN BARREL ROLL EVERYBODY !!!!

I HATE Sports games and MMORPGS.  I dont feel the need to explain why sports games suck but MMORPGS I hate cause i don't want to have to talk to people while i play, there is no ending to them and it seems that most of the players are elitist and talk down to you when your new!

I also hate racing games with the exception of Mario Kart which is my fav game series of all time!  I know its weird that i hate racing games but love Karts but hey its Mario Kart its fun!

I suppose my least favorite genre would be Sports, with a particular emphasis on licensed sports games (I'm thinking things like the Madden franchise). You could probably argue that Wii Sports counts, though I think of it more as a casual game and it's the sort of thing that's only fun due to the social aspect of plating with friends. Perhaps that demonstrates how lines between genres can blur (is Wii Sports sports or casual? Is Mass Effect a shooter or an RPG?) 

My complete disinterest in sports means that I wouldn't get much enjoyment out of even the best sports game. JRPGs are a genre that I used to love and now consider plagued by an extremely low good-to-crap ratio. It just seems like there haven't been any innovations in turn-based combat in years, the gameplay has lost the sense of pacing that keeps linear games from becoming boring, and the combination of combat system, cut scenes, and odd character design choices  make it seem that story and gameplay in these things don't really make sense together.

i agree with you a bit lichida on that. JRPGs and turn based combat in general hasn't been very innovative in years. I think its because jrpgs in general are taking a back seat due to the immense popularity fpses and action rpgs have become the past decade.