What options/features should be a standard for every game?

[mαrkαsscoρ]

We've gotten a wealth of standardized options and features in the past couple decades for video games such as auto saving, pausing or skipping cutscenes, subtitles, among plenty more. So my question is, are there any other options/features you can think of that should become an industry standard that aren't already? It could even be genre specific, like every game in x genre should have y feature or something.

 

[Fraxinus]

Options to invert both camera axes. It's dumb when games whose gameplay depends so intensely on the abilty to properly control the camera either doesn't let you flip the axes at all, or only offers the option to flip one.

 

[TheGreatCthulhu]

For every game, regardless of platform to have the options to change the graphics settings exactly like how a PC gamer like myself can.

There's no reason to exclude a basic feature from console gamers, and I feel you should decide how you want to experience a game, graphically speaking.

It's why in my game reviews on my blog I take away marks from a game if the options are sparse.

 

[Quin]

Options to invert both camera axes. It's dumb when games whose gameplay depends so intensely on the abilty to properly control the camera either doesn't let you flip the axes at all, or only offers the option to flip one.

Even better yet, every game should have a control remap option., and just more control options in general. especially Nintendo is very bad in this.

 

[TheGreatCthulhu]

Even better yet, every game should have a control remap option., and just more control options in general. especially Nintendo is very bad in this.

Key rebinding is indeed another option I wish consoles had more options for.

 

[Dizzi]

Same buttons between thw series like ep 1 of game has b being brake but them ep 2 has a beimg brake...

 

[Mamono101]

The ability to toggle inverted controls for both axes of the camera. I’m personally more concerned about the Y axis, but both should be an option. It’s amazing how many modern games, especially console games I have bought that don’t allow this, effectively rendering the game unplayable for me.

 

[Azure Sage]

Games that have various equipable weapons and armor should have a vanity system. I want to be able to skin on my favorite looks for both armor and weapons so I don't have to avoid using certain gear because it looks ugly. There's no point if you don't look good. I can only think of Miitopia and Portal Knights that had free unrestricted vanity systems. The recent MonHun games have vanity for armor but its not complete and usually pretty limited. I really want to see action/adventure/RPGs do vanity more often.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

Games that have various equipable weapons and armor should have a vanity system. I want to be able to skin on my favorite looks for both armor and weapons so I don't have to avoid using certain gear because it looks ugly. There's no point if you don't look good. I can only think of Miitopia and Portal Knights that had free unrestricted vanity systems. The recent MonHun games have vanity for armor but its not complete and usually pretty limited. I really want to see action/adventure/RPGs do vanity more often.

xenoblade DE has the option to customize your appearance while keeping the stats of the armor you actually have on, so I definitely agree that this should be a staple, I don't see a reason not to

 

[Quote]

General accessibility options could and should become more universal, stuff like speech-to-text and text-to-speech, options to support colourblind players (ESPECIALLY in puzzle games), and the ability to remap buttons to a unique layout.

 

[Quin]

I actually wish MH never did that sort of stuff. You want the best skills? you gotta look like a clown. Gotta sacrifices something if you wanna look good.

 

[Dizzi]

Text colour and size....

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

Many, many things.

For me, the biggest issue is just making gaming overall more accessible to people experiencing conditions that otherwise make certain aspects of games more difficult to play for some individuals. Difficulty settings should just be obligatory in all games, even those vaunted for their difficulty. Being able to change text size and color schemes to accommodate for people with vision issues should also be included.

Most importantly, controllers need to be produced that are just more accessible for people with physical disabilities. Stuff like this:

The Xbox Adaptive Controller is the best thing to happen to gaming in decades and it's embarrassing that it took so long to become a concept. Both the pads on that controller are the equivalent of analog sticks, while separate buttons and switches can be plugged into the multitude of ports on the front to help position buttons in such a way that everyone can use them.

And Microsoft is the only console manufacturer to produce this.

Technically you can use this controller on a Switch via the use of an adapter, but the Playstation consoles have no such accessibility. If you want to game on PS4/PS5, you'd better hope your hands and fingers can work around that controller.

 

[TheHeroofTime]

Like Bowsette said, many, many things. My number one would also be accessibility options, but since that's already been so well articulated, I'm going to go with performance settings and the option to change control bindings. I'll take stability in equal parts framerate and resolution over one or the other being inconsistent any day of the week. I would have preferred, for example, to have been able to lock Breath of the Wild's framerate to 30 and resolution to 720 than to have it generally stay at the bizarre number of 920p and occasionally drop below 20 fps. I don't need much in the way of graphics or performance, just stability. On the other note, it's kind of pathetic that Breath of the Wild doesn't let you rebind the controls, either. I like the new controls, but I think I might have preferred to keep the classic Zelda style (sword on . I would have at least liked the option to try that for myself. Nintendo's excuse for not including it was absolutely pathetic, too.

A less important one, but one I care about nonetheless - I would like to be able to disable certain graphics if I don't like them - particularly blood and graphic animations. I don't mind that stuff too much, but it does get on my nerves occasionally, particularly when I'm just trying to engage in some escapist fantasy.

 

[SinkingBadges]

I was surprised to see Dragon Quest XI has a plot summary at the ready for every time you start up the game to remind you what was happening last time you played. Sometimes I drop games for long periods of time and feel lost when I eventually jump back into them, so this works from the practical perspective of reminding me what objective I was on and also helps keep the story's momentum. Don't know if this feature was new or not but it was my first time seeing it.