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** In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'', there are three points where an NPC will instantly transport you to a location that required some backtracking to get back to in the original games: after the Meteor Falls event, you'll automatically be sent back to Fallarbor Town and then will have the option to be taken back to Mauville City; after getting the fourth badge, you'll have the option to be taken directly to Petalburg City; and after getting the fifth badge in Petalburg, you'll automatically be taken back to Mauville. Generally speaking, if the game gives you a choice in the matter, it's a shortcut you actually want to take, and if it doesn't give you a choice, it's one you ''don't''. [[note:In the original game, the event that you're transported back to Fallarbor for took place on site at Meteor Falls instead, and it was probably equally efficient to head onwards through Meteor Falls and loop back through Rusturf Tunnel, with the added bonus of exploring new areas--but since you're in Fallarbor now anyway, Mauville's definitely closer to the Cable Car to the top of Mt. Chimney. Going directly to Petalburg and the fifth badge after getting the fourth one is a ''huge'' timesaver as at the moment there's almost no straightforward path between Lavaridge and Petalburg, but after getting the Balance Badge, you gain the ability to Surf, so it's more convenient for exploration purposes to remain in Petalburg.]]
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[[folder:Roguelike]]
* Any party member in ''VideoGame/{{Elona}}'' who has spells that can hit multiple targets but lacks the "Control Magic" skill. Control Magic is required to prevent friendly fire, so if your pet doesn't have it, expect to get hit a lot. Especially annoying when the pet has fire or ice spells, since getting hit by one has a chance to destroy a random item, including potentially valuable ones, unless you have the appropriate blanket (which has limited charges).
[[/folder]]
* Any party member in ''VideoGame/{{Elona}}'' who has spells that can hit multiple targets but lacks the "Control Magic" skill. Control Magic is required to prevent friendly fire, so if your pet doesn't have it, expect to get hit a lot. Especially annoying when the pet has fire or ice spells, since getting hit by one has a chance to destroy a random item, including potentially valuable ones, unless you have the appropriate blanket (which has limited charges).
[[/folder]]
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* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}''. A selling point of the game is another character would follow you around. Unfortunately, the AI is retarded and likes to run into walls and other useless things that you would be perfectly able to handle on your own if you didn't have to worry about your other character.
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* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}''. A selling point of the game is another computer-controlled character would follow you around.around for almost the entirety of the game. Unfortunately, the AI is retarded and likes to run into walls and other useless things that you would be perfectly able to handle on your own if you didn't have to worry about your other character. Worse is that [[WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou if either of your NPC teammates die, it's game over]], which is just icing on the cake of their own sheer stupidity ''and'' the fact that, at least in the first episode, your weapons are all designed in such a way that they're just as dangerous (if not moreso) to yourself and your teammates than they are to your enemies.
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** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and his/her squad are "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany them. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops at your feet or five-plus tangos start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't do that", they'll force you to walk them through every single step of getting onto the rope and walking down it - often once each for both of them, since even if there's ''five or more'' rappel points right next to each other they'll both insist on taking the exact one you pointed out. Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover, and on the rare occasions they don't choose to move up via whichever path requires them to try and push you out of ''your'' cover, they'll get ''stuck on thin air''.
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops at your feet or five-plus tangos start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't do that", they'll force you to walk them through every single step of getting onto the rope and walking down it - often once each for both of them, since even if there's ''five or more'' rappel points right next to each other they'll both insist on taking the exact one you pointed out. Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover, and on the rare occasions they don't choose to move up via whichever path requires them to try and push you out of ''your'' cover, they'll get ''stuck on thin air''.
to:
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and his/her squad are "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany them. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a one convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops at your feet or five-plus tangos materialize on the other side of the room start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't dothat", that" (probably because the path they took to get to the rappel point involves attempting to run into you, at which point they give up because they're unable to phase through you), they'll force you to walk them through every single step of getting onto the rope and walking down it - often once each for both of them, since even if there's ''five or more'' rappel points right next to each other they'll both insist on taking the exact one same one, even when you pointed out. tell them to go to a specific point on the ground below rather than pointing out the rappel point itself. Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover, and on the rare occasions they don't choose to move up via whichever path requires them to try and push you out of ''your'' cover, cover (or get stuck on you again and decide you really wanted them right on top of yourself), they'll get ''stuck on thin air''.
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops at your feet or five-plus tangos materialize on the other side of the room start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't do
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** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops at your feet or five-plus tangos start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't do that", they'll force you to walk them through every single step of getting onto the rope and walking down it - often once each for both of them, since even if there's ''five or more'' rappel points right next to each other they'll both insist on taking the exact one you pointed out. Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover and ''they'll get stuck on thin air''.
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** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops at your feet or five-plus tangos start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't do that", they'll force you to walk them through every single step of getting onto the rope and walking down it - often once each for both of them, since even if there's ''five or more'' rappel points right next to each other they'll both insist on taking the exact one you pointed out. Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover cover, and ''they'll on the rare occasions they don't choose to move up via whichever path requires them to try and push you out of ''your'' cover, they'll get stuck ''stuck on thin air''.
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[[caption-width-right:235:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime You don't know]] [[Music/CountingCrows what you've got]] [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/963 'til it's gone.]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:235:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime You don't know]] [[Music/CountingCrows [[Music/JoniMitchell what you've got]] [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/963 'til it's gone.]]]]
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* Website/{{Google}} will sometimes detect what it thinks are misspelled search terms. Sometimes, it will suggest what it believes to be a corrected query, but otherwise let you browse results with what you typed in ("Did you mean..."), but other times, it will automatically show results for the altered terms either alongside your exact terms ("Including results for...") or ''instead'' of them ("Showing results for..."), with a link to search only for your exact words. And ''other'' times, you won't even be shown the option to un-correct your query and have to surround your words with quotation marks to signal "no, Google, don't correct these damn terms." This can be a problem with proper nouns (which most spelling correction software will not recognize unless they're common names) and very technical terms that are unlikely to be included in most general-purpose dictionaries.
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* Website/{{Google}} will sometimes detect what it thinks are misspelled search terms. Sometimes, it will suggest what it believes to be a corrected query, but otherwise let you browse results with what you typed in ("Did you mean..."), but other times, it will automatically show results for the altered terms either alongside your exact terms ("Including results for...") or ''instead'' of them ("Showing results for..."), with a link to search only for your exact words. And ''other'' times, you won't even be shown given the option to un-correct your query and have to surround your words with quotation marks to signal "no, Google, don't correct these damn terms." terms" - and sometimes after going through this, Google will completely ignore you anyway ("No results found for ''(insert intended search)''. Results for...") This can be a problem with proper nouns (which most spelling correction software will not recognize unless they're common names) and very technical terms that are unlikely to be included in most general-purpose dictionaries.dictionaries.
** Google Chrome gets in on it as well. There is an option, defaulting to on, to get search strings suggested in the URL bar whenever you type something into it that isn't a URL - and unless you're using the mobile version on a smartphone, there is ''zero'' middle ground between turning the option off entirely and having the search suggestions completely crowd out actual [=URLs=] for websites you've previously visited and are trying to go to again.
** Google Chrome gets in on it as well. There is an option, defaulting to on, to get search strings suggested in the URL bar whenever you type something into it that isn't a URL - and unless you're using the mobile version on a smartphone, there is ''zero'' middle ground between turning the option off entirely and having the search suggestions completely crowd out actual [=URLs=] for websites you've previously visited and are trying to go to again.
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Okay, this is two times now we moved something to or from Stop Helping Me and managed to completely ignore every change to it from a few years back onward. Can we please NOT do that? Much less twice in a damn row?
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* Your AI ally from ''VideoGame/SiN Episodes'' had a rather annoying habit of finding more mooks to shoot at her, and then drawing attention to you, the [[FriendlyFireproof not-invulnerable player]].
* Regardless of how many times you have played ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 2}}'' (and the game keeps track), every time you start a game you still get told how to use ALL of the basic game functions, with text boxes that block parts of the screen.
* Regardless of how many times you have played ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 2}}'' (and the game keeps track), every time you start a game you still get told how to use ALL of the basic game functions, with text boxes that block parts of the screen.
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* Your AI ally from ''VideoGame/SiN Episodes'' had a rather annoying habit of finding more mooks to shoot at her, and then drawing their attention to you, the [[FriendlyFireproof not-invulnerable player]].
* Regardless of how many times you have played ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 2}}'' (and the game keeps track), every time you start a game you still get told how to useALL ''all'' of the basic game functions, with text boxes that block parts of the screen.
* Regardless of how many times you have played ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 2}}'' (and the game keeps track), every time you start a game you still get told how to use
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* ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix RainbowSix: Vegas 2]]'':
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and his squad is "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany him. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and they will force you to stay in place as a grenade drops right at your feet. Send them up ahead and they'll let the enemy kill them. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and they'll immediately tell you they "can't do that". Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover and ''they'll get stuck on thin air''.
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and his squad is "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany him. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and they will force you to stay in place as a grenade drops right at your feet. Send them up ahead and they'll let the enemy kill them. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and they'll immediately tell you they "can't do that". Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover and ''they'll get stuck on thin air''.
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* ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix RainbowSix: ''VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas 2]]'':
2'':
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) andhis his/her squad is are "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany him.them. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they willforce you to stay in place forcibly block your path of retreat]] as a grenade drops right at your feet. feet or five-plus tangos start unloading on you. Send them up ahead and they'll let prioritize getting to that point over everything else, even ''surviving'' long enough to get there, or clearing the enemy kill them. area of nearby enemies once they are there. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and they'll and, on the rare occasions where they don't immediately tell you they "can't do that".that", they'll force you to walk them through every single step of getting onto the rope and walking down it - often once each for both of them, since even if there's ''five or more'' rappel points right next to each other they'll both insist on taking the exact one you pointed out. Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover and ''they'll get stuck on thin air''.
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and [[NPCRoadblock they will
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* Mocked in ''VideoGame/AngryVideoGameNerdAdventures'' with [[MeaningfulName Naggi]] the Fairy, an obvious parody of Navi who appears in the tutorial level to explain the basic controls, which only pisses off the Nerd because he has played dozens of other games just like this one and doesn't need the controls explained to him. The game doesn't give any indication of this, but at the very end of the level before the goal, she suddenly becomes killable. You even get an achievement for it!
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* Mocked in ''VideoGame/AngryVideoGameNerdAdventures'' with [[MeaningfulName Naggi]] the Fairy, an obvious parody of Navi who appears in the tutorial level to explain the basic controls, which only pisses off the Nerd because he has played dozens of other games just like this one and doesn't need the controls explained to him. The game doesn't give any indication of this, but at the very end of the level before the goal, she suddenly becomes killable.killable, allowing you to take out your frustrations on her and by extension all of her ilk. You even get an achievement for it!
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* Mocked in ''VideoGame/AngryVideoGameNerdAdventures'' with [[MeaningfulName Naggi]] the Fairy, an obvious parody of Navi who appears in the tutorial level to explain the basic controls, which only pisses off the Nerd because he has played dozens of other games just like this one and doesn't need the controls explained to him. The game doesn't give any indication of this, but at the very end of the level before the goal, she suddenly becomes killable. You even get an achievement for it!
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** In the higher levels of the Gamecube ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'' Bonus-Game ''Tetra's Navi Trackers'', Tetra (or Sue Belle or The King of Red Lions, depending who's the "anchor" right now) will sometimes make Tingle appear to "aid" the players... given her [[{{Tsundere}} personality]], she's probably actually (and sucessfully) trying to torture (the) Link(s) by doing that. Every word out of Tingle's mouth (the characters in ''Navi Trackers'' are fully voiced, [[HeroicMime except for Link]]) sounds like it was trying to tempt the player to shut down the game.
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** In the higher levels of the Gamecube ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'' ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures'' Bonus-Game ''Tetra's Navi ''Tetra's/Navi Trackers'', Tetra (or Sue Belle or The King of Red Lions, depending who's the "anchor" right now) will sometimes make Tingle appear to "aid" the players... given her [[{{Tsundere}} personality]], she's probably actually (and sucessfully) trying to torture (the) Link(s) by doing that. Every word out of Tingle's mouth (the characters in ''Navi Trackers'' are fully voiced, [[HeroicMime except for Link]]) sounds like it was trying to tempt the player to shut down the game.
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the journeyman project
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* ''VideoGame/TheJourneymanProject Pegasus Prime'' uses an AI Biochip, replacing a simple text message window from the original, ''Turbo'' version. However, this feminine persona is generally useless because of her tendency to warn you of [[CaptainObvious blatantly obvious hazards]], her strict, no-nonsense demeanor delivered in robotic MadLibsDialogue, and she often [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment repeat things that have already been said before in-game.]] The only useful thing she ever does for you is stopping an Alternate History version of Commissoner Baldwin from tampering with your mission. On the plus side, [[AntiFrustrationFeatures you can cut off her present speech by pressing any movement key]] [[spoiler: And an easter egg exists within the game of acquiring a copy of Arthur with toggles to turn both him and the original AI on or off at will.]]
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** ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' had 343 Guilty Spark, which made irritating comments, gave useless advice, and hummed slightly nasal tunes like fingernails down a chalkboard as it led you along. "Luckily" you didn't have to bear with it forever, as it [[spoiler:turned out to be the Bad Guy at the plot climax and proceeded to try to kill you at every opportunity afterward.]]
** A less extreme case is in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' on the final level. As you drive up to the jump you'll need to make to get into the hangar, Cortana urges you to gun the engines, which would be good advice, except that anyone with half a brain would have ''already'' been gunning the engine for the entire level, thank you very much!
** Sgt. Johnson tends to shoot instant-death lasers into the area where you fight.
** A less extreme case is in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' on the final level. As you drive up to the jump you'll need to make to get into the hangar, Cortana urges you to gun the engines, which would be good advice, except that anyone with half a brain would have ''already'' been gunning the engine for the entire level, thank you very much!
** Sgt. Johnson tends to shoot instant-death lasers into the area where you fight.
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** ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' had 343 Guilty Spark, which made irritating comments, gave useless advice, and hummed slightly nasal tunes like fingernails down a chalkboard as it he led you along. "Luckily" you didn't have to bear with it him forever, as it he [[spoiler:turned out to be one of the Bad Guy at the plot climax bad guys and proceeded to try to kill you at every opportunity afterward.]]
afterward]]. Subsequent games have him helping you again (and being a bit more useful), but [[spoiler:he once again goes off the deep end at the end of ''Halo 3'', and you get to kill him this time, much to the joy of several players]].
** A less extreme case is in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' on the final level. As you drive up to the jump you'll need to make to get into the hangar, Cortana urges you to gun the engines, which would be good advice, except that anyone with half a brain would have ''already'' been gunning the engine for the entire level, thank you verymuch!
much! Thankfully, Cortana is usually an aversion of this trope.
** In parts of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''3'', Sgt. Johnson tends to shoot instant-death lasers into the area where you fight.
** A less extreme case is in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' on the final level. As you drive up to the jump you'll need to make to get into the hangar, Cortana urges you to gun the engines, which would be good advice, except that anyone with half a brain would have ''already'' been gunning the engine for the entire level, thank you very
** In parts of ''VideoGame/{{Halo 2}}'' and ''3'', Sgt. Johnson tends to shoot instant-death lasers into the area where you fight.
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''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''
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* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''
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** A surprising notable aversion is Gregg the Grim Reaper, who you first see in a cutscene following Conker losing his first life. The cutscene goes on for two and a half minutes when all it had to explain is "collect tails for extra lives", yet it's regarded by many fans as a highlight of the game for being a ''CrowningMomentOfFunny'' and Greg has since become an ''EnsembleDarkhorse'' of the game for it.
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* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':
** The three paladins that escort Princess Lachesis during her introductory chapter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' will rush out to defend the princess and get themselves killed, even if it's usually more advantageous to wait for the threat to come closer before acting.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it's quite possible for a character to be killed entirely because of the assistance of another character, because it means that an enemy is killed by a counterattack that would otherwise have left it alive, freeing up that space for another enemy to come in for a finishing blow.
** The three paladins that escort Princess Lachesis during her introductory chapter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' will rush out to defend the princess and get themselves killed, even if it's usually more advantageous to wait for the threat to come closer before acting.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it's quite possible for a character to be killed entirely because of the assistance of another character, because it means that an enemy is killed by a counterattack that would otherwise have left it alive, freeing up that space for another enemy to come in for a finishing blow.
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* The {{Guest Star Party Member}}s in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' are usually fine, but trying to steal Phoenix Downs while Desch is there is an exercise in frustration. Particularly when you think you're okay and then he shows up ''several'' turns in to kill the monster. Also, the guests are sometimes conspicuous by their absence when you could really use a healing boost or an extra punch against a boss.
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* ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':
** The three paladins that escort Princess Lachesis during her introductory chapter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' will rush out to defend the princess and get themselves killed, even if it's usually more advantageous to wait for the threat to come closer before acting.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it's quite possible for a character to be killed entirely because of the assistance of another character, because it means that an enemy is killed by a counterattack that would otherwise have left it alive, freeing up that space for another enemy to come in for a finishing blow.
** The three paladins that escort Princess Lachesis during her introductory chapter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' will rush out to defend the princess and get themselves killed, even if it's usually more advantageous to wait for the threat to come closer before acting.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it's quite possible for a character to be killed entirely because of the assistance of another character, because it means that an enemy is killed by a counterattack that would otherwise have left it alive, freeing up that space for another enemy to come in for a finishing blow.
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* In early builds of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', AI characters could heal you with their health packs, which would freeze you in place for several seconds. When they pull this stunt during the last sprint to the rescue vehicle, it can easily get you killed. Valve thankfully patched it so you could cancel the healing. The only way to make them stop trying to heal you is by holding out your pills or first aid kit, which means you have no gun to use unless you swap out. Also, the AI will gleefully toss you pain pills while you are low on health, but they will usually do so while you are shooting and you will likely down the pills without even trying. This is still present in the sequel. Also, you cannot move when you're being healed.
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* In early builds of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', AI characters could heal you with their health packs, which would freeze you in place for several seconds. When they pull this stunt during the last sprint to the rescue vehicle, it can easily get you killed. Valve thankfully patched it so you could cancel the healing. The only way to make them stop trying to heal you is by holding out your pills or first aid kit, which means you have no gun to use unless you swap out. Also, the AI will gleefully toss you pain pills while you are low on health, but they will usually do so while you are shooting and you will likely down the pills without even trying. This is still present in the sequel. Also, you cannot move when you're being healed.
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* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye64'' gives you Natalya, who has a nasty habit of wandering in front of your bullets when a legion of troops has you pinned down and you can only shoot your way out. Any mission she dies in automatically fails, so her lack of awareness has frustrated many a player. When she finally gets her own gun late in the game, she's about as adept at firing bullets as she is at dodging them, so she'll just alert guards to your presence without dispatching them. Made even worse in Control, where the guards actually start ''trying'' to kill her.
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I corrected it on the old page, and I'll do it here too. Potholes, wicks, and links should NOT be in page quotes.
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->''That's because if Kuni gets the last hit, you don't get to perform a floral finisher. Kuni basically will killsteal. I know, it's annoying. But, like they say, partners are only there to killsteal from you. I don't know who says that, but I just did. So therefore, it is a thing. Now, make a Wiki/TVTropes page about it.''
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->''That's because if Kuni gets the last hit, you don't get to perform a floral finisher. Kuni basically will killsteal. I know, it's annoying. But, like they say, partners are only there to killsteal from you. I don't know who says that, but I just did. So therefore, it is a thing. Now, make a Wiki/TVTropes [=TVTropes=] page about it.''
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Wrong folder? At any rate, Rhythm Game folder is now commented out until it gets actual examples.
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[[folder: Rhythm Game]]
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%% [[folder: Rhythm Game]]
%% [[/folder]]
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[[folder:Role Playing Game]]
%% [[/folder]]
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[[folder:Role Playing Game]]
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:Role Playing Game]]
[[folder:Role Playing Game]]
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* Website/{{Google}} will sometimes detect what it thinks are misspelled search terms. Sometimes, it will suggest what it believes to be a corrected query, but otherwise let you browse results with what you typed in, but other times, it will automatically include results for the altered terms, with a link to search only for your exact words. And ''other'' times, you won't even get the option to un-correct your query and have to surround your words with quotation marks to signal "no, Google, don't correct these damn terms." This can be a problem with proper nouns (which most spelling correction software will not recognize unless they're common names) and very technical terms that are unlikely to be included in most general-purpose dictionaries.
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* Website/{{Google}} will sometimes detect what it thinks are misspelled search terms. Sometimes, it will suggest what it believes to be a corrected query, but otherwise let you browse results with what you typed in, in ("Did you mean..."), but other times, it will automatically include show results for the altered terms, terms either alongside your exact terms ("Including results for...") or ''instead'' of them ("Showing results for..."), with a link to search only for your exact words. And ''other'' times, you won't even get be shown the option to un-correct your query and have to surround your words with quotation marks to signal "no, Google, don't correct these damn terms." This can be a problem with proper nouns (which most spelling correction software will not recognize unless they're common names) and very technical terms that are unlikely to be included in most general-purpose dictionaries.
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* Website/{{Google}} will sometimes detect what it thinks are misspelled search terms. Sometimes, it will suggest what it believes to be a corrected query, but otherwise let you browse results with what you typed in, but other times, it will automatically include results for the altered terms, with a link to search only for your exact words. And ''other'' times, you won't even get the option to un-correct your query and have to surround your words with quotation marks to signal "no, Google, don't correct these damn terms." This can be a problem with proper nouns (which most spelling correction software will not recognize unless they're common names) and very technical terms that are unlikely to be included in most general-purpose dictionaries.
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* The role of Squawks the Parrot in the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' is a variation on this theme. Appearing only in the darkness "Torchlight Trouble" level, his role is to illuminate a small portion of the screen... And to shine his little flashlight in the player's eyes whenever your character turns around. Stupid bird. Likewise for Glimmer the Anglerfish in the second game. Possibly even worse, since it's a [[DownTheDrain swimming level]]. Fortunately, these issues were fixed in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Virtual Console]] releases of the games.
* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', Squawks also shows up to give you a brief tutorial whenever you first see something or use an ability. Normally annoying (yes, we ''know'' each new character has five bananas to find in each stage), but it gets even worse when you factor in that it ''doesn't stop the action around you''. Dazzling Addar's LetsPlay of the game demonstrates this, as such a tutorial directly costs him a race.
* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', Squawks also shows up to give you a brief tutorial whenever you first see something or use an ability. Normally annoying (yes, we ''know'' each new character has five bananas to find in each stage), but it gets even worse when you factor in that it ''doesn't stop the action around you''. Dazzling Addar's LetsPlay of the game demonstrates this, as such a tutorial directly costs him a race.
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** The role of Squawks the Parrot in the original
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* Alia from ''VideoGame/MegaManX 5'' as MissionControl would suddenly start talking about something, and you would immediately have to stop and listen. Even if you were in the middle of a jump over a BottomlessPit or spikes. In ''X6'', you have the option of ignoring her entirely and moving on, though it reverts in ''X7''. However, in ''X8'', though there are ''three'' Navis, each one specializing in a particular game segment, they can be ignored like in ''X6''.
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* Alia from ''VideoGame/MegaManX 5'' ''VideoGame/MegaManX5'' as MissionControl would suddenly start talking about something, and you would immediately have to stop and listen. Even if you were in the middle of a jump over a BottomlessPit or spikes. In ''X6'', ''VideoGame/MegaManX6'', you have the option of ignoring her entirely and moving on, though it reverts in ''X7''. ''VideoGame/MegaManX7''. However, in ''X8'', ''VideoGame/MegaManX8'', though there are ''three'' Navis, each one specializing in a particular game segment, they can be ignored like in ''X6''.''VideoGame/MegaManX6''.
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* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
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* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':''VideoGame/FireEmblem'':
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* The tendency of idiotic [=AIs=] to spout meaningless "helpful" hints is poofed in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'':
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* The tendency of idiotic [=AIs=] to spout meaningless "helpful" hints is poofed spoofed in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'':
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->''That's because if Kuni gets the last hit, you don't get to perform a floral finisher. Kuni basically will killsteal. I know, it's annoying. But, like they say, partners are only there to killsteal from you. I don't know who says that, but I just did. So therefore, it is a thing. Now, make a TVTropes page about it.''
to:
->''That's because if Kuni gets the last hit, you don't get to perform a floral finisher. Kuni basically will killsteal. I know, it's annoying. But, like they say, partners are only there to killsteal from you. I don't know who says that, but I just did. So therefore, it is a thing. Now, make a TVTropes Wiki/TVTropes page about it.''
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** You can then choose to either go after them or not, and given how far away you have to drive to get them, a lot of players don't find the monetary award worth it, so these calls become especially annoying.
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* Petrie in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime 9'' spin-off game. Yes I can ''see'' the water is going up ''and'' I can see it's going down and ''therefore'' I assume I can use it to go up too, now '''shut up!'''
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Don't really think it's an example. 1) It's something that's an intentional character trait and part of the dialogue not interrupting gameplay. 2) It wouldnt count anyway if it was just one incident.
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* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' has one memorable occasion. You're deep undercover in the drow city, with only a flimsy illusion and some very careful acting to keep you from getting detected. If anyone finds out you're not drow, the whole city will turn on you. And at one point Phaere, a psycho bitch matriarch daughter who is considered AxCrazy even by drow standards, order you to go and slaughter some deep gnomes just to remind the gnomes who's boss. If you're good-aligned, you probably figure there's some way to do this the good way, so just kiss the psycho's boots and go do it, right? But if you have Aerie or Keldorn in your party, she will interrupt the conversation to point out in no uncertain terms that ''you can't kill innocent gnomes because that would be EVIL''. Thanks, Aerie, that never occurred to me before. Since you're still with us, I think we've established where my moral compass points, and incidently, why did you say something so patently ''un-drow-like'' in front of the psycho who would carve our hearts out with ''spoons'' if she even suspected there was something odd about us? (Fortunately for your survival, Phaere dismisses that sentiment as odd, but not suspicious). This is hardly the only situation in which party members weigh in on the ethics of a certain decision, but this is one case in which it is not a good idea.
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* The Netricsa from ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'', with the stupid blinking mailbox icon forcing you to go out of the game just to shut it up. It takes almost every opportunity to do this, not just every time you kill an enemy and pick up a weapon for the first time, but in response to countless environments throughout the game. And the information is always [[CaptainObvious something the player either already knows or can figure out almost immediately]] or [[ExcusePlot something completely unimportant]]. It doesn't help that VideoGame/SeriousSam is a game DESIGNED for FirstPersonShooter veterans who don't need ANY of this help, and can easily fool someone into recommending a game to an FPS newbieâ€â€Â[[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime bad idea]].
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* The Netricsa from ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'', with the stupid blinking mailbox icon forcing you to go out of the game just to shut it up. It takes almost every opportunity to do this, not just every time you kill an enemy and pick up a weapon for the first time, but in response to countless environments throughout the game. And the information is always [[CaptainObvious something the player either already knows or can figure out almost immediately]] or [[ExcusePlot something completely unimportant]]. It doesn't help that VideoGame/SeriousSam ''Serious Sam'' is a game DESIGNED for FirstPersonShooter veterans who don't need ANY of this help, and can easily fool someone into recommending a game to an FPS newbieâ€â€Â[[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime newbie--[[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime bad idea]].
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** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Fennel pops up to give you a tutorial in the Pokémon Dream World...''every time'' you reset your computer's cookies. Just cleaned out your PC? Switched computers? Cue Fennel blabbering on about how to plants seeds/water your garden/use the share shelf...even though your garden is ready to harvest and your share shelf is full. Oh, and did we mention you only have access to the Dream World for an hour, after which it boots you off until exactly a day later? If you then rush to the Tree of Dreams to collect the Pokémon you want to download, you'll be stalled by Fennel telling you how magnificent the tree is, and how to make a wish. Which may cost you the Pokémon if the time runs out, especially if you have your internet connection tends to lag.
** Similarly, the original Pokémon TCG video game for the GameBoy made you sit through the long, detailed and complicated tutorial with every new character. No skip option. In fact, [[http://tasvideos.org/1637M.html if you beat the game as fast as physically possible for the game]], it eats up half the play time.
** The catching tutorial in EVERY main series game. They're not so bad the first time around, but they can get annoying after multiple playthroughs of the same game. At that point, you've probably caught your first Pokémon. Or a few. Or ''several''. Even if you're new to the franchise, it's pretty simple.
** Similarly, the original Pokémon TCG video game for the GameBoy made you sit through the long, detailed and complicated tutorial with every new character. No skip option. In fact, [[http://tasvideos.org/1637M.html if you beat the game as fast as physically possible for the game]], it eats up half the play time.
** The catching tutorial in EVERY main series game. They're not so bad the first time around, but they can get annoying after multiple playthroughs of the same game. At that point, you've probably caught your first Pokémon. Or a few. Or ''several''. Even if you're new to the franchise, it's pretty simple.
to:
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Fennel pops up to give you a tutorial in the Pokémon Pokémon Dream World...''every time'' you reset your computer's cookies. Just cleaned out your PC? Switched computers? Cue Fennel blabbering on about how to plants seeds/water your garden/use the share shelf...even though your garden is ready to harvest and your share shelf is full. Oh, and did we mention you only have access to the Dream World for an hour, after which it boots you off until exactly a day later? If you then rush to the Tree of Dreams to collect the Pokémon Pokémon you want to download, you'll be stalled by Fennel telling you how magnificent the tree is, and how to make a wish. Which may cost you the Pokémon Pokémon if the time runs out, especially if you have your internet connection tends to lag.
** Similarly, the originalPokémon Pokémon TCG video game for the GameBoy made you sit through the long, detailed and complicated tutorial with every new character. No skip option. In fact, [[http://tasvideos.org/1637M.html if you beat the game as fast as physically possible for the game]], it eats up half the play time.
** The catching tutorial in EVERY main series game. They're not so bad the first time around, but they can get annoying after multiple playthroughs of the same game. At that point, you've probably caught your firstPokémon.Pokémon. Or a few. Or ''several''. Even if you're new to the franchise, it's pretty simple.
** Similarly, the original
** The catching tutorial in EVERY main series game. They're not so bad the first time around, but they can get annoying after multiple playthroughs of the same game. At that point, you've probably caught your first
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-->'''Halcyon:''' ... if Maniac gives you any static, you have my permission to shoot him to pieces.
'''Maverick:''' Should I use missiles, sir, or ship's guns?
'''Maverick:''' Should I use missiles, sir, or ship's guns?
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-->'''Halcyon:''' ... if Maniac gives you any static, you have my permission to shoot him to pieces.
pieces.\\
'''Maverick:''' Should I use missiles, sir, or ship'sguns?guns?\\
'''Maverick:''' Should I use missiles, sir, or ship's
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-->'''Slippy:''' Hold A to charge up shots!
'''Peppy:''' Cut your way though with a boost!
'''Peppy:''' Cut your way though with a boost!
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-->'''Slippy:''' Hold A to charge up shots!
shots!\\
'''Peppy:''' Cut your way though with aboost!boost!\\
'''Peppy:''' Cut your way though with a
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-->'''Farah:''' ''(after Farah has accidentally shot the Prince during a previous fight)'' You go ahead. I'll cover you.
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--->'''Prince:''' ''I know!'' You already said that!
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--->'''Prince:''' ''I know!'' You already said that!that!\\
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-->'''CJ:''' Hey Cesar. The yay leavin' San Fierro, right?
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-->'''CJ:''' Hey Cesar. The yay leavin' San Fierro, right?right?\\
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* You can then choose to either go after them or not, and given how far away you have to drive to get them, a lot of players don't find the monetary award worth it, so these calls become especially annoying.
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* Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Showdown, a website used to simulate competitive Pokémon battling, has a few tools to help beginners be as competitive as reasonably possible. It lists Pokémon by tier, moves by how viable they are on the Pokémon in question, and optimal EV spreads based on the Pokémon's stats and moves. While this is all well and good in theory, it's mostly automatically generated and a few Pokémon can really screw up how it's built. For an example, Magmortar is very notorious among the RU crowd for this reason; it needs high Speed to function with any real degree of success, but the automated EV generator will almost invariably give it high HP at the expense of Speed. It's also based on the assumption that players will be using maximum-level Pokémon, meaning that players of Little Cup (a spinoff metagame where all legal Pokemon are at level 5) can sometimes encounter hilarious results like [[http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/Malkyrian/suggested.png this]]. [[note]]255 is the maximum number of EVs legal in any one stat, and negative EVs are never possible.[[/note]]
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* Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Showdown, a website used to simulate competitive Pokémon Pokémon battling, has a few tools to help beginners be as competitive as reasonably possible. It lists Pokémon Pokémon by tier, moves by how viable they are on the Pokémon Pokémon in question, and optimal EV spreads based on the Pokémon's Pokémon's stats and moves. While this is all well and good in theory, it's mostly automatically generated and a few Pokémon Pokémon can really screw up how it's built. For an example, Magmortar is very notorious among the RU crowd for this reason; it needs high Speed to function with any real degree of success, but the automated EV generator will almost invariably give it high HP at the expense of Speed. It's also based on the assumption that players will be using maximum-level Pokémon, Pokémon, meaning that players of Little Cup (a spinoff metagame where all legal Pokemon are at level 5) can sometimes encounter hilarious results like [[http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/Malkyrian/suggested.png this]]. [[note]]255 is the maximum number of EVs legal in any one stat, and negative EVs are never possible.[[/note]]
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--> '''Data''': Had you projected the ball at the proper velocity, you would have been rewa-- ''[hit flipper buttons]''
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[This is a result of [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1373891894019399600 a TRS discussion]] regarding StopHelpingMe, which combined both YMMV and InUniverse examples. The page was decided to be split into UnwantedAssistance for the InUniverse version, and AnnoyingVideoGameHelper for the YMMV player annoyance version. Below is a copy/paste of Sandbox.AnnoyingVideoGameHelper.]
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[This is a result of [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1373891894019399600 a TRS discussion]] regarding StopHelpingMe, which combined both YMMV and InUniverse examples. The page was decided to be split into UnwantedAssistance for the InUniverse version, and AnnoyingVideoGameHelper for the YMMV player annoyance version. Below is a copy/paste of Sandbox.AnnoyingVideoGameHelper.]
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%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1331766988007220100
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[[quoteright:235:[[Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/link_and_navi_9948.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:235:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime You don't know]] [[Music/CountingCrows what you've got]] [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/963 'til it's gone.]]]]
->''That's because if Kuni gets the last hit, you don't get to perform a floral finisher. Kuni basically will killsteal. I know, it's annoying. But, like they say, partners are only there to killsteal from you. I don't know who says that, but I just did. So therefore, it is a thing. Now, make a TVTropes page about it.''
-->-- '''LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}}''', commenting on game mechanics in ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}'' (and TemptingFate in the process)
Sometimes, "help" can be more trouble than it's worth.
The character that has you screaming "Stop helping me!" is usually an ExpositionFairy who either has an attitude problem or interrupts when you really wish they wouldn't. Sometimes it's [[SpoonyBard a party member who's a master of the]] UselessUsefulSpell -- or who [[LeeroyJenkins keeps getting overexcited and killing you with friendly fire]]. In extreme cases, it's the character the player is controlling, if they're annoying/inept enough; stupid catchphrases and idiotic behavior during cutscenes have resulted in many a player [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential wasting a life by directing their playing character off a cliff, just for revenge]].
Unfortunately, these annoyances are never disposable characters. You're stuck with them for the entirety of the game. The best you can hope for is that they do a FaceHeelTurn and become the bad guy's problem. In fact, sending them to the opposite faction might be a good tactical maneuver on your part. However, in that instance, MurphysLaw will kick in and they'll be [[GoodIsDumb just as effective fighting against you as they were ineffective fighting for you]]. ''C'est la vie.'' At least you don't have to listen to their voice constantly and you finally have that excuse to kill them that you've been waiting all game for.
In fact, most "guide" characters will try the player's patience if they've played the game through a couple of times -- like the tutorial levels, they're not really needed after the first play through. And maybe not even then. Smarter game designers will give players the option of turning the character "off" when the player doesn't want their help, or the guide only helping when the player specifically asks him or her to.
This should go without saying, but try to avoid sticking AI sidekicks in here that are simply not [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard perfect]]. If they can pull their own weight in a fight, but have different priorities and thresholds for doing things than a player might, then they probably don't belong here. (Complaining that the computer is trying to use its healing items on you earlier than you necessarily want it to, for example, does not make them this trope, especially in a game without a HyperspaceArsenal.)
Compare TheMillstone, where the unhelpful "helper" is the cause of difficulties that directly effect the plot. When the "helper" is an ''intentionally'' unhelpful or confusing MissionControl, it's MissionControlIsOffItsMeds. Contrast to HelpfulMook, where the enemy is genuinely helpful. Also related to ContinueYourMissionDammit, where the game will nag the player to continue even if there's not an actual need to hurry, like in a TimedMission.
For InUniverse examples of unhelpful "helpers", please see UnwantedAssistance.
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!!Video Game examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Action Adventure]]
* In ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'', Professor E. Gadd keeps calling you to gauge your abilities and give you advice, often sounding pushy in the process (and sometimes rushing you on top of it). This can get annoying sometimes, and can be distracting.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Kaepora Gaebora from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures Four Swords Adventures]]'', only shows up a relative few times, and he's not of the "Hey Listen!" variety, but is annoying solely on the fact that his dialogues - which activate when you walk by certain places, whether you want them to or not - [[WallOfText consist of tens of screens]] that you'll cycle through four or five times because mashing the A button to advance the dialogue quicker (which doesn't always work!) results in him reaching the end and giving a "[[ShallIRepeatThat would you like me to repeat that?]]", which you immediately accept because [[DamnYouMuscleMemory you've been mashing said A button!]] (''Everybody in the game but him'' defaults to "no" when it comes to asking if you want them to repeat.) At least his [[EarWorm music]] is cool, and his dialogue can be mostly skipped entirely by pressing B past a certain point.
** MemeticMutation has [[{{Flanderization}} somewhat exaggerated]] the annoyance caused by Navi from ''Ocarina of Time'', but her incessant cries of "Hey!", "Look!", "Listen!" and "Watch out!" and habit of popping up all the time to remind you where to go next can still grate on a player's nerves.
** Navi's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute from ''Majora's Mask'', Tatl, has a significantly less annoying set of audio cues, but the same frequency with them.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', a certain gossip stone found late in the game will give you a simple explanation of what your current goal is and then ask if you'd like it to repeat that. Say yes and it will loop endlessly. Say no and the stone will respond with "Rumor has it that you're some kind of genius who remembers things perfectly the first time you hear them."
** Tingle (and as result, whoever you give the Game Boy Advance to) can very effectively become one of these in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' after receiving the Tingle Tuner. One can even press the A button on the GBA to make Link ''drop everything'' in order to look at that little green marker while it shouts "HAAAAAY" to catch your attention. This means even making you put away your sail at sea! Thank goodness you can at least turn off the volume on the blasted thing... The Tingle Tuner can even cause the game to crash by being used mid-deku hop.
** In the higher levels of the Gamecube ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'' Bonus-Game ''Tetra's Navi Trackers'', Tetra (or Sue Belle or The King of Red Lions, depending who's the "anchor" right now) will sometimes make Tingle appear to "aid" the players... given her [[{{Tsundere}} personality]], she's probably actually (and sucessfully) trying to torture (the) Link(s) by doing that. Every word out of Tingle's mouth (the characters in ''Navi Trackers'' are fully voiced, [[HeroicMime except for Link]]) sounds like it was trying to tempt the player to shut down the game.
** Fi in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' is ''at least'' as bad as all of these. Much of her supposedly helpful behavior is a either a nuisance (upon getting a new item and clicking past the item description, she is prompted to almost verbatim repeat the very same description the player has ''just read'') or outright infuriating (any attempts at exploring by going off the beaten plot path, will prompt her to attempt to nudge the player into going where the plot wants them to). The worst example is when you're injured; you've already got a CriticalAnnoyance going, and Fi adds her own alert that she wants to tell you something... she's noticed your health is low and you should find some hearts. The fact that she talks in RoboSpeak and her dialogue is peppered with frequent instances of IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect doesn't exactly do much to endear her either.
* The Cheshire Cat from ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice'', while technically an aversion of the trope, is no less irritating. His "advice" consists mainly of cryptic insults, such as "There's a nasty name for those who insist on doing things the hard way." Granted, he only appears when summoned, and as such is less likely to induce homicidal rage in the player...unless the player is really in a bind, and all good ol' Cheshire can say is "Alice, you really suck." Sometimes he even gives you advice that is just plain untrue. For example, he tells you that using the Jacks when there are no enemies around is dangerous, like the Dice. They're actually harmless.
* Zip and Alister from ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' have a way of "hinting" that reveals exactly how to solve whatever puzzle you were working on, as well as ruining the atmosphere with their babbling. Lara even lampshades this a little, by telling them to shut up when she's concentrating on some particularly tricky acrobatics.
* ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'' has an annoying sidekick that moves slowly, has barely any firepower compared to the protagonist, and never says a word. You are nevertheless required to keep him around and rescue him once, because the game author [[RomanticPlotTumor forces him to be a love interest]] for your main character, even if this is [[StrangledByTheRedString very badly written]] and doesn't make sense on several levels (such as that they're of a [[InterspeciesRomance different species]]). Mercifully, it's possible to dump the annoying useless guy and come back only when you actually need him to get past some point in the game.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'':
** Roll tended to ramble over the radio at you every time you go into a dungeon. "Remember the last time we went on a dig? I wasn't used to being a spotter and you got trapped underground for three days." She goes off on this while you need to run (or jump) across platforms that break real easily and if you end up falling you have to do a U-turn and start over.
** Data is the "helpful" little cyborg monkey who ''can't be killed''. ''Ever''. You can unload the ultimate weapon in his face and he just... ''keeps... dancing''. In fact, at the end, he turns up planetside after everyone else has gotten trapped on Elysium, despite being up there with you at the end. It's somewhat satisfying to imagine the others trusted to his invincibility when they sent him back down, assumedly by punting him off Elysium and letting him deal with re-entry and the inevitable high-speed landing on his own.
* ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'':
** Double H can sometimes get a bit... overly chatty. He enjoys screaming compliments at you in the middle of battle, when not continuously informing you of how he's "Awaiting your orders" -- and if things have been quiet for too long, he'll throw in a [[CatchPhrase "Carlson and Peeters!"]] just to break the silence. He and Pey'j ''both'' have the annoying habit of nagging you to do things out of the blue -- "Hey, let's go buy that Pearl Detector!" in the middle of a completely unrelated trek to a Looter's Cave.
** Or Pey'j asking you to give him a PA-1 (extra hit point) when a) it's more efficient to give your sidekick a lot of Starkos (each healing one hit point) and keep PA-1s and K-Bups (healing all hit points) for yourself, and b) he'll soon get captured anyway.
* In a game with otherwise great AI, Minion Master Gnarl from ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' can get really annoying. Hinting on how to fight the beholders? Fantastic. Repeating the same hint ''over and over in the same tone of voice, even as I do what you tell me too?'' That's it, into the forge. He gets even more annoying in the sequel, where the advice isn't even all that useful the first time. He says [[CaptainObvious I need to get the Spider Queen down from the wall to attack it]], but no hint as to how that can be done.
* Taken to extreme levels in the [[UsefulNotes/Playstation2 PS2]] game ''VideoGame/{{Tokobot}} Plus''. Upon gaining a new ability, you will be paused each time for the following: your "helper", Ruby, will wonder out loud what the new ability does, despite having an obvious name; she will analyze the ability's MacGuffin so she can give you an in depth explanation of what it does; after her inane chatter subsides, a window pops up giving a visual explanation of how to use the new ability, then ''another window'' pops up and repeats everything Ruby told you, and in case you weren't paying attention the first four times, Ruby will pause you again when you first need the ability ''and give another explanation of how you use it.'' This happens for ''every new move you aquire.'' In addition, Ruby will speak up about anything else you encounter and drop a hint about it, including: enemies, simple boss fights, obvious plot points, and puzzles. That's right, the game won't even let you solve its own puzzles without trying to help you ''even before you even start solving it!''
* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'', Mary Jane decides that she's tired of being the one that Spider-Man has to save and she decides to become an action girl. She grabs a shotgun and decides to help you during the [[spoiler: Symbiote Black Cat]] boss fight... except her shotgun does ''nothing'' to the symbiotes, the enemies that spawn during the fight rush her and not you, and you fail the mission if she dies. This forces you to constantly break off an already difficult boss fight so that you can save her stupid ass. Made worse by the fact that Mary Jane is very displeased with Spider-Man's use of the black suit and the vast majority of her dialogue in the game is her nagging you.
* In the game adaptation of [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan the 2012 film]], ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', Spider-Man ''himself'' is a bad case of this trope. If there is an object in the environment that you need to interact with- like turning wheels to drain water from a tank- Spider-Man will remind you ''every 15 seconds''. It's been timed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Action Game]]
* Angie from ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter: Under the Knife''
** She makes an already frustrating game even worse by her constant mewling of "Doctor!" or "What is that?!!" (It's a lung, Angie, you've seen one before). More annoying still is that when she starts talking, you have to stop what you're doing and press the "Call" button to move her monologue along so you can get on with that heart transplant. ''Extremely'' annoying when playing a mission that requires speed. Thankfully, she's a lot less annoying in the Wii remake, ''Second Opinion''.
** She gets worse in ''Under the Knife 2''. Despite having performed the same operation dozens of times before, she feels the need to interrupt your intense concentration with repetitive instructions that don't serve any purpose beyond throwing you off. This is especially prevalent in the last few missions, where a single mistake can lead to immediate death. When your heart is racing and your fingers sore from gripping the stylus so hard, the last thing you need is Angie yelling "USE THE ANTIBIOTIC GEL" to mess up your focus.
* Sparks, your [[MissionControl operator]] in ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'', has a habit of sending irrelevant [=IMs=] in critical moments... and to make things even more frustrating, when his IM screen is visible, you don't heal or restore focus.
* ''VideoGame/MadWorld'' with Agent XIII. Worse in the tutorial since EVERYTHING stops just to listen to him go on about how you can kill people THREE TIMES.
* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders: The Second Runner''. You will hear, "I suggest using [subweapon the game ''thinks'' is useful]," and "Damage level exceeding 50/75%," and, "Use Dash to move out of the way of enemy attack and then counter attack," so often that not having to hear it anymore will be your motivation for finishing the level after long enough. However, you can press the joystick buttons to answer the AI, the Left one saying yes and switching you to that subweapon quicker. Whereas the Right one has answers more along the line of "Stop bothering me!". You can do this with most things that are said, even if its just tossing out a one liner when she's saying the [[WaveMotionGun Vector Cannon]] is charged.
* Pommy from ''VideoGame/Bomberman64TheSecondAttack'' can't attack an enemy without the attack backfiring and stunning him 9 times out of 10, and if you're too close to him when he attacks he ends up stunning ''you'' instead. He also gets in the way of your attacks and any objects you're trying to move, hindering your puzzle-solving and enemy-killing. If left to his own devices he'll wanter around aimlessly, usually away from where you need him to be. Oh, and every boss fight you get into, he just hides in the corner, leaving you to do all the work. He does have EvolutionaryLevels that make him more useful, though.
* Issun in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' tends to repeat every plot-related hint three times in red text.
* Your allies in ''VideoGame/BlastCorps'' every time you try to destroy a building in a way you're not supposed to, usually by ramming it to death if you are not in the Ramdozer. "Try something else!" "Is this such a good idea?" Screw you! I got this giant missile on a truck riding down the tracks and--[[EarthShatteringKaboom *NUCLEAR EXPLOSION*]]
* ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball'' constantly reminds you of things you have to do before you can access certain areas, or when certain enemies are coming.
** Toxic Caves: WORM BAGGED. WORM BAGGED. CLUCK ALERT!
** Lava Powerhouse: BUST DOOR FIRST...BUST DOOR FIRST...BUST DOOR FIRST...
** Showdown: Hit other targ--BUST BLOCKS FIRST! BUST BLOCKS FIRST! BUST BLOCKS FIRST!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Adventure Game]]
* Cedric the Owl from ''VideoGame/KingsQuestV'' is a particularly infuriating example. Not only are most of his warnings about really obvious dangers ("No, Graham! Don't!"), they are generally given only when it's already too late to stop yourself. For extra annoyance, you actually have to go rescue him a few times to continue on in the game - and he never does something remotely useful himself.
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', the video game, had the option to ask for help at any time from Terry Jones. At first his hints are almost useful, but eventually he just gets more and more infuriated as the game progresses, tired of helping you. Eventually he stomps out of the game and is replaced by Michael Palin, who is just as useless. ''Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time'', having no plot at all, had no help and no rules, except when you broke them. You were then sent to "The Penalty Box" where a nude Terry Jones played a taunting organ piece to mock you.
* In the old text-based game for ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Gandalf and Thorin are necessary to help Bilbo out of certain traps (you're too short to escape on your own); [[EscortMission Thorin also has to survive until the party reaches Smaug's lair so that he can use the key to the side door.]] And Bard must be waiting at the Long Lake to shoot Smaug when he arrives. However, all these characters are prone to wandering off, telling you "No" when you ask for help (even in time-critical situations), and being killed or captured by wandering enemies. (Played with in that one of the most annoying things they do is abandon you for no reason.)
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Driving Game]]
* In the "Getaway Driver" missions in ''Creator/{{Driver}}'', your passengers are prone to shout things like "Do something! We got us a tail!" when up to three police cars are slamming into you from all directions.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:First Person Shooter]]
* Your AI ally from ''VideoGame/SiN Episodes'' had a rather annoying habit of finding more mooks to shoot at her, and then drawing attention to you, the [[FriendlyFireproof not-invulnerable player]].
* Regardless of how many times you have played ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 2}}'' (and the game keeps track), every time you start a game you still get told how to use ALL of the basic game functions, with text boxes that block parts of the screen.
* In ''VideoGame/TimeShift'', for 90% of the game you have freedom to take your time and experiment, but in latest portion of the game, where you're escorting the rebel leader, ''the guy will not shut up'', constantly complaining about how you're taking too long to reach your next goal while ''you're in the middle of a fire-fight''. Even using your time powers to move at super-speed it seems impossible to speedrun to the objectives without hearing at least one complaint from this guy.
* ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'':
** The guidebot in ''Descent 2'' has a tendency to pelt you with (mildly damaging) flares whenever you're near a door that it tries to open. Thankfully, you can order him to stay away indefinitely, and he does. You can also abuse him with splash damage weapons, or use a cheat code that turns him into an AttackDrone Of Doom.
** In ''Descent 3'', hurting the guidebot has its own pitfalls, because when he's damaged enough he'll retreat to your ship. By ''smashing into you at full speed'' and taking half an orb's worth off your shield.
* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}''. A selling point of the game is another character would follow you around. Unfortunately, the AI is retarded and likes to run into walls and other useless things that you would be perfectly able to handle on your own if you didn't have to worry about your other character.
* ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix RainbowSix: Vegas 2]]'':
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and his squad is "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany him. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and they will force you to stay in place as a grenade drops right at your feet. Send them up ahead and they'll let the enemy kill them. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and they'll immediately tell you they "can't do that". Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover and ''they'll get stuck on thin air''.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' had 343 Guilty Spark, which made irritating comments, gave useless advice, and hummed slightly nasal tunes like fingernails down a chalkboard as it led you along. "Luckily" you didn't have to bear with it forever, as it [[spoiler:turned out to be the Bad Guy at the plot climax and proceeded to try to kill you at every opportunity afterward.]]
** A less extreme case is in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' on the final level. As you drive up to the jump you'll need to make to get into the hangar, Cortana urges you to gun the engines, which would be good advice, except that anyone with half a brain would have ''already'' been gunning the engine for the entire level, thank you very much!
** Sgt. Johnson tends to shoot instant-death lasers into the area where you fight.
* In ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', allies and enemies can talk to you over your infolink, and for the entirety of their voice clip you cannot quicksave, which can be pretty tiresome at times. It's even lampshaded in the original game: after Tracer Tong drones on and on through the infolink about the Illuminati and the clues you've uncovered that point to them - all while you are desperately trying to escape both hordes of enemies and numerous environmental hazards - J.C. (your character) berates him for it when they meet face to face. Tong seems blissfully unaware that he has done anything wrong.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' - Every time there's a change in the mission objective status, the Administrator has something to say about it. This quickly gets very annoying on Control Point maps with a highly contested CP. And then there was the [[http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Overtime "OVERTIME" bug,]] which would cause the announcer to repeatedly announce overtime throughout the OT period.
* In early builds of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', AI characters could heal you with their health packs, which would freeze you in place for several seconds. When they pull this stunt during the last sprint to the rescue vehicle, it can easily get you killed. Valve thankfully patched it so you could cancel the healing. The only way to make them stop trying to heal you is by holding out your pills or first aid kit, which means you have no gun to use unless you swap out. Also, the AI will gleefully toss you pain pills while you are low on health, but they will usually do so while you are shooting and you will likely down the pills without even trying. This is still present in the sequel. Also, you cannot move when you're being healed.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' has a Charger, which will plow through you and the Spitter, who can spit acid on the floor and damage anyone standing in it. It can become quite common for an AI survivor to try to heal you and you see a Charger running towards you or a Spitter spits on you as you are being healed, forcing you to take damage until the AI either finishes healing you or is also hit by the spit and forces them to move.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'':
** "Don't forget to reload, Doctor Freeman!" is one of the more useless reminders, coming when you're in the process of doing just that, you still have half a magazine, or even when using a weapon where there's no manual reload option in the first place.
** Intentionally averted in ''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' with Alyx. Originally she was to frequently tell Gordon (and thus the player) to hurry up/go faster/something similar, but when the developers realised that if players didn't like Alyx they wouldn't like the game, as she spends [[ExpositionFairy almost all of the game following the player]], this was removed.
** After popping out of a room to throw a grenade into a sunken gun turret, you may find that when you moved outside, an NPC 'teammate' stepped into the doorway. Now you have to gently, politely push them aside and shuffle back into the room. While taking bullets.
* The tutorial instructors in ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' "Switch to your other weapon, it's faster than reloading!" Particularly annoying if you're trying repeatedly to get the achievement. The message will play even if you've already switched to your other weapon and thus the magazines are running dry on both.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}''
** Dogmeat in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' doesn't have any tactics beyond "stay here and don't move" and "immediately attack anything within range." This frequently leads to him leaping between you and an enemy ... just as you're unloading several shotgun shells or lasers in that direction.
** The anonymous young lady who abruptly cutscene-stops you ''every single time'' you enter Megaton and almost every time you leave a building in Megaton to [[InterfaceScrew spend five minutes to zoom-lock the camera on herself]] and tell you just how much you're appreciated and to give you a (usually) cheap and barely useful item. Forget the Talon Mercenaries, ''this'' is the game's real punishment for having overly high Karma.
** In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the Old World Blues Sealth Suit Mk II becomes this. She/It will inject you with Med-X at the start of a fight (which can easily get you addicted to it if you let her/it) and will inject you with Stimpaks very frequently, even if you don't need it (possibly getting you sick AND burning expensive items when they weren't needed). In addition to this, she regularly cracks the joke "Starting combat... just kidding." Especially bad when in an already tense situation.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' really wants you to follow the main quest line. A huge pop up box will "helpfully" appear on the screen every couple of minutes to remind you to go to the next mission, although a later patch removed it.
* The Netricsa from ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'', with the stupid blinking mailbox icon forcing you to go out of the game just to shut it up. It takes almost every opportunity to do this, not just every time you kill an enemy and pick up a weapon for the first time, but in response to countless environments throughout the game. And the information is always [[CaptainObvious something the player either already knows or can figure out almost immediately]] or [[ExcusePlot something completely unimportant]]. It doesn't help that VideoGame/SeriousSam is a game DESIGNED for FirstPersonShooter veterans who don't need ANY of this help, and can easily fool someone into recommending a game to an FPS newbieâ€â€Â[[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime bad idea]].
* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' has help messages that pop up when it detects that the player is having difficulty with a given section. However, these messages interfere with Elizabeth throwing supplies (like health) to Booker during combat, creating situations where the help messages can kill you.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hack and Slash]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}}'' and its progeny: "Warrior needs food, badly!", "Warrior is about to die!", "Use magic to kill Death!". Not actually bad advice, most of the time, but usually obvious and unnecessary.
* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'', when you get one of the later bosses to half health, your brother, Virgil, shows up to help you beat the boss. At this point, the battle becomes ten times harder, since they mapped the button you use to control Virgil (which is useless anyway since he mirrors your moves for the most part) to your style button, depriving you of many of your more powerful moves, which far outweighs Virgil's meager contribution. Plus, you can't use your devil trigger; no healing or extra damage for you.
* In ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam 2'':
** When an oversized mecha shows up on your side, the giant mecha's BeamSpam and shockwave attacks hurt you just as badly as they hurt the enemy mooks. Even worse, you can't even get the giant mech to stop by killing it, because it's ''on your side!''
** Your AI allies idea of attacking bosses is to run face-first into said boss and hit it with only basic moves, usually getting their [[CurbStompBattle ass handed to them]]. This is particularly bad in missions where some ignoramus of a mission designer decided it was a good idea to make the mission fail if said ally dies.
* Allies in any ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' game are generally good examples of this trope. It got particularly frustrating in 2, where enemy officers could recover health or get temporary power-ups when knocked down... which is what any fully-executed combo will do to them (and the only one which doesn't stuns them, meaning any ''subsequent'' hit will knock them down). When fighting alone, this could be avoided. When fighting with allies around... yeah, good luck with getting a quick win there.
* Nick from ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' must always point out the obvious, and keep repeating himself endlessly. A perfect example from Chapter 1, when trying to keep the zombies away from the bomb cake: "Keep those zombies away from the cake!" "Keep those zombies away from the cake!" "Keep those zombies away from the cake!" "Keep those zombies away from the cake!"
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Platform Game]]
* In the ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' series, there is an on-screen indicator to shake the Wii-mote at incredibly obvious places (such as spinning in a launch star), even more in the second game. Three things make this extra annoying: It makes a sound which gets grating fast, it always pops up, even if you have already been to the level, and it has the tendency to pop up ''after you have performed the indicated action!''
* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' the Princess occasionally pops up to shout "HELP!" and throw you a super mushroom in the final fight with Bowser, which is nice as long as you don't have a more useful power-up in reserve that the [[PowerupLetdown stupid mushroom will cheerfully replace]].
* FLUDD from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' chimes in occasionally to give you advice, via a text box and the audio cue "Mario!". Whilst this can be annoying at times (especially because the advice he gives isn't usually that helpful), he's nowhere ''near'' as annoying as some of the others on this list because his text box doesn't intrude on the game or distract you too much.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Omochao has driven many a player to frustration, making some max out the VideogameCrueltyPotential against him. Apparently as a reaction to peoples' negative opinions on Omochao, he appears in ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}} 3'', though you have to press up on the D-pad to pick him up and get his hints (he also stops time, but if your partner is nearby, his/her sprite still animates even though they can't move otherwise).
** Later games paired you up with other main characters, so this concept ended up making Tails and Knuckles a lot more annoying than they needed to be. At least you could ''choose'' whether or not to bump into Omochao or Tikal most of the time.
** In ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', you usually had to touch a "?" symbol to activate your partner's help, much like Omochao in the ''Adventure'' games. While it is still too easy to accidentally touch the help spot, no games in the series force you to hear the majority of help spots.
** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' also uses the "?" symbol in the [=PS3/360=] version, but in the [=Wii/PS2=] Version, Chip will stop the game to tell you something important if necessary, like how to turn a lever, even if you have already done that.
** Sega was nice enough to provide a gun in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' that let you fire Omachao's severed head at enemies. Once it was upgraded, the head would bounce off of walls and could easily take out a room full of baddies if applied properly.
** A [[GameMod ROM hack]] of ''VideoGame/{{Sonic the Hedgehog|}}1'', ''[[http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic%20the%20Hedgehog%20OmoChao%20Edition Sonic the Hedgehog OmoChao Edition]]'', turns Omochao into a Most Triumphant Example of this trope. Why? Because he stops time to make a CaptainObvious comment for most of the actions you can do in the game while the 1up jingle plays. The more stuff he says, the longer it takes for the jingle to stop.
** The Bioware spin-off ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'' mostly plays this straight by making Tails the designated tutorial exposition character. It also subverts it by allowing the player to shut him up, with some dialogue options that make Sonic sound like a total A-hole.
** Anyone who's ever played ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles 3]]'' knows just how much of a [[TheLoad useless furry liability]] Tails is as your tag-along; while he ''can'' be used as a nifty little immortal RedShirt against enemies, more often than not he gets in your way, pushes buttons or destroys enemies/collapsible areas that you were wanting to use as platforms, and stupidly runs into ludicrous danger on his own.
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''
*** Tails tags along, picking up things you don't want, like animals that you can take into the Chao Gardens, if you're only looking for specific ones to give to your Chao so that they take on only the traits of those specific animals, among some other undesirable moments.
*** Tikal from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' is even worse than Omochao. Hitting her not only gives you useless hints, it also stops your movement, leading to time loss or even death if you are in mid-jump in front of a BottomlessPit. There are levels that have to be solved without using hints, so running into her forces you to restart that level.
*** The floating help [=TVs=] in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' use the button that's normally used for attack/pick up/put down as "tell me info I probably know already" if you're near them. This can cause such things as trying to put down the animal you're holding, only to be stuck standing there reading "Welcome to the Chao Races" or some such just long enough for a Chao to come over and grab the animal, thus altering its stats, appearance and behaviour in ways you didn't want it to. In Knuckles and Rouge's hunting stages, using the hint [=TVs=] damages your score, possibly ruining that A-rank you were going after and forcing you to replay the stage.
** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'':
*** Omichao will start speaking once you pass him. In the challenge missions, this can be annoying. Even the first level of the game, he pops in to say that he's there to help. Luckily, you can turn him off.
*** For the final boss of Generations, all your friends will warn you about the homing shot. It's so bad that it will drown out the one line of dialogue that is actually ''useful!''
** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' actually has Exposition Fairies that ''compete'' for your attention, one trying to convince you to take the Hero Mission and the other trying to convince you to take the Dark Mission! You cannot stop them from competing--even if you choose one mission, the helper character for the other mission will pop up in the stage at another time, and this continues back and forth, back and forth... ''and they will talk the entire time''.
* The role of Squawks the Parrot in the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' is a variation on this theme. Appearing only in the darkness "Torchlight Trouble" level, his role is to illuminate a small portion of the screen... And to shine his little flashlight in the player's eyes whenever your character turns around. Stupid bird. Likewise for Glimmer the Anglerfish in the second game. Possibly even worse, since it's a [[DownTheDrain swimming level]]. Fortunately, these issues were fixed in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Virtual Console]] releases of the games.
* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', Squawks also shows up to give you a brief tutorial whenever you first see something or use an ability. Normally annoying (yes, we ''know'' each new character has five bananas to find in each stage), but it gets even worse when you factor in that it ''doesn't stop the action around you''. Dazzling Addar's LetsPlay of the game demonstrates this, as such a tutorial directly costs him a race.
* [[ExpositionFairy Tutorial Pig]] qualifies in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''. Die eight or ten times in one level, and he will appear at the beginning of the level and at every checkpoint [[MostAnnoyingSound jingling and waving his little flag]] trying to get you to use the Super Guide option. The only way to make him go away is by beating that level... and then, if you go back to the level to get items and die a bunch again, he ''comes back''.
* ''VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail'' has Trina the fairy, who pops up whenever Spyro comes across something he hasn't before. She doesn't speak, but her text bubble takes up almost half the screen, often obscuring the very thing she's trying to explain about, and continues to stay on the screen unless you move away from that new thing. Then if you go back to it she pops up again with her infernal text bubble still in place.
* Alia from ''VideoGame/MegaManX 5'' as MissionControl would suddenly start talking about something, and you would immediately have to stop and listen. Even if you were in the middle of a jump over a BottomlessPit or spikes. In ''X6'', you have the option of ignoring her entirely and moving on, though it reverts in ''X7''. However, in ''X8'', though there are ''three'' Navis, each one specializing in a particular game segment, they can be ignored like in ''X6''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' has Crystal and Clem, two [[{{Yandere}} psychotic cheerleaders]] -- sort of. They only appear in a few places, but when they do, they mercilessly cheer and scream for Raz, much to his chagrin. The first time you encounter them, they're rooting for you while you play a mini-game. Your reward for finishing said mini-game? ''Getting them kicked out of the level.'' In contrast, your actual ExpositionFairy, Ford, will generally only chime in with unwanted advice when it's really obvious that you have [[GuideDangIt absolutely no idea what you're doing.]] It can still be distracting, though, if you try to listen in at the same time you're fighting off a giant lungfish. However, if pressed for more and more cheers, Crystal will eventually break down into tears, admitting that she is a godawful cheerleader and her life is a sham. They can also be seen mixing poison in glass vials they will hide behind their backs if the player gets near. It's pretty heavily implied that they're both extremely suicidal and cannot even stand themselves.
* Bottles and his relatives from the ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' games are something of an in-world example. Aside for the skippable tutorials at the beginning of each game, they only show up to the teach the bear and bird duo new movements; if they have collected the correct number of notes. However, this doesn't quite stop the moles from being threated by Kazooie, who mocks and insults them on a regular basis.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' while nowhere near as bad as some examples, repeatedly tells you to press 'B' on context sensitive buttons even though most of them have a big fat 'B' written and clearly visible right where you should stand. Also, when picking up stuff like the slingshot and confidence pills, you have these menus with incredibly slow text scrolling and you have to wait for Conker to read the instructions (he often takes long pauses) until you can move on.
* In ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'', you get three other little vacuum blobs to "help" you out. In reality, they are TooDumbToLive.
* In the climax of ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', Aku Aku holds Uka Uka off while you take on Cortex. Only problem? Aku Aku helps form half the danger of the fight thanks to Friendly Fire.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'', there's Murfy. The good news is that you'll only see him for one level. The bad news is that he won't shut up for the entire duration of said level and you can't skip his dialogue.
** Weirdly, he was really tolerable in ''VideoGame/{{Rayman 2}}: The Great Escape'', having his advice appearing briefly on screen without interrupting your action at all and only appearing in person when you either encountered his helper stone for the first time or called for it with a certain button while standing on said stone. One has to wonder why they went several steps back in the next game ...
* In ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'', Gus Gremlin worked just fine as a helper. But in ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'', he is [[SuddenlyVoiced fully voiced]] and just ''keeps on saying the same words of advice'' as you attempt to solve a certain puzzle or fight a certain battle, and it gets very tiresome and very distracting.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Puzzle Game]]
* If [=GLaDOS=] weren't so well-written, ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' would have been one of the most annoying experiences in the entire god-damn world. Trapped in a lab facility, your only [[CompanionCube companion a cube]] that doesn't ever speak to you and a passive-aggressive ice inhibitor... you're really lucky Old Man Murray wrote the script, you know that? It helps that [=GLaDOS=] does give some genuinely helpful information at times (mostly when the developers found playtesters had difficulty understanding concepts necessary to some puzzles, for example conservation of momentum) and is a gloriously funny DeadpanSnarker. Besides, [[spoiler:at the end you ''do'' get to kill her. Unless she really is Still Alive...]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' averts this by giving your AI companions absolutely hilarious dialogue throughout the game, but it plays the trope for meta humor during the third act in the form of the automated announcer who continues to insist, despite the villain's denials, that the facility is about to blow up. For bonus fun, when the [[ExactTimeToFailure reactor explosion countdown timer]] fails during the FinalBoss fight, the announcer is so determined to be helpful that it activates a SelfDestructMechanism to ''[[BetterToDieThanBeKilled remove the uncertainty]]'' of not knowing when you're going to die.
* In the ''Brain Age 100'' math problems exercise, an attention shattering noise occurs after solving a set number of problems.
* The first puzzle in ''VideoGame/MystIV'' has Atrus constantly telling you how to solve it. There is not ''one second'' of continuous silence from Atrus until you have solved it. His repertoire of helpful advice isn't particularly long, and it gets very old ''very'' quickly.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperHexagon'', whenever the current record is broken, the game feels the need to announce it on the spot with "Excellent!" Due to how easily it can break one's concentration, that "Excellent!" may very well be immediately followed up with ''(zap)'' "[[GameOver GAME. OVER.]]"
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Racing Game]]
* ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise'': Shut Up [[TheScrappy Atomika]], we do not need your {{Forced Tutorial}}s interrupting the high-speed stunt driving every 3 minutes.
* ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' has a frequent "Hey! Somebody's right on your tail!"
* ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA 2'', meanwhile, often has "Hey! Someone's drafting you!"
* ''LEGO Stunt Rally'' has the in-game assistant of "Mr. X", who serves as an instructor to the player. Fair enough, but it can get annoying hearing him repeatedly explain the functions of every single button every time you scroll over something. Fortunately you can turn him off if you get too sick of him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Real Time Strategy]]
* Zyzyx in ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}''. "Your creatures are under attack!" "Your creatures are dying!" "Your building lies in ruins..." etc. He would be endurable if he didn't say those lines over and over again in the same tone, or if [[DeadpanSnarker that last phrase didn't sound like it carried the subtext]] "and it wasn't a particularly good building either." A patch for the game added, amongst numerous improvements, the option to disable Zyzyx's help.
* ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' was essentially advisor-free (you could disable it completely, and if you didn't it only gave you the advice once). Life was good. And then a ''patch'' introduced a ''battle commentator'' giving you the play-by-play. "The battle is swinging in our favor! If we can press on, victory is ours! Our forces are badly blooded! KILL YOURSELF, KILL YOURSELF AND THE IMMERSION YOU RODE IN ON, YOU PATHETIC MORON!". Adding insult to injury, the voice was in culture-dependent [[JustAStupidAccent silly accent]]. Making things even worse is the fact that the battle commentator doesn't actually say anything useful. Due to the massive scale of a number of the battles, you'll hear him say that you've destroyed half the enemy force UP TO 3 TIMES!
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'' has an example that's a combination of AnnoyingVideoGameHelper, MostAnnoyingSound, and Stop Asking for Help ''From'' Me. Now, the normal YouRequireMoreVespeneGas type messages in the game are okay, most of the time, because you really do require more of the resource when you get them. But in the Saladin campaign, you have to defend two allies, Aqaba and Medina. Theoretically, Aqaba and Medina will tell you when they're being attacked; one of the win conditions is that you need to make sure the Crusaders don't destroy Aqaba and Medina, so accurate messages about when they're being attacked are, in theory, helpful. In practice, you start this level with virtually no resources or military units, meaning you'll be stuck listening to them scream for help when there's nothing you can do, since you need to save your handful of underpowered cavalry for when your base gets attacked. Also, they'll sometimes broadcast the voice clip even when there's nothing left on the main landmass to attack them. This gets old ''fast'', and it just puts the icing on the cake of ThatOneLevel.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperHexagon'', whenever the current record is broken, the game feels the need to announce it on the spot with "Excellent!" Due to how easily it can break one's concentration, that "Excellent!" may very well be immediately followed up with ''(zap)'' "[[GameOver GAME. OVER.]]"
* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reign of Chaos''
** In the second human campaign mission, you build a base and train an army to kill the Blackrock Orc leader. Uther the Lightbringer helps defend your base from orcs that periodically attack it. Oh yeah, he also has a 45 second shield that he pops whenever somebody hits him. So the orcs start attacking your towers instead. Thanks, Uther.
** In the first undead mission of the ''Frozen Throne'', the player has to prevent anyone to escape the map through three paths, requiring to switch between three bases, heroes and armies. If that wasn't difficult enough, anytime enemy units will come ''anywhere'' close to one of the exits Kel'Thuzad or Sylvanas will interrupt the player's concentration by yelling about it. Even if you had let units at the passes specifically to deal with this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhythm Game]]
* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'':
** Toadsworth spends the first battle teaching Mario to do things (even if you've already done them), and after you get inhaled by Bowser, Starlow (and to an extent, the Emoglobins) crank the tutorials UpToEleven. It gets to the point where the tutorial for digestion is longer than the actual digestion, since you only do the digestion mini-game once. Bowser himself gets annoyed at Toadsworth constantly interrupting the battle. One can only imagine how Midbus feels when Fawful keeps breaking in and effectively telling Bowser how to beat him up.
** The Emoglobin's VerbalTic of replacing every other noun with "globin" really doesn't help.
** Bowser getting annoyed at exposition becomes a RunningGag throughout the third game, especially with Starlow, or rather 'Chippy'. It helps that for once, Starlow is portrayed as being rather annoying and in-your-face in-game, rather than well-intentioned ineptitude.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' in the boss battle against the Wiggler. Popple (who is supposedly fighting alongside you) "helps out" by annoying the Wiggler, making it VERY pissed and causing its attacks to become ''a lot harder'' to evade.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Role Playing Game]]
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/SuikodenII''. Apple, a returning character from the first game, offers her services as a strategist in your first few early engagements. She does a mediocre job at first, then flat out fails spectacularly at countering the enemy's strategy a couple times later on. The aversion comes when she apologizes, decides she's just not ready yet, and only helps if you explicitly ask her to from then on. However, without her you and everyone else in the fort would be dog meat, and the help she gives later when you ask for it is generally helpful. Really, her only shortcoming is a lack of confidence in herself.
* In ''VideoGame/SystemShock 2'', Janice Polito's speeches are much louder than ambient sounds. For example when main character leaves Cryo Recovery. Hybrids are groaning somewhere nearby. Player cannot see them, but hears their footsteps approaching. He sneaks, trying to find them... then Polito blows his speakers all of a sudden, telling about an elevator being shut down. This is likely deliberate, though (like with the maybe-allies above).
* ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'':
** The Guildmaster from [[VideoGame/{{Fable1}} the first game]] frequently offers advice that's either not applicable or so obvious you couldn't miss it. "Try to get your combat multiplier EVEN HIGHER!" "Hero, your health is low... do you have any potions? Or food?" "Your Will energy is low, Hero. Watch that." Also, there's the [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall hallucinating boy]], one of whose random phrases is "Your health is low... What?! Who said that?"
** ''VideoGame/FableII'':
*** The unhelpful notices of the first game are refered to in a loading screen that shows there are rumors that [[spoiler:the Guildmaster was found dead [[TakeThatScrappy with "Your health is low" carved into his forehead.]]]]
%% *** The comments during jobs in ''VideoGame/FableII''.
*** The dog from ''VideoGame/FableII'' often borders on this trope as he barked and tried to alert you to treasure even when you can clearly see in right in front of you. This quickly becomes irritating. Likewise, its AI is supposed to prioritize combat over treasure hunting, but will sometimes glitch causing it to run off and bark incessantly at a treasure in the middle of battle.
* ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'' part 1 and 2 are notorious for the fact that your party members are unable to feed themselves, unlike in the previous games. Even if their backpack contains plenty of food, they will start whining about how hungry they are constantly.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** The Alliance Marine Corps, Citadel Security and several random aliens manage to keep the galaxy safe, despite the fact that they tend to aim straight at their target and blast away, disregarding any obstacles in the line of fire, like walls, rocks, ship hulls, the ''back of the player character's head''... Fortunately, this is easy enough to mitigate by simply ordering them to move away, and when they do have a clear line of sight at their targets, they do a ''lot'' of damage.
** The "help" messages with the Cerberus logo in [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the sequel]] constitutes better proof than anything that the organization is inherently evil. "Press F to finish the mission. What's that? You want to explore and I'm covering up your DialogueTree? WELL TOO BAD!"
* The King of All Cosmos in ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy''; no, thanks, really, I can clearly see how big my little sphere of proto-star is, right now, you don't need to comment on it ''every five minutes''. However, some of this is actually a disguised loading screen, to let the game reshape the world once your Katamari is big enough to go new places.
* While not technically a character, the narrator from the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' games for PC definitely counts. "You must gather your party before venturing forth." Fortunately, there's a mod for the game which removes the voice.
* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' has one memorable occasion. You're deep undercover in the drow city, with only a flimsy illusion and some very careful acting to keep you from getting detected. If anyone finds out you're not drow, the whole city will turn on you. And at one point Phaere, a psycho bitch matriarch daughter who is considered AxCrazy even by drow standards, order you to go and slaughter some deep gnomes just to remind the gnomes who's boss. If you're good-aligned, you probably figure there's some way to do this the good way, so just kiss the psycho's boots and go do it, right? But if you have Aerie or Keldorn in your party, she will interrupt the conversation to point out in no uncertain terms that ''you can't kill innocent gnomes because that would be EVIL''. Thanks, Aerie, that never occurred to me before. Since you're still with us, I think we've established where my moral compass points, and incidently, why did you say something so patently ''un-drow-like'' in front of the psycho who would carve our hearts out with ''spoons'' if she even suspected there was something odd about us? (Fortunately for your survival, Phaere dismisses that sentiment as odd, but not suspicious). This is hardly the only situation in which party members weigh in on the ethics of a certain decision, but this is one case in which it is not a good idea.
* ''VideoGame/{{Arcanum}}'', NPC characters are almost as dangerous to you as the enemy.
** Where there is NO WAY to get your NPC followers to retreat. Even as they whine about being on the verge of death or even begging for retreat, they'll stand there and keep bashing on the enemy until they die.
** And if given any consumables such as healing items, they'll gulp them as soon as anyone takes as much as a scratch.
** Or Virgil wasting all his Fatigue trying (and failing) to heal your high tech-aptitude character with his magic.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', where WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck would heal you at the slightest thing instead of saving it for when you're properly injured. That said, you ''could'' alter his use of magic to "Only in an emergency" -- in which case he ''will'' save his Cure spell until your CriticalAnnoyance alarm goes off. In the sequel, however, he would heal Goofy who had a little health gone but NEVER heal Sora. Similarly, there was also Riku who would heal you a second before you'd just cast Curaga.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', the Donald card will make you bang your head against a wall. If you use it against a monster that absorbs Fire attacks, you can bet he will use not one but TWO Fire/Fira/Firagas on it. He'll also cast heal when your HP is full.
* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', unless you maintain tight control over her Fall-From-Grace would run up to the enemy and ''slap them''[[note]]Okay, it's a ''magic'' slap[[/note]], her default and only attack, when she should be hanging back and healing instead. More annoyingly, her spellcasting AI had her cast her weakest healing spells by default, regardless of a party member's injuries. This meant that she'd quickly expend all her Cure Light Wounds spells trying to heal one of the fighters instead of simply using a single casting of Heal or Cure Critical Wounds, wasting both time and spells.
* ''Franchise/TalesSeries'':
** The in-battle voice triggers can be cool, if not helpful, but ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' takes it too far. Other characters will warn a unit when his TP is getting low, which could be helpful for newbies, but aggravating to a player who knows how to watch his TP but, for some reason (say, holding a boss still) chooses not to. And all the more annoying when the player is ''put down'' for it, generally by [[{{Tsundere}} Rita]]. Worse is when a character is berated for running away from an enemy for some length of time, again usually by [[JerkAss Rita]] or Raven, since most of the times that situation will come up, it's because the running character is trying to ''kite'' the enemy - keeping its attention while not letting it hit himself or another unit. Other useless "help" messages include "I don't think going back is such a good idea." "Oops, made a wrong turn!" "We shouldn't be going this way." "Are you sure it's this way?"
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' takes the ''VideoGame/DotHackGU'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' problem of overactive spell casters and healers to a whole new level. If your spell casters waste all their magic either healing 1 hp of damage repeatedly or attacking the boss/enemies, they bum rush that enemy and get wasted in under a second. Fortunately, you ''can'' alter that behavior, there are many options like "save" (always leaves at least 75% TP) and stuff... at least for the offensive spells.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'': [[MostAnnoyingSound If it gets any closer... It interrupted the Eres!]]
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** The three paladins that escort Princess Lachesis during her introductory chapter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' will rush out to defend the princess and get themselves killed, even if it's usually more advantageous to wait for the threat to come closer before acting.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it's quite possible for a character to be killed entirely because of the assistance of another character, because it means that an enemy is killed by a counterattack that would otherwise have left it alive, freeing up that space for another enemy to come in for a finishing blow.
* Linu in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' has a particularly frustrating form of this. It's called the "Harm" spell, and it's used to [[ReviveKillsZombie heal undead]]. Does Linu realise it doesn't seriously hurt undead? [[ArtificialStupidity No. No she doesn't]].
* The StandardStatusAilments in ''VideoGame/DawnOfMana'' are bad enough, but your FairyCompanion will very unhelpfully ask "are you okay?" ''every damn time'' you shake one off.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', city guards and other neutral characters whom one might expect to help out if a fight breaks out in their vicinity often do. This help is usually un-needed but not specifically unwelcome. However, you better hope there aren't any neutral mages nearby when you start a fight. Their idea of help consists of throwing a fireball into the middle of the battle and then repeating it as many times as necessary.
--> "Collateral damage? That's a good thing, right? The more the better."
* In ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'', when the game starts you get a prologue chapter full of tutorials; fair enough, you just started the game. But when ''you're 5 hours in'' the characters (now the girls, when in the prologue were Rose and Ledah) are still giving you information about stuff you very most likely already know about. Even the tutorial doesn't come as practical - do we really need a long text rambling about how the number next to an item's name indicates the remaining amount of them?
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' has that little furry Moogle that's supposed to help you out in single player mode. Thing is, he gets tired easily (every ten minutes to be exact!) and starts to lag heavily behind, even though he's carrying your sole protection from the miasma. The last thing you want to hear is "I'm tired, kupo! It's your turn!" when you've got two Flan and three Goblins after you, with two hearts left.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' is completely free of this...except for one section. [[ShiftingSandLand Lamakan Desert.]] It introduces a dehydration mechanic requiring you to find oases to keep from getting heatstroke and taking about a third of your health in damage. Which would be tolerable, except your party members constantly complain about the heat.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'':
** In [[NoobCave Tanglewood Forest]], Isaac coaching you to use Djinn for advantages is understandable since there may be new players who don't know how that aspect works, but still comes off as annoying to veterans and anyone who's realized the monsters can be oneshotted with Karis's Whirlwind. In the same part of the game, Garet's AI will get trigger-happy with summons if you have enough Djinn on standby (like if you'd wanted to adjust Matthew's and Karis's classes), regardless of the enemy you're facing.
** Cutscenes frequently have the characters discussing what to do next, when it should be obvious. Once they do realize they need to (obvious action), they talk about that ad nauseum.
** Amiti is occasionally scripted to autonomously pop out and use his Insight Psynergy to show the solution for a puzzle. Sometimes, this is helpful, like telling you how to knock down Djinn in high places. Sometimes, it is obnoxious, like telling you how to solve the entry to the Ouroboros labyrinth... which is the exact same "empty the basin" puzzle he watched you do for every room in Barai Temple.
* Cha-Cha in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Tri'' is actually pretty useful with the right mask and skills. Plus he also heals you and often serves as a distraction for large monsters, giving you the space to heal or ready an attack. On the other hand his habit of running straight forward in front of you when attacking the same monster makes him highly annoying for Gunners, especially when trying to use special ammunition that's usually ''very'' limited in count. Also occasionally ''blowing you up'' in the middle of a combo when using the Feylyne Mask (thankfully, his bombs don't hurt you).
* The Claptraps in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' is similar to Navi from Ocarina of Time; they will keep bugging you about new missions that popped up, even though you already signed up for all of them or are in the middle of another mission. They will always repeat this every single time you go from one region to another. According to the developers, the ''Claptrap's Robot Revolution'' DLC is partly meant for players to vent their frustrations on the little buggers since they're the main enemies of the DLC.
* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'':
** The character Gaige's special ability is based around getting bonus points every time she kills an enemy. This only counts if she kills the enemy herself, so having her [[CyberCyclops robot ally]] Deathtrap [[KillSteal land the final blow]] will rob you of your point for that enemy.
** On one particular mission, there is a related issue where you need to hurt [[BigCreepyCrawlies an insect enemy]] and watch it go into a pod of sorts. You are then to inject the pod to let the bug mutate, and then kill the monstrosity. It's possible to blow the pod up prematurely, however, and of course this happens to be the area of the game where you have a computer-controlled sniper ally take out enemies for you whether you want him to or not. Said sniper can also inadvertently get the player killed by sniping an enemy the player needed for a Second Wind. Especially on True Vault Hunter and Ultimate Vault Hunter mode, where enemies are stronger and better armored, it's a common strategy for players to keep an enemy alive but low on health in case they need a quick kill revive. And Mordecai just loves picking off enemies who are low on health (itself an annoyance, since the player doesn't get XP if an NPC gets the killing blow).
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Fennel pops up to give you a tutorial in the Pokémon Dream World...''every time'' you reset your computer's cookies. Just cleaned out your PC? Switched computers? Cue Fennel blabbering on about how to plants seeds/water your garden/use the share shelf...even though your garden is ready to harvest and your share shelf is full. Oh, and did we mention you only have access to the Dream World for an hour, after which it boots you off until exactly a day later? If you then rush to the Tree of Dreams to collect the Pokémon you want to download, you'll be stalled by Fennel telling you how magnificent the tree is, and how to make a wish. Which may cost you the Pokémon if the time runs out, especially if you have your internet connection tends to lag.
** Similarly, the original Pokémon TCG video game for the GameBoy made you sit through the long, detailed and complicated tutorial with every new character. No skip option. In fact, [[http://tasvideos.org/1637M.html if you beat the game as fast as physically possible for the game]], it eats up half the play time.
** The catching tutorial in EVERY main series game. They're not so bad the first time around, but they can get annoying after multiple playthroughs of the same game. At that point, you've probably caught your first Pokémon. Or a few. Or ''several''. Even if you're new to the franchise, it's pretty simple.
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':
** Fuuka, your MissionControl in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', insists upon giving you by-the-action updates of how many enemies are left, whether or not they are knocked down by, or got killed by, or survived your latest attack, and whether or not an attack you've used against that foe a bajillion times already is super-effective or no, and your status effects, and so on and so on, all of which is already ''clearly visible to you on the screen right in front of you and also painfully obvious.'' She will also constantly remind you that one of your team members is injured, to the point where letting them die becomes almost satisfying. Mission control's "help" becomes even more absurd if ''you are also injured'' -- sometimes even closer to death than your teammate -- and Fuuka will tell you, "I'm worried about Akihiko-senpai!" Well, ''thanks''. She'll also ask you if there's a healing item for any character caught by a status effect, even if that character has the equivalent skill and will be more than able to heal during their turn. If ''you're'' the only one suffering from a status effect, she'll either tell you to fix yourself or count the number of enemies, but not tell your team members to help you. Fuuka's chatter is particularly annoying because it's clearly generated at random, so not only do you have to endure her stock phrases every time you fight, you'll also be treated to the same information with intonations that are completely at odds with the situation. And then, sometimes, she's just wrong: go to Monad alone on a NewGamePlus and there's a good chance at least one victory will end with her congratulating the ''team''.
** And it returns in ''VideoGame/Persona4''. Rise calls you Senpai ''every five seconds''. It's as if they wanted to compensate for the fact that her voice acting is a million times better than Fuuka's by having her ''talk a million times more.'' Though her predecessor, Teddie, can be plenty annoying in his own right, since both of them are, like Fuuka, repeating information you already have on the screen (and unlike Fuuka, they don't know anything more about the enemy's strengths and weaknesses than what you've learned by trial and error).
** Combat in ''VideoGame/Persona3'' is ''also'' full of these moments. With ManualLeaderAIParty in effect, there's no way to make it through the initial playthrough without at least one mission turning into a murder-suicide. It is possible to become familiar enough with the AI that you can reasonably predict what your allies will do, but even that isn't fullproof. To wit:
*** God help you if you've knocked a group of enemies down and ''know'' that an All Out Attack won't finish the job. Since attacking again puts the enemy on its feet, your best move is to leave the enemy down, causing it to waste its turn standing up. Your allies, however, have other ideas. If no one in your party is injured enough to trigger the Healer to, well, ''heal'', then that person will attack with their weapon, give the enemy their turn back, and leave you to take massive damage. During the final boss fight, you ''have'' to put your party members on Standby in order to keep them from repeatedly damaging themselves with reflected attacks.
*** Junpei is one of the game's offensive powerhouses, but physical attacks are cast from hit points. Although he tends to maintain a higher-than-average number of them, he also will refuse to conserve them, even if you equip him with his ultimate weapon. Why use a sword that does 450 damage with 100 accuracy when you can use 50 of your last 200 HP to do less damage? Despite having fire skills, he'll ''still'' tend to use physical attacks instead of elemental ones, even if the opponent is weak to fire. There's something to be said about the fact that fights sometimes become much, much easier once your team is dead (including the Healer, who never got around to healing you, as they were busy with reincarnation).
* In ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'', at the beginning of almost every fight [[TheLancer Harry]] will give you advice whether you want it or not. Occasionally he gives you good tactical suggestions and what to do against certain enemy types, but most of it is useless or obvious. Furthermore, he also asks if you understood all of it, in case you want to hear it again. On a few occasions, you can confuse him with odd responses ("Wait, who are you again?" "Sorry, I was sleeping.") but those will always set him off advising again.
* Quistis in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' likes to explain junctioning and limit breaks in nauseating detail -- at one point, she asks Squall something to the effect of "Do you know how to use your Gunblade?"/"how to junction magic?", even though after Squall has taken on his rival Seifer, the summon Ifrit, numerous monsters, the military of one of the most powerful nations in the world, and a gigantic robot; and now has graduated to being a full-fledged member of the most elite fighting force on the planet, it's not too outrageous to assume that he knows how to fight.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'', Pawns will repeately remind you of things you already know from experience, like wolves roam in packs, goblins hate fire, a fall from high up means death, and that treading in waist high water will kill you, repeating these "suggestions" to you over and over again, sometimes, in a row.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series in general has the starting chargen sequences. They are really helpful on your first playthrough, since they double as tutorials and introduce the game's plot. On your second playthrough, you start to hate the sequences. Mods abound that speed up chargen by removing the tutorials and plotplotplot events.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''
*** Followers have a bad habit of rushing any enemy they see. This can have one of 2 effects: 1) They rush an enemy that's way too strong for them, or 2) they run in between you and the enemy just as you're using a power strike, killing or seriously injuring them. If their survival was important to the quest you need to restart from the last save now. Hitting your partner also has a tendency to cause them to attack you, meaning you have to yield to them to get them to stop. Thank the nine for "Essential" partners (who can't be killed, only knocked unconcious).
*** One horse, Shadowmere, is marked as Essential. She also has a bad habit of rushing every enemy in sight, meaning you need to worry about the above issue with your freaking horse, which is much easier to accidentally hit and isn't a very good fighter. While she won't turn hostile on you, hitting her sometimes counts as "Assaulting a Guild Mate" which will get you kicked out of 3 of the 4 guilds (you can no longer get kicked out of the Dark Brotherhood after the mission you get Shadowmere in).
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' has the same problem with followers as Oblivion, especially the melee fighters. Their entire strategy is AttackAttackAttack which causes problems for every fighting style. Fighting with them in confined spaces makes them easy to kill on accident, they act as meat shields for enemies (especially frustrating as heavy hitting, low mobility two handed fighters) and they can hit allies who will become hostile. Quest giving [=NPCs=] can be murdered by your followers after being hit by friendly fire during a fight with a mudcrab or something, causing you to fail the quest.
** Something which occurs with companions in both the Fallout and Elder Scrolls games: They're useless to stealth focused players. The companion will either attack an enemy that you're trying to sneak up on as soon as their A.I. detects the enemy, the enemy will notice your companion before you because their sneak skill is inferior to yours, and either attack the companion or come to investigate and blow your cover, or the companion will start attacking the enemy as soon as it becomes suspicious and again, blow your cover.
* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'' provides a story example, where the party gets the bright idea that cheering on [[BornUnlucky Ashton]] will help him to defeat a dragon. Instead, it eventually bugs him enough that he turns around and politely asks them to stop, which the injured dragon promptly capitalizes on and in an act of self-preservation, fuses itself with him. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Whoops.]]
* ''VideoGame/NiNoKuni'' has some blatant explanations in its repertory, from telling you how to '''walk''', to things like how to talk, open your inventory or what purpose does the minimap on the top right corner of the screen serves (hint: you can see your surroundings in it). Some of them are necesessary but the big majority is plain outright obvious. It quickly becomes irritating, especially because they will pop up frequently for an hour into the game. Good thing they disappear shortly after that and that the hand-drawn sketches that come with them are pretty to look at (this last thing can be even more insulting to the player, as the game asumes you need the extra help of a sketch to grasp the concept of things like walking).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Simulation Game]]
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat''
** Hazawa in ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'' always ruins your concentration when engaging in intense combat. She also tells you if a missile is inbound when your HUD can do that in a less annoying fashion. Worst of all, she has the most annoying voice in the game. You can also change your operator, not that it matters.
** One of the more potentially derailing features of ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' is a "yes/no" answer input when your squadmates ask you questions. If you're say, ''climbing in altitude as fast as possible to avoid being blown up by a heat seeking missile on your tail'', it can be quite annoying to suddenly have your squadmate pop in and casually ask if you want them to provide you with some cover. '''NO, REALLY, YOU THINK SO?!''' Unfortunately the game lacks a "no shit" response to questions of that nature. And despite the "squadron based" nature of the game, in actuality you usually end up doing 90% of the important stuff since your squadmates aren't smart enough to concentrate their fire on the ''big fracking sub'' that's firing one-hit kill missiles at you and instead insist on picking off the insignificant little targets instead no matter how often you hit ATTACK! or tell them what to do.
* ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'':
** Leafos is your guide throughout the game, and starts out as being quite useful, giving you the tools you need to work the garden. As you level up, she congratulates you on your "improvement" in the way a nursery school teacher might praise a three-year-old's fingerpainting. Slightly annoying... in the "What right have ''you'' to comment, you were cowering in the house when thugs showed up and trashed your father's life's work" way. However, mild irritation isn't the last of it. Several species of pinata will fight if put in the same garden together. One solution, other than selling one of the warring parties or moving them to a different garden, is to build a fence. Which will probably need a gate. Which Leafos will wander through in her meanderings around the garden and ''leave open.'' The first you'll probably know of this is when the battle music alerts you to the fact that two of your pinata are kicking the living daylights out of each other. Call yourself an expert, Leafos? Any farmer or riding school instructor would ''kill'' you for leaving a gate open!
** She also has a tendency to ''lie''. Considering that some of the rarer or more exotic pinatas require more [[GuideDangIt obscure]] and/or bizarre methods to obtain, unless forewarned a statement like "I heard you can turn a Pretztail into a Mallowolf if it eats a Doenut" can sound legitimate, when it's nothing but a bloody lie.
** Patch the doctor is annoying for a different reason. He heals your sick pinata (probably after they've gotten into a fight courtesy of Leafos). However, another character, Dastardos, will "euthanize" a sick animal if Patch doesn't make it in time. If both doctor and Dastardos appear at the same time though, Patch will ''stop what he's doing'' and let Dastardos kill your animal -- right under the good doctor's nose. Feel free to beat Patch with your spade at this point; it's the least he deserves.
* ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'', the villagers (for whom you are supposed to be the patron god) have a very, very aggravating habit of moaning about their needs. "We need more civic buildings!" "We must have homes!" "Must... have... food..." They make being a sadistic, human-sacrificing divine terror so... ''[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential satisfying]]''. The sequel and its expansion pack don't improve on this one at all, especially since the voice of your conscience just has to reply to every looped comment by the antagonist in Battle of the Gods. "The undead are coming!" ...and remain completely harmless, just like the last twenty-five times.
* VideoGame/CityBuildingSeries
** ''VideoGame/{{Caesar}} II'', in which you play as a Roman governor working your way from the provinces all the way up to Rome, was plagued by an annoying man who kept telling you that "[[MemeticMutation Plebs are needed!]]" every three seconds that they were.
** ''VideoGame/EmperorRiseOfTheMiddleKingdom'' used the same basic idea but [[RecycledInSPACE in China]]. It was better about not annoying the player, but it had a habit of randomly "forgetting" to tell you important events (building collapse, lack of food) while the popups for, yes, lack of population would get spammed.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' had the annoying notices of the screamingly obvious moment when you have struck Microcline. Thankfully, in the 2010 versions it no longer pauses the game, and you even have the option to remove the announcement log spam entirely (which you'll want to, once you hit the caverns.)
* ''VideoGame/SimCity'' series:
** The advisors in ''Sim City 4'' can be this way. Sometimes their advice is good ("You don't have enough fire stations to keep the town safe" or "Some random person's house has come ablaze, ya better put it out"), but it's mostly them working at cross-purposes, telling you something you either already know or can't do anything about, and even if you ''can'' do something about it not a minute later they'll berate you for doing what they advised to do a short while ago
** For ''VideoGame/SimCity 2000'': "[=SimCopter=] One reporting heavy traffic. [[BrokenRecord SimCopter One reporting heavy traffic.]] [[RuleOfThree SimCopter One reporting heavy traffic.]] [[OverlyLongGag SimCopter One reporting heavy traffic...]]"
** Doing virtually anything in ''VideoGame/SimCity 3000'' would result in sniffles from your Financial Advisor.
* Thankfully, the developers of ''[[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse The Gungan Frontier]]'' realized some players would react this way, so you can tell your NinjaButterfly to "take a nap" indefinitely. Given that said Ninja Butterfly is [[TheScrappy Jar-Jar Binks]], you'll probably do so very quickly.
* [[MeaningfulName Maniac]] in the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series is this deliberately. His A.I. is programmed to be aggressive, with no regard for tactics at all. Consequently, he will go up against capital ships in a scout-class ship, regardless of how ineffectual the weapons are, [[HonorBeforeReason refuses to retreat]] when ordered to, [[WhatAnIdiot even if he's clearly doomed]], and, most {{egregious}}ly, will lock on to your target and cut in front of you the moment you open fire, then ''yell at you for shooting him''. It's clear he's meant to be this bad in an early mission briefing:
-->'''Halcyon:''' ... if Maniac gives you any static, you have my permission to shoot him to pieces.
'''Maverick:''' Should I use missiles, sir, or ship's guns?
'''Halcyon:''' Guns, Maverick. Save your missiles for important targets.
* In the game ''VideoGame/{{Kinectimals}}'', Bumbles is the guide of the game and will tell you every single time what to do no matter how far you get in the game! Fortunately, there's an option to make him a lot quieter, so that he essentially only pops up for new actions.
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', the nanny NPC can be like this. She usually has two extremes. Not taking care of your children at all: Instead she will bake cakes (and ignore them if the baby starts crying, thus causing a fire) or watch TV. Or, she will pay too much attention to the baby, waking them up to feed and bathe them, and then putting them on the floor instead of in a crib. [[http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Nanny This page details exactly how unbelievably annoying nannies can be.]]
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'': Any of your NPC companions who carry weapons that do elemental damage[[note]] Carlos, Kuruna, Pia and Shara have water-based weapons, Marian uses a fire-type staff[[/note]]. Nothing is more frustrating than finishing off a tough ice monster only to have Kuruna or Carlos smack them with their water-based weapon and revive them. You can give them non-elemental weapons to eliminate this (all except Shara, who wields a watering can). But that still leaves those [=NPCs=] who use magic, smacking them with revivifying attacks. The only options are keep whacking away till it stays down or dismiss your NPC.
* In ''Top Landing'', if you're out of alignment with the runway, an automated voice shouts "EMERGENCY, ____ TURN, ____ TURN" until you get back on track. Easier said than done in later stages when the wind picks up, and in the final few stages when you ''start out'' in the emergency zone.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Sports Game]]
* In ''VideoGame/WiiSports'' and ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort'', the game feels the need to explain every minigame to you every time you play it and occasionally [[AntiPoopsocking tells you to take a break and do something else]]. However, these are skippable. The really annoying thing is the mandatory three minute video that plays every time you put ''Wii Sports Resort'' into a new Wii. It tells you how to connect Wii Motion Plus... and how to disconnect it... and how to connect the nunchuck.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Stealth-Based Game]]
* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':
** Several of the Codec contacts in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' act like this, but 99% of the time you're allowed to ignore them if it's not vitally plot-related. Unfortunately, it usually ''is''. ''Damn'' you, Meryl!
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', you can shut Otacon up''and'' cause him to almost have an aneurysm -- in the 'Follow the Resistance member' segment, it's possible to reduce Otacon to sputtering, angry silence by ''shooting'' the resistance members you encounter. Otacon starts off with a warning, then a sharper warning, then a pained cry of "Snake!?!", and finally, he just sputters and hangs up on the Codec. Beware, though -- shoot too many of them and it's a NonstandardGameOver.
** Rose and Meryl aren't nearly as bad as the painfully useless radio cast of ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', though. Their roles are 1) tell you to call other people and not to bother him (the Colonel), 2) tell you that you have no chance to beat this game and [[NietzscheWannabe you might as well curl into a ball and die]] (Kessler), 3) ramble at you about [[ExpoSpeak the number of species of pigeons that exist]] (Norden), 4) complain that 'now isn't a good time' and refuse to help you (Holly), 5) talk to you about [[NoFourthWall the ergonomics of video gaming]] and [[AsYouKnow dispense useless military trivia]] (Miller), and 6) deliver one of the first major [[FinalSpeech death speeches]] in the entire series (Gustava). To his credit, Miller comes up with solutions to all of the bizarre Kojima-logic [[SolveTheSoupCans puzzles]] Snake has to complete, and will give you hints before flat-out telling you the illogical answers, too. Also, towards the end, he [[HoYay asks Snake out to have a cheese fondue dinner with him]], thus making himself the mandatory male-borderline-love-interest character of that ''Franchise/MetalGear''.
** ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'' was much more straightforward with this: Diane would tell Snake which weapon worked best on each boss (provided that her [[BigBrotherInstinct overprotective big brother]] wasn't monitoring her call), Schneider would tell you the locations of many important items in the areas where you needed them, and Jennifer was important enough for being the only character who can provide the Rocket Launcher and Compass. The only dead weight was Big Boss himself, who only provides useless obvious advice on items and weapons ("A Handgun? You know how to use it"). That was intentional, seeing as he was the BigBad of the game.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' you need EVA to fly the WIG. The only problem with needing her help? She [[spoiler:gets impaled on a tree. Then you get to hear her bitch about how hungry she is]]. Plus her saying [[spoiler:"Snake I don't want you to kill The Boss"]], among other things.
* The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series makes extensive use of PuzzlePan during platform-jumping sequences. The trouble is that in some places, the camera tries to be a bit too helpful in angling itself to show you the intended pathway forward; as the directional controls are relative to the camera, not the character, it can very easily result in missed jumps.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Survival Horror]]
* Steve Burnside from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' often screwed over the player with his incompetent "help".
** Claire needs a pair of decorative Gold Lugers to open a door. When she finds them, she gets caught in a deathtrap -- which resets when she puts them back. Later, Steve finds them and takes them, and refuses to let go, making Claire run to save him. To top it off, once she saves him he refuses to hand over the guns unless Claire gives him "something fully automatic" -- which sends her on a wholly unnecessary fetch quest.
** When Claire actually finds the guns, it causes her and Steve to be dropped into TheDragon's trap. Steve then takes the guns and shoots about ten zombies, ''a wall'', [[spoiler: and his zombie dad.]] He doesn't give you the automatic guns, and the Gold Lugers he does give you have no ammo.
** Steve finally manages to get the drop on and disarm TheDragon Alfred, and has him at gunpoint for about 30 seconds -- but does not pull the trigger, because ''he's freaked out about Alfred being a transvestite!'' Not only that, but the pause gives Alfred time to run away and set the base's self-destruct mechanism. While Claire and Steve escape, Alfred is able to set the autopilot on their plane remotely, sending them to ''Antarctica''.
** While in Antarctica, Steve messes up operating a drill, flooding the room they're in with toxic gas -- because he was busy staring at [[MaleGaze Claire's butt.]] This sends Claire all over the complex to find a gas mask.
** After all that, Steve turns into a huge monster and tries to kill Claire, forcing her to use ammo and/or herbs to get away from him [[spoiler:which really should be used by Chris instead, since he's the one that has to kill the BigBad, Alexia.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', you may have set up this lovely minefield to blow any zombies that come along into little chunks. Then, you turn your back for one second, and discover that your AI-controlled partner Sheva ''picked up every single mine you laid down thinking they were discarded items''.
* Inverted in ''[[VideoGame/OperatorsSide Lifeline]]'', where you ''are'' the helper telling an AI character what to do via a USB microphone. Unfortunately, voice recognition has never been a precise technology, and in getting Rio to do something you'll often end up repeating your instructions enough times to make Navi look like a mute. Also played straight, however, as Rio will repeatedly ask you for advice in a way that hints at what you have to advise her to do.
* ''VideoGame/TheSuffering''. The game encourages the player to help the other survivors they find on the prison island. Shame the other survivors tend to crazily wound the player while trying to destroy monsters. Only one apologizes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Third Person Shooter]]
* ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series: Between your teammates getting in your line of fire and you constantly having to save [[TheLoad Slippy's]] butt, you have to wonder whose side they're on.
** VideoGame/{{Star Fox|1}}:
*** If your wingmen go down, they don't "get better". And while you can beat the game on its hardest setting WITHOUT any wingmen, they do tend to help mop up some enemies you might miss, allowing you to pass more missions with 100% of enemies shot down (and earn more continues). And the noises they make indicating their mortal distress is just plain depressing.
*** Depending on which route you take in Sector X, Peppy may end up with enemies chasing him ''twice'', and if you don't make it through the warp gate, Slippy jumps in shortly after the boss hits half of maximum HP and immediately gets knocked flying into the desert planet unless you can take out that other half ''really'' quickly. On the "positive" side, the necessity of this plot point means you get Slippy ''back'' at the end of the level if you lost him on Katina/Fortuna or earlier in Sector X.
** ''VideoGame/StarFox64''
*** You have Peppy randomly shouting "hints" like "DoABarrelRoll!" and "Try a somersault!" at you in the middle of battle which may be helpful on occasion but not at the frequency of those comments.
*** In Sector Z, your wingmen will attempt to destroy the missiles for you, impairing getting the medal. Each of the six missiles is a major source of points, at 11 points each, and you don't get credit for missiles that are destroyed by your wingmen. If it weren't for the requirement that all of your wingmen be alive to get the medal, you'd be wishing for them to be dead.
** Prince Tricky from ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' was doubly annoying in that you only need him to dig up stuff and to light stuff on fire, which he needs special blue mushrooms for. When he is low on food, he will constantly complain about how hungry he is. And then when you are trying to avoid some enemies, he will helpfully chime in with "BAD GUY!" and "COOOOOOOLLLLL!" And if you tried to vent your frustration by hitting him, he breathed fire on you.
* The tendency of idiotic [=AIs=] to spout meaningless "helpful" hints is poofed in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'':
-->'''Slippy:''' Hold A to charge up shots!
'''Peppy:''' Cut your way though with a boost!
'''Fox:''' Aren't you guys thinking of something else?
* Farah in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' isn't nearly as helpful as probably intended.
** Her attacks with a weak bow that only inconveniences the majority of your foes, has a very low firing rate, and is extremely liable to shoot you in the back (and when that happens, the arrows take out a significant chunk of your health bar). Lampshaded in dialog by the Prince:
-->'''Farah:''' ''(after Farah has accidentally shot the Prince during a previous fight)'' You go ahead. I'll cover you.
'''Prince:''' Please don't. You're liable to hit me.
** Also, in the opening, where she shouts "useful" tips that replay, after one time:
--->'''Prince:''' ''I know!'' You already said that!
'''Farah:''' No, I didn't!
* The Epilogue DLC for ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'' has a boss you have to push into a throne. You know this because the Prince ''will not stop saying'' "Elika! The throne! Elika! The throne! [[MostAnnoyingSound Elika! The throne!]]"
* Fiona Taylor was okay in the first ''VideoGame/{{Mercenaries}}'' game, but in the sequel, it gets to the point where you're [[VideogameCrueltyPotential blowing up her car every time you walk out of the base, just to annoy her as much as she annoys you.]]
* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'':
** The entire movie cast has moments of this. The 'busters never truly die if at least one is still standing and are capable of reviving each other if need be. Unfortunately, your teammates are incompetent and take their sweet time to walk over and save anyone, meaning that ''you'' will be forced to spend most of your time in tough missions running around and reviving everyone or risk quick death.
** The shouted advice can be nifty at times if you haven't already checked Tobin's or used your PKE meter/goggles, but damn does it get annoying to hear the same advice being shouted to you when you've already been making use of that same advice for some time or already thought of it long before they started hollering it to you. Or when the BigBad is spewing slime or other dangerous substances at you and you simply ''can't'' stand around in one place for too long lest you die. Particularly egregious when Rookie is the only one who can fight the level boss because the boys are either taking a break, or trapped several floors up.
* MissionControl in ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'' continues to repeat various gameplay hints even when they're no longer relevant, such as explaining how to increase skills that are ''already at maximum''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Turn-Based Strategy]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Deadlock}} 2'' defaults to giving you a status report every turn filled with absolutely useless information. And whenever a status report appears, your advisor springs up and says useful things like "Everything is going fine", or "Something happened", or "Hey, look at this", or a thousand of similarly useless messages. Mercifully, an option is available to restrict status reports to appear when something actually worth of note happens, which reduces them drastically, but when they do appear the advisor is still there.
* In the tactical turn based game ''Frontline Tactics'', any solder set on 'Overwatch' fires if an enemy takes an action in his line of sight. [=MGs=] have a cone of fire, so hit not only the target, but those standing nearby. A medic healing a comrade is enough to trigger the overwatch fire, hitting not only the medic, but also the man he was tending, often for double the number of Hit Points he had healed.
* An update to the single-player mode of ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'' added an ExpositionFairy who, as a parody of Navi, would often interrupt with [[SpeakingSimlish "Ey! Lisna!"]] and caption pointing out the blindingly obvious. Her actual purpose is to revive you if you die, since you have no teammates to take care of that.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'':
** Hisao tells Jigoro not to give him so much advice, mentally adding that he at least does not want advice that [[{{Hypocrite}} Jigoro does not follow himself]]. Hisao can refuse advice at other points, [[spoiler:but it's never a good idea]].
** [[spoiler:Hanako's]] [[MultipleEndings bad end]] provides a {{Tearjerker}} example of this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Wide Open Sandbox]]
* Otis from ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' always seems to pick the ''worst'' times to call you on the radio to inform you of a new mission that's become available or whatever (like when you're surrounded by zombies or in the middle of a fight with a psychopath). When you answer him, Frank becomes incapable of fighting or even jumping until the call is over, and will also automatically drop any weapon that is too big to store in your inventory. And if you hang up on him, he calls you again, complains "Don't hang up on me like that! That's rude!" and ''restarts his entire speech from the beginning''! ''VG Cats'' [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=204 explains it with style]], as does [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/otis-rising.php Something Awful]]. Otis was made even worse by the 360's controller. If you didn't press the D-pad ''just'' right, you could drop your weapon or bring up an in-game menu. Pressing the D-pad just right is a lot harder than it sounds in the middle of a zombie-infested mob. The annoying controller made the whole thing feel like it was FakeDifficulty.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' features this in the San Fierro series of missions. Every once in a while, one of the villains sends minions on drug runs from San Fierro to Los Santos, and you are able to intercept them and steal their money. It wouldn't be so bad except that when it happens, the phone rings, CJ automatically answers it, and the following conversation [[MemeticMutation has become ingrained in many a player's head]]:
-->'''CJ:''' Hey Cesar. The yay leavin' San Fierro, right?
'''Cesar:''' Right, but they're using ''bikes'', CJ, and they go ''cross-country''!
* You can then choose to either go after them or not, and given how far away you have to drive to get them, a lot of players don't find the monetary award worth it, so these calls become especially annoying.
* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' it's great when your followers pick up better guns...unless it's a rocket launcher and they try to shoot the car that's next to you.
* ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours''. Careful in the trainyard when one of your employees is driving away. He will run you (or your lackey) over without a moment's hesitation.
* In ''VideoGame/TheGodfather'' games, your allies' firepower can be annoying when you're trying to get a specific Execution Style. Some other times all you want is to run away without escalating a situation, but they just have to open fire...
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Unsorted]]
* Thanks to the infuriatingly uneven AI of the game, your partners in ''[[VideoGame/YuGiOhTagForceSeries Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2]]'' are very much the embodiment of this trope; they make so many stupid moves that leave you at a disadvantage, one has to wonder if they're programmed to ''actively sabotage your game''.
* Petrie in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime 9'' spin-off game. Yes I can ''see'' the water is going up ''and'' I can see it's going down and ''therefore'' I assume I can use it to go up too, now '''shut up!'''
[[/folder]]
!!Other Media examples
[[folder: Websites]]
* MLB.com recently added a scout feature to its gameday feature that spurts out random facts that fans traditionally don't care about. You used to be able to turn it off, but that no longer does anything.
* Website/YouTube has a tendency to respond to slowly-loading videos by reducing the quality automatically. Some people would rather have their video load slowly than play poorly, and these people are the most likely to notice [=YouTube=] doing this and respond by putting the quality back up again, taking up more time than it would have if [=YouTube=] had simply left the video alone. Even worse is that sometimes [=YouTube=] will ''lock off the higher quality option'' when it does this, forcing the user to refresh the page, and taking up even more time. Particularly nasty is how [=YouTube=] gives an option to never play high-quality video to improve load times...but no option to never play low-quality video.
* Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Showdown, a website used to simulate competitive Pokémon battling, has a few tools to help beginners be as competitive as reasonably possible. It lists Pokémon by tier, moves by how viable they are on the Pokémon in question, and optimal EV spreads based on the Pokémon's stats and moves. While this is all well and good in theory, it's mostly automatically generated and a few Pokémon can really screw up how it's built. For an example, Magmortar is very notorious among the RU crowd for this reason; it needs high Speed to function with any real degree of success, but the automated EV generator will almost invariably give it high HP at the expense of Speed. It's also based on the assumption that players will be using maximum-level Pokémon, meaning that players of Little Cup (a spinoff metagame where all legal Pokemon are at level 5) can sometimes encounter hilarious results like [[http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/Malkyrian/suggested.png this]]. [[note]]255 is the maximum number of EVs legal in any one stat, and negative EVs are never possible.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Pinball]]
* In the ''Pinball/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' pinball game, you actually get a ''bonus'' for cutting off Data when he talks at times.
--> '''Data''': Had you projected the ball at the proper velocity, you would have been rewa-- ''[hit flipper buttons]''
'''Picard''': THANK YOU, Mr. Data.
[[/folder]]
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[[quoteright:235:[[Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/link_and_navi_9948.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:235:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime You don't know]] [[Music/CountingCrows what you've got]] [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/963 'til it's gone.]]]]
->''That's because if Kuni gets the last hit, you don't get to perform a floral finisher. Kuni basically will killsteal. I know, it's annoying. But, like they say, partners are only there to killsteal from you. I don't know who says that, but I just did. So therefore, it is a thing. Now, make a TVTropes page about it.''
-->-- '''LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}}''', commenting on game mechanics in ''VideoGame/{{Okamiden}}'' (and TemptingFate in the process)
Sometimes, "help" can be more trouble than it's worth.
The character that has you screaming "Stop helping me!" is usually an ExpositionFairy who either has an attitude problem or interrupts when you really wish they wouldn't. Sometimes it's [[SpoonyBard a party member who's a master of the]] UselessUsefulSpell -- or who [[LeeroyJenkins keeps getting overexcited and killing you with friendly fire]]. In extreme cases, it's the character the player is controlling, if they're annoying/inept enough; stupid catchphrases and idiotic behavior during cutscenes have resulted in many a player [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential wasting a life by directing their playing character off a cliff, just for revenge]].
Unfortunately, these annoyances are never disposable characters. You're stuck with them for the entirety of the game. The best you can hope for is that they do a FaceHeelTurn and become the bad guy's problem. In fact, sending them to the opposite faction might be a good tactical maneuver on your part. However, in that instance, MurphysLaw will kick in and they'll be [[GoodIsDumb just as effective fighting against you as they were ineffective fighting for you]]. ''C'est la vie.'' At least you don't have to listen to their voice constantly and you finally have that excuse to kill them that you've been waiting all game for.
In fact, most "guide" characters will try the player's patience if they've played the game through a couple of times -- like the tutorial levels, they're not really needed after the first play through. And maybe not even then. Smarter game designers will give players the option of turning the character "off" when the player doesn't want their help, or the guide only helping when the player specifically asks him or her to.
This should go without saying, but try to avoid sticking AI sidekicks in here that are simply not [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard perfect]]. If they can pull their own weight in a fight, but have different priorities and thresholds for doing things than a player might, then they probably don't belong here. (Complaining that the computer is trying to use its healing items on you earlier than you necessarily want it to, for example, does not make them this trope, especially in a game without a HyperspaceArsenal.)
Compare TheMillstone, where the unhelpful "helper" is the cause of difficulties that directly effect the plot. When the "helper" is an ''intentionally'' unhelpful or confusing MissionControl, it's MissionControlIsOffItsMeds. Contrast to HelpfulMook, where the enemy is genuinely helpful. Also related to ContinueYourMissionDammit, where the game will nag the player to continue even if there's not an actual need to hurry, like in a TimedMission.
For InUniverse examples of unhelpful "helpers", please see UnwantedAssistance.
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!!Video Game examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Action Adventure]]
* In ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon'', Professor E. Gadd keeps calling you to gauge your abilities and give you advice, often sounding pushy in the process (and sometimes rushing you on top of it). This can get annoying sometimes, and can be distracting.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Kaepora Gaebora from ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask Majora's Mask]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures Four Swords Adventures]]'', only shows up a relative few times, and he's not of the "Hey Listen!" variety, but is annoying solely on the fact that his dialogues - which activate when you walk by certain places, whether you want them to or not - [[WallOfText consist of tens of screens]] that you'll cycle through four or five times because mashing the A button to advance the dialogue quicker (which doesn't always work!) results in him reaching the end and giving a "[[ShallIRepeatThat would you like me to repeat that?]]", which you immediately accept because [[DamnYouMuscleMemory you've been mashing said A button!]] (''Everybody in the game but him'' defaults to "no" when it comes to asking if you want them to repeat.) At least his [[EarWorm music]] is cool, and his dialogue can be mostly skipped entirely by pressing B past a certain point.
** MemeticMutation has [[{{Flanderization}} somewhat exaggerated]] the annoyance caused by Navi from ''Ocarina of Time'', but her incessant cries of "Hey!", "Look!", "Listen!" and "Watch out!" and habit of popping up all the time to remind you where to go next can still grate on a player's nerves.
** Navi's SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute from ''Majora's Mask'', Tatl, has a significantly less annoying set of audio cues, but the same frequency with them.
** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', a certain gossip stone found late in the game will give you a simple explanation of what your current goal is and then ask if you'd like it to repeat that. Say yes and it will loop endlessly. Say no and the stone will respond with "Rumor has it that you're some kind of genius who remembers things perfectly the first time you hear them."
** Tingle (and as result, whoever you give the Game Boy Advance to) can very effectively become one of these in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' after receiving the Tingle Tuner. One can even press the A button on the GBA to make Link ''drop everything'' in order to look at that little green marker while it shouts "HAAAAAY" to catch your attention. This means even making you put away your sail at sea! Thank goodness you can at least turn off the volume on the blasted thing... The Tingle Tuner can even cause the game to crash by being used mid-deku hop.
** In the higher levels of the Gamecube ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords'' Bonus-Game ''Tetra's Navi Trackers'', Tetra (or Sue Belle or The King of Red Lions, depending who's the "anchor" right now) will sometimes make Tingle appear to "aid" the players... given her [[{{Tsundere}} personality]], she's probably actually (and sucessfully) trying to torture (the) Link(s) by doing that. Every word out of Tingle's mouth (the characters in ''Navi Trackers'' are fully voiced, [[HeroicMime except for Link]]) sounds like it was trying to tempt the player to shut down the game.
** Fi in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' is ''at least'' as bad as all of these. Much of her supposedly helpful behavior is a either a nuisance (upon getting a new item and clicking past the item description, she is prompted to almost verbatim repeat the very same description the player has ''just read'') or outright infuriating (any attempts at exploring by going off the beaten plot path, will prompt her to attempt to nudge the player into going where the plot wants them to). The worst example is when you're injured; you've already got a CriticalAnnoyance going, and Fi adds her own alert that she wants to tell you something... she's noticed your health is low and you should find some hearts. The fact that she talks in RoboSpeak and her dialogue is peppered with frequent instances of IfMyCalculationsAreCorrect doesn't exactly do much to endear her either.
* The Cheshire Cat from ''VideoGame/AmericanMcGeesAlice'', while technically an aversion of the trope, is no less irritating. His "advice" consists mainly of cryptic insults, such as "There's a nasty name for those who insist on doing things the hard way." Granted, he only appears when summoned, and as such is less likely to induce homicidal rage in the player...unless the player is really in a bind, and all good ol' Cheshire can say is "Alice, you really suck." Sometimes he even gives you advice that is just plain untrue. For example, he tells you that using the Jacks when there are no enemies around is dangerous, like the Dice. They're actually harmless.
* Zip and Alister from ''VideoGame/TombRaiderLegend'' have a way of "hinting" that reveals exactly how to solve whatever puzzle you were working on, as well as ruining the atmosphere with their babbling. Lara even lampshades this a little, by telling them to shut up when she's concentrating on some particularly tricky acrobatics.
* ''VideoGame/{{Aquaria}}'' has an annoying sidekick that moves slowly, has barely any firepower compared to the protagonist, and never says a word. You are nevertheless required to keep him around and rescue him once, because the game author [[RomanticPlotTumor forces him to be a love interest]] for your main character, even if this is [[StrangledByTheRedString very badly written]] and doesn't make sense on several levels (such as that they're of a [[InterspeciesRomance different species]]). Mercifully, it's possible to dump the annoying useless guy and come back only when you actually need him to get past some point in the game.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'':
** Roll tended to ramble over the radio at you every time you go into a dungeon. "Remember the last time we went on a dig? I wasn't used to being a spotter and you got trapped underground for three days." She goes off on this while you need to run (or jump) across platforms that break real easily and if you end up falling you have to do a U-turn and start over.
** Data is the "helpful" little cyborg monkey who ''can't be killed''. ''Ever''. You can unload the ultimate weapon in his face and he just... ''keeps... dancing''. In fact, at the end, he turns up planetside after everyone else has gotten trapped on Elysium, despite being up there with you at the end. It's somewhat satisfying to imagine the others trusted to his invincibility when they sent him back down, assumedly by punting him off Elysium and letting him deal with re-entry and the inevitable high-speed landing on his own.
* ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil'':
** Double H can sometimes get a bit... overly chatty. He enjoys screaming compliments at you in the middle of battle, when not continuously informing you of how he's "Awaiting your orders" -- and if things have been quiet for too long, he'll throw in a [[CatchPhrase "Carlson and Peeters!"]] just to break the silence. He and Pey'j ''both'' have the annoying habit of nagging you to do things out of the blue -- "Hey, let's go buy that Pearl Detector!" in the middle of a completely unrelated trek to a Looter's Cave.
** Or Pey'j asking you to give him a PA-1 (extra hit point) when a) it's more efficient to give your sidekick a lot of Starkos (each healing one hit point) and keep PA-1s and K-Bups (healing all hit points) for yourself, and b) he'll soon get captured anyway.
* In a game with otherwise great AI, Minion Master Gnarl from ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' can get really annoying. Hinting on how to fight the beholders? Fantastic. Repeating the same hint ''over and over in the same tone of voice, even as I do what you tell me too?'' That's it, into the forge. He gets even more annoying in the sequel, where the advice isn't even all that useful the first time. He says [[CaptainObvious I need to get the Spider Queen down from the wall to attack it]], but no hint as to how that can be done.
* Taken to extreme levels in the [[UsefulNotes/Playstation2 PS2]] game ''VideoGame/{{Tokobot}} Plus''. Upon gaining a new ability, you will be paused each time for the following: your "helper", Ruby, will wonder out loud what the new ability does, despite having an obvious name; she will analyze the ability's MacGuffin so she can give you an in depth explanation of what it does; after her inane chatter subsides, a window pops up giving a visual explanation of how to use the new ability, then ''another window'' pops up and repeats everything Ruby told you, and in case you weren't paying attention the first four times, Ruby will pause you again when you first need the ability ''and give another explanation of how you use it.'' This happens for ''every new move you aquire.'' In addition, Ruby will speak up about anything else you encounter and drop a hint about it, including: enemies, simple boss fights, obvious plot points, and puzzles. That's right, the game won't even let you solve its own puzzles without trying to help you ''even before you even start solving it!''
* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'', Mary Jane decides that she's tired of being the one that Spider-Man has to save and she decides to become an action girl. She grabs a shotgun and decides to help you during the [[spoiler: Symbiote Black Cat]] boss fight... except her shotgun does ''nothing'' to the symbiotes, the enemies that spawn during the fight rush her and not you, and you fail the mission if she dies. This forces you to constantly break off an already difficult boss fight so that you can save her stupid ass. Made worse by the fact that Mary Jane is very displeased with Spider-Man's use of the black suit and the vast majority of her dialogue in the game is her nagging you.
* In the game adaptation of [[Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan the 2012 film]], ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', Spider-Man ''himself'' is a bad case of this trope. If there is an object in the environment that you need to interact with- like turning wheels to drain water from a tank- Spider-Man will remind you ''every 15 seconds''. It's been timed.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Action Game]]
* Angie from ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter: Under the Knife''
** She makes an already frustrating game even worse by her constant mewling of "Doctor!" or "What is that?!!" (It's a lung, Angie, you've seen one before). More annoying still is that when she starts talking, you have to stop what you're doing and press the "Call" button to move her monologue along so you can get on with that heart transplant. ''Extremely'' annoying when playing a mission that requires speed. Thankfully, she's a lot less annoying in the Wii remake, ''Second Opinion''.
** She gets worse in ''Under the Knife 2''. Despite having performed the same operation dozens of times before, she feels the need to interrupt your intense concentration with repetitive instructions that don't serve any purpose beyond throwing you off. This is especially prevalent in the last few missions, where a single mistake can lead to immediate death. When your heart is racing and your fingers sore from gripping the stylus so hard, the last thing you need is Angie yelling "USE THE ANTIBIOTIC GEL" to mess up your focus.
* Sparks, your [[MissionControl operator]] in ''VideoGame/EnterTheMatrix'', has a habit of sending irrelevant [=IMs=] in critical moments... and to make things even more frustrating, when his IM screen is visible, you don't heal or restore focus.
* ''VideoGame/MadWorld'' with Agent XIII. Worse in the tutorial since EVERYTHING stops just to listen to him go on about how you can kill people THREE TIMES.
* ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders: The Second Runner''. You will hear, "I suggest using [subweapon the game ''thinks'' is useful]," and "Damage level exceeding 50/75%," and, "Use Dash to move out of the way of enemy attack and then counter attack," so often that not having to hear it anymore will be your motivation for finishing the level after long enough. However, you can press the joystick buttons to answer the AI, the Left one saying yes and switching you to that subweapon quicker. Whereas the Right one has answers more along the line of "Stop bothering me!". You can do this with most things that are said, even if its just tossing out a one liner when she's saying the [[WaveMotionGun Vector Cannon]] is charged.
* Pommy from ''VideoGame/Bomberman64TheSecondAttack'' can't attack an enemy without the attack backfiring and stunning him 9 times out of 10, and if you're too close to him when he attacks he ends up stunning ''you'' instead. He also gets in the way of your attacks and any objects you're trying to move, hindering your puzzle-solving and enemy-killing. If left to his own devices he'll wanter around aimlessly, usually away from where you need him to be. Oh, and every boss fight you get into, he just hides in the corner, leaving you to do all the work. He does have EvolutionaryLevels that make him more useful, though.
* Issun in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' tends to repeat every plot-related hint three times in red text.
* Your allies in ''VideoGame/BlastCorps'' every time you try to destroy a building in a way you're not supposed to, usually by ramming it to death if you are not in the Ramdozer. "Try something else!" "Is this such a good idea?" Screw you! I got this giant missile on a truck riding down the tracks and--[[EarthShatteringKaboom *NUCLEAR EXPLOSION*]]
* ''VideoGame/SonicSpinball'' constantly reminds you of things you have to do before you can access certain areas, or when certain enemies are coming.
** Toxic Caves: WORM BAGGED. WORM BAGGED. CLUCK ALERT!
** Lava Powerhouse: BUST DOOR FIRST...BUST DOOR FIRST...BUST DOOR FIRST...
** Showdown: Hit other targ--BUST BLOCKS FIRST! BUST BLOCKS FIRST! BUST BLOCKS FIRST!
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Adventure Game]]
* Cedric the Owl from ''VideoGame/KingsQuestV'' is a particularly infuriating example. Not only are most of his warnings about really obvious dangers ("No, Graham! Don't!"), they are generally given only when it's already too late to stop yourself. For extra annoyance, you actually have to go rescue him a few times to continue on in the game - and he never does something remotely useful himself.
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', the video game, had the option to ask for help at any time from Terry Jones. At first his hints are almost useful, but eventually he just gets more and more infuriated as the game progresses, tired of helping you. Eventually he stomps out of the game and is replaced by Michael Palin, who is just as useless. ''Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time'', having no plot at all, had no help and no rules, except when you broke them. You were then sent to "The Penalty Box" where a nude Terry Jones played a taunting organ piece to mock you.
* In the old text-based game for ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Gandalf and Thorin are necessary to help Bilbo out of certain traps (you're too short to escape on your own); [[EscortMission Thorin also has to survive until the party reaches Smaug's lair so that he can use the key to the side door.]] And Bard must be waiting at the Long Lake to shoot Smaug when he arrives. However, all these characters are prone to wandering off, telling you "No" when you ask for help (even in time-critical situations), and being killed or captured by wandering enemies. (Played with in that one of the most annoying things they do is abandon you for no reason.)
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Driving Game]]
* In the "Getaway Driver" missions in ''Creator/{{Driver}}'', your passengers are prone to shout things like "Do something! We got us a tail!" when up to three police cars are slamming into you from all directions.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:First Person Shooter]]
* Your AI ally from ''VideoGame/SiN Episodes'' had a rather annoying habit of finding more mooks to shoot at her, and then drawing attention to you, the [[FriendlyFireproof not-invulnerable player]].
* Regardless of how many times you have played ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield 2}}'' (and the game keeps track), every time you start a game you still get told how to use ALL of the basic game functions, with text boxes that block parts of the screen.
* In ''VideoGame/TimeShift'', for 90% of the game you have freedom to take your time and experiment, but in latest portion of the game, where you're escorting the rebel leader, ''the guy will not shut up'', constantly complaining about how you're taking too long to reach your next goal while ''you're in the middle of a fire-fight''. Even using your time powers to move at super-speed it seems impossible to speedrun to the objectives without hearing at least one complaint from this guy.
* ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'':
** The guidebot in ''Descent 2'' has a tendency to pelt you with (mildly damaging) flares whenever you're near a door that it tries to open. Thankfully, you can order him to stay away indefinitely, and he does. You can also abuse him with splash damage weapons, or use a cheat code that turns him into an AttackDrone Of Doom.
** In ''Descent 3'', hurting the guidebot has its own pitfalls, because when he's damaged enough he'll retreat to your ship. By ''smashing into you at full speed'' and taking half an orb's worth off your shield.
* ''VideoGame/{{Daikatana}}''. A selling point of the game is another character would follow you around. Unfortunately, the AI is retarded and likes to run into walls and other useless things that you would be perfectly able to handle on your own if you didn't have to worry about your other character.
* ''[[VideoGame/RainbowSix RainbowSix: Vegas 2]]'':
** The PlayerCharacter (Bishop) and his squad is "assisted" by an NSA agent who infiltrated the terrorist's penthouse. Later, when Bishop's squadmates are recalled back to replace Logan Keller's lost squad, Bishop decides to track down the apparent terrorist mastermind, Alvarez Cabrero to a oil facility; and the NSA agent shows up to accompany him. The agent's help mainly consists of him distracting you during tense situations, failing at giving you reliable intel, and generally being completely useless. Justified in that [[spoiler:the NSA agent was TheMole, TheManBehindTheMan, and the AnticlimaxBoss all rolled into a convenient, easily hateable package]].
** The squad itself is terrible at their jobs. Keep them nearby and they will force you to stay in place as a grenade drops right at your feet. Send them up ahead and they'll let the enemy kill them. Tell them to rappel or fast-rope from railings and they'll immediately tell you they "can't do that". Try to strategically move them up from cover to cover and ''they'll get stuck on thin air''.
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
** ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' had 343 Guilty Spark, which made irritating comments, gave useless advice, and hummed slightly nasal tunes like fingernails down a chalkboard as it led you along. "Luckily" you didn't have to bear with it forever, as it [[spoiler:turned out to be the Bad Guy at the plot climax and proceeded to try to kill you at every opportunity afterward.]]
** A less extreme case is in ''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'' on the final level. As you drive up to the jump you'll need to make to get into the hangar, Cortana urges you to gun the engines, which would be good advice, except that anyone with half a brain would have ''already'' been gunning the engine for the entire level, thank you very much!
** Sgt. Johnson tends to shoot instant-death lasers into the area where you fight.
* In ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', allies and enemies can talk to you over your infolink, and for the entirety of their voice clip you cannot quicksave, which can be pretty tiresome at times. It's even lampshaded in the original game: after Tracer Tong drones on and on through the infolink about the Illuminati and the clues you've uncovered that point to them - all while you are desperately trying to escape both hordes of enemies and numerous environmental hazards - J.C. (your character) berates him for it when they meet face to face. Tong seems blissfully unaware that he has done anything wrong.
* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' - Every time there's a change in the mission objective status, the Administrator has something to say about it. This quickly gets very annoying on Control Point maps with a highly contested CP. And then there was the [[http://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Overtime "OVERTIME" bug,]] which would cause the announcer to repeatedly announce overtime throughout the OT period.
* In early builds of ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', AI characters could heal you with their health packs, which would freeze you in place for several seconds. When they pull this stunt during the last sprint to the rescue vehicle, it can easily get you killed. Valve thankfully patched it so you could cancel the healing. The only way to make them stop trying to heal you is by holding out your pills or first aid kit, which means you have no gun to use unless you swap out. Also, the AI will gleefully toss you pain pills while you are low on health, but they will usually do so while you are shooting and you will likely down the pills without even trying. This is still present in the sequel. Also, you cannot move when you're being healed.
* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' has a Charger, which will plow through you and the Spitter, who can spit acid on the floor and damage anyone standing in it. It can become quite common for an AI survivor to try to heal you and you see a Charger running towards you or a Spitter spits on you as you are being healed, forcing you to take damage until the AI either finishes healing you or is also hit by the spit and forces them to move.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'':
** "Don't forget to reload, Doctor Freeman!" is one of the more useless reminders, coming when you're in the process of doing just that, you still have half a magazine, or even when using a weapon where there's no manual reload option in the first place.
** Intentionally averted in ''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' with Alyx. Originally she was to frequently tell Gordon (and thus the player) to hurry up/go faster/something similar, but when the developers realised that if players didn't like Alyx they wouldn't like the game, as she spends [[ExpositionFairy almost all of the game following the player]], this was removed.
** After popping out of a room to throw a grenade into a sunken gun turret, you may find that when you moved outside, an NPC 'teammate' stepped into the doorway. Now you have to gently, politely push them aside and shuffle back into the room. While taking bullets.
* The tutorial instructors in ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' "Switch to your other weapon, it's faster than reloading!" Particularly annoying if you're trying repeatedly to get the achievement. The message will play even if you've already switched to your other weapon and thus the magazines are running dry on both.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}''
** Dogmeat in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' doesn't have any tactics beyond "stay here and don't move" and "immediately attack anything within range." This frequently leads to him leaping between you and an enemy ... just as you're unloading several shotgun shells or lasers in that direction.
** The anonymous young lady who abruptly cutscene-stops you ''every single time'' you enter Megaton and almost every time you leave a building in Megaton to [[InterfaceScrew spend five minutes to zoom-lock the camera on herself]] and tell you just how much you're appreciated and to give you a (usually) cheap and barely useful item. Forget the Talon Mercenaries, ''this'' is the game's real punishment for having overly high Karma.
** In ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', the Old World Blues Sealth Suit Mk II becomes this. She/It will inject you with Med-X at the start of a fight (which can easily get you addicted to it if you let her/it) and will inject you with Stimpaks very frequently, even if you don't need it (possibly getting you sick AND burning expensive items when they weren't needed). In addition to this, she regularly cracks the joke "Starting combat... just kidding." Especially bad when in an already tense situation.
* ''VideoGame/FarCry3'' really wants you to follow the main quest line. A huge pop up box will "helpfully" appear on the screen every couple of minutes to remind you to go to the next mission, although a later patch removed it.
* The Netricsa from ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'', with the stupid blinking mailbox icon forcing you to go out of the game just to shut it up. It takes almost every opportunity to do this, not just every time you kill an enemy and pick up a weapon for the first time, but in response to countless environments throughout the game. And the information is always [[CaptainObvious something the player either already knows or can figure out almost immediately]] or [[ExcusePlot something completely unimportant]]. It doesn't help that VideoGame/SeriousSam is a game DESIGNED for FirstPersonShooter veterans who don't need ANY of this help, and can easily fool someone into recommending a game to an FPS newbieâ€â€Â[[ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime bad idea]].
* ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' has help messages that pop up when it detects that the player is having difficulty with a given section. However, these messages interfere with Elizabeth throwing supplies (like health) to Booker during combat, creating situations where the help messages can kill you.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hack and Slash]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Gauntlet}}'' and its progeny: "Warrior needs food, badly!", "Warrior is about to die!", "Use magic to kill Death!". Not actually bad advice, most of the time, but usually obvious and unnecessary.
* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 3'', when you get one of the later bosses to half health, your brother, Virgil, shows up to help you beat the boss. At this point, the battle becomes ten times harder, since they mapped the button you use to control Virgil (which is useless anyway since he mirrors your moves for the most part) to your style button, depriving you of many of your more powerful moves, which far outweighs Virgil's meager contribution. Plus, you can't use your devil trigger; no healing or extra damage for you.
* In ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriorsGundam 2'':
** When an oversized mecha shows up on your side, the giant mecha's BeamSpam and shockwave attacks hurt you just as badly as they hurt the enemy mooks. Even worse, you can't even get the giant mech to stop by killing it, because it's ''on your side!''
** Your AI allies idea of attacking bosses is to run face-first into said boss and hit it with only basic moves, usually getting their [[CurbStompBattle ass handed to them]]. This is particularly bad in missions where some ignoramus of a mission designer decided it was a good idea to make the mission fail if said ally dies.
* Allies in any ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' game are generally good examples of this trope. It got particularly frustrating in 2, where enemy officers could recover health or get temporary power-ups when knocked down... which is what any fully-executed combo will do to them (and the only one which doesn't stuns them, meaning any ''subsequent'' hit will knock them down). When fighting alone, this could be avoided. When fighting with allies around... yeah, good luck with getting a quick win there.
* Nick from ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' must always point out the obvious, and keep repeating himself endlessly. A perfect example from Chapter 1, when trying to keep the zombies away from the bomb cake: "Keep those zombies away from the cake!" "Keep those zombies away from the cake!" "Keep those zombies away from the cake!" "Keep those zombies away from the cake!"
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Platform Game]]
* In the ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'' series, there is an on-screen indicator to shake the Wii-mote at incredibly obvious places (such as spinning in a launch star), even more in the second game. Three things make this extra annoying: It makes a sound which gets grating fast, it always pops up, even if you have already been to the level, and it has the tendency to pop up ''after you have performed the indicated action!''
* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' the Princess occasionally pops up to shout "HELP!" and throw you a super mushroom in the final fight with Bowser, which is nice as long as you don't have a more useful power-up in reserve that the [[PowerupLetdown stupid mushroom will cheerfully replace]].
* FLUDD from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' chimes in occasionally to give you advice, via a text box and the audio cue "Mario!". Whilst this can be annoying at times (especially because the advice he gives isn't usually that helpful), he's nowhere ''near'' as annoying as some of the others on this list because his text box doesn't intrude on the game or distract you too much.
* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Omochao has driven many a player to frustration, making some max out the VideogameCrueltyPotential against him. Apparently as a reaction to peoples' negative opinions on Omochao, he appears in ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Advance|Trilogy}} 3'', though you have to press up on the D-pad to pick him up and get his hints (he also stops time, but if your partner is nearby, his/her sprite still animates even though they can't move otherwise).
** Later games paired you up with other main characters, so this concept ended up making Tails and Knuckles a lot more annoying than they needed to be. At least you could ''choose'' whether or not to bump into Omochao or Tikal most of the time.
** In ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' and ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', you usually had to touch a "?" symbol to activate your partner's help, much like Omochao in the ''Adventure'' games. While it is still too easy to accidentally touch the help spot, no games in the series force you to hear the majority of help spots.
** ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' also uses the "?" symbol in the [=PS3/360=] version, but in the [=Wii/PS2=] Version, Chip will stop the game to tell you something important if necessary, like how to turn a lever, even if you have already done that.
** Sega was nice enough to provide a gun in ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' that let you fire Omachao's severed head at enemies. Once it was upgraded, the head would bounce off of walls and could easily take out a room full of baddies if applied properly.
** A [[GameMod ROM hack]] of ''VideoGame/{{Sonic the Hedgehog|}}1'', ''[[http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic%20the%20Hedgehog%20OmoChao%20Edition Sonic the Hedgehog OmoChao Edition]]'', turns Omochao into a Most Triumphant Example of this trope. Why? Because he stops time to make a CaptainObvious comment for most of the actions you can do in the game while the 1up jingle plays. The more stuff he says, the longer it takes for the jingle to stop.
** The Bioware spin-off ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles: The Dark Brotherhood'' mostly plays this straight by making Tails the designated tutorial exposition character. It also subverts it by allowing the player to shut him up, with some dialogue options that make Sonic sound like a total A-hole.
** Anyone who's ever played ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Sonic 2]]'' or ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles 3]]'' knows just how much of a [[TheLoad useless furry liability]] Tails is as your tag-along; while he ''can'' be used as a nifty little immortal RedShirt against enemies, more often than not he gets in your way, pushes buttons or destroys enemies/collapsible areas that you were wanting to use as platforms, and stupidly runs into ludicrous danger on his own.
** ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure''
*** Tails tags along, picking up things you don't want, like animals that you can take into the Chao Gardens, if you're only looking for specific ones to give to your Chao so that they take on only the traits of those specific animals, among some other undesirable moments.
*** Tikal from ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' is even worse than Omochao. Hitting her not only gives you useless hints, it also stops your movement, leading to time loss or even death if you are in mid-jump in front of a BottomlessPit. There are levels that have to be solved without using hints, so running into her forces you to restart that level.
*** The floating help [=TVs=] in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' use the button that's normally used for attack/pick up/put down as "tell me info I probably know already" if you're near them. This can cause such things as trying to put down the animal you're holding, only to be stuck standing there reading "Welcome to the Chao Races" or some such just long enough for a Chao to come over and grab the animal, thus altering its stats, appearance and behaviour in ways you didn't want it to. In Knuckles and Rouge's hunting stages, using the hint [=TVs=] damages your score, possibly ruining that A-rank you were going after and forcing you to replay the stage.
** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'':
*** Omichao will start speaking once you pass him. In the challenge missions, this can be annoying. Even the first level of the game, he pops in to say that he's there to help. Luckily, you can turn him off.
*** For the final boss of Generations, all your friends will warn you about the homing shot. It's so bad that it will drown out the one line of dialogue that is actually ''useful!''
** ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' actually has Exposition Fairies that ''compete'' for your attention, one trying to convince you to take the Hero Mission and the other trying to convince you to take the Dark Mission! You cannot stop them from competing--even if you choose one mission, the helper character for the other mission will pop up in the stage at another time, and this continues back and forth, back and forth... ''and they will talk the entire time''.
* The role of Squawks the Parrot in the original ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'' is a variation on this theme. Appearing only in the darkness "Torchlight Trouble" level, his role is to illuminate a small portion of the screen... And to shine his little flashlight in the player's eyes whenever your character turns around. Stupid bird. Likewise for Glimmer the Anglerfish in the second game. Possibly even worse, since it's a [[DownTheDrain swimming level]]. Fortunately, these issues were fixed in the [[UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Virtual Console]] releases of the games.
* In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', Squawks also shows up to give you a brief tutorial whenever you first see something or use an ability. Normally annoying (yes, we ''know'' each new character has five bananas to find in each stage), but it gets even worse when you factor in that it ''doesn't stop the action around you''. Dazzling Addar's LetsPlay of the game demonstrates this, as such a tutorial directly costs him a race.
* [[ExpositionFairy Tutorial Pig]] qualifies in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''. Die eight or ten times in one level, and he will appear at the beginning of the level and at every checkpoint [[MostAnnoyingSound jingling and waving his little flag]] trying to get you to use the Super Guide option. The only way to make him go away is by beating that level... and then, if you go back to the level to get items and die a bunch again, he ''comes back''.
* ''VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail'' has Trina the fairy, who pops up whenever Spyro comes across something he hasn't before. She doesn't speak, but her text bubble takes up almost half the screen, often obscuring the very thing she's trying to explain about, and continues to stay on the screen unless you move away from that new thing. Then if you go back to it she pops up again with her infernal text bubble still in place.
* Alia from ''VideoGame/MegaManX 5'' as MissionControl would suddenly start talking about something, and you would immediately have to stop and listen. Even if you were in the middle of a jump over a BottomlessPit or spikes. In ''X6'', you have the option of ignoring her entirely and moving on, though it reverts in ''X7''. However, in ''X8'', though there are ''three'' Navis, each one specializing in a particular game segment, they can be ignored like in ''X6''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' has Crystal and Clem, two [[{{Yandere}} psychotic cheerleaders]] -- sort of. They only appear in a few places, but when they do, they mercilessly cheer and scream for Raz, much to his chagrin. The first time you encounter them, they're rooting for you while you play a mini-game. Your reward for finishing said mini-game? ''Getting them kicked out of the level.'' In contrast, your actual ExpositionFairy, Ford, will generally only chime in with unwanted advice when it's really obvious that you have [[GuideDangIt absolutely no idea what you're doing.]] It can still be distracting, though, if you try to listen in at the same time you're fighting off a giant lungfish. However, if pressed for more and more cheers, Crystal will eventually break down into tears, admitting that she is a godawful cheerleader and her life is a sham. They can also be seen mixing poison in glass vials they will hide behind their backs if the player gets near. It's pretty heavily implied that they're both extremely suicidal and cannot even stand themselves.
* Bottles and his relatives from the ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' games are something of an in-world example. Aside for the skippable tutorials at the beginning of each game, they only show up to the teach the bear and bird duo new movements; if they have collected the correct number of notes. However, this doesn't quite stop the moles from being threated by Kazooie, who mocks and insults them on a regular basis.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' while nowhere near as bad as some examples, repeatedly tells you to press 'B' on context sensitive buttons even though most of them have a big fat 'B' written and clearly visible right where you should stand. Also, when picking up stuff like the slingshot and confidence pills, you have these menus with incredibly slow text scrolling and you have to wait for Conker to read the instructions (he often takes long pauses) until you can move on.
* In ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheAmazingMirror'', you get three other little vacuum blobs to "help" you out. In reality, they are TooDumbToLive.
* In the climax of ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot3Warped'', Aku Aku holds Uka Uka off while you take on Cortex. Only problem? Aku Aku helps form half the danger of the fight thanks to Friendly Fire.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/Rayman3HoodlumHavoc'', there's Murfy. The good news is that you'll only see him for one level. The bad news is that he won't shut up for the entire duration of said level and you can't skip his dialogue.
** Weirdly, he was really tolerable in ''VideoGame/{{Rayman 2}}: The Great Escape'', having his advice appearing briefly on screen without interrupting your action at all and only appearing in person when you either encountered his helper stone for the first time or called for it with a certain button while standing on said stone. One has to wonder why they went several steps back in the next game ...
* In ''VideoGame/EpicMickey'', Gus Gremlin worked just fine as a helper. But in ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'', he is [[SuddenlyVoiced fully voiced]] and just ''keeps on saying the same words of advice'' as you attempt to solve a certain puzzle or fight a certain battle, and it gets very tiresome and very distracting.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Puzzle Game]]
* If [=GLaDOS=] weren't so well-written, ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' would have been one of the most annoying experiences in the entire god-damn world. Trapped in a lab facility, your only [[CompanionCube companion a cube]] that doesn't ever speak to you and a passive-aggressive ice inhibitor... you're really lucky Old Man Murray wrote the script, you know that? It helps that [=GLaDOS=] does give some genuinely helpful information at times (mostly when the developers found playtesters had difficulty understanding concepts necessary to some puzzles, for example conservation of momentum) and is a gloriously funny DeadpanSnarker. Besides, [[spoiler:at the end you ''do'' get to kill her. Unless she really is Still Alive...]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' averts this by giving your AI companions absolutely hilarious dialogue throughout the game, but it plays the trope for meta humor during the third act in the form of the automated announcer who continues to insist, despite the villain's denials, that the facility is about to blow up. For bonus fun, when the [[ExactTimeToFailure reactor explosion countdown timer]] fails during the FinalBoss fight, the announcer is so determined to be helpful that it activates a SelfDestructMechanism to ''[[BetterToDieThanBeKilled remove the uncertainty]]'' of not knowing when you're going to die.
* In the ''Brain Age 100'' math problems exercise, an attention shattering noise occurs after solving a set number of problems.
* The first puzzle in ''VideoGame/MystIV'' has Atrus constantly telling you how to solve it. There is not ''one second'' of continuous silence from Atrus until you have solved it. His repertoire of helpful advice isn't particularly long, and it gets very old ''very'' quickly.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperHexagon'', whenever the current record is broken, the game feels the need to announce it on the spot with "Excellent!" Due to how easily it can break one's concentration, that "Excellent!" may very well be immediately followed up with ''(zap)'' "[[GameOver GAME. OVER.]]"
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Racing Game]]
* ''VideoGame/BurnoutParadise'': Shut Up [[TheScrappy Atomika]], we do not need your {{Forced Tutorial}}s interrupting the high-speed stunt driving every 3 minutes.
* ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' has a frequent "Hey! Somebody's right on your tail!"
* ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA 2'', meanwhile, often has "Hey! Someone's drafting you!"
* ''LEGO Stunt Rally'' has the in-game assistant of "Mr. X", who serves as an instructor to the player. Fair enough, but it can get annoying hearing him repeatedly explain the functions of every single button every time you scroll over something. Fortunately you can turn him off if you get too sick of him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Real Time Strategy]]
* Zyzyx in ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}''. "Your creatures are under attack!" "Your creatures are dying!" "Your building lies in ruins..." etc. He would be endurable if he didn't say those lines over and over again in the same tone, or if [[DeadpanSnarker that last phrase didn't sound like it carried the subtext]] "and it wasn't a particularly good building either." A patch for the game added, amongst numerous improvements, the option to disable Zyzyx's help.
* ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'' was essentially advisor-free (you could disable it completely, and if you didn't it only gave you the advice once). Life was good. And then a ''patch'' introduced a ''battle commentator'' giving you the play-by-play. "The battle is swinging in our favor! If we can press on, victory is ours! Our forces are badly blooded! KILL YOURSELF, KILL YOURSELF AND THE IMMERSION YOU RODE IN ON, YOU PATHETIC MORON!". Adding insult to injury, the voice was in culture-dependent [[JustAStupidAccent silly accent]]. Making things even worse is the fact that the battle commentator doesn't actually say anything useful. Due to the massive scale of a number of the battles, you'll hear him say that you've destroyed half the enemy force UP TO 3 TIMES!
* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'' has an example that's a combination of AnnoyingVideoGameHelper, MostAnnoyingSound, and Stop Asking for Help ''From'' Me. Now, the normal YouRequireMoreVespeneGas type messages in the game are okay, most of the time, because you really do require more of the resource when you get them. But in the Saladin campaign, you have to defend two allies, Aqaba and Medina. Theoretically, Aqaba and Medina will tell you when they're being attacked; one of the win conditions is that you need to make sure the Crusaders don't destroy Aqaba and Medina, so accurate messages about when they're being attacked are, in theory, helpful. In practice, you start this level with virtually no resources or military units, meaning you'll be stuck listening to them scream for help when there's nothing you can do, since you need to save your handful of underpowered cavalry for when your base gets attacked. Also, they'll sometimes broadcast the voice clip even when there's nothing left on the main landmass to attack them. This gets old ''fast'', and it just puts the icing on the cake of ThatOneLevel.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperHexagon'', whenever the current record is broken, the game feels the need to announce it on the spot with "Excellent!" Due to how easily it can break one's concentration, that "Excellent!" may very well be immediately followed up with ''(zap)'' "[[GameOver GAME. OVER.]]"
* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} III: Reign of Chaos''
** In the second human campaign mission, you build a base and train an army to kill the Blackrock Orc leader. Uther the Lightbringer helps defend your base from orcs that periodically attack it. Oh yeah, he also has a 45 second shield that he pops whenever somebody hits him. So the orcs start attacking your towers instead. Thanks, Uther.
** In the first undead mission of the ''Frozen Throne'', the player has to prevent anyone to escape the map through three paths, requiring to switch between three bases, heroes and armies. If that wasn't difficult enough, anytime enemy units will come ''anywhere'' close to one of the exits Kel'Thuzad or Sylvanas will interrupt the player's concentration by yelling about it. Even if you had let units at the passes specifically to deal with this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Rhythm Game]]
* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'':
** Toadsworth spends the first battle teaching Mario to do things (even if you've already done them), and after you get inhaled by Bowser, Starlow (and to an extent, the Emoglobins) crank the tutorials UpToEleven. It gets to the point where the tutorial for digestion is longer than the actual digestion, since you only do the digestion mini-game once. Bowser himself gets annoyed at Toadsworth constantly interrupting the battle. One can only imagine how Midbus feels when Fawful keeps breaking in and effectively telling Bowser how to beat him up.
** The Emoglobin's VerbalTic of replacing every other noun with "globin" really doesn't help.
** Bowser getting annoyed at exposition becomes a RunningGag throughout the third game, especially with Starlow, or rather 'Chippy'. It helps that for once, Starlow is portrayed as being rather annoying and in-your-face in-game, rather than well-intentioned ineptitude.
* Played with in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' in the boss battle against the Wiggler. Popple (who is supposedly fighting alongside you) "helps out" by annoying the Wiggler, making it VERY pissed and causing its attacks to become ''a lot harder'' to evade.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Role Playing Game]]
* Subverted in ''VideoGame/SuikodenII''. Apple, a returning character from the first game, offers her services as a strategist in your first few early engagements. She does a mediocre job at first, then flat out fails spectacularly at countering the enemy's strategy a couple times later on. The aversion comes when she apologizes, decides she's just not ready yet, and only helps if you explicitly ask her to from then on. However, without her you and everyone else in the fort would be dog meat, and the help she gives later when you ask for it is generally helpful. Really, her only shortcoming is a lack of confidence in herself.
* In ''VideoGame/SystemShock 2'', Janice Polito's speeches are much louder than ambient sounds. For example when main character leaves Cryo Recovery. Hybrids are groaning somewhere nearby. Player cannot see them, but hears their footsteps approaching. He sneaks, trying to find them... then Polito blows his speakers all of a sudden, telling about an elevator being shut down. This is likely deliberate, though (like with the maybe-allies above).
* ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'':
** The Guildmaster from [[VideoGame/{{Fable1}} the first game]] frequently offers advice that's either not applicable or so obvious you couldn't miss it. "Try to get your combat multiplier EVEN HIGHER!" "Hero, your health is low... do you have any potions? Or food?" "Your Will energy is low, Hero. Watch that." Also, there's the [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall hallucinating boy]], one of whose random phrases is "Your health is low... What?! Who said that?"
** ''VideoGame/FableII'':
*** The unhelpful notices of the first game are refered to in a loading screen that shows there are rumors that [[spoiler:the Guildmaster was found dead [[TakeThatScrappy with "Your health is low" carved into his forehead.]]]]
%% *** The comments during jobs in ''VideoGame/FableII''.
*** The dog from ''VideoGame/FableII'' often borders on this trope as he barked and tried to alert you to treasure even when you can clearly see in right in front of you. This quickly becomes irritating. Likewise, its AI is supposed to prioritize combat over treasure hunting, but will sometimes glitch causing it to run off and bark incessantly at a treasure in the middle of battle.
* ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'' part 1 and 2 are notorious for the fact that your party members are unable to feed themselves, unlike in the previous games. Even if their backpack contains plenty of food, they will start whining about how hungry they are constantly.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** The Alliance Marine Corps, Citadel Security and several random aliens manage to keep the galaxy safe, despite the fact that they tend to aim straight at their target and blast away, disregarding any obstacles in the line of fire, like walls, rocks, ship hulls, the ''back of the player character's head''... Fortunately, this is easy enough to mitigate by simply ordering them to move away, and when they do have a clear line of sight at their targets, they do a ''lot'' of damage.
** The "help" messages with the Cerberus logo in [[VideoGame/MassEffect2 the sequel]] constitutes better proof than anything that the organization is inherently evil. "Press F to finish the mission. What's that? You want to explore and I'm covering up your DialogueTree? WELL TOO BAD!"
* The King of All Cosmos in ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy''; no, thanks, really, I can clearly see how big my little sphere of proto-star is, right now, you don't need to comment on it ''every five minutes''. However, some of this is actually a disguised loading screen, to let the game reshape the world once your Katamari is big enough to go new places.
* While not technically a character, the narrator from the ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' games for PC definitely counts. "You must gather your party before venturing forth." Fortunately, there's a mod for the game which removes the voice.
* ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII'' has one memorable occasion. You're deep undercover in the drow city, with only a flimsy illusion and some very careful acting to keep you from getting detected. If anyone finds out you're not drow, the whole city will turn on you. And at one point Phaere, a psycho bitch matriarch daughter who is considered AxCrazy even by drow standards, order you to go and slaughter some deep gnomes just to remind the gnomes who's boss. If you're good-aligned, you probably figure there's some way to do this the good way, so just kiss the psycho's boots and go do it, right? But if you have Aerie or Keldorn in your party, she will interrupt the conversation to point out in no uncertain terms that ''you can't kill innocent gnomes because that would be EVIL''. Thanks, Aerie, that never occurred to me before. Since you're still with us, I think we've established where my moral compass points, and incidently, why did you say something so patently ''un-drow-like'' in front of the psycho who would carve our hearts out with ''spoons'' if she even suspected there was something odd about us? (Fortunately for your survival, Phaere dismisses that sentiment as odd, but not suspicious). This is hardly the only situation in which party members weigh in on the ethics of a certain decision, but this is one case in which it is not a good idea.
* ''VideoGame/{{Arcanum}}'', NPC characters are almost as dangerous to you as the enemy.
** Where there is NO WAY to get your NPC followers to retreat. Even as they whine about being on the verge of death or even begging for retreat, they'll stand there and keep bashing on the enemy until they die.
** And if given any consumables such as healing items, they'll gulp them as soon as anyone takes as much as a scratch.
** Or Virgil wasting all his Fatigue trying (and failing) to heal your high tech-aptitude character with his magic.
* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', where WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck would heal you at the slightest thing instead of saving it for when you're properly injured. That said, you ''could'' alter his use of magic to "Only in an emergency" -- in which case he ''will'' save his Cure spell until your CriticalAnnoyance alarm goes off. In the sequel, however, he would heal Goofy who had a little health gone but NEVER heal Sora. Similarly, there was also Riku who would heal you a second before you'd just cast Curaga.
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'', the Donald card will make you bang your head against a wall. If you use it against a monster that absorbs Fire attacks, you can bet he will use not one but TWO Fire/Fira/Firagas on it. He'll also cast heal when your HP is full.
* In ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'', unless you maintain tight control over her Fall-From-Grace would run up to the enemy and ''slap them''[[note]]Okay, it's a ''magic'' slap[[/note]], her default and only attack, when she should be hanging back and healing instead. More annoyingly, her spellcasting AI had her cast her weakest healing spells by default, regardless of a party member's injuries. This meant that she'd quickly expend all her Cure Light Wounds spells trying to heal one of the fighters instead of simply using a single casting of Heal or Cure Critical Wounds, wasting both time and spells.
* ''Franchise/TalesSeries'':
** The in-battle voice triggers can be cool, if not helpful, but ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' takes it too far. Other characters will warn a unit when his TP is getting low, which could be helpful for newbies, but aggravating to a player who knows how to watch his TP but, for some reason (say, holding a boss still) chooses not to. And all the more annoying when the player is ''put down'' for it, generally by [[{{Tsundere}} Rita]]. Worse is when a character is berated for running away from an enemy for some length of time, again usually by [[JerkAss Rita]] or Raven, since most of the times that situation will come up, it's because the running character is trying to ''kite'' the enemy - keeping its attention while not letting it hit himself or another unit. Other useless "help" messages include "I don't think going back is such a good idea." "Oops, made a wrong turn!" "We shouldn't be going this way." "Are you sure it's this way?"
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' takes the ''VideoGame/DotHackGU'' and ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' problem of overactive spell casters and healers to a whole new level. If your spell casters waste all their magic either healing 1 hp of damage repeatedly or attacking the boss/enemies, they bum rush that enemy and get wasted in under a second. Fortunately, you ''can'' alter that behavior, there are many options like "save" (always leaves at least 75% TP) and stuff... at least for the offensive spells.
** ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'': [[MostAnnoyingSound If it gets any closer... It interrupted the Eres!]]
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** The three paladins that escort Princess Lachesis during her introductory chapter in ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' will rush out to defend the princess and get themselves killed, even if it's usually more advantageous to wait for the threat to come closer before acting.
** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', it's quite possible for a character to be killed entirely because of the assistance of another character, because it means that an enemy is killed by a counterattack that would otherwise have left it alive, freeing up that space for another enemy to come in for a finishing blow.
* Linu in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' has a particularly frustrating form of this. It's called the "Harm" spell, and it's used to [[ReviveKillsZombie heal undead]]. Does Linu realise it doesn't seriously hurt undead? [[ArtificialStupidity No. No she doesn't]].
* The StandardStatusAilments in ''VideoGame/DawnOfMana'' are bad enough, but your FairyCompanion will very unhelpfully ask "are you okay?" ''every damn time'' you shake one off.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', city guards and other neutral characters whom one might expect to help out if a fight breaks out in their vicinity often do. This help is usually un-needed but not specifically unwelcome. However, you better hope there aren't any neutral mages nearby when you start a fight. Their idea of help consists of throwing a fireball into the middle of the battle and then repeating it as many times as necessary.
--> "Collateral damage? That's a good thing, right? The more the better."
* In ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'', when the game starts you get a prologue chapter full of tutorials; fair enough, you just started the game. But when ''you're 5 hours in'' the characters (now the girls, when in the prologue were Rose and Ledah) are still giving you information about stuff you very most likely already know about. Even the tutorial doesn't come as practical - do we really need a long text rambling about how the number next to an item's name indicates the remaining amount of them?
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasyCrystalChronicles'' has that little furry Moogle that's supposed to help you out in single player mode. Thing is, he gets tired easily (every ten minutes to be exact!) and starts to lag heavily behind, even though he's carrying your sole protection from the miasma. The last thing you want to hear is "I'm tired, kupo! It's your turn!" when you've got two Flan and three Goblins after you, with two hearts left.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' is completely free of this...except for one section. [[ShiftingSandLand Lamakan Desert.]] It introduces a dehydration mechanic requiring you to find oases to keep from getting heatstroke and taking about a third of your health in damage. Which would be tolerable, except your party members constantly complain about the heat.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'':
** In [[NoobCave Tanglewood Forest]], Isaac coaching you to use Djinn for advantages is understandable since there may be new players who don't know how that aspect works, but still comes off as annoying to veterans and anyone who's realized the monsters can be oneshotted with Karis's Whirlwind. In the same part of the game, Garet's AI will get trigger-happy with summons if you have enough Djinn on standby (like if you'd wanted to adjust Matthew's and Karis's classes), regardless of the enemy you're facing.
** Cutscenes frequently have the characters discussing what to do next, when it should be obvious. Once they do realize they need to (obvious action), they talk about that ad nauseum.
** Amiti is occasionally scripted to autonomously pop out and use his Insight Psynergy to show the solution for a puzzle. Sometimes, this is helpful, like telling you how to knock down Djinn in high places. Sometimes, it is obnoxious, like telling you how to solve the entry to the Ouroboros labyrinth... which is the exact same "empty the basin" puzzle he watched you do for every room in Barai Temple.
* Cha-Cha in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter Tri'' is actually pretty useful with the right mask and skills. Plus he also heals you and often serves as a distraction for large monsters, giving you the space to heal or ready an attack. On the other hand his habit of running straight forward in front of you when attacking the same monster makes him highly annoying for Gunners, especially when trying to use special ammunition that's usually ''very'' limited in count. Also occasionally ''blowing you up'' in the middle of a combo when using the Feylyne Mask (thankfully, his bombs don't hurt you).
* The Claptraps in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' is similar to Navi from Ocarina of Time; they will keep bugging you about new missions that popped up, even though you already signed up for all of them or are in the middle of another mission. They will always repeat this every single time you go from one region to another. According to the developers, the ''Claptrap's Robot Revolution'' DLC is partly meant for players to vent their frustrations on the little buggers since they're the main enemies of the DLC.
* ''VideoGame/Borderlands2'':
** The character Gaige's special ability is based around getting bonus points every time she kills an enemy. This only counts if she kills the enemy herself, so having her [[CyberCyclops robot ally]] Deathtrap [[KillSteal land the final blow]] will rob you of your point for that enemy.
** On one particular mission, there is a related issue where you need to hurt [[BigCreepyCrawlies an insect enemy]] and watch it go into a pod of sorts. You are then to inject the pod to let the bug mutate, and then kill the monstrosity. It's possible to blow the pod up prematurely, however, and of course this happens to be the area of the game where you have a computer-controlled sniper ally take out enemies for you whether you want him to or not. Said sniper can also inadvertently get the player killed by sniping an enemy the player needed for a Second Wind. Especially on True Vault Hunter and Ultimate Vault Hunter mode, where enemies are stronger and better armored, it's a common strategy for players to keep an enemy alive but low on health in case they need a quick kill revive. And Mordecai just loves picking off enemies who are low on health (itself an annoyance, since the player doesn't get XP if an NPC gets the killing blow).
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Fennel pops up to give you a tutorial in the Pokémon Dream World...''every time'' you reset your computer's cookies. Just cleaned out your PC? Switched computers? Cue Fennel blabbering on about how to plants seeds/water your garden/use the share shelf...even though your garden is ready to harvest and your share shelf is full. Oh, and did we mention you only have access to the Dream World for an hour, after which it boots you off until exactly a day later? If you then rush to the Tree of Dreams to collect the Pokémon you want to download, you'll be stalled by Fennel telling you how magnificent the tree is, and how to make a wish. Which may cost you the Pokémon if the time runs out, especially if you have your internet connection tends to lag.
** Similarly, the original Pokémon TCG video game for the GameBoy made you sit through the long, detailed and complicated tutorial with every new character. No skip option. In fact, [[http://tasvideos.org/1637M.html if you beat the game as fast as physically possible for the game]], it eats up half the play time.
** The catching tutorial in EVERY main series game. They're not so bad the first time around, but they can get annoying after multiple playthroughs of the same game. At that point, you've probably caught your first Pokémon. Or a few. Or ''several''. Even if you're new to the franchise, it's pretty simple.
* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':
** Fuuka, your MissionControl in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', insists upon giving you by-the-action updates of how many enemies are left, whether or not they are knocked down by, or got killed by, or survived your latest attack, and whether or not an attack you've used against that foe a bajillion times already is super-effective or no, and your status effects, and so on and so on, all of which is already ''clearly visible to you on the screen right in front of you and also painfully obvious.'' She will also constantly remind you that one of your team members is injured, to the point where letting them die becomes almost satisfying. Mission control's "help" becomes even more absurd if ''you are also injured'' -- sometimes even closer to death than your teammate -- and Fuuka will tell you, "I'm worried about Akihiko-senpai!" Well, ''thanks''. She'll also ask you if there's a healing item for any character caught by a status effect, even if that character has the equivalent skill and will be more than able to heal during their turn. If ''you're'' the only one suffering from a status effect, she'll either tell you to fix yourself or count the number of enemies, but not tell your team members to help you. Fuuka's chatter is particularly annoying because it's clearly generated at random, so not only do you have to endure her stock phrases every time you fight, you'll also be treated to the same information with intonations that are completely at odds with the situation. And then, sometimes, she's just wrong: go to Monad alone on a NewGamePlus and there's a good chance at least one victory will end with her congratulating the ''team''.
** And it returns in ''VideoGame/Persona4''. Rise calls you Senpai ''every five seconds''. It's as if they wanted to compensate for the fact that her voice acting is a million times better than Fuuka's by having her ''talk a million times more.'' Though her predecessor, Teddie, can be plenty annoying in his own right, since both of them are, like Fuuka, repeating information you already have on the screen (and unlike Fuuka, they don't know anything more about the enemy's strengths and weaknesses than what you've learned by trial and error).
** Combat in ''VideoGame/Persona3'' is ''also'' full of these moments. With ManualLeaderAIParty in effect, there's no way to make it through the initial playthrough without at least one mission turning into a murder-suicide. It is possible to become familiar enough with the AI that you can reasonably predict what your allies will do, but even that isn't fullproof. To wit:
*** God help you if you've knocked a group of enemies down and ''know'' that an All Out Attack won't finish the job. Since attacking again puts the enemy on its feet, your best move is to leave the enemy down, causing it to waste its turn standing up. Your allies, however, have other ideas. If no one in your party is injured enough to trigger the Healer to, well, ''heal'', then that person will attack with their weapon, give the enemy their turn back, and leave you to take massive damage. During the final boss fight, you ''have'' to put your party members on Standby in order to keep them from repeatedly damaging themselves with reflected attacks.
*** Junpei is one of the game's offensive powerhouses, but physical attacks are cast from hit points. Although he tends to maintain a higher-than-average number of them, he also will refuse to conserve them, even if you equip him with his ultimate weapon. Why use a sword that does 450 damage with 100 accuracy when you can use 50 of your last 200 HP to do less damage? Despite having fire skills, he'll ''still'' tend to use physical attacks instead of elemental ones, even if the opponent is weak to fire. There's something to be said about the fact that fights sometimes become much, much easier once your team is dead (including the Healer, who never got around to healing you, as they were busy with reincarnation).
* In ''VideoGame/CustomRobo'', at the beginning of almost every fight [[TheLancer Harry]] will give you advice whether you want it or not. Occasionally he gives you good tactical suggestions and what to do against certain enemy types, but most of it is useless or obvious. Furthermore, he also asks if you understood all of it, in case you want to hear it again. On a few occasions, you can confuse him with odd responses ("Wait, who are you again?" "Sorry, I was sleeping.") but those will always set him off advising again.
* Quistis in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' likes to explain junctioning and limit breaks in nauseating detail -- at one point, she asks Squall something to the effect of "Do you know how to use your Gunblade?"/"how to junction magic?", even though after Squall has taken on his rival Seifer, the summon Ifrit, numerous monsters, the military of one of the most powerful nations in the world, and a gigantic robot; and now has graduated to being a full-fledged member of the most elite fighting force on the planet, it's not too outrageous to assume that he knows how to fight.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma'', Pawns will repeately remind you of things you already know from experience, like wolves roam in packs, goblins hate fire, a fall from high up means death, and that treading in waist high water will kill you, repeating these "suggestions" to you over and over again, sometimes, in a row.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series in general has the starting chargen sequences. They are really helpful on your first playthrough, since they double as tutorials and introduce the game's plot. On your second playthrough, you start to hate the sequences. Mods abound that speed up chargen by removing the tutorials and plotplotplot events.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''
*** Followers have a bad habit of rushing any enemy they see. This can have one of 2 effects: 1) They rush an enemy that's way too strong for them, or 2) they run in between you and the enemy just as you're using a power strike, killing or seriously injuring them. If their survival was important to the quest you need to restart from the last save now. Hitting your partner also has a tendency to cause them to attack you, meaning you have to yield to them to get them to stop. Thank the nine for "Essential" partners (who can't be killed, only knocked unconcious).
*** One horse, Shadowmere, is marked as Essential. She also has a bad habit of rushing every enemy in sight, meaning you need to worry about the above issue with your freaking horse, which is much easier to accidentally hit and isn't a very good fighter. While she won't turn hostile on you, hitting her sometimes counts as "Assaulting a Guild Mate" which will get you kicked out of 3 of the 4 guilds (you can no longer get kicked out of the Dark Brotherhood after the mission you get Shadowmere in).
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' has the same problem with followers as Oblivion, especially the melee fighters. Their entire strategy is AttackAttackAttack which causes problems for every fighting style. Fighting with them in confined spaces makes them easy to kill on accident, they act as meat shields for enemies (especially frustrating as heavy hitting, low mobility two handed fighters) and they can hit allies who will become hostile. Quest giving [=NPCs=] can be murdered by your followers after being hit by friendly fire during a fight with a mudcrab or something, causing you to fail the quest.
** Something which occurs with companions in both the Fallout and Elder Scrolls games: They're useless to stealth focused players. The companion will either attack an enemy that you're trying to sneak up on as soon as their A.I. detects the enemy, the enemy will notice your companion before you because their sneak skill is inferior to yours, and either attack the companion or come to investigate and blow your cover, or the companion will start attacking the enemy as soon as it becomes suspicious and again, blow your cover.
* ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheSecondStory'' provides a story example, where the party gets the bright idea that cheering on [[BornUnlucky Ashton]] will help him to defeat a dragon. Instead, it eventually bugs him enough that he turns around and politely asks them to stop, which the injured dragon promptly capitalizes on and in an act of self-preservation, fuses itself with him. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Whoops.]]
* ''VideoGame/NiNoKuni'' has some blatant explanations in its repertory, from telling you how to '''walk''', to things like how to talk, open your inventory or what purpose does the minimap on the top right corner of the screen serves (hint: you can see your surroundings in it). Some of them are necesessary but the big majority is plain outright obvious. It quickly becomes irritating, especially because they will pop up frequently for an hour into the game. Good thing they disappear shortly after that and that the hand-drawn sketches that come with them are pretty to look at (this last thing can be even more insulting to the player, as the game asumes you need the extra help of a sketch to grasp the concept of things like walking).
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Simulation Game]]
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat''
** Hazawa in ''VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault'' always ruins your concentration when engaging in intense combat. She also tells you if a missile is inbound when your HUD can do that in a less annoying fashion. Worst of all, she has the most annoying voice in the game. You can also change your operator, not that it matters.
** One of the more potentially derailing features of ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'' is a "yes/no" answer input when your squadmates ask you questions. If you're say, ''climbing in altitude as fast as possible to avoid being blown up by a heat seeking missile on your tail'', it can be quite annoying to suddenly have your squadmate pop in and casually ask if you want them to provide you with some cover. '''NO, REALLY, YOU THINK SO?!''' Unfortunately the game lacks a "no shit" response to questions of that nature. And despite the "squadron based" nature of the game, in actuality you usually end up doing 90% of the important stuff since your squadmates aren't smart enough to concentrate their fire on the ''big fracking sub'' that's firing one-hit kill missiles at you and instead insist on picking off the insignificant little targets instead no matter how often you hit ATTACK! or tell them what to do.
* ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'':
** Leafos is your guide throughout the game, and starts out as being quite useful, giving you the tools you need to work the garden. As you level up, she congratulates you on your "improvement" in the way a nursery school teacher might praise a three-year-old's fingerpainting. Slightly annoying... in the "What right have ''you'' to comment, you were cowering in the house when thugs showed up and trashed your father's life's work" way. However, mild irritation isn't the last of it. Several species of pinata will fight if put in the same garden together. One solution, other than selling one of the warring parties or moving them to a different garden, is to build a fence. Which will probably need a gate. Which Leafos will wander through in her meanderings around the garden and ''leave open.'' The first you'll probably know of this is when the battle music alerts you to the fact that two of your pinata are kicking the living daylights out of each other. Call yourself an expert, Leafos? Any farmer or riding school instructor would ''kill'' you for leaving a gate open!
** She also has a tendency to ''lie''. Considering that some of the rarer or more exotic pinatas require more [[GuideDangIt obscure]] and/or bizarre methods to obtain, unless forewarned a statement like "I heard you can turn a Pretztail into a Mallowolf if it eats a Doenut" can sound legitimate, when it's nothing but a bloody lie.
** Patch the doctor is annoying for a different reason. He heals your sick pinata (probably after they've gotten into a fight courtesy of Leafos). However, another character, Dastardos, will "euthanize" a sick animal if Patch doesn't make it in time. If both doctor and Dastardos appear at the same time though, Patch will ''stop what he's doing'' and let Dastardos kill your animal -- right under the good doctor's nose. Feel free to beat Patch with your spade at this point; it's the least he deserves.
* ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'', the villagers (for whom you are supposed to be the patron god) have a very, very aggravating habit of moaning about their needs. "We need more civic buildings!" "We must have homes!" "Must... have... food..." They make being a sadistic, human-sacrificing divine terror so... ''[[VideoGameCrueltyPotential satisfying]]''. The sequel and its expansion pack don't improve on this one at all, especially since the voice of your conscience just has to reply to every looped comment by the antagonist in Battle of the Gods. "The undead are coming!" ...and remain completely harmless, just like the last twenty-five times.
* VideoGame/CityBuildingSeries
** ''VideoGame/{{Caesar}} II'', in which you play as a Roman governor working your way from the provinces all the way up to Rome, was plagued by an annoying man who kept telling you that "[[MemeticMutation Plebs are needed!]]" every three seconds that they were.
** ''VideoGame/EmperorRiseOfTheMiddleKingdom'' used the same basic idea but [[RecycledInSPACE in China]]. It was better about not annoying the player, but it had a habit of randomly "forgetting" to tell you important events (building collapse, lack of food) while the popups for, yes, lack of population would get spammed.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' had the annoying notices of the screamingly obvious moment when you have struck Microcline. Thankfully, in the 2010 versions it no longer pauses the game, and you even have the option to remove the announcement log spam entirely (which you'll want to, once you hit the caverns.)
* ''VideoGame/SimCity'' series:
** The advisors in ''Sim City 4'' can be this way. Sometimes their advice is good ("You don't have enough fire stations to keep the town safe" or "Some random person's house has come ablaze, ya better put it out"), but it's mostly them working at cross-purposes, telling you something you either already know or can't do anything about, and even if you ''can'' do something about it not a minute later they'll berate you for doing what they advised to do a short while ago
** For ''VideoGame/SimCity 2000'': "[=SimCopter=] One reporting heavy traffic. [[BrokenRecord SimCopter One reporting heavy traffic.]] [[RuleOfThree SimCopter One reporting heavy traffic.]] [[OverlyLongGag SimCopter One reporting heavy traffic...]]"
** Doing virtually anything in ''VideoGame/SimCity 3000'' would result in sniffles from your Financial Advisor.
* Thankfully, the developers of ''[[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse The Gungan Frontier]]'' realized some players would react this way, so you can tell your NinjaButterfly to "take a nap" indefinitely. Given that said Ninja Butterfly is [[TheScrappy Jar-Jar Binks]], you'll probably do so very quickly.
* [[MeaningfulName Maniac]] in the ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series is this deliberately. His A.I. is programmed to be aggressive, with no regard for tactics at all. Consequently, he will go up against capital ships in a scout-class ship, regardless of how ineffectual the weapons are, [[HonorBeforeReason refuses to retreat]] when ordered to, [[WhatAnIdiot even if he's clearly doomed]], and, most {{egregious}}ly, will lock on to your target and cut in front of you the moment you open fire, then ''yell at you for shooting him''. It's clear he's meant to be this bad in an early mission briefing:
-->'''Halcyon:''' ... if Maniac gives you any static, you have my permission to shoot him to pieces.
'''Maverick:''' Should I use missiles, sir, or ship's guns?
'''Halcyon:''' Guns, Maverick. Save your missiles for important targets.
* In the game ''VideoGame/{{Kinectimals}}'', Bumbles is the guide of the game and will tell you every single time what to do no matter how far you get in the game! Fortunately, there's an option to make him a lot quieter, so that he essentially only pops up for new actions.
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', the nanny NPC can be like this. She usually has two extremes. Not taking care of your children at all: Instead she will bake cakes (and ignore them if the baby starts crying, thus causing a fire) or watch TV. Or, she will pay too much attention to the baby, waking them up to feed and bathe them, and then putting them on the floor instead of in a crib. [[http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Nanny This page details exactly how unbelievably annoying nannies can be.]]
* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory3'': Any of your NPC companions who carry weapons that do elemental damage[[note]] Carlos, Kuruna, Pia and Shara have water-based weapons, Marian uses a fire-type staff[[/note]]. Nothing is more frustrating than finishing off a tough ice monster only to have Kuruna or Carlos smack them with their water-based weapon and revive them. You can give them non-elemental weapons to eliminate this (all except Shara, who wields a watering can). But that still leaves those [=NPCs=] who use magic, smacking them with revivifying attacks. The only options are keep whacking away till it stays down or dismiss your NPC.
* In ''Top Landing'', if you're out of alignment with the runway, an automated voice shouts "EMERGENCY, ____ TURN, ____ TURN" until you get back on track. Easier said than done in later stages when the wind picks up, and in the final few stages when you ''start out'' in the emergency zone.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Sports Game]]
* In ''VideoGame/WiiSports'' and ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort'', the game feels the need to explain every minigame to you every time you play it and occasionally [[AntiPoopsocking tells you to take a break and do something else]]. However, these are skippable. The really annoying thing is the mandatory three minute video that plays every time you put ''Wii Sports Resort'' into a new Wii. It tells you how to connect Wii Motion Plus... and how to disconnect it... and how to connect the nunchuck.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Stealth-Based Game]]
* ''Franchise/MetalGear'':
** Several of the Codec contacts in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' act like this, but 99% of the time you're allowed to ignore them if it's not vitally plot-related. Unfortunately, it usually ''is''. ''Damn'' you, Meryl!
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots'', you can shut Otacon up''and'' cause him to almost have an aneurysm -- in the 'Follow the Resistance member' segment, it's possible to reduce Otacon to sputtering, angry silence by ''shooting'' the resistance members you encounter. Otacon starts off with a warning, then a sharper warning, then a pained cry of "Snake!?!", and finally, he just sputters and hangs up on the Codec. Beware, though -- shoot too many of them and it's a NonstandardGameOver.
** Rose and Meryl aren't nearly as bad as the painfully useless radio cast of ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake'', though. Their roles are 1) tell you to call other people and not to bother him (the Colonel), 2) tell you that you have no chance to beat this game and [[NietzscheWannabe you might as well curl into a ball and die]] (Kessler), 3) ramble at you about [[ExpoSpeak the number of species of pigeons that exist]] (Norden), 4) complain that 'now isn't a good time' and refuse to help you (Holly), 5) talk to you about [[NoFourthWall the ergonomics of video gaming]] and [[AsYouKnow dispense useless military trivia]] (Miller), and 6) deliver one of the first major [[FinalSpeech death speeches]] in the entire series (Gustava). To his credit, Miller comes up with solutions to all of the bizarre Kojima-logic [[SolveTheSoupCans puzzles]] Snake has to complete, and will give you hints before flat-out telling you the illogical answers, too. Also, towards the end, he [[HoYay asks Snake out to have a cheese fondue dinner with him]], thus making himself the mandatory male-borderline-love-interest character of that ''Franchise/MetalGear''.
** ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear|1}}'' was much more straightforward with this: Diane would tell Snake which weapon worked best on each boss (provided that her [[BigBrotherInstinct overprotective big brother]] wasn't monitoring her call), Schneider would tell you the locations of many important items in the areas where you needed them, and Jennifer was important enough for being the only character who can provide the Rocket Launcher and Compass. The only dead weight was Big Boss himself, who only provides useless obvious advice on items and weapons ("A Handgun? You know how to use it"). That was intentional, seeing as he was the BigBad of the game.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' you need EVA to fly the WIG. The only problem with needing her help? She [[spoiler:gets impaled on a tree. Then you get to hear her bitch about how hungry she is]]. Plus her saying [[spoiler:"Snake I don't want you to kill The Boss"]], among other things.
* The ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series makes extensive use of PuzzlePan during platform-jumping sequences. The trouble is that in some places, the camera tries to be a bit too helpful in angling itself to show you the intended pathway forward; as the directional controls are relative to the camera, not the character, it can very easily result in missed jumps.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Survival Horror]]
* Steve Burnside from ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilCodeVeronica'' often screwed over the player with his incompetent "help".
** Claire needs a pair of decorative Gold Lugers to open a door. When she finds them, she gets caught in a deathtrap -- which resets when she puts them back. Later, Steve finds them and takes them, and refuses to let go, making Claire run to save him. To top it off, once she saves him he refuses to hand over the guns unless Claire gives him "something fully automatic" -- which sends her on a wholly unnecessary fetch quest.
** When Claire actually finds the guns, it causes her and Steve to be dropped into TheDragon's trap. Steve then takes the guns and shoots about ten zombies, ''a wall'', [[spoiler: and his zombie dad.]] He doesn't give you the automatic guns, and the Gold Lugers he does give you have no ammo.
** Steve finally manages to get the drop on and disarm TheDragon Alfred, and has him at gunpoint for about 30 seconds -- but does not pull the trigger, because ''he's freaked out about Alfred being a transvestite!'' Not only that, but the pause gives Alfred time to run away and set the base's self-destruct mechanism. While Claire and Steve escape, Alfred is able to set the autopilot on their plane remotely, sending them to ''Antarctica''.
** While in Antarctica, Steve messes up operating a drill, flooding the room they're in with toxic gas -- because he was busy staring at [[MaleGaze Claire's butt.]] This sends Claire all over the complex to find a gas mask.
** After all that, Steve turns into a huge monster and tries to kill Claire, forcing her to use ammo and/or herbs to get away from him [[spoiler:which really should be used by Chris instead, since he's the one that has to kill the BigBad, Alexia.]]
* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'', you may have set up this lovely minefield to blow any zombies that come along into little chunks. Then, you turn your back for one second, and discover that your AI-controlled partner Sheva ''picked up every single mine you laid down thinking they were discarded items''.
* Inverted in ''[[VideoGame/OperatorsSide Lifeline]]'', where you ''are'' the helper telling an AI character what to do via a USB microphone. Unfortunately, voice recognition has never been a precise technology, and in getting Rio to do something you'll often end up repeating your instructions enough times to make Navi look like a mute. Also played straight, however, as Rio will repeatedly ask you for advice in a way that hints at what you have to advise her to do.
* ''VideoGame/TheSuffering''. The game encourages the player to help the other survivors they find on the prison island. Shame the other survivors tend to crazily wound the player while trying to destroy monsters. Only one apologizes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Third Person Shooter]]
* ''VideoGame/StarFox'' series: Between your teammates getting in your line of fire and you constantly having to save [[TheLoad Slippy's]] butt, you have to wonder whose side they're on.
** VideoGame/{{Star Fox|1}}:
*** If your wingmen go down, they don't "get better". And while you can beat the game on its hardest setting WITHOUT any wingmen, they do tend to help mop up some enemies you might miss, allowing you to pass more missions with 100% of enemies shot down (and earn more continues). And the noises they make indicating their mortal distress is just plain depressing.
*** Depending on which route you take in Sector X, Peppy may end up with enemies chasing him ''twice'', and if you don't make it through the warp gate, Slippy jumps in shortly after the boss hits half of maximum HP and immediately gets knocked flying into the desert planet unless you can take out that other half ''really'' quickly. On the "positive" side, the necessity of this plot point means you get Slippy ''back'' at the end of the level if you lost him on Katina/Fortuna or earlier in Sector X.
** ''VideoGame/StarFox64''
*** You have Peppy randomly shouting "hints" like "DoABarrelRoll!" and "Try a somersault!" at you in the middle of battle which may be helpful on occasion but not at the frequency of those comments.
*** In Sector Z, your wingmen will attempt to destroy the missiles for you, impairing getting the medal. Each of the six missiles is a major source of points, at 11 points each, and you don't get credit for missiles that are destroyed by your wingmen. If it weren't for the requirement that all of your wingmen be alive to get the medal, you'd be wishing for them to be dead.
** Prince Tricky from ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' was doubly annoying in that you only need him to dig up stuff and to light stuff on fire, which he needs special blue mushrooms for. When he is low on food, he will constantly complain about how hungry he is. And then when you are trying to avoid some enemies, he will helpfully chime in with "BAD GUY!" and "COOOOOOOLLLLL!" And if you tried to vent your frustration by hitting him, he breathed fire on you.
* The tendency of idiotic [=AIs=] to spout meaningless "helpful" hints is poofed in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Melee'':
-->'''Slippy:''' Hold A to charge up shots!
'''Peppy:''' Cut your way though with a boost!
'''Fox:''' Aren't you guys thinking of something else?
* Farah in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' isn't nearly as helpful as probably intended.
** Her attacks with a weak bow that only inconveniences the majority of your foes, has a very low firing rate, and is extremely liable to shoot you in the back (and when that happens, the arrows take out a significant chunk of your health bar). Lampshaded in dialog by the Prince:
-->'''Farah:''' ''(after Farah has accidentally shot the Prince during a previous fight)'' You go ahead. I'll cover you.
'''Prince:''' Please don't. You're liable to hit me.
** Also, in the opening, where she shouts "useful" tips that replay, after one time:
--->'''Prince:''' ''I know!'' You already said that!
'''Farah:''' No, I didn't!
* The Epilogue DLC for ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'' has a boss you have to push into a throne. You know this because the Prince ''will not stop saying'' "Elika! The throne! Elika! The throne! [[MostAnnoyingSound Elika! The throne!]]"
* Fiona Taylor was okay in the first ''VideoGame/{{Mercenaries}}'' game, but in the sequel, it gets to the point where you're [[VideogameCrueltyPotential blowing up her car every time you walk out of the base, just to annoy her as much as she annoys you.]]
* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'':
** The entire movie cast has moments of this. The 'busters never truly die if at least one is still standing and are capable of reviving each other if need be. Unfortunately, your teammates are incompetent and take their sweet time to walk over and save anyone, meaning that ''you'' will be forced to spend most of your time in tough missions running around and reviving everyone or risk quick death.
** The shouted advice can be nifty at times if you haven't already checked Tobin's or used your PKE meter/goggles, but damn does it get annoying to hear the same advice being shouted to you when you've already been making use of that same advice for some time or already thought of it long before they started hollering it to you. Or when the BigBad is spewing slime or other dangerous substances at you and you simply ''can't'' stand around in one place for too long lest you die. Particularly egregious when Rookie is the only one who can fight the level boss because the boys are either taking a break, or trapped several floors up.
* MissionControl in ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'' continues to repeat various gameplay hints even when they're no longer relevant, such as explaining how to increase skills that are ''already at maximum''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Turn-Based Strategy]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Deadlock}} 2'' defaults to giving you a status report every turn filled with absolutely useless information. And whenever a status report appears, your advisor springs up and says useful things like "Everything is going fine", or "Something happened", or "Hey, look at this", or a thousand of similarly useless messages. Mercifully, an option is available to restrict status reports to appear when something actually worth of note happens, which reduces them drastically, but when they do appear the advisor is still there.
* In the tactical turn based game ''Frontline Tactics'', any solder set on 'Overwatch' fires if an enemy takes an action in his line of sight. [=MGs=] have a cone of fire, so hit not only the target, but those standing nearby. A medic healing a comrade is enough to trigger the overwatch fire, hitting not only the medic, but also the man he was tending, often for double the number of Hit Points he had healed.
* An update to the single-player mode of ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'' added an ExpositionFairy who, as a parody of Navi, would often interrupt with [[SpeakingSimlish "Ey! Lisna!"]] and caption pointing out the blindingly obvious. Her actual purpose is to revive you if you die, since you have no teammates to take care of that.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'':
** Hisao tells Jigoro not to give him so much advice, mentally adding that he at least does not want advice that [[{{Hypocrite}} Jigoro does not follow himself]]. Hisao can refuse advice at other points, [[spoiler:but it's never a good idea]].
** [[spoiler:Hanako's]] [[MultipleEndings bad end]] provides a {{Tearjerker}} example of this.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Wide Open Sandbox]]
* Otis from ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' always seems to pick the ''worst'' times to call you on the radio to inform you of a new mission that's become available or whatever (like when you're surrounded by zombies or in the middle of a fight with a psychopath). When you answer him, Frank becomes incapable of fighting or even jumping until the call is over, and will also automatically drop any weapon that is too big to store in your inventory. And if you hang up on him, he calls you again, complains "Don't hang up on me like that! That's rude!" and ''restarts his entire speech from the beginning''! ''VG Cats'' [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=204 explains it with style]], as does [[http://www.somethingawful.com/d/news/otis-rising.php Something Awful]]. Otis was made even worse by the 360's controller. If you didn't press the D-pad ''just'' right, you could drop your weapon or bring up an in-game menu. Pressing the D-pad just right is a lot harder than it sounds in the middle of a zombie-infested mob. The annoying controller made the whole thing feel like it was FakeDifficulty.
* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' features this in the San Fierro series of missions. Every once in a while, one of the villains sends minions on drug runs from San Fierro to Los Santos, and you are able to intercept them and steal their money. It wouldn't be so bad except that when it happens, the phone rings, CJ automatically answers it, and the following conversation [[MemeticMutation has become ingrained in many a player's head]]:
-->'''CJ:''' Hey Cesar. The yay leavin' San Fierro, right?
'''Cesar:''' Right, but they're using ''bikes'', CJ, and they go ''cross-country''!
* You can then choose to either go after them or not, and given how far away you have to drive to get them, a lot of players don't find the monetary award worth it, so these calls become especially annoying.
* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' it's great when your followers pick up better guns...unless it's a rocket launcher and they try to shoot the car that's next to you.
* ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours''. Careful in the trainyard when one of your employees is driving away. He will run you (or your lackey) over without a moment's hesitation.
* In ''VideoGame/TheGodfather'' games, your allies' firepower can be annoying when you're trying to get a specific Execution Style. Some other times all you want is to run away without escalating a situation, but they just have to open fire...
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Unsorted]]
* Thanks to the infuriatingly uneven AI of the game, your partners in ''[[VideoGame/YuGiOhTagForceSeries Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2]]'' are very much the embodiment of this trope; they make so many stupid moves that leave you at a disadvantage, one has to wonder if they're programmed to ''actively sabotage your game''.
* Petrie in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime 9'' spin-off game. Yes I can ''see'' the water is going up ''and'' I can see it's going down and ''therefore'' I assume I can use it to go up too, now '''shut up!'''
[[/folder]]
!!Other Media examples
[[folder: Websites]]
* MLB.com recently added a scout feature to its gameday feature that spurts out random facts that fans traditionally don't care about. You used to be able to turn it off, but that no longer does anything.
* Website/YouTube has a tendency to respond to slowly-loading videos by reducing the quality automatically. Some people would rather have their video load slowly than play poorly, and these people are the most likely to notice [=YouTube=] doing this and respond by putting the quality back up again, taking up more time than it would have if [=YouTube=] had simply left the video alone. Even worse is that sometimes [=YouTube=] will ''lock off the higher quality option'' when it does this, forcing the user to refresh the page, and taking up even more time. Particularly nasty is how [=YouTube=] gives an option to never play high-quality video to improve load times...but no option to never play low-quality video.
* Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Showdown, a website used to simulate competitive Pokémon battling, has a few tools to help beginners be as competitive as reasonably possible. It lists Pokémon by tier, moves by how viable they are on the Pokémon in question, and optimal EV spreads based on the Pokémon's stats and moves. While this is all well and good in theory, it's mostly automatically generated and a few Pokémon can really screw up how it's built. For an example, Magmortar is very notorious among the RU crowd for this reason; it needs high Speed to function with any real degree of success, but the automated EV generator will almost invariably give it high HP at the expense of Speed. It's also based on the assumption that players will be using maximum-level Pokémon, meaning that players of Little Cup (a spinoff metagame where all legal Pokemon are at level 5) can sometimes encounter hilarious results like [[http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad256/Malkyrian/suggested.png this]]. [[note]]255 is the maximum number of EVs legal in any one stat, and negative EVs are never possible.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Pinball]]
* In the ''Pinball/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' pinball game, you actually get a ''bonus'' for cutting off Data when he talks at times.
--> '''Data''': Had you projected the ball at the proper velocity, you would have been rewa-- ''[hit flipper buttons]''
'''Picard''': THANK YOU, Mr. Data.
[[/folder]]
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