Things games should have, but don't

[Vipershark]

these should all be standard:

-all cutscenes are both pausable and skippable
-all dialog should come with subtitles that can be toggled on/off
-the tutorial sequences are skippable
-customizable control schemes
-if the game is particularly long, "Hard" mode should be available from the start
-if you're going to have Trophies / Achievements / Skill Points /etc, make them things that are actual accomplishments, not "Turn on the Game! - 100G" or "Silver Trophy - Complete Story Mode!"


Things I'd personally like to see more of:

-concept art galleries as rewards for beating certain game modes
-sound tests
-bring back fun cheat codes

Everything in this post.
Especially cheats/passwords.

One thing to note: The "turn on the game" achievements are done from a pure business standpoint. It's to reel in the completionists and achievement whores who, if a game is on their gamercard, must complete said game.

The 360 allows you to remove achievement-less games from your gamercard (though some developers have found a way around this) but say you're an achievement whore who is renting a game and get the power on achievement. It's on your gamercard. Forever. That game now MUST be completed. Which in effect leads many of them to buy the game.

It's stupid, but it works.

Oh, and another thing: gamerscore should be usable for things such as buying avatar clothes and rewards and stuff like that. You have to be a special kind of retarded to actually use real money on that shit.