Or, "We don't know/couldn't be bothered to figure out how to make a game with properly balanced combat, fair yet challenging gameplay, and engaging mechanics, so we'll just make everything tough as nails and controller-smashing hard just like Meat Boy, and see, we used retro 8-bit/16-bit pixel graphics so it's actually *supposed* to be Nintendo hard, and isn't it great that we made this great innovative game with retro gameplay harkening back to the much better games of old?"

BLECH.

Some days, I wish we could have more people like Jim Sterling calling out crap indie devs on their BS.

To be fair, I think I needed the Konami Code to make it out of the first level in Contra even in my prime grade schooler finger twitchin' days. ;-)

These games react vids remind me a bit of Gamecenter CX, the Japanese TV series in which a "salaryman"-type middle management guy spends hours and sometimes multiple days in a plain white room trying to beat old NES classics. Here's his run at Contra (he's a lot better at it then those kids!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpEaGaaOa7c

I see the consensus of the overused terms is

Pixel Art = graphic that get into the way of enjoyment
Hardcore / rogue like = unfair game

What is the term for endless grinding?
procedurally generated?
Exploration?
Hundreds hours of gameplay?

Telepath Tactics really pissed me off on this count, except that instead of BS boss fights, they have BS permadeath mechanics.

Endless replay value (meaning you can do the same quests over again exactly the same, only with a new and slightly different character)

Procedurally generated worlds (same as with character builds only with world design. Same worlds over and over again, but there's a slight change to the grass or placement of random buildings you can't enter)

Pixel. Anything that has do with the word pixel. What ever happened to the lonely, much aligned sprite? Where's my sprite homies at?

Random dungeons (this crops up all the time. Why do they always have to be dungeons? And Why so random?)

Yeah, more like 'generic and derivative' more often than not. Man, that comparison got ooooold tout suite. As if there hadn't been any challenging games before that one. *le sigh*

A compilation of some buzzwords:

- innovative gameplay
- narrative-driven
- new experience
- procedural
- sandbox
- rogue(like/lite)
- permadeath
- hardcore
- challenging
- old school
- retro
- chiptune
- survival
- puzzles
- pixel art
- open world
- nostalgic
- small team/one-man team
- experimental

and of course, the cherry on the cake: indie/independant......

.... It's funny because in French (and Dutch), independant is just your legal status as a business (the equivalent of "sole proprietorship"). English language (or rather American culture) has really perverted the meaning of the word with its "more arty than thou" attitude.....

I was going to say EXACT SAME THING!!!
not exact but almost exact... :P

Oh yeah, this one, so much. Although my own translation is : "We didn't have the imagination to come up with our own game, so we'll cash in on the popularity of an older license we don't have the rights for". I understand the intent ("this game was awesome, so we'll try to make our own just as fun"), but it's so overused it's become quite bothersome.

Worst thing, I saw it used for games that are the OFFICIAL successor. "Randomgame3 : the spiritual successor to randomgame1 and randomgame2." Well, duh, thanks, Captain obvious

"Love letter to *insert classic title/platform*"

Hey, pixel art can be quite nice (I personally love the art of the old Monkey Island games, or the Wadget Eye games, and find them far easier to "get into" than the attempts that have been made to remake them with modern graphics. Pixel art leaves some space for the imagination, ugly cartoonish looks do not.)

But modern good looking pixel art is unfortunately uncommon.

The most overused term by indie game developers: Indie means "independent", it is how your company is owned. It is not a genre, it is not a style, it is not a community. Something like the Indie Game Fund is an oxymoron, because if someone gives you money you are no longer independent.

Indie is used as a buzzword for pixel graphics, experimental gameplay, hipster lifestyle and crap like that.

And the second most overused term is...
So damn right. I love old-school video games, it's the reason why I signed up at GOG in the first place. These supposed "old-school" games have more in common with the AAA industry game, they have poorly written stories, carrots on a stick, boring gameplay. And when they copy something from old games it's usually the worst part like unfair difficulty or ugly graphics. A game like King's Bounty: The Legend is more old-school than any of them despite being in 3D.

These "REACT" videos are staged, they do it all the time with different things. Here is something better:
http://gamesolderthanme.com

It was "pixel art", "retro-style" and "plattformer"

and now it is rather "unique-combination", "challenging", "blend of".

Indies of 2015/16 want to be at least three genres in one. And there are considerably less plattformers and more adventures, rpg, strategy games - which is probably a very healthy development if customers do not get blinded by the "unique challenges".

Crafting and survival.
Because we want want to be Minecraft.