Video game developers are always trying to come up with the new gameplay mechanic that will take the industry by storm, something that not only adds to the fun-factor but can be implemented in a way that it becomes revolutionary. Now just because developers are trying to accomplish this feat doesn't mean it always works; today we have a list of the top five video game features that never caught on. Some were just too good to be true, others were dead before they made it out of the test labs. Games that included the below features may have been successful at retail, it's just unfortunate that the features didn't catch on with other franchises. Even though they are on this list we are still happy that developers are out there trying new things, and making attempts to create quality (and original) gaming entertainment for the masses, it's better than just pushing out a new title each year with a bigger number on it. Do you have a favorite, or least favorite gameplay feature in this list; if so let us know in our official forums by clicking here.
1. Deformable Terrain: As video games have advanced towards increasing levels of realism the boxy, bare corridor surroundings that were common in early games have been replaced by greater and greater detail. City streets now feature parked cars, billboards, mailboxes and awnings for fictional businesses. Many games first featured these simply as visual flavor but improved physics engines allowed for more manipulation of the environment. At some point someone asked ‘well why can’t we mess with the floors, walls and ceilings too?’ For a little while, we did. The first game that I recall playing that featured serious potential for deforming the landscape was Red Faction. Sure, there were titles before it where you could occasionally knock out a wall to reveal a hidden area, but that was always pre-scripted, you couldn’t simply blow out any chunk of wall you wanted to. It was a great idea, being able to bypass heavily armed guards by setting a few explosives and creating your own passageways or simply skirting around them for an unexpected rear assault. I even went so far as to download a mod that boosted the effects of your demolition packs to near nuclear levels. After a few explosions I had reduced the entirety of the level to a gigantic square. This may sound gimmicky, but it really wasn’t. The game was a solid shooter on its own merit and this was simply a feature that was used somewhat sparingly (explosives weren’t ultra common and it took a lot to create a substantial path) to great effect. Yet this has remained a largely underutilized feature.
This feature top 5 list continues on the next page, please click below to reveal our next couple choices for game features that never caught on.
