10 Mechanics We ABSOLUTELY Miss From Older Video games
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Date: 2024-06-12
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Comments and reviews: 20
C-M-E
Another well-rounded list. I was talking to an old gamer like myself and brought up cloth physics. The first game I remember with interactive cloth physics was called Nocturne. Walking through a draped curtain blew my mind the first time I saw it, I couldn't stop running my character against the walls.
Wreckfest is about the only modern Burnout-like racing game but lacks the native arcadey effects of the namesake series. It's still hella fun to destroy the AI who get downright vengeful if you tinker with the code a bit.
I find it almost comical in the current state of AI obsession that we can't get games with some kind of external intelligent NPCs, even if faked or relatively simplistic for the sake of a game. The Division in the harder modes were about the enemy AI that had a semblance of pushing your weak flanks to get you off balance, but they went more bullet-sponge brute force than truly intelligent enemy. Metal Gear V was close, too, but easy to counter.
If I could insert my own missed mechanic, the art of storytelling a long, cumulative character arc that captures your attention and builds for the entire duration of the game. While I appreciate sidequests to add content and playtime to get my money's worth, the fetch-quests and empty chase get so repetitive that you end up taking a break and forget to ever finish the thing.
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Another well-rounded list. I was talking to an old gamer like myself and brought up cloth physics. The first game I remember with interactive cloth physics was called Nocturne. Walking through a draped curtain blew my mind the first time I saw it, I couldn't stop running my character against the walls.
Wreckfest is about the only modern Burnout-like racing game but lacks the native arcadey effects of the namesake series. It's still hella fun to destroy the AI who get downright vengeful if you tinker with the code a bit.
I find it almost comical in the current state of AI obsession that we can't get games with some kind of external intelligent NPCs, even if faked or relatively simplistic for the sake of a game. The Division in the harder modes were about the enemy AI that had a semblance of pushing your weak flanks to get you off balance, but they went more bullet-sponge brute force than truly intelligent enemy. Metal Gear V was close, too, but easy to counter.
If I could insert my own missed mechanic, the art of storytelling a long, cumulative character arc that captures your attention and builds for the entire duration of the game. While I appreciate sidequests to add content and playtime to get my money's worth, the fetch-quests and empty chase get so repetitive that you end up taking a break and forget to ever finish the thing.
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YourEraGamer
One mechanic I miss is numerical based health systems in shooters. When Call of Duty and Halo first entered the scene, it introduced the regenerative health system. Duck behind a low wall and wait a moment and you go from someone who is completely shot up to the picture of perfect health. It was such an insanely unrealistic mechanic, but because the system appeared in a popular game or two, every shooter was falling over each other to copy that system. You know what we had before that A number. 100 means full health, 0 meant dead. Some games allowed you to exceed that. If you wanted to replenish your health, you grabbed a nearby health kit or backtracked to a hallway that had it. I'm thinking of games like Duke Nukem 3D, the original Doom, and similar games around that time period. I see it sporadically show up in games like Borderlands, but it's a very uncommon mechanic overall. I miss that mechanic because it added a layer of strategy and complexity that prevents the game from being a braindead playthrough.
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One mechanic I miss is numerical based health systems in shooters. When Call of Duty and Halo first entered the scene, it introduced the regenerative health system. Duck behind a low wall and wait a moment and you go from someone who is completely shot up to the picture of perfect health. It was such an insanely unrealistic mechanic, but because the system appeared in a popular game or two, every shooter was falling over each other to copy that system. You know what we had before that A number. 100 means full health, 0 meant dead. Some games allowed you to exceed that. If you wanted to replenish your health, you grabbed a nearby health kit or backtracked to a hallway that had it. I'm thinking of games like Duke Nukem 3D, the original Doom, and similar games around that time period. I see it sporadically show up in games like Borderlands, but it's a very uncommon mechanic overall. I miss that mechanic because it added a layer of strategy and complexity that prevents the game from being a braindead playthrough.
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nagyzoli
These mechanics are no longer used for a reason. obsolete. I do not care about slow motion and ragdoll. I never like this funny/gimmicky things. Enemy AI in a shooter yes, I would like to see. Again, I hated goofy minigames I simply ignored them. Private server is irrelevant for me. I do not play multiplayers all that much, for me Call of Duty is ideal. I hated squad commands SOOOO much in earlier mass effect. Hurray they are gone. I always prefer loadout based shooter instead of collect weapon from the ground. Thank gods QTE is gone, most annoying thing ever. I am a slow, clumsy man. Varied objectives based on difficulty is again irrelevant for me, as I always play on the easiest difficulty possible and never go back.
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These mechanics are no longer used for a reason. obsolete. I do not care about slow motion and ragdoll. I never like this funny/gimmicky things. Enemy AI in a shooter yes, I would like to see. Again, I hated goofy minigames I simply ignored them. Private server is irrelevant for me. I do not play multiplayers all that much, for me Call of Duty is ideal. I hated squad commands SOOOO much in earlier mass effect. Hurray they are gone. I always prefer loadout based shooter instead of collect weapon from the ground. Thank gods QTE is gone, most annoying thing ever. I am a slow, clumsy man. Varied objectives based on difficulty is again irrelevant for me, as I always play on the easiest difficulty possible and never go back.
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gameranx
I have disabilities and I am cool with things that I am not allowed to do because of it. Something as simple and tame as an amusement park won't let me (or actually I won't let myself) ride certain attractions because my disabilities would make it risky. I don't want to ride those attraction in an easy mode (disable loops, turn laser lights off, lower the speed) so I can use them. What I can do, is play games like Sekiro and Elden Ring. If other games lock content behind difficulty modes, that is actually a good thing, it's only considered a bad thing because entitled players are a loud group. If a game is not for them, then it's not for them.
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I have disabilities and I am cool with things that I am not allowed to do because of it. Something as simple and tame as an amusement park won't let me (or actually I won't let myself) ride certain attractions because my disabilities would make it risky. I don't want to ride those attraction in an easy mode (disable loops, turn laser lights off, lower the speed) so I can use them. What I can do, is play games like Sekiro and Elden Ring. If other games lock content behind difficulty modes, that is actually a good thing, it's only considered a bad thing because entitled players are a loud group. If a game is not for them, then it's not for them.
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gameranx
I know this is an unpopular opinion but I'm kinda glad difficulty levels don't change what happens in the game. I say that as someone who needs the accessibility options. I'm too unhealthy to be able to work and my life is filled with video games to help pass time. And I suck at games, partly due to my health that affects my mind and body. Maybe that's also my age getting up there haha. But still, I don't want to miss out on stuff inside games because I can slowly and barely play a game on normal difficulty and even easy modes are sometimes hard, especially games like stellar blade.
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I know this is an unpopular opinion but I'm kinda glad difficulty levels don't change what happens in the game. I say that as someone who needs the accessibility options. I'm too unhealthy to be able to work and my life is filled with video games to help pass time. And I suck at games, partly due to my health that affects my mind and body. Maybe that's also my age getting up there haha. But still, I don't want to miss out on stuff inside games because I can slowly and barely play a game on normal difficulty and even easy modes are sometimes hard, especially games like stellar blade.
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outlaw451
Quick time was good or fine when you didn't over do it. I thibk a series that did them really well was the ps3 yakuza games. You would have middle battle quick time that rewarded or punished you depending on you success, partial success, or failure. So you would avoid damage, do damage, or build you heat meter if you did well. Maybe you would disarm an opponent making the fight varies. But failure did necessarily mean you would die or have to just do it again. They would do it in certain cutscenes as well, but you could just retry those.
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Quick time was good or fine when you didn't over do it. I thibk a series that did them really well was the ps3 yakuza games. You would have middle battle quick time that rewarded or punished you depending on you success, partial success, or failure. So you would avoid damage, do damage, or build you heat meter if you did well. Maybe you would disarm an opponent making the fight varies. But failure did necessarily mean you would die or have to just do it again. They would do it in certain cutscenes as well, but you could just retry those.
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YalelingOz
I'll never understand why games that I loved for their enemy AI.
Halo: Combat Evolved had a delightfully nuanced enemy AI. It's a shame that was ditched and I liked the sequels less for that.
Horizon: Zero Dawn had fantastic robotic animal, and regular animal AI. But in Horizon: Forbidden West, they're all dumber than Grimlock.
F. E. A. R as you said felt like it had great enemy AI, and that made the game. And the sequels The AI is as dumb and their plots, so why even bother playing them
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I'll never understand why games that I loved for their enemy AI.
Halo: Combat Evolved had a delightfully nuanced enemy AI. It's a shame that was ditched and I liked the sequels less for that.
Horizon: Zero Dawn had fantastic robotic animal, and regular animal AI. But in Horizon: Forbidden West, they're all dumber than Grimlock.
F. E. A. R as you said felt like it had great enemy AI, and that made the game. And the sequels The AI is as dumb and their plots, so why even bother playing them
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randyroseeternal89
I'm going to say one that is probably unpopular to most. But I miss the days of games that had numerous points of no return. There are still some games that offer a couple. but nowhere to the point that they used to. I remember ps1 Era games that used to lock so much from you if you missed it. And there was no way to get it aside from straight up restarting. Now days most games are forgiving. Miss a secret, you can either go back for it or it will show up later. I kinda hate it
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I'm going to say one that is probably unpopular to most. But I miss the days of games that had numerous points of no return. There are still some games that offer a couple. but nowhere to the point that they used to. I remember ps1 Era games that used to lock so much from you if you missed it. And there was no way to get it aside from straight up restarting. Now days most games are forgiving. Miss a secret, you can either go back for it or it will show up later. I kinda hate it
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buinghiathuan4595
Never disagree more about a video from Gameranx. Some people missing the Soviet, should we restore them No KDA Battlefield fan would disagree and old AC combat, it not bad, work for it time but now, it more like glorifies point and click than combat. Why put mechanic that no one using it anyway, it cost time, resources and may lead to more technical problems as well as overall balance. Sometimes, thing change, for better or worse. And I respectful disagree with this video
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Never disagree more about a video from Gameranx. Some people missing the Soviet, should we restore them No KDA Battlefield fan would disagree and old AC combat, it not bad, work for it time but now, it more like glorifies point and click than combat. Why put mechanic that no one using it anyway, it cost time, resources and may lead to more technical problems as well as overall balance. Sometimes, thing change, for better or worse. And I respectful disagree with this video
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gameranx
I'm old, apparently, since every mechanic listed here is still relatively new. What I miss are good side-scrollers. I loved Duke Nukem 1 and 2 and replayed them both endlessly. Duke Nukem 3 came out and seriously disappointed me. Yes, I enjoyed Doom, and had also played that a lot, but Duke Nukem 3 just felt like a Doom ripoff, and took the game I really enjoyed and changed genres on me. Even now I'd love to see a good side-scroller with modern graphics.
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I'm old, apparently, since every mechanic listed here is still relatively new. What I miss are good side-scrollers. I loved Duke Nukem 1 and 2 and replayed them both endlessly. Duke Nukem 3 came out and seriously disappointed me. Yes, I enjoyed Doom, and had also played that a lot, but Duke Nukem 3 just felt like a Doom ripoff, and took the game I really enjoyed and changed genres on me. Even now I'd love to see a good side-scroller with modern graphics.
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MacHorz
best game for squad commands was SOCOM! It was so cool to command your squad via voice commands back in 2000s! Shame they removed stuff like that. I mean 2024. 99% of player have a headset with mic so not have to buy one for these game. Wish they would make another game like SOCOM to command your squad with voice (and yes it can suck if it is englisch only and you cant spell a word perfect and the game cant figure out what u want)
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best game for squad commands was SOCOM! It was so cool to command your squad via voice commands back in 2000s! Shame they removed stuff like that. I mean 2024. 99% of player have a headset with mic so not have to buy one for these game. Wish they would make another game like SOCOM to command your squad with voice (and yes it can suck if it is englisch only and you cant spell a word perfect and the game cant figure out what u want)
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DTraiN5795
Ninja Gaiden Black was perfect with going up on difficulties. New enemy looks with new move sets. Some enemies that only appear on higher difficulties. New bosses at old places instead of the same ones. Changed the game up and was great. I wouldn’t care about people who would hate that bc they probably wouldn’t play more than once anyways. It gives single player games more replay ability and a feeling of newness for longer
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Ninja Gaiden Black was perfect with going up on difficulties. New enemy looks with new move sets. Some enemies that only appear on higher difficulties. New bosses at old places instead of the same ones. Changed the game up and was great. I wouldn’t care about people who would hate that bc they probably wouldn’t play more than once anyways. It gives single player games more replay ability and a feeling of newness for longer
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MikhaelHausgeist
19: 00 Actually YOU MUST to hide things behind difficulty settings! Even if not things, but mechanics to make them more viable and important on higher difficulty. Dude who played on story difficulty be bored by needless loadout options, but when he heard or seen stuff he don't it can be engaging for him. Such hidden by difficulty things must be. It is actual mechanic which I personally missing about.
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19: 00 Actually YOU MUST to hide things behind difficulty settings! Even if not things, but mechanics to make them more viable and important on higher difficulty. Dude who played on story difficulty be bored by needless loadout options, but when he heard or seen stuff he don't it can be engaging for him. Such hidden by difficulty things must be. It is actual mechanic which I personally missing about.
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xelusprime
I miss when FPS games made an effort to make unique guns like Unreal, instead of going with the modern military guns (I'm sick of seeing AR15s, AKs, Glocks. No reloading, no sprinting, no aim down sights and ammo pickups, just pure player skill instead of relying on weapon attachments.
Only thing I miss more than the above is getting a level editor with the game to make your own cool levels/mods.
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I miss when FPS games made an effort to make unique guns like Unreal, instead of going with the modern military guns (I'm sick of seeing AR15s, AKs, Glocks. No reloading, no sprinting, no aim down sights and ammo pickups, just pure player skill instead of relying on weapon attachments.
Only thing I miss more than the above is getting a level editor with the game to make your own cool levels/mods.
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shawnradcliffe3514
Yeah I miss the player servers. Dont know if its still around, but Half-Life 2: Deathmatch had a couple pretty solid servers that I was a part of when I first started gaming on PC way back in the 2000s. Made a lot of good friends back then that also taught me about that social contract concept that ultimately helped me in how I approached online multiplayer games.
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Yeah I miss the player servers. Dont know if its still around, but Half-Life 2: Deathmatch had a couple pretty solid servers that I was a part of when I first started gaming on PC way back in the 2000s. Made a lot of good friends back then that also taught me about that social contract concept that ultimately helped me in how I approached online multiplayer games.
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Arty-rp3fm
I agree with the physics in gta 4, one of my favorite things to do was running down or up subway steps, push past everyone and you end up with a bunch of commuters and hobos steadily flopping down all the stairs lmao. And yeah breakpoint should have squad commands like conflict Vietnam had, put each man exactly where you want them, made things much easier.
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I agree with the physics in gta 4, one of my favorite things to do was running down or up subway steps, push past everyone and you end up with a bunch of commuters and hobos steadily flopping down all the stairs lmao. And yeah breakpoint should have squad commands like conflict Vietnam had, put each man exactly where you want them, made things much easier.
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gameranx
Feel like this was a big missed opportunity of a list. So many troups of AAA games are bad.
This list mostly focuses on action and fps. I miss unlockable characters in fighting games, I miss classic rpgs that are turn based and not action games, I miss no Dlc or at least good dlc that added to a completed game.
I miss local multi-player with friends.
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Feel like this was a big missed opportunity of a list. So many troups of AAA games are bad.
This list mostly focuses on action and fps. I miss unlockable characters in fighting games, I miss classic rpgs that are turn based and not action games, I miss no Dlc or at least good dlc that added to a completed game.
I miss local multi-player with friends.
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eBlack996
I miss clothing physics. Only started in ps3 era, uncharted 1 comes to mind. Like why did games stop having this feature Like all third person games, hardly any of them have clothing physics, or creasing physics of your shirt or pants depending on what movement you were doing. Games just sorta stopped doing it. I actually liked the immersion kinda annoying
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I miss clothing physics. Only started in ps3 era, uncharted 1 comes to mind. Like why did games stop having this feature Like all third person games, hardly any of them have clothing physics, or creasing physics of your shirt or pants depending on what movement you were doing. Games just sorta stopped doing it. I actually liked the immersion kinda annoying
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ungabunga115
While Rockstar's Euphoria physics engine was amazing, it wasn't good for performance. It absolutely killed your CPU's performance because of how intensive the physics engine was. I think they turned it down for RDR 1 and definitely did for GTA V. Not sure about RDR2, probably still not as powerful as GTA IV was, but still good nonetheless.
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While Rockstar's Euphoria physics engine was amazing, it wasn't good for performance. It absolutely killed your CPU's performance because of how intensive the physics engine was. I think they turned it down for RDR 1 and definitely did for GTA V. Not sure about RDR2, probably still not as powerful as GTA IV was, but still good nonetheless.
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outlaw451
Not that I'm not all for accessibility option, especially for thongs lile being left handed, deaf, or color blind. But not every game needs to be for everybody. If your visoin/design for your game requires it to be a certain way, it is what it is. So just praise games that have accessibility instead of getting mad at the ones that dont.
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Not that I'm not all for accessibility option, especially for thongs lile being left handed, deaf, or color blind. But not every game needs to be for everybody. If your visoin/design for your game requires it to be a certain way, it is what it is. So just praise games that have accessibility instead of getting mad at the ones that dont.
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