10 Awesome Video Games Ruined By TWO Terrible Mechanics

When terrible mechanics conspire to ruin incredible games.

By Jack Pooley /

It's easy to take for granted the thousands of hours of work that go into constructing even the most basic mechanics behind video games both big and small.

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Mechanics and systems are the building blocks on which any game is built, and how they're implemented can either elevate or ruin the overall experience for players.

Sometimes a mechanic might be so horrendously executed that it heavily impacts an otherwise incredible game, and on occasion players might be unlucky enough to have two ill-advised features to deal with.

These 10 video games, though all well-received in their own right and many of them held up as masterpieces by critics and fans alike, nevertheless came to market with some infuriating gameplay systems to boot.

From intentional input lag to pesky mini-games nobody in their right mind asked for, esoteric magic-management systems, and everything in-between, these games were all the worse for including these puzzling - if ambitious - mechanics.

For the overwhelming majority of players, these games would be all the better off - and have a chance of realising their true potential - without these deeply frustrating gameplay features...

10. Intentional Input Lag & Weapon Maintenance - Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is unquestionably one of the most impeccably crafted video games of the previous generation, albeit one whose meticulous attention-to-detail is also occasionally its undoing.

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For starters, Rockstar decided to give the game intentional input lag, such that the player's movements are more clumsy and less-precise than is typical, in an attempt to better-reflect "real life."

But the result is considerable player frustration, with even basic movements and actions often becoming a chore, as players end up doing something they never intended to.

Then there's the much-loathed weapon maintenance mechanic, whereby your guns' combat effectiveness will steadily decrease if you don't clean them.

Though wiping your gun down with gun oil is hardly difficult, it is boring busy-work that surely brings joy to not a single living soul.

Nobody wants to be thrust into this lovingly crafted world only to waste even mere seconds doing something so mundane.

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