10 Items That BROKE Video Games
Infinite ammo in a survival game? Why not!
Most of us underestimate what it takes to make a video game.
This is why we come up with amorphous terms like "visceral" and "balance" as a method of critiquing some seemingly basic gameplay element that actually took dozens of hours to build and implement, while considering all the variables of damage, health, armor, perks, and the like.
It makes sense that it would be hard to find that sweet spot of making an item feel empowering and satisfying to use, but not so much that it trivializes everything else in the game. Often these things will be balanced by scarcity or a lengthy animation, making using it a little bit risky. But by and large these limitations turn out to be little more than minor inconveniences.
And then, sometimes, people just have plain bad ideas and no one to tell them differently.
So whether it's a degree of math that breaks the mind to even imagine or just something that makes you wonder, "Who the hell thought THAT was a good idea," here are some video game items that are so overpowered they can kill everything on the screen, including fun.
10. Never-Ending Double Barrel Shotgun - Fallout 4
Most agree that Fallout 4 was a mixed bag of hits and misses, but one of its best features is weapon customization.
Being able to swap out receivers, barrels, sights, and other gun stuff makes the game's somewhat narrow range of weapons a lot more versatile, allowing you to really define the kind of fighter you want to be. However, when it comes to weapons with randomized legendary effects, it also makes breaking the game easy.
Take the "never-ending" effect, for example - the ability to shoot a gun without ever having to reload. You still use ammo, but you never have to stop for a reload animation. For a lot of guns, that isn't a huge deal, as they're still ultimately limited by the small delay between shots.
However, what makes the never-ending double barrel shotgun so game-breaking is that it has no cap to how fast you can fire it. Yes, there are stronger weapons in terms of raw damage, but when you can charge through hallways blasting off shells as fast as you can move your finger, raw damage becomes a little bit moot.