11 Influential Video Games That Have Aged Horribly

11. Mass Effect

Mass Effect was the spark that lit a wave of renewed interest in sci-fi and role-playing games, and it did so with a tightly-packed story in a huge, open galaxy filled with choices.

Giving players the choice between not only their style of gameplay but also the personality of the player character was something that encouraged multiple playthroughs, and if you enjoyed playing Mass Effect at release, it probably wouldn't be hard to tempt you to pick it up again today.

Once you do, however, you'll be faced with a game much less polished than you remember it being.

The game's UI is not particularly user-friendly, and the inventory system in particular is difficult to navigate and understand. The combat feels unwieldy and infuriatingly less fluid than that of its sequels.

Therein lies Mass Effect's problem: The amount of effort that went into refining its strengths for the follow-up was so spot-on that it actually made the first game something of a slog to get through in retrospect.

While it's not the worst problem for a game to have, it certainly make replaying this monumental title a dull and frustrating endeavour.