20 MORE Pointless Video Game Mechanics Nobody Used

4. Throwing Items - GTA IV (2008)

The first Grand Theft Auto game released on seventh generation consoles, GTA IV marked a huge technological shift from San Andreas. Alongside telling a grittier narrative within a more realistic world, Rockstar also added a plethora of new features and mechanics to bring the franchise into the modern age.

In addition to giving Niko a usable phone and equipping cars with functioning GPS, the developers overhauled the gameplay with a cover system and free-aiming. Another new mechanic for the series was being able to pick up and throw various small objects. These included things like bottles, cans, bricks, and pieces of food.

Players are introduced to this mechanic during the early mission "Bull in a China Shop", in which Niko is strongarmed into collecting protection money for loan shark Vlad. While players can approach this task in a handful of ways, the game directs them to throw a nearby brick through the uncooperative owner's window.

Given this feature's niche purpose and the arsenal of superior weapons players later get access to, there was no need to ever engage with this mechanic again, if players even bothered to use it at all.