10 Awesome Video Game Features We Can't Believe Got Cancelled
Naughty Dog scrapped one of their most creative mechanics to date.
Video games are such enormously complex projects that they often end up markedly different from the original plan, as artists realise over the course of development what is and isn't possible.
Compromises are always made whether for better or worse, and it's incredibly common for ambitious features to end up clipped away for one of many different reasons.
Perhaps an intended feature simply couldn't be implemented satisfactorily within time ahead of a publisher-mandated release date, or maybe there were technical issues which prevented it from making the cut.
Whatever the reasoning, these 10 video game features and mechanics all could've added yet another layer of ingenuity to games already overflowing with brilliance and creativity.
From insanely inspired, groundbreaking mechanics to long-requested quality-of-life features, these concepts could've taken their respective games to even greater heights and possibly influenced other games in the genre in the process.
It just wasn't to be, though, and while the window may have closed for some of these ideas, others could very well end up included in a future title from the developer - perhaps even the next direct sequel if we're lucky...
10. The Mantis Mask Lets You Read People's Minds - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
Twisted genius Hideo Kojima is one of the most left-field creatives working in the games industry, so it's little surprise that he's been forced to leave countless ideas on the cutting room floor over the years.
But there's one single mechanic above all others whose deletion is painfully lamentable. While designing Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Kojima originally planned to include a "Mantis Mask," based on the prior game's iconic boss Psycho Mantis.
The mask would allow users to read the minds of anyone in the vicinity, and per Kojima's typically inscrutable eye for detail, it goes without saying he would've allowed players to have a ton of fun with the mask on both NPCs and bosses alike.
The mask could reportedly be unlocked for a second playthrough and allow players to immediately see through Solid Snake's unconvincing alias Iroquois Pliskin.
It's genuinely surprising that Kojima never brought the Mantis Mask back for future MGS games, and while it could certainly slot easily enough into any future titles - especially if the rumours of a PS5 Metal Gear Solid remake are true - Kojima's acrimonious split from publisher Konami sadly makes that prospect rather unlikely.