10 Deliberate Gameplay Features That Ruin Your Immersion

"Hey, have you seen the new Keanu Reeves movie yet?" is a question you've very likely asked or been asked yourself. One question that should NEVER pass from a human being's lips, however, is, "Hey, have you played the new Keanu Reeves game yet?"

There's no better money-spinner than a glorious 4K rendering of your favourite A-list actors. Willem Dafoe, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Spacey, Norman Reedus... regardless of who gets the big-budget motion capture treatment, their starring role serves only one purpose: relentless, unending marketing, and big, big bucks for them and the companies.

Gaming seems to suffer from this far more than movies do. Do you see the lead character in Beyond: Two Souls and think "Jodie Holmes" or "Elliot Page" first? Exactly. And you know Page is primarily a film star, so how is this supposed to encourage immersion?

Not only that, but isn't recreating real-life people with computer animation a huge waste? The animators could design anything they wanted, but because they have to squander their efforts on making a high-def Keanu Reeves, both the story and its ability to suck you in are seriously compromised.

There's a reason video games and films are different mediums. Designers could do well to remember that before they ram an out-of-place celebrity into their next games and leave us with that feeling of, "Well, that was fun while it lasted."