10 Precise Video Game Mechanics That Made You Rage Quit
Who thought Reversal Edge in SoulCalibur was a good idea??
Games are so much more than just a single gameplay mechanic, but sometimes a mechanic sucks just enough that it convinces you to put the controller down, turn the console off, and go do something else.
One of the most under-appreciated aspects of games development is balance, of incorporating all the desired mechanics in a way that makes sense and feels good to the player. It's tougher than it looks, and when a mechanic isn't fun, this is often why.
A bad mechanic can be tolerable if it doesn't intrude too much on the gameplay otherwise, but sometimes they're just irritating enough that they taint the entire experience, such that you might even end up rage-quitting.
Life is short and there are more amazing games out there than anybody can ever play, so if a mechanic is souring the experience that much, why keep playing?
Inspired by this recent Reddit thread, these 10 otherwise pretty entertaining games all subjected players to gameplay systems which made the experience more tedious, frustrating, and generally less of a blast than it should've been.
The main lesson here? Games shouldn't feel like second jobs...
10. Malaria - Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 was in many ways a major step up from the original, though fully enjoying the sequel required coping with the game's infamous malaria mechanic.
Within literally moments of Far Cry 2's opening, before you've even got a gun in your hand no less, you'll be stricken with your first bout of the parasitic infection, and every 30-or-so minutes for the rest of the game you'll need to fend off an attack.
A malaria fit is signalled by the screen tinting yellow, the player's vision blurring, and being unable to sprint or jump. The only way to set things right? Pop some pills, but in the event that you're out of medication, you'll pass out and wake up in a safe room.
It's a mechanic infuriating enough that a PC mod was created which patched the illness out of the game entirely, though console players sadly weren't so lucky.
All the same, even the game's lead designer, Pierre Rivest, later admitted that they made the malaria mechanic too aggressive, and it hasn't appeared in any Far Cry game since.
Though malaria has its defenders - the mechanic, not the real-life illness - it remains the epitome of game-y video game design intended purely to make everything more of a chore.