10 Times Video Game Realism Went Too Far

7. Refuelling Your Bike (Days Gone)

Days Gone
Sony

In the post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested wasteland of Days Gone, bikes are the new "man's best friend". Seriously, everyone in this game loves a bit of two-wheeled action, to the extent that maintaining and upgrading protagonist Deacon's ride is one of the core components of the experience.

You'll also have to refuel your bike's tank whenever it runs dry, which, on paper, might seem like a really immersive game mechanic. But in practice? Having to constantly worry about fuel consumption detracts from the fun of exploring the open world, while also making you repeat the same mundane refuelling task over and over again.

Most games would give the bike unlimited fuel so that players can drive around and let loose, but Days Gone doesn't do that. You can't speed around like a madman, smashing into zombies and zooming up steep ramps. Your tank runs out of juice far too quickly - even when upgraded - and as a result, you'll regularly have to put the game on hold while you hunt down a fuel canister, or travel to a camp for a refill.

This constant stopping-and-starting badly hurts the pacing of an already plodding story, forcing you to take your time and drive slowly and carefully, which absolutely nobody wants to do when they're riding a goddamn motorbike on the open road.

And while fuel is relatively easy to come by (although, on occasion, you will find yourself stranded in the wilderness with an empty tank), Days Gone would've been a much more fun ride - pun intended - if the bike was a bit less high-maintenance.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!