10 Times Video Game Realism Went Too Far

6. Malaria Pills (Far Cry 2)

Red Dead Redemption 2
Ubisoft

To put it mildly, the modern Far Cry games are not concerned with realism. They're ridiculous and over-the-top like a playable '80s action movie, but back in those earlier entries in the series, the experience was designed to be a bit more grounded.

Specifically, Far Cry 2 has a whole host of "realistic" mechanics, from its jamming guns to the way that its map works, but arguably the most annoying one is the fact that you have to constantly take pills so that you don't die of an awful disease. Fun!

Early in the game, your character is infected with malaria, which causes the screen to pulse with a sickly, yellowish tint. From this point on, you'll suffer a malaria attack every so often, which not only brings back that sickly yellow tint, but prevents you from sprinting or jumping, forcing you to pop some pills to return to normal.

It goes without saying that this was a pretty annoying thing to have to deal with on a regular basis, and while Far Cry 2 is a strong game overall, it's no surprise that its sequels opted for a much more forgiving gameplay loop.

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Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.