7 Video Game Sequels That Mocked Mechanics Fans Hated

6. "Where's Your Sense Of Pride And Accomplishment?" - Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

Although every other example on this list references video games that have felt the need to make a joke about the past misfortunes of their own series, Ubisoft embarked on a whole other level of cognitive dissonance by taking aim at EA's Star Wars Battlefront reboot in Assassin's Creed, of all places.

In the very definition of "Spider-Man points at himself" meme, Odyssey has a quest that satirises in-game microtransactions and pay-to-win titles. The player has to acquire tokens, and after encountering a few figures that would allow them to purchase a token with in-game currency, the final person of interest refuses to bargain.

When Alexios or Kassandra queries regarding the prospect of simply buying the token, the character responds with a degree of shock, questioning why the player wishes to "pay to win." They then ask where their "honour" is, as well as their sense of "pride and accomplishment" - a specific nod towards EA's infamous Reddit comment that attempted to defuse the furore surrounding Battlefront II's microtransaction-heavy launch, only to become the most downvoted comment in the website's history.

It's a bit of an odd jab to make, given Ubi's repeated use of microtransactions in their own titles, but it does at least mock a hated mechanic in a video game sequel. If only they could apply their own logic to their own projects along the way...

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.