8 Overlooked Video Games With Groundbreaking Mechanics

So Dragons Dogma is not a perfect game, but what it brings to the table are truckloads of ideas, all of them brilliant on paper but flawed in execution.

The Pawn system for example was groundbreaking because it let you send your braindead avatars off to help other players in battle and would bring back rewards for you, but was let down by the fact that the creatures basically live to serve you, never shut up, and force you to plant them in a form of Naughty Chair in order to forcibly re-write their personality.

The Romance system was surprisingly fresh as well, as it didn't focus on big obvious choices, but rather how you treated potential lovers across the entire game, in and out of combat, and how you made them feel special with gifts and conversation.

However, the real star of the show is how Dragons Dogma basically looked at Shadow Of The Colossus and said, but what if that climbing mechanic was infused directly into the combat?

Instead of just being used on towering enemies, the grappling mechanic allowed players to hitch a ride on enemies big and small, clambering up to weak spots or even using the creature's own body as a safe spot from its attacks. This combined with a group battle mechanic meant that you could have moments where your party distracted the enemy, allowing you to climb on board before delivering the killing blow.

It was exhilarating, added a tonne of depth to combat, and still, so many people bypassed this game and the mounting mechanic as a result.