Sometimes, a game introduces a mechanic that's so good that others pick it up and use it for their own titles. For example, after the first Gears of War, third-person cover shooting became very popular for a while, and many games started using open-world cities after Grand Theft Auto 3.
But not every great video game feature or mechanic starts a trend. Some games have introduced some very clever ideas that other developers haven't tried to copy for some reason. Here is a list of some that we think will be the industry standard.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Nemesis System
The Nemesis system is one of the most original features seen in gaming for many years. How it works is that all the enemies you fight in Shadow of Mordor are part of a hierarchy. So, the standard grunts are at the bottom, while the most important enemies are at the top. However, it doesn't stay that way. For example, if a low-level grunt is able to defeat you, it moves up in rank. Hence, the hierarchy is constantly changing.
10 Games That Felt Big Before Taking Over Open Worlds
They are small by today's standards.
This adds an extra dimension to each fight, especially as the baddies you encounter remember you, which adds a bit of personality to otherwise standard enemies. Until Warner Bros. patented the mechanic, no one else could use the system, but the system seems to have become more common when Shadow of Mordor was released.
Red Faction – Destructive environment
Technically, destructible environments were a trend at one point, due to the Red Faction series. As a result, you started seeing it in games like Battlefield: Bad Company and various other entries in that series. However, this was only a short trend. It's surprising because it really felt like destructive environments were the norm at this point.
After all, being able to create holes in the walls, which you can do in the original red faction, is fun. However, he never got on the path he was supposed to be on. Technological restrictions may have played a role in this.
Left 4 Dead – AI Director
When you play the campaign in Left 4 Dead, you are monitored by the in-game AI. If you're doing really well and getting things easy, then the game will start sending more zombies your way, along with more special infected. This is to keep things challenging and rewarding.
However, this step doesn't just happen when you're doing well. If you're taking too long or messing up too much and not making progress, the game will send you on your way to move. This is a unique type of dynamic difficulty that can work well in similar games.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot – Defeat low level enemies without fighting
One of the most annoying things in an RPG is when you're too level up, and you still have to fight low-level goons. Yes, you win fights easily, but these encounters seem like a waste of time. Some games have thought of ways to speed up the process by giving you the ability to win instantly.
The best version of this is in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, where you can simply charge through low-level enemies and instantly get your reward for beating them. You don't even have to stop. The game slows down a bit to show that you've knocked someone out. This really should be a standard feature in RPGs.
Metal Gear Rising is one of the most action-packed games of its generation. This is because the game puts you in control of Raiden, a cyborg ninja with exceptional sword skills. Those skills are best on display when you use Blade Mode. This mode allows you to slow down time and manually slice the enemy in the direction you want.
This means you can land some really precise strikes and cut limbs with ease. Afro Samurai had a similar mechanic years ago, but it was a lesser known game, so it wasn't surprising that it didn't start a trend. You'd think people would copy the idea from Metal Gear Rising, though.
Mass Effect – Your choices have consequences in the sequel
The consequences of the decisions you make are usually felt within the same game. In Mass Effect, however, your save data will be between all three numbered entries. So, when playing the third game, you may lose characters because of the choices you made two games ago.
While this isn't always fully implemented in Mass Effect, it's a nice mechanic as it gives more weight to your decisions. Some titles allow you to set up your universe by selecting choices you've made in previous games, but they rarely come into play. Effective choices between games have rarely been seen since Mass Effect.
Dead Space – Diegetic Health Bar
Video game HUDs can be hit-or-miss. Some look great and give you all the information you need, while others clutter the screen and prevent you from appreciating your surroundings. The developers of Dead Space found a way to reduce clutter by making your health bar part of your character's suit.
So, at any time, you can look at the back of your character to see how your health is. More importantly, it fits seamlessly and feels like a natural inclusion in the suit. While this isn't the only example of a diegetic health bar or HUD in gaming, the concept is still rare.
Resident Evil 2 – Zapping system
Resident Evil 2 has four separate stories, spread between two characters. There is Leon A, Leon B, Claire A, and Claire B. To experience the full story, you must play one character's A story and another's B story. In the process, you will see that they connect through what is called a zapping system.
This means that even though they are separate playthroughs, the actions you take in the A story will affect the B story. For example, there is a moment where you can open some gas in the A story to weaken certain enemies, but if you do, in the B run, a certain boss will be more deadly. So, you can make things harder or easier for yourself. It's a neat gimmick to encourage multiple playthroughs, so it's a shame other games don't do that.
LA Noire – Using Facial Tech
One of LA Noire's main selling points was the realism of the in-game faces. At the time, they were far ahead of other sports. But it wasn't just about how real they looked; It was about how it was used from a gameplay perspective.
Since this is a detective game, you spend a lot of time talking to suspects and witnesses. And sometimes, you have to find out that they are lying to you. The only way to do this is to study their facial expressions, which is where facial technique really comes into play. It was an innovative concept that you would have thought few other games would have attempted after that.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – dynamic weight and muscle
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was released in 2004. However, it has a mechanic that is not seen in many games. That's dynamic weight and muscle growth. In this game, you have the protagonist, CJ, gain muscle by working out a lot, and gain weight by eating too much to burn it off.
This means you can physically change your character's appearance in a natural and dynamic way. With San Andreas being such a popular game, you'd think that many other developers would have added this mechanic to their games.
10 Best Games That Felt Futuristic at Launch
These games were innovative.
