Does anyone blind-fire in Call of Duty?
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00:00 It's always great to see a video game introduce a truly groundbreaking mechanic, one that
00:05 fundamentally reinvents how we play a certain type of game, and is then endlessly imitated
00:10 by genre successes.
00:11 But not all mechanics are created equal, and while players will never forget a game that
00:16 introduces a truly unique feature, often a game implements mechanics that are, well,
00:21 fundamentally pointless.
00:22 Let's take a look at them as I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are 10
00:26 More Pointless Video Game Mechanics Nobody Used.
00:29 10.
00:30 Blind Fire - Call of Duty Vanguard
00:32 The latest entry into the Call of Duty franchise, Vanguard confirmed the series' ongoing struggle
00:37 to continually innovate its well-trod shooter gameplay, as players en masse mocked its inclusion
00:43 of a toasty random blind fire combat mechanic.
00:46 Now, in theory, blind fire allowed players to shoot indiscriminately into the open without
00:50 revealing themselves, which is a seemingly strategic combat option to help players fend
00:54 off enemies in a pinch, right? Except, upon the game's launch, players took to social
00:58 media to question why Sledgehammer bothered even including it, given how few opportunities
01:04 there are for players to use it in a practical way in both the single player campaign and
01:08 multiplayer suite.
01:09 More to the point, even when it is a viable option, it's fiddly and awkward enough that
01:14 you'll probably end up just getting killed by an enemy who isn't messing around with
01:17 blind fire.
01:18 Considering how little blind fire even figures in the game, you couldn't be blamed for spending
01:22 dozens of hours playing Vanguard without even realising that it was actually a feature.
01:27 9. Vehicles - Saints Row 4
01:30 While the sheer freedom-loving insanity of Saints Row's sandbox gameplay is very much
01:35 the point, by giving players a bevy of superpowers from incredibly early on in the fourth game,
01:40 namely super speed and super jump, developers Volition basically made Vehicles completely
01:45 and utterly pointless.
01:46 Now, this isn't to say that the wish-fulfilment aspect of the various superpowers isn't worth
01:50 it, but in a franchise where cars have traditionally played a major role, the power's generous
01:55 capabilities trivialise driving to the extent of being basically redundant.
01:59 Why get into a car when you can just sprint, jump and glide to your target instead, and
02:03 save yourself a ton of time by not having to deal with traffic?
02:06 Now, while cars are still in the game for those who want to use them, they're effectively
02:10 rendered obsolete by the infinitely superior traversal options that you have at your disposal
02:15 that come within the first hour of Saints Row 4.
02:18 8. Jumping
02:19 Ni No Kuni - Wrath of the White Witch
02:22 As wonderful a game as the Studio Ghibli-inspired Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch is, there's
02:27 so little utility to the jumping jack ability that the game itself even admits it.
02:32 Jumping jack is one of the first abilities that you unlock in the game, and it allows
02:35 you to jump while running, which serves no major practical purpose within the gameplay
02:39 itself given the lack of platforming elements.
02:41 Hilariously, the game even describes it as "not very useful, but a whole lot of fun".
02:45 While jumping jack technically serves a tiny practical purpose by giving you a fractional
02:50 speed boost while moving and letting you grab the floating golden orbs faster during combat,
02:55 these fringe advantages really aren't enough to make the jumps seem worthwhile to about
02:59 99.8% of players.
03:01 Unlike most of the pointless mechanics on this list, at least it is bloody adorable
03:05 to look at and beautifully animated to boot.
03:08 If you're going to be useless, you might as well look good doing it, right?
03:11 7. Horses
03:12 The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild
03:14 Here's a possibly controversial choice with The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild's
03:18 horses.
03:19 Breath of the World is a great game that, above all else, promotes player freedom, to
03:24 go about Link's adventure however you desire.
03:26 And while a horse might sound like a useful vehicle in theory, given the game's emphasis
03:30 on vertical traversal, it's easy to go most of the adventure without using them much at
03:34 all.
03:35 This isn't one of those open world games where you're endlessly riding around long,
03:39 winding paths on your way to the next objective, as there's so much for the player to see
03:42 and do at any given opportunity that you'd just be constantly hopping off your steed
03:46 anyway.
03:47 Plus, without the ability to quickly summon horses from anywhere on the map, it can feel
03:51 a bit like busywork to even get them into your vicinity at all.
03:55 Unless they're needed for a quest, Breath of the World's horses don't really serve
03:58 much of a purpose, especially if you max out your stamina and can just sprint everywhere.
04:03 While some might enjoy riding horses for the sheer sake of the act itself, the mechanic
04:07 doesn't present the discernible gameplay advantage you'd actually expect.
04:11 6.
04:12 The Turn On/Turn Off feature - The Secret of Monkey Island
04:16 Okay, so this one is admittedly pretty funny.
04:19 The original version of The Secret of Monkey Island featured a bevy of on-screen options
04:23 for player interaction, which players will of course need to use throughout the game
04:27 in various contexts.
04:28 Except that is for the Turn On and Turn Off commands, which players are never required
04:33 to use throughout the entire game, especially with the Use function being able to turn objects
04:38 on and off.
04:39 The reason for this is actually quite hilarious, as the game was created using LucasArts'
04:43 bespoke script creation utility for Maniac Mansion, or SCUMM Engine, which had been used
04:48 to develop Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, The Graphic Adventure, the year before.
04:53 And so, rather than tinker with the engine, LucasArts decided to just import the interface
04:57 and command system wholesale, no matter the fact that Secret of Monkey Island had no practical
05:01 use for the Turn On and Off functionality.
05:04 The game's success evidently prompted the company to give the engine a redesign for
05:08 the sequel, though, as Monkey Island 2 La Chucke's Revenge lacked the same, rather
05:12 pointless mechanic.
05:14 5.
05:15 Melee Attacks - Doom Eternal
05:17 In the vast majority of FPS games, the most basic melee option isn't exactly that strong,
05:22 but it will at least allow you to get a temporary stagger or incapacitate an enemy for long
05:26 enough to find your footing.
05:27 But not, apparently, in Doom Eternal.
05:29 Here, the base melee attack is so hilariously underpowered as to be functionally pointless,
05:35 administering close to zero damage, enough that staggering even the most rudimentary
05:39 zombie into a glory kill state takes around 100 hits.
05:43 Not exactly ideal in a tight spot, then.
05:45 It's an especially odd choice, as melee was actually pretty decent in Doom 2016, yet received
05:50 an inexplicable nerf in this sequel.
05:52 Perhaps this was an attempt to further highlight the power of the new Blood Punch melee ability,
05:57 but considering that Doom Eternal is already a highly challenging game, depowering a combat
06:01 skill that was previously useful in a desperate moment makes no sense whatsoever.
06:06 4.
06:07 Magic Hands - Sonic Adventure 2
06:09 Mechanics don't come a whole lot more pointless than Sonic Adventure 2's Magic Hands ability,
06:14 which allows Sonic to shrink and trap enemies within a small sphere, which can then be thrown
06:18 at other obstacles.
06:20 It's not as cool as it sounds, honestly, the main issue being that using Magic Hands grinds
06:24 gameplay to a dreadful halt, and is so much slower than just using Sonic's more conventional
06:29 attacks to subdue the enemy.
06:30 In a series that's all about going fast, the Magic Hands feel woefully out of place, like
06:35 a half-formed feature that somehow just slipped through the QA process during development.
06:39 Combine its sheer impracticality with the fact that unlocking it also is easily missed
06:43 by players in the first place, and you have a mechanic that's as helpful as a chocolate
06:47 teapot, and therefore used by basically nobody.
06:50 3.
06:51 Break Free - Friday the 13th - The Game
06:54 Friday the 13th - The Game may not be the most mechanically robust title on the market,
06:58 but even for its own roughshod standards, the "Break Free" feature definitely pissed
07:02 a lot of players off.
07:03 Now, in theory, the mechanic allows those playing as hapless camp counsellors to break
07:08 from Jason Voorhees' grip once he attacks, but in reality, Jason is so freakishly overpowered
07:13 that it's damn near impossible to actually escape his grasp unless you've got a pocket
07:17 knife in your possession.
07:18 Once anyone playing as Jason has grabbed a counsellor, all they need to do is press a
07:21 single button to finish them off, ensuring those who are playing as the counsellors have
07:25 basically no chance to escape.
07:27 Balancing multiplayer games is definitely hard for sure, but in tipping the scales so
07:31 aggressively in Jason's favour - as suits his character, admittedly - the developers
07:35 may as well just make his grab an insta-kill in of itself.
07:39 If they really wanted the Break Free mechanic to be worthwhile, then Jason desperately needed
07:43 a cool-down on his brutal finishing moves.
07:46 2.
07:47 Smoking - Vanquish
07:48 Now, while I'm pretty sure that everybody tried out Vanquish's admittedly hilarious
07:52 smoking mechanic at least once, that was probably about it.
07:55 And while I hate ragging on Vanquish because it is my all-time greatest 6/10 game that
08:00 is a true 10/10 game - even I have to admit I basically only used it enough to get the
08:04 achievement - but yes, Platinum Games' cult classic third-person shooter literally has
08:09 a button dedicated to lighting up a cigarette while in cover during combat.
08:13 Now, the game tells you that it's useful in that you can throw it over the barricade
08:16 and the enemies will target it because they believe it to be a heat signature of a human
08:20 and they are dumb robots.
08:21 But the problem is that it never distracts them for that long, you can run out of cigarettes,
08:25 and you might as well just shoot them because it's far easier.
08:28 It's amusing all the same, though, and we have to admit, that is pretty much Platinum
08:31 Games' entire MO for building games.
08:34 Is it silly?
08:35 Yes.
08:36 Let's make it.
08:37 1.
08:38 The Gummi Ship - Kingdom Hearts
08:39 By far the most divisive aspect of the Kingdom Hearts games is the requirement to pilot a
08:44 Gummi Ship in order to travel between worlds.
08:46 Beyond padding out the gameplay, these sections were effectively pointless - nothing more
08:50 than a tedious on-rail shooting sequence that nobody asked for.
08:54 Sadly, there's no way to avoid using the Gummi Ship in the three Kingdom Hearts games,
08:58 though it's safe to say that most players didn't spend any more time in them than
09:01 they utterly needed to, and certainly avoided wasting time with optional Gummi side content
09:06 and upgrades.
09:07 While Square Enix admittedly made these sections far more tolerable in the second and third
09:11 game, they still don't suit the series' design philosophy overall.
09:14 Why force us through these painfully bland, time-filler segments in a series of games
09:19 whose appeal lies in exploring magical worlds filled with iconic Disney and Square Enix
09:23 characters?
09:24 After all, in a franchise with a loose-at-best grasp of its own internal logic, would anyone
09:29 have cared if Sora and company just magically warped their way between worlds?
09:33 I'll answer that for you.
09:34 Not a damn person would.
09:36 And there we go, my friends.
09:37 Those were 10 more pointless video game mechanics nobody used.
09:39 I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in
09:42 the comments section below.
09:44 As always, I've been Jules, you can go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJWithA0, or you can
09:48 do the same over on Instagram, @RetroJ with a 0.
09:51 But before I go, I just want to say one thing.
09:54 Hope you're treating yourself well, my friend, with love and respect because you deserve
09:58 all of the best things in life, alright?
09:59 And do not let anything or anyone else tell you otherwise.
10:02 You're a massive ledge, now go out there and absolutely smash it today.
10:05 I believe in you.
10:06 As always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak
10:10 to you soon.