Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Future Games Show
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Newsletters
    • Total Film
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsarama
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Dying Light: The Beast
  • Borderlands 4 review
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Bioshock Infinite screenshot showing Elizabeth about to hit someone with a book
PC Gaming If "good is the new bad" in games, flawed experiments won't have time to grow into future GOTYs
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild screenshot showing Link, a male character with elf-like ears, blond hair, and bright blue eyes
Movies The Legend of Zelda movie is exciting, but I'm still begging for 5 specific video game movies to get adapted next
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing companion Shadowheart, a young half-elf woman with long tied-back black hair
RPGs Baldur's Gate 3 dev says AAA is "perversely fascinated" by indie games, because those devs still understand how to make good ideas that aren't reliant on data
Kaser stands in front of a glowing blue background as the imprisoned dragon Lord Arena swirls behind him like a fish - key art from Lost Soul Aside used on the PlayStation store
Action Games Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
Enzo Favara in a dark room during a cut scene in Mafia: The Old Country.
Open World Games "Comparisons like this are why we never get open-world GTA-style games anymore": Mafia: The Old Country is the latest new release to be compared to Rockstar's commitment to realism, and fans are getting tired of it
Death Stranding 2
Open World Games I'm enjoying Death Stranding 2, but I wish Hideo Kojima would stop teasing me with cool powers I'll never have
Best PC games: Screenshots of Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2, Split Fiction and the Resident Evil 4 Remake
PC Gaming Best PC games: The 25 greatest PC games to play in 2025
Baldur's Gate 3 mind flayer with pale purple skin and facial tentacles stares ahead with glowing yellow eyes
Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead defends Mafia: The Old Country's lack of swimming after clips go viral, says "endlessly layering on mechanics maketh a good game not"
A warrior overlooking ruins on a grassy field beneath a grey sky in Shadow of the Colossus
Games The games industry might be built on borrowed ideas, but new ones have to come from somewhere – even if Fumito Ueda says "the era of game mechanics is over"
Anthem
Action RPGs BioWare veteran says "flying is Anthem's best feature" but also its "worst feature" because it broke the game, and reckons Monster Hunter is a great example of how to add "really crazy things" without the broken part
Fallout 1 power armor helmet
RPGs "I don't think there's such a thing as a good game": Fallout's Tim Cain says "the same people will complain" about a game with bad reviews while praising a game with good reviews even if they have the "exact same problem"
A header image for the GamesRadar+ Best Games of 2025 list, showing Mario Kart World, Blue Prince, The Alters, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Games The best games to play in 2025, so far
The key art for Hell is Us, showing Remi with his equipment - military poncho, laser sword, and drone - in front of a Hollow Walker's milky white face
Action Games Hell is Us review: "The lack of waypoints and explicit objectives is a double-edged magical sword that pulls me deep into its harsh world"
The squad target a strange floating enemy an office environemtn in FBC: Firebreak
FPS Games FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
Cyberpunk 2077 photomode screenshot of V in a taxicab sitting next to Johnny Silverhand
Cyberpunk From NG+ to full-body cyberware, here are 5 realistic Cyberpunk 2077 requests I'd love to see in the next update (if we get one)
  1. Games

7 things that should be awesome in video games (but rarely are)

Features
By David Houghton published 30 July 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Dino-snores

Dino-snores

Due to their limitless creative freedom in building characters and worlds, video games have an uncanny ability to make anything awesome. All kinds of things that would be rubbish, or at least fairly pedestrian, in real life, become ludicrous fun when games get hold of them. Farming, fighting, paper rounds, goats Theres seemingly nothing that games cant make cool.

Except, it seems, things that are already cool in the real world. Or real-world fiction. You see there are plenty of awesome things that, despite their massive potential, usually tend to be a bit disappointing in games, at least once they step out of the cutscenes and become actual gameplay mechanics. There are a few great exceptions for each of course, but really, this stuff deserves better.

Page 1 of 9
Page 1 of 9
Dragons

Dragons

Should be awesome because: Think a meteor killed off the dinosaurs? No. The dragons embarrassed them away. Then they just buggered off on a whim, because they were too cool to hang around. Fricking huge great lizards that breath fire, walk and fly with equal adeptness, and are far more suave and better-kempt than those snarling, stomping, feral peasant-lizards, they can often speak English too. And probably drink tea. Being a dragon in a game? It should be amazing.

But unfortunately 90% of the time theyre rubbish. Maybe its because theyre too awesome. Putting dragons up against human-type enemies is so unbalanced a fight that the lizards devastating powers feel wasted. And while combat is usually okay in the sky (if essentially a reskinned air-combat sim), on the ground a lot of devs try to evoke the beasts apocalyptic heft by making them slow and heavy. Screw that. I want a leaping, fluid, tail whipping dragon with the agile physicality of a Xenomorph and the fight skills of Bayonetta. And fire.

Notable exceptions: Panzer Dragoon (even though the dragon acts a bit more like a fighter plane), and Divinity: Dragon Commander. Because you get a dragon with a jetpack. Look, Im stretching here.

Page 2 of 9
Page 2 of 9
Mechs

Mechs

Should be awesome because: The only thing cooler than robots? Giant robots. And you know the the only thing cooler than giant robots? Giant robots that are also tanks, that you can pilot as a normal-sized person, thereby emphasising your empowerment from meaty weakling to rollicking great deathbot with a warm human heart. And rockets the size of buses. Being a gun-toting action-bastard can be fun, but being a railgun-toting, 30-foot, titanium action-bastard capable of running faster than a family car and punching buildings in half? The dream.

But unfortunately Mechs often blunder into the same problems as dragons, in that the sense of empowerment is lost through bad match-ups. When solely fighting other mechs, the sense of scale and power drops away in favour of attritional, long-range shoot-outs and lumpen movement that resonates more with the walking tank side of mechdom than the awesome, metallic Rambo factor. And when mechs appear as bonus diversions in FPS, their ability to liquefy human enemies on sight diminishes their badassery further, making them too tough to be truly cool. Little more than turret sections with limbs.

Notable exceptions: Titanfall, for combining multiple scales of combat with fast, pacey mechs and a focus on close-range duels.

Page 3 of 9
Page 3 of 9
Swimming levels

Swimming levels

Should be awesome because: Stick with me on this one. We all know that water levels are almost invariably shit. But they could--and should--be great. Great games, particularly 3D ones, are all about the joy of movement and control. Theyre about exploration, mastery, and tactical dexterity in space. But generally, jumping aside, they limit us to a fairly flat plane. Water however, with its flagrant disregard for ground-based physics, should unshackle us, freeing us from such constraints so as to positively fly! (swim). They should provide a joyful, kinetic sense of explorative freedom, breaking up the standard gameflow with a temporary, plausible empowerment while at the same time furnishing a relaxing, slower-paced, ambient break.

But unfortunately They dont. Because theyre almost invariably shit.

Notable exceptions: Super Mario 64, for nailing the balance of fluidity, ambiance and control. So why Galaxy didnt get it right is a mystery.

Page 4 of 9
Page 4 of 9
Superheroes

Superheroes

Should be awesome because: The whole world-saving, girl-rescuing, crazy-ability-having, muscle-festishising power-fantasy that AAA games are built on has its roots nowhere but in the pages of early superhero comic books. Plus, games should be able to evoke a real sense of who and what those characters are, better than any other medium. Films can provide better, flashier visual representations of their powers, but only games can provide a real, kinetic sense of what its like to be those characters.

But unfortunately Its almost impossible to hold together the narrative integrity of the superhero power-fantasy in a game that inherently needs frequent lose-conditions. You either end up in a ridiculous situation where Superman gets beaten up by street thugs as he walks to an objective, or you create a boatload of tertiary, dull uses for the hero in questions powers (Hellooo, Peter Parker, balloon-saviour). Then theres the fact that games have been crafting finely-balanced, super-charged power-fantasies of their own for years, thus making proper superheroes both fairly unnecessary and even tougher to make stand out.

Notable exceptions: The Arkham series. Namely because Batman has exactly the vulnerabilities and balanced abilities that a game character needs.

Page 5 of 9
Page 5 of 9
Zombies

Zombies

Should be awesome because: Watch Night of the Living Dead. Remind yourself what zombies really mean. Theyre the unrelatable, insurmountable, ever-growing, utterly tireless march of death. They are the loss of hope. The endless siege. They are constant, pitiless threat with no respite. They are an ever-extending horizon of devastation. In games, they should provide bleak, atmospheric horror and desperate, tactical action. They should furnish some of the mediums most affectingly dark narratives. They should be a nightmare.

But unfortunately Im not saying that there arent any good zombie-based games. Of course there are. But think about how most games use zombies, as opposed to the above. Theyre usually convenient, consequence-free bullet-fodder, little more than gore-accommodating excuses for low-level AI and identikit character modelling. They pander to the most cynical reasons to use the undead in game design, rarely implemented with deep thought as to what they truly represent as a unique horror entity. But they're easy. That's why so many games have them.

Notable exceptions: The Walking Dead, for taking a human, narrative angle, and Resident Evil 4 for the sheer sense of oppression. And the cabin siege. Though the Ganados arent technically zombies. But whatever.

Page 6 of 9
Page 6 of 9
Air combat

Air combat

Should be awesome because: Theoretically, the heady duel of plane-on-plane is a dizzying, tactical ballet. A maelstrom of free-flowing, multi-directional one-upmanship than thrives on action, reaction, bigger-picture thinking and precision aim. These are the things that great multiplayer FPS is built around, so to remove the ground and replace it with total, improvisational command of space, at the speed of sound, should be a flawless fit.

But unfortunately The problem with moving through the sky at Mach 1 is that, without real-life g-force, it doesnt actually feel very fast at all. Look out of the window of any passenger plane you might find yourself on. What do you see? A large expanse of distant, static clouds and never-changing blue. Couple that sense of non-speed with the distances air battles are usually waged over and, particularly in modern-set, more realistic games, youre looking at a whole lot of time spent lining up two small dots, firing, repositioning, and repeating.

Notable exceptions: Star Fox 64s all-range levels, for keeping aerobatic combat close-range and accessible, and War Thunder for getting the arcade/realism blend juuuust right. And Afterburner Climax, of course, for just taking the shamelessly linear, explosive rollercoaster approach.

Page 7 of 9
Page 7 of 9
Sex

Sex

Should be awesome because: Stop giggling. Im not talking about sex as pure titillation (I said stop giggling). No, you see my point is that as games increasingly encroach upon the territory of the Mature Narrative Medium, sex is actually going to become a really powerful tool (Seriously, who keeps laughing?). Film, TV and literature have been using sex and sexuality as insightful, meaningful in-roads to characterisation and plot development forever. If games are going to proudly step away from the kids toy stigma--not to mention drop the well-founded reputation for juvenile sexual exploitation--they need to proudly and smartly use this stuff to take on the big boys of storytelling (Honestly, if I have to tell you one more time).

But unfortunately Games writing just isnt treating sex maturely at the moment. At best, even if used tastefully, its more of a tick-box for maturity rather than something that really adds any in a meaningful sense. Generally used in the same way that vapid, blockbuster cinema does--ie. as a disposable script-filler and cheap way of upping the emotional odds--at best its just there. And at worst, when visual explicitness and inadequate graphical fidelity smash headlong into each other, its a bona fide living nightmare of dead-eyed zombie-humping.

Notable exceptions: Er

Page 8 of 9
Page 8 of 9
Son, I am disappoint

Son, I am disappoint

So that's my list of things that games should be doing better. But what about you? Do you think I've got any wrong? Do you bloody love water levels in all their forms? Are there any other awesome things you think that games aren't doing justice to? And if so, how should they fix them? Let me know in the comments.

And while you're here, why not have a look at (and ideally a read of) some of our related features? The absolute worst water levels would be a good bet, as would our list of The worst superhero games of all time.

Page 9 of 9
Page 9 of 9
David Houghton
David Houghton
Long-time GR+ writer Dave has been gaming with immense dedication ever since he failed dismally at some '80s arcade racer on a childhood day at the seaside (due to being too small to reach the controls without help). These days he's an enigmatic blend of beard-stroking narrative discussion and hard-hitting Psycho Crushers.
See more Games Features
Read more
Bioshock Infinite screenshot showing Elizabeth about to hit someone with a book
If "good is the new bad" in games, flawed experiments won't have time to grow into future GOTYs
 
 
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild screenshot showing Link, a male character with elf-like ears, blond hair, and bright blue eyes
The Legend of Zelda movie is exciting, but I'm still begging for 5 specific video game movies to get adapted next
 
 
Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing companion Shadowheart, a young half-elf woman with long tied-back black hair
Baldur's Gate 3 dev says AAA is "perversely fascinated" by indie games, because those devs still understand how to make good ideas that aren't reliant on data
 
 
Kaser stands in front of a glowing blue background as the imprisoned dragon Lord Arena swirls behind him like a fish - key art from Lost Soul Aside used on the PlayStation store
Lost Soul Aside review: "We (don't) have Final Fantasy Versus 13 at home"
 
 
Enzo Favara in a dark room during a cut scene in Mafia: The Old Country.
"Comparisons like this are why we never get open-world GTA-style games anymore": Mafia: The Old Country is the latest new release to be compared to Rockstar's commitment to realism, and fans are getting tired of it
 
 
Death Stranding 2
I'm enjoying Death Stranding 2, but I wish Hideo Kojima would stop teasing me with cool powers I'll never have
 
 
Latest in Games
Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann says his hope for The Last of Us season 3 is "to make sure it's as deeply faithful as season 1"
 
 
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy 7 Remake director takes a hammer to difficulty discourse as the JRPG reveals ultimate god mode, says he's played games where he "gave up because of the time it takes to level up characters or traverse the game"
 
 
Anthem
BioWare realized late in Anthem's development that "this game was coming in on fire" after EA told the devs "we were targeting a game in the 70s" on Metacritic
 
 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Harper skin
Activision doubles down on Call of Duty skins problem, makes Black Ops 7 skins less goofy "after receiving community feedback specifically related to the Black Ops 7 Vault Edition"
 
 
Borderlands 4 trailer screenshot of Rafa around a bonfire
Gearbox and Randy Pitchford aim a fire hose at the Borderlands 4 PC port, share "optimization guide" and a tip to "boost your performance" which is, big surprise, enabling DLSS performance with frame gen
 
 
Characters from Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade
Final Fantasy 7 Remake gets 2026 release date on Switch 2 and Xbox with Rebirth and Part 3 to follow
 
 
Latest in Features
Man of Tomorrow concept art showing Superman and Lex Luthor teaming up superimposed over a group of heroes from the cover of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
Almost 90 years after Superman was first called the Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn is reviving the name for his big sequel
 
 
A lineup of Helsmiths of Hashut warriors armed with spears in a rocky environment, with a larger model looming behind them
Fear this new Warhammer Age of Sigmar army, because the Helsmiths of Hashut are gonna kick your ass
 
 
A screenshot of the upcoming Switch 2 game, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave with a character using a purple energy blast
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave – Everything we know about the strategy game's Switch 2 debut
 
 
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Downton Abbey helped me through the toughest times, but The Grand Finale feels like the perfect time to wrap things up
 
 
Upcoming video game movies: Mario, Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Bros Movie.
Super Mario Galaxy Movie release date, cast, plot, and everything else you need to know about The Super Mario Bros. sequel
 
 
Hade 2 early access screenshots
After 105 runs in Hades 2, I suddenly unlocked three huge side stories I thought were bugged and I guess I'll be here 'til launch
 
 
  1. Gwent: The Legendary Card Game box on a wooden surface, with cards visible in the background
    1
    There's now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it's just as engrossing as the original
  2. 2
    Borderlands 4 review: "Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy"
  3. 3
    This enormous exploration board game won't be for everyone, but it's a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay
  4. 4
    Hollow Knight Silksong review: "Worth the wait and then some, this isn't just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it's fiddly at times"
  5. 5
    Cronos: The New Dawn review: "An unabashed mash-up of survival horror greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, with plenty of its own gory ideas"
  1. Vera Farmiga as 'Lorraine' in The Conjuring: Last Rites
    1
    The Conjuring: Last Rites review: "Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens' final chapter"
  2. 2
    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: "Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer's best adventure yet"
  3. 3
    The Long Walk review: "One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made"
  4. 4
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  5. 5
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  1. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, Luis Guzman as Gomez Addams, and Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams in Wednesday season 2 part 2
    1
    Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: "Ortega shines, but it's a zombie who steals the entire show"
  2. 2
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  3. 3
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  4. 4
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  5. 5
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...