Stuff in games you can't really use

[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

So I was on a Starcraft 2 kick and during one of the late-game Terran missions, I decided to try and actually use the famous "Nuclear Launch Detected" on one of the Zerg Bases in "Shatter the Sky".
But even though it was on normal, I couldn't figure out any way to get my Specter into position where they wouldn't get killed.
I mean, I could have killed everything in the base, but when what would be the point?
In the end, I just settled for Battlecruiser spam because Jackson's Revenge is awesome.

So that gave me the idea for this topic: Was there ever any gameplay mechanics or gimmicks you wanted to try in game but couldn't because they were either too impractical or you just couldn't make it work?
And before you link me to the TV Tropes page "Awesome but Impractical", I'm also counting stuff that mightn't be quote-unquote "Awesome"

Another example would be Sylvannas's "Possession" Ultimate in Heroes of the Storm, Where you can convert enemy minions to your team in order to help push, along with a slight damage boost
I mean, it is just terrible and the only times when I could ever use it was when I played against Bots who didn't know better but man, I really want to see that shit get buffed because it really fits how I play her.

So Escapists, get to the posting, the Masturbation threads can wait

 

[Wary Wolf]

For those who don't know, here is a rough indicator of how useful a nuke drop is in SC 2:

Spoiler: Fun Series, check it out SC fans

Wow. One zergling killed. Nukes can be Ok, but they're very situational. Mostly to destroy tight defense clusters or finish off a weak opponent late game. I wouldn't rely on them though. I suppose OG StarCraft had the Scout that was pretty weak, and became next to useless once BroodWar was released.

Original Fallout had a Geiger Counter which was more or less useless. Most areas it was pretty obvious there would be high radiation levels (The Hole) and your stats would indicate if you were radiated or not. You could bypass Rads anyway with meds and equipment.

I suppose the Elder Scrolls potions like Resist Frost could be included in this. But better sources have pointed that out already. Also why can post-DLC Skyrim can I use knives and forks as weapons? I assume because Sheogorath.

 

[Kyle Winston]

The entirety of the weapon skill system in Tales of Zestiria. I found it far too convoluted and luck based. I just went entirely based on stats and grinded levels.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

I beat Dark Souls 2 with two different characters without parrying a single enemy. Which is a little odd, because I used the parry reasonably often in the first game. Whatever the changes were that they made to the parry system made it useless to me.

Also, the story in GTA 3. I probably played 300 hours of that game with my buddies when I was a teenager and never bothered to complete a mission. Just endless fucking around.

 

[FPLOON]

Getting the Ultima Weapon in Kingdom Hearts... Chain of Memories... as in, the card itself... which once you obtain it, you can now freely use it on... heartless that you've already defeated with weaker cards already (especially if you've haven't reached Level 99 yet) and the final boss in the game, which you've already beaten with weaker cards already... And to think, this could have been the Kingdom Hearts game to benefit from a legit New Game+... Then again, after RE:Chain of Memories on Kingdom Hearts 1.5, it's not even the "ultimate card" in terms of attack cards...

Other than that, after I replayed/marathon'd through Nebula Fighter, one of the last "weapon upgrades" you get is the Anti-Nuke... which is only usable for the final level... and it "imitates" a regular Nuke only instead of the screen fading to white, it fades to black...

 

[Guffe]

The jump button in Mario.
Never understood what that was good for...

 

[Here Comes Tomorrow]

Any sort of "glow vision".

Batman's detective vision, Lara's survival vision. It's a terrible mechanic and I avoid using it unless I have to, which I shouldn't unless the game is pushing the ability to the point of not giving any visual clues.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Going WAY back, when I was a kid there was this side-scroller action game for NES called "Wizards and Warriors", and you could get this item called the "Cloak of invisibility", which, of course, made you invisible.

Except literally all it did was make your guy on-screen invisible, but all the enemies still knew exactly where you were. So in fact it actually had a net negative effect.

I loved Prototype, but I'll be the first to admit that about 60% of the moves you learned were basically worthless and were just there for show (same applies to Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction).

This one was obviously done on-purpose and as a joke, but in Fallout: Tactics, you could find a Chauchat LMG, which is largely known as being one of the worst firearms ever invented. If you actually try and use it in the game, it breaks immediately.

 

[bliebblob]

In a similar vein to the OP: pretty much all of the interesting and fun units back in warcraft 3. Especially spell breakers, dragonhawk riders, faerie dragons, destroyers and possession banshees. Because while there were some neat levels in the single player campaign themed around them, I soon enough learned online real time strategy has this thing called the meta and it doesn't take kindly to units as specialized and/or cost-inefficient as them. Oh you wanted themed armies? Variety? Meta says no. Enjoy forever building footmen.

Similar issues with the heroes, where even though most of them were at least worthwile there was only very rarely more than one viable skill build for them. Don't even get me started on using neutral heroes, or undead forever being stuck with the deathknight.

*sigh* All I wanted was to main a dark ranger army. Was that so much to ask?! -.-

TLDR: when played online warcraft 3 arguably has an issue where the meta viability of units is inversely proportional to how much fun they are to use, and that is how I learned PvP real time strategy probably isn't for me.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

Can I count alternate firing modes in shooters? I rarely ever find a use for them. Things like semi-auto modes, or three-burst firing. Or even specialized ammunition, such as incendiary rounds. Even on harder difficulties it just seems simpler to pump enemies with full-auto fire and standard bullets. It's nice authenticity for certain guns I suppose...

Flashlights in non-traditional horror games. Games like The Last of Us have moments where it almost begs you to use your flashlight, but I never had a use for it. The only way I could manage to base my view around the flashlight as a mechanic was to lower my monitor brightness/contrast down, but that would only end up making the outside world look dim and dull.

That goes for night vision in games as well. Maybe it has to do with how I have my monitor set up for my personal taste, but most games internal brightness sliders don't make a difference for me.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

This is probably subjective but most weapons in MGSV and Far Cry 3/4. Once I have a silenced short range, long range, non-lethal and recoverable ammo based weapons sorted...all other weapons to be unlocked or bought become redundant. Especially the exhausting list of researchable (a word?) weapons that grow in MGSV. In the end I only researched them as an obligation to feel like my R%D team weren't dying of boredom.

 

[DeliveryGodNoah_v1legacy]

This is probably subjective but most weapons in MGSV and Far Cry 3/4. Once I have a silenced short range, long range, non-lethal and recoverable ammo based weapons sorted...all other weapons to be unlocked or bought become redundant. Especially the exhausting list of researchable (a word?) weapons that grow in MGSV. In the end I only researched them as an obligation to feel like my R%D team weren't dying of boredom.

Ditto on this for me as well. I played for 20 hours using the same handgun and sniper rifle that I got early on in the beginning of the game, just because using stealth made weapons almost redundant, as you said. The only time I paid attention to what I took with me were missions that required me to blow something up.

 

[RJ 17]

So I was on a Starcraft 2 kick and during one of the late-game Terran missions, I decided to try and actually use the famous "Nuclear Launch Detected" on one of the Zerg Bases in "Shatter the Sky".
But even though it was on normal, I couldn't figure out any way to get my Specter into position where they wouldn't get killed.
I mean, I could have killed everything in the base, but when what would be the point?
In the end, I just settled for Battlecruiser spam because Jackson's Revenge is awesome

I completed that mission using nothing but nukes. The thing about going with the Nuclear Option, you've got to fully commit to it...as in have at least 3 silos constantly churning out nukes.

Next you'll want a comms center so you can use the scanning sweep. Beyond that: it's the same principal as leap-frogging with siege tanks. You don't try to get in deep and nuke the hatchery straight off the bat...you've got to nuke your way into the base first.

Anyway, the plan is to use the scanner sweep to reveal an area and drop the nuke somewhere in that area. Once the sweep is over, if your ghost (specters suck ) has locked on then the nuke will still land despite the point possibly being out of vision now (specifically: on a higher level of land than your ghost). Then just like I said: you just nuke your way into the base one after another. :3

Another example would be Sylvannas's "Possession" Ultimate in Heroes of the Storm, Where you can convert enemy minions to your team in order to help push, along with a slight damage boost
I mean, it is just terrible and the only times when I could ever use it was when I played against Bots who didn't know better but man, I really want to see that shit get buffed because it really fits how I play her.

Actually I've got to stop you on this one too.

The other day I accidentally picked Possession due to an inopportune lag spike. Well fuck...that sucks. Or at least I thought it did because I was like you: thinking it's absolutely worthless. It was on Lair of the Spider Queen. Fun Fact: if you possess a Health Globe minion, they spit out a globe when they become possessed. If you possess a gem spider, they spit out a gem when they become possessed.

Now, one thing you should know from playing Heroes is never underestimate a minion wave. Sure, you may have a better dueling hero than the enemy, but if you're fighting in the middle of a swarm of minions then you're going to get burned down. Possession allows you to go from Wave and Hero vs Wave and Hero to 2 Waves and Hero vs Hero. It's...surprisingly effective. It fires off quickly, too, so before your enemy knows it they're standing in the middle getting smacked by poison daggers, shadow arrows, a big fat Envenom, along with 14 disgruntled minions.

While not as big and flashy as Wailing Arrow...I wouldn't call Possession worthless.

What is worthless is Nova's rework. God damn...they positively SODOMIZED her with a Nerf Bat. I honestly think she should speak to the police and file rape charges against Blizzard...it's just sad what they did to her in the newest patch.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Going WAY back, when I was a kid there was this side-scroller action game for NES called "Wizards and Warriors", and you could get this item called the "Cloak of invisibility", which, of course, made you invisible.

Except literally all it did was make your guy on-screen invisible, but all the enemies still knew exactly where you were. So in fact it actually had a net negative effect.

I loved Prototype, but I'll be the first to admit that about 60% of the moves you learned were basically worthless and were just there for show (same applies to Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction).

This one was obviously done on-purpose and as a joke, but in Fallout: Tactics, you could find a Chauchat LMG, which is largely known as being one of the worst firearms ever invented. If you actually try and use it in the game, it breaks immediately.

I actually remembered hearing about it in your post:
http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/nes/useless.htm

Thou hath wasted thy fucking time.

Edit: from the posts below me, the alternate fire modes in Bulletstorm, they cost a lot, and it's incredibly shitty if they miss.

My post?

I'm Seanbaby?

 

[RJ 17]

In a similar vein to the OP: pretty much all of the interesting and fun units back in warcraft 3. Especially spell breakers, dragonhawk riders, faerie dragons, destroyers and possession banshees. Because while there were some neat levels in the single player campaign themed around them, I soon enough learned online real time strategy has this thing called the meta and it doesn't take kindly to units as specialized and/or cost-inefficient as them. Oh you wanted themed armies? Variety? Meta says no. Enjoy forever building footmen.

That's why I preferred going doing 3v3 in competitive...all of a sudden it actually pays to get specialized. Have one person go straight caster, one person go straight anti-air, and the other go straight heavy ground. Tauren buffed up with Inner Fire and other buffs stolen by the Spell Breakers while Night Elf hippo riders rain arrows from above and fairy dragons supporting the spell breakers in being anti-caster...good times, good times.

 

[sXeth]

The mind-control ability/spell/materia whatever in Final Fantasy. Outside of learning blue magic that would otherwise never be cast on you, it was always kind of impractical, because you were sacrificing one of your walking demigods' turns to instead use a much weaker attack from one of the enemies. Naturally, it never worked on bosses or strong enough enemies that it might be logical.

Much like the OP example, the Hellbomb nuke in Helldivers. You use it maybe once or twice before you unlock one of the myriad other options to destroy Bug Nests or other targets that require an explosive. After that its just drastically unusuable in terms of time to deploy and having to run up and activate it, then escape the radius. Compared to just calling in artillery bombs/using a tank shell/mortar rocket.

 

[mrdude2010]

That Khajit racial ability in Skyrim is pretty useless. I tend to just adjust the brightness if I can't see.