The video game industry prides itself in its ability to not just entertain its audience, but also to continually push the medium forward into the future. It’s remarkable to look at how far video games have come and the tremendous improvements that have taken place over the past decade in terms of the technological capabilities of gaming hardware. Each new gaming generation showcases changes and improvements, some of which become the norm, while others turn into temporary trends. I’m 

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The improvements of the industry have helped video games evolve and bring forward plenty of new features, but strangely the reverse can also be true. There’s still lots of nostalgia towards retro games and older genre mechanics, yet sometimes technological limitations can lead to some of the most iconic features from certain games.

10 Resident Evil’s Loading Screen Doors

Video Games Resident Evil Code Veronica Doors Loading Screen

Resident Evil is still known for its terrifying gameplay, but the games have substantially evolved since their humble origins. Resident Evil has shifted from its third-person perspective and sometimes embraces action over horror.

An iconic detail from the early Resident Evil games is that the player faces an atmospheric loading screen any time a character opens a door, climbs a ladder, or progresses into a new area. This brief pause in the gameplay is to allow the title to load up the next area, but it actually increases the tension and frightens the player over what they’re about to face.

9 The Mysterious Minus World In Super Mario Bros.

Video Games Super Mario Bros Minus World

Super Mario remains Nintendo's most popular platforming series and it's incredible how much the games have been able to evolve while still retaining the series’ core. Super Mario titles are full of hidden details, but a major discovery that fans accidentally stumbled upon is Super Mario Bros.' secret Minus World.

This bizarro version of the main game is filled with glitches, but has turned into a satisfying extra challenge for dedicated players. However, this new world occurs as a result of overloading the game's software with unexpected commands. The right sequence of actions in World 1-2 triggers this shift.

8 Monster Rancher Unlocking Creatures Through Disc Swapping

Video Games Monster Rancher Disc Swap Monster Summon

There are so many egregious Pokémon clones that some worthwhile games unfairly get dismissed because audiences just assume the worst. Monster Rancher is a popular Tecmo video game series that even got its own anime adaptation. The major concept behind the Monster Rancher games is that new creatures can get unlocked through discs.

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The PlayStation games implement this by having the player actually swap other PlayStation games or CDs into the console. This mechanic would not be possible without the PlayStation’s technology and the way in which it reads game discs.

7 Nintendo 3DS Games Tell The Player To Take A Break

Video Games 3DS Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time Take A Rest Message

Nintendo has made some big swings when it comes to 3D gaming. The technology may not have caught on in a mainstream way, but it resulted in some ambitious endeavors from the company. The Nintendo 3DS handheld achieves rather impressive 3D gaming that’s entirely without glasses or extra accessories.

This technology can be abrasive for some people and cause headaches or eye strain. Accordingly, 3DS games encourage gamers to rest their eyes and occasionally take a break. Rather than present this as a warning screen, characters in the game will suggest this in clever ways that break the fourth wall.

6 FMV Games Forcing Real-Time Gameplay

Video Games D FMV Lockbox Puzzle

A huge technological advancement in the gaming industry is the jump from 2D graphics to immersive 3D worlds. A form of technology that defines the transitional period between these two eras is the advent of Full-Motion Video (FMV) sequences. FMV sequences essentially turn games into interactive movies that showcase live-action sequences.

This technology impressed many, but it’s also quite taxing on the gaming hardware. In some instances, like the Sega Saturn’s D, the player has to work through the game in a single sitting, working through the title in real-time. This can be frustrating, but for some games it actually builds tension.

5 Mega Man 7’s Creative Password Screens

Video Games Mega Man 7 Password Screen

Modern gamers take for granted how easy it is to save progress in a video game. However, there was a time where saving to a console simply wasn’t possible or would require the use of memory cards. A popular alternative to on-cartridge saving is the use of complex passwords.

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The Super Nintendo features games that can save to the cartridge, but their Mega Man titles instead make use of password screens. Mega Man 7 turns this feature into a friendly experience with colorful images of characters from the game, which gives personality to this perfunctory feature.

4 Transfer Cable Pokémon Trades & Releases Of Dual Complimentary Games

Video Games Pokemon Transfer Cable Pokemon Trade

A defining feature of the Pokémon series is that players can link up their games for the purpose of trading or battling their Pokémon. The concept was so revolutionary that many forget that the Game Boy’s Transfer Link Cable was initially implemented for Tetris.

Pokémon playfully leans into this mechanic and incorporates it into the gameplay, which actually shows Pokémon traveling between respective Game Boys. Pokémon goes one step further and the whole concept of splitting up the Pokédex between two complimentary versions of the same game is entirely because of the Transfer Link Cable.

3 DRM Protection In Point-And-Click Adventure Games

Video Games King's Quest VI Rock Climbing Riddle DRM

A rampant problem back during the height of PC gaming is that discs or CD-ROMs could simply be passed between consumers, installed, and then traded back. A popular way to fight back against this level of piracy is to incorporate Digital Rights Management (DRM) safeguards.

The Sierra and LucasArts point-and-click adventure games made use of this in inspired ways where the player needs to refer back to the gaming manual to solve a puzzle. King’s Quest VI features a grueling rock climbing puzzle that revolves around this mechanic. The NES’ StarTropics also excels in this regard.

2 Cliffhanger FMV Sequences In Final Fantasy To Mark End Of Discs

Video Games Final Fantasy VII End Of Disc 2 Cutscene

An exciting element of video games back during the era of early disc-based gaming is that longer titles could be spread across multiple CDs. This multiple disc presentation immediately gives a game a grander scope. However, the games themselves also embrace their multi-disc style when it comes to their storytelling.

A frequent convention, especially in the PlayStation’s Final Fantasy titles, is that the end of a disc is marked by a huge FMV cutscene that ends the story on a cliffhanger before changing discs. It’s a clever way to build stakes and take advantage of this necessity to change discs.

Video Games Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild Mute Link

Video games have taken such technological leaps forward that full speech is typically the norm, but there’s now real actors that perform through motion-capture performances. Curiously, Nintendo resists this and uses previous technological limitations as a way to create iconic traits in some of their biggest characters.

For instance, The Legend of Zelda’s Link is often depicted as a mute character, or at the least someone that expresses his thoughts through text. This limitation has helped inform Link’s character. The garbled speech in the Nintendo 64’s Banjo-Kazooie is another strong example of leaning into limitations to establish a style.

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