List of video games notable for negative reception
Certain video games often gain negative reception from reviewers perceiving them as having low-quality or outdated graphics, glitches, poor controls for gameplay, or irredeemable game design faults. Such games are identified through overall low review scores including low aggregate scores on sites such as Metacritic, frequent appearances on "worst games of all time" lists from various publications, or otherwise carrying a lasting reputation for low quality in analysis by video game journalists.
Criteria
The list is not comprehensive, but represents the most prominent examples of games principally recognized for their enduring negative reception, or in the case of titles such as Final Fantasy XIV, No Man's Sky, Star Wars Battlefront II, and Cyberpunk 2077, at their original launch before they were reworked to be improved with content updates through patches. The list mostly omits licensed tie-in games for films or television shows, which are generally accepted by the industry as shovelware and not expected to have high production values as they are typically produced by non-AAA development studios. With certain exceptions, the list also omits controversial video games whose negative reception revolves around the controversies they started and is not related to the quality of the game itself, including those that were subject to review bombing by users for non-gameplay related issues. For similar reasons, the list mostly omits indie games, which are developed by smaller teams that typically lack the resources for full quality control of their product, as well as mobile gaming, of which there are countless developers with the ability to self-publish on app stores and frequent copycats of more successful games driven by unpopular microtransactions, as well as extensive use of stock game assets with little to no original artwork used.Some games that are recognized as notably bad games are also those with poor sales which have impacted the developer and publisher of the games. These are included at List of commercial failures in video games, though not all games on that list are necessarily considered bad games.
General classes
Kusoge
Kusoge is a Japanese term applied to video games, roughly translated as "crap game". It emerged in Japan in the mid-1980s in describing games such as Spelunker, Ikki, Takeshi's Challenge, and Hoshi Wo Miru Hito, games which were panned for bad gameplay design and difficulty. Despite this, such games may gain a type of cult status.Movie tie-in games
Movie tie-in games are those developed and released to coincide with a major feature film release as part of the movie's larger marketing, similar to toys and other branded products. While the industry has had movie tie-in games as early as Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 in 1982, those that are generally seen as bad games were made in the 1990s and 2000s, during the period where video games could be rented from rental stores alongside the movies. In general, movie tie-in games during this period typically did not get large development budgets so are made by smaller studios under stricter time limits to most other AAA games. Their design is also usually bound by specific terms in the licensing contract, such as what assets they can use, or what elements from the film's plot they must include. Developers were also limited by console technology of that time period. As such, most movie tie-in games are considered bad games with minimal innovation, often labeled as shovelware. As the cost of video game development increased in the mid-2000s, movie tie-ins started to wane, replaced with licensed games where the developers had time and flexibility to expand beyond just the film itself, and capable of taking advantage of better processing power offered by the sixth generation of video game consoles. Early examples representing this shift include Enter the Matrix and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.1980s
''Custer's Revenge'' (1982)
Custer's Revenge is an unlicensed Atari 2600 game made by American Multiple Industries in 1982, loosely based on 19th century American General George Armstrong Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn. In addition to being widely considered offensive due to its plot involving the apparent rape of a Native American woman, the game was also poorly received for its quality. It was listed as the most shameful game of all time by GameSpy, as the third-worst game of all time by PC World and GameTrailers, and the ninth-worst game by Seanbaby in Electronic Gaming Monthly.In 2008, the University of Calgary professor Tom Keenan cited "the hideous Custer's Revenge game", 26 years after its release, in an op-ed piece about current video game violence issues for the Calgary Herald. That same year, the game was credited by Australian PC Magazine as being one of the worst games ever made. In response to the game's criticism, the makers of the game elected to preview the game for women's and Native American groups, an act which some thought was a publicity stunt.
''Pac-Man,'' Atari 2600 (1982)
Pac-Man, a port of Namco's arcade game of the same name for the Atari 2600, was altered from the original in order to meet the 2600's limitations. Some of these changes included simplified graphics, a modified maze layout, and "flickering" ghosts—a result of the game rendering one ghost per frame on screen, due to the limitations of the Atari 2600 hardware. It was lambasted by critics upon release critical of the poor conversion from the arcade title. Later retrospectives considered it one of the worst products from this period of video games. Next Generation called it the "worst coin-op conversion of all time" in 1998 and attributed the mass dissatisfaction to its poor quality. In 2006, IGNs Craig Harris echoed similar statements and listed Pac-Man among his own list of the worst home console ports of arcade games. Another IGN editor, Levi Buchanan, described it as a "disastrous port", citing the color scheme and flickering ghosts.Industry analysts often cite Atari's Pac-Man as a major factor in the drop of consumer confidence in the company, which partially contributed to the video game crash of 1983. Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton of Gamasutra stated that the game's poor quality damaged the company's reputation. Buchanan commented that it disappointed millions of fans and diminished confidence in Atari's games. Former Next Generation editor-in-chief Neil West attributes his longtime skepticism of Atari's quality to the disappointment he had from buying the game as a child. Calling the game the top video game disaster, Buchanan credits Pac-Man as a factor to the downfall of Atari and the industry in the 1980s. Author Steven L. Kent also attributes the game, along with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, to severely damaging the company's reputation and profitability. Video game industry researchers Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost stated that the game's negative reception seeded mistrust in retailers, which was reinforced by later factors that culminated in the crash.
While Pac-Man was the best-selling title on the Atari 2600, selling about 7.9 million units by the end of 1983, Atari reportedly had expected to sell up to nine million units. After being critically panned, Atari had to deal with the returns of a large volume of unsold games, some which ended up as part of the Atari video game burial in September 1983. On December 7, 1982, Ray Kassar announced that Atari's revenue forecasts for 1982 were cut from a 50 percent increase over 1981 to a 15 percent increase. Following the announcement, then Atari parent Warner Communications' stock value dropped by around 35 percent—from $54 to $35—amounting to a loss of $1.3 billion in the company's market valuation. Atari attempted to regain its market share by licensing popular arcade games for its consoles. The revenue from selling these console games did not reverse Atari's decline and the company went further into debt. Atari ultimately reported a $536 million loss in 1983, and Warner Communications sold off the company's consumer division in 1984 to former Commodore International chief Jack Tramiel.
''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 is loosely based on Steven Spielberg's 1982 film of the same name, reputedly coded in just five weeks to be released in time for the 1982 holiday season. The game sold 1.5 million copies and came nowhere near Atari's expectations of five million units. On top of that, a large number of the cartridges sold were sent back to the company, because many consumers found the game to be unenjoyable. Truckloads of these cartridges were buried in a landfill in New Mexico after they failed to sell. E.T. is commonly cited, alongside Pac-Man for the Atari 2600, as the catalyst for a crash of the video game industry in 1983, as Atari had hoped that brand loyalty would help keep consumers buying their games regardless of quality.E.T. was universally panned by critics, with nearly every aspect of the game facing heavy criticism. Common complaints were focused on the plot, gameplay, and visuals. It was listed as the worst game of all time by PC World in 2006, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and FHM magazine, and was ranked as the second worst movie game on the "Top Ten Worst Movie Games" by GameTrailers. It was also ranked the second-worst game of all time by GameTrailers; the title for absolute worst went to Superman 64. Some considered it so bad that they singled out the title screen as being the only good part of the game. In 2007, GamePro named E.T. one of the 52 most important games of all time due to its roles in the 1983 video game crash and the downfall of the seemingly unstoppable Atari. It is the only game to make the list for having a negative impact on the video game industry.