Dead Island 2 was the sequel to the acclaimed 2011 title. The game was divisive because players had incredibly varying reactions towards it. However, it wasn’t the only divisive game released recently.
Alone in the Dark was another title that was a hot topic of discussion for gamers, since the video game community is made of individuals who do not usually shy away from letting their impressions of a title known. These five titles had incredible variance in their reception among players and critics.
#5 Dead Island 2
The sequel to the zombie action RPG, Dead Island 2 was a title that was criticized and praised for several reasons. The positives about the game were the lack of bugs, great optimization, and an enjoyable gameplay loop. However, there were some issues with the game’s plot and writing which, one is bound to notice.
Despite its four-year-long development cycle which led to some amazing outcomes, the game’s content was lacking. In the sense that some of its elements directly went against the series norms. For example, the game’s world wasn’t a tropical ‘island‘ like the first game. Moreover, the game strayed immensely from the dark theme of the first game and was more humorous and light-hearted, leading to criticism.
#4 Alone in the Dark (2024)
This was the second reboot of the Alone in the Dark series, the previous being in 2008, which was considered terrible and a little too ahead of its time. It was developed by Pieces Interactive and published by THQ Nordic. The 2024 title received mixed to decent reviews overall. Some players felt that critics weren’t giving it enough credit; others thought it was being fairly rated.
The major problems with the game were the game-breaking bugs which made the experience a lot more horrifying than the scares in the game itself. For Horror video game enthusiasts there were problems with the game’s audio only being stereo and not 5.1 or 7.1 like most horror games.
#3 Lords of the Fallen (2023)
Lords of the Fallen was a title that is called the most divisive Soulslike title released in 2023 and it was, inextricably, one of the most divisive titles, in general. For Soulslike titles, the gameplay is perhaps the most important aspect of the game, apart from its plot and overall writing.
Such titles are expected to be incredibly difficult. Part of what was wrong with Lords of the Fallen was the optimization problem from developer Hexworks, leading to a terrible experience overall. One cannot be caught off-guard worrying about FPS drops when going against enemies which take numerous attempts, sometimes in double-digits to beat.
#2 Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy is a series where a game can simultaneously be the best in the series and the worst video game ever made in the history of video games. Final Fantasy 16 was, sadly, not an exception to this trend, it was criticized by long-term fans of the video game series.
Moreover, it was also blamed for the humongous losses reported by Square Enix. The studio experimented with loads of mechanics which were considered pivotal to the series. Final Fantasy 16‘s combat was incredibly different than other titles in the series. RPG elements associated with previous games like intricate equipment systems and status effects were missing. The game fared well, but not without tons of criticism from fans.
#1 Deathloop
Deathloop was a title by Arkane Studios, the creators of series like Dishonored, and titles like Prey. It makes the list and also tops it because of an interesting reason. The game received incredible reviews from critics, however, its glaring flaws were out in the open for everyone to see.
The game’s design is solid, and its gameplay loop is fun, however, its AI is, perhaps, one of the worst in all of the games by Arkane Studios. Moreover, the game, due to being unique in formula and gameplay, bombards you with tutorial screens that would annoy even the most seasoned bibliophiles.
Regardless, the game is the most divisive title on this list because some of its elements are incredibly low-quality. Despite that, the game shines brightly; sometimes despite those elements and sometimes because of them.
Out of all these five titles, which one would you defend to death, despite all the flak it received? Which game would you pick as your choice of hill to die on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
