10 Recent Video Games That Totally Divided Players
Nobody can agree on these recent releases.
Much as publishers don't want to admit it, even the most popular video games aren't made for everyone, and generally speaking, trying to make a game that pleases everybody is a shortcut to delivering a game that swiftly satisfies nobody.
And then there are those anticipated games that just end up splitting players firmly down the middle, driving a huge wedge between its audience and generating a spirited discourse to say the very least.
And over the past year-or-so, no video games have proven more divisive than this bunch, with public opinion ranging from pure masterpiece status to hot garbage, and of course, everything else in-between.
These games had no clear consensus among the player-base, their gameplay and story decisions making them some of the most interesting - or, perhaps, frustrating - titles to discuss over the last 12 months.
Again, no game can please everyone, yet these titles sparked an unexpectedly contentious dialogue among fans, none of whom could agree on just how good or bad said game actually was.
And so, as we all still struggle to reconcile our feelings on these games, let's look back to what both sides of each argument are thinking...
10. Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI just might be the most polarising entry into the legendary RPG franchise, and that's really saying something.
FFXVI has been lauded as a wild shake-up of the series, with its more self-serious, Game of Thrones-inspired narrative and undeniably controversial decision to ditch the franchise's traditional turn-based combat.
And here's something just about everyone will agree on - Masayoshi Soken's musical score is absolutely gorgeous, even if you hate most everything else about this game.
And there certainly are haters, indeed. For many who love the series' traditional formula, this was just too far a departure, deeming the combat casualised to the point of tedium, with an overly serious story and characters, and a dull earthy colour palette, while the much-hyped Eikon battles too often felt like empty, on-rails spectacle.
Square Enix themselves have admitted that they wanted Final Fantasy XVI to open the series up to a wider audience, and whether they succeeded or not - and more importantly, whether that's a good thing - has firmly split the existing fanbase down the middle.