10 Critically Acclaimed Video Games That Players Hated

5. Dragon Age II

dragon-age 2
EA

Metacritic Score: 82

User Score: 4.5

After releasing the double whammy of Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware cemented themselves as one of the most beloved developers on the planet. Creating one masterpiece after the next, despite being acquired by EA fans were confident that the studio could continue to ride out their creative peak regardless of who their owners were.

Then Dragon Age II happened.

A clear victim of a rushed schedule, instead of sticking to the grandiose scale of the original game, the sequel swapped an ambitious story and a large game world for something far more character driven and restricted. Taking place over the same few city courtyards and repeated dungeons, the RPG lacked the variety and imagination that made the first release such a smash hit, only being notable for being yet another drop in the fantasy game bucket.

While the title wasn't enough to completely tank players' confidence in Bioware, it was enough to make them cautious, and set a disastrous precedent for their sequels going forward.

Contributor

Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked full time as a content producer at WhatCulture for nine years. In that time he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple channels, specialising in subjects such as gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 most listened to gaming podcast in the UK that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, covered breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.