10 TERRIBLE Games That Got Great Reviews
7. Final Fantasy XVI
Why not kick things off with a sure-to-be-divisive choice, because Final Fantasy XVI's Metascore of 87 is nothing short of ridiculous.
Much as Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida is rightly credited with fixing the sinking ship that was Final Fantasy XIV, he's just not particularly well-suited to spearhead a story-driven single-player Final Fantasy game, as proven by what's categorically the worst entry into the mainline series in many years.
Where to begin? From the soul-suckingly dull medieval aesthetic, defined by monotonous greys, browns, and earthy greens, to the tedious, endlessly expository dialogue, overabundance of joyless MMO-style fetch quests, and "mature" style brazenly cleaved from Game of Thrones, FFXVI smacks of a cynical attempt to broaden the series' appeal.
That's without even mentioning the dumbed-down real-time combat, spectacular-but-vapid Eikon battles, and overall lack of deep-dish RPG elements, ditched in favour of character action schlock.
For those who loved the three-peat of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX back in the '90s, FFXVI doesn't even feel like it exists in the same franchise, and while change can so often be good, even necessary, in this case it feels like Final Fantasy has strayed too damn far from its roots.
At least Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will soon be here to (hopefully) wash the taste out of fans' mouths.