10 TERRIBLE Video Games (That Secretly Saved Franchises)
1. Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII is without question one of the most divisive games in the beloved RPG franchise.
Despite its undeniably splendid visuals, FFXIII was widely criticised by fans for its infuriatingly linear gameplay, effectively forcing the player down a corridor for a massive chunk of the game, while both the story and characters were bizarrely forgettable for the standards of the franchise.
The expected Final Fantasy charm just wasn't there, and the result was a superficially attractive yet ultimately shockingly soulless RPG, and one which soured many fans on the series for close to a decade.
Thankfully Final Fantasy XV, when it finally released in 2016, offered up solutions for many of those criticisms: it boasted a gorgeous open world, a memorable quartet of main characters overflowing with personality, and an intriguing, if messy, story.
FFXV certainly still had its issues - namely the infuriating Chapter 13 - but it was clearly a result of not only an extensively protracted development process, but Square Enix appreciating what fans hated about FFXIII.
With Final Fantasy VII Remake now racking up rave reviews and Final Fantasy XVI almost certainly in some stage of development, the franchise feels like it's gotten past its awkward generation-hopping growing pains and is back to greatness once again.