16. Final Fantasy VIII
Perhaps another contentious entry in this list. Again, I will freely admit, I did not like FFVIII. At least, in terms of story. I didn't wholly mind the leveling up system with magic drawing and whatnot, although I do recognise the flaws of that mechanic. Since I didn't go in abusing the system however, I still had some fun with FFVIII's gameplay. Having said that, FFVIII is one of the other games in the series I never bothered finishing. And that's to do with the story. I guess it should speak volumes that I kinda liked the gameplay yet couldn't bring myself to continue. The story is just overall badly told. I'm not sure if it's to do with translation/localisation issues, as the core story is more than bearable. Squall himself isn't too bad as a protagonist, but the other characters and numerous plot points of the game leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. I still remember half the party moping around thinking Squall (and so the player too) left them with a mission because he didn't like them or something. The over reliance on Squall as some sort of special 'Hero' by practically everyone around him annoyed me to no end. And then there's the 'Orphanage Scene', possibly one of the worst storytelling moments in gaming ever. I can't even bring myself to write about it. Aside from those few moments, a good chunk of the game is enjoyable. Learning the background of certain characters is interesting too. Ultimately though, the bad moments outshine the good in the overall scheme of things. That is why FFVIII ranks here.