Top 30 Exact Moments That RUINED Video Games

“Metroid: Other M” (2010)

“Other M” had the potential to be a great addition to the long running franchise, sadly it was held back by quite a few issues, most notably Samus’ weird personality change. This is made abundantly clear right at the beginning of the game when she comes into contact with her old crew members. The once lone badass bounty hunter is immediately turned into an obedient drone for her former commander Adam, going as far as to not use any of her suit upgrades unless he authorizes it. This sudden personality change is made even more evident when she has a breakdown upon seeing Ridley, a foe she’s bested many times before.

“No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle” (2010)

Throughout “Desperate Struggle” Travis is trying to seek revenge on whoever cold-bloodedly murdered his friend Bishop. After battling his way through many tough assassins along the way, it’s revealed that the murderer and final boss is none other than the pathetic Jasper Batt Jr. Not only is this boss fight a massive downgrade compared to the first games clash against Henry Cooldown, his cartoonish superhero second form is insanely cheap, with broken undodgeable attacks. His final gigantic mascot form is just lame, as you’ll just be wailing on him for ages until it’s finally over.

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth” (2024)

“Rebirth” not only features one of the best battle systems in “Final Fantasy,” but also some of the greatest boss fights. So it’s a real shame that this encounter left such a black mark on what is otherwise a fantastic video game. After taking on a gauntlet of boss fights such as Rude and Elena at the Gold Saucer, the president of Shinra randomly makes his entrance to face Cloud. Battling against this boss fight without your party members is annoying enough, but the most infuriating thing about this clash is that Rufus has the ability to counter any of your attacks, reversing them and gunning you down. The only way to damage him is to attack right as he’s about to do something, which is incredibly hard to time. “Rebirth's” ATB system is simply not built well for this type of 1v1 battle, and it becomes even worse when Rufus’ pet joins the fray. Don’t be surprised if this boss battle takes you many, many attempts.

“Halo 4” (2012)

Prior to this fourth iteration, the “Halo” franchise had produced some of the most memorable finales in video games. “Halo 4” already had a lot to prove as it was the first game to be developed not by Bungie, but instead the newly formed 343 Industries, and for the most part it succeeded. Unfortunately “Halo 4” is mostly remembered for its incredibly subpar final boss. After building up the Didact as an unstoppable force of nature and potentially the series' next big bad, players take him on in an awful QTE sequence. Now we know “Halo” isn’t exactly known for its great boss fights, but even a long bullet-sponge showdown would have been better than this.

“Drakengard 3” (2013)

Imagine playing a hack-and-slash action game for around twenty hours, only for it to have a complete genre change right at the end. Well that’s exactly what “Drakengard 3” did and it resulted in one of the most frustrating video game moments of all time. In the final boss battle, players must battle their way through an 8 minute long rhythm game, where if you miss even a single note it’s all over. Making matters worse is that apart from the rings approaching you, there isn’t really any sort of prompt to hit the notes, and the game's camera will do its absolute best to put you at an angle where you can’t see them coming. The cruelest moment is right at the end when the screen fades to black and the characters stalk talking, tricking you into believing it’s all over. There’s a reason why so few have completed this route!

“Sonic Superstars” (2023)

Sonic’s latest side-scrolling platformer is an unfortunate case due to the fact that while the levels themselves are pretty good, the boss fights are so bad that it brings everything down. And while the final boss is a real pain, nowhere is this more apparent than the showdown against Fang the Hunter at the end of the Golden Capital stage. For almost five minutes, the player will have to avoid all sorts of annoying hazards on a floating platform such as lava, lasers and fire, as the camera moves at its own pace. There will be many times where you won’t see any of it coming, resulting in a lot of trial and error before you even get to face off against Fang properly, a feat that is far more difficult if more players fill the screen at once. And if you mess up, you’ll have to start all the way from the beginning again, wasting a whole lot of time.

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)

“Ocarina of Time” is without a doubt one of the greatest games of all time, but it also contains one of the most notorious sections in gaming history. Talk to anyone who’s played through the game and they’re always going to bring up how frustrating the Water Temple was. The main focus of this sixth dungeon is to constantly change the water levels by playing your Ocarina in order to access new areas. The backtracking involved causes this to get very repetitive fast, and you’ll often find yourself wondering where the heck to go next. To add insult to injury, you’ll have to keep equipping and unequipping your iron boots in order to traverse through the water, creating a very frustrating experience all around.

“Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain” (2015)

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that “The Phantom Pain” went through a lot of issues and time constraints towards the end of its development, and there’s no greater example of this than the final mission in this stealth epic. Instead of taking on a new and exciting challenge, you must instead replay the entire opening sequence again from the beginning of the game. And while it’s certainly one of the most memorable parts of the game, there was absolutely no reason for us to go through it all over again, we could have just restarted the game from scratch if we wanted to! The only thing we get from it is a new short scene at the end with Big Boss, but it definitely wasn’t worth the almost 50 minutes it took to get there.

“Mega Man 8” (1997)

Quick reflexes can come in clutch in just about any mainline Mega Man game, but this segment from the blue bomber’s eighth outing asks way too much from the player. Mega Man has to traverse an auto-scroller part of the stage while on a snowboard, all the while an obnoxious robotic voice calls out to the player to either jump or slide to get past the next hazard. It sounds simple on paper but you have to be so precise that players end up dying again, and again, and again. Worst of all, there’s yet another snowboarding stage waiting for you in Wily’s tower which is arguably even harder!

“Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor” (2014)

You’d think Monolith Productions would have seen the backlash a few years prior with “Halo 4’s” Didact disappointment, but that didn’t stop them from going full steam ahead with yet another underbaked final confrontation. Anyone who’s taken in any sort of “Lord of the Rings” media knows just how much of a big deal Sauron is, and we were pretty stoked when he arrived on the scene, especially considering “Shadow of Mordors” excellent combat system. Sadly it was not meant to be, as we were treated to yet another painfully dull QTE session. The Dark Lord of Mordor deserved better than this!

“L.A. Noire” (2011)

“L.A. Noire” was a lot of fun...for the first three-quarters of it. Who wouldn’t want to run around as a detective in the 40’s, interrogating suspects, solving murders, and getting caught in car chases? Well, all that excitement came to a grinding halt when Cole’s career came crashing down and he’s quickly shoved into the Arson department. It’s at this point in the game where puzzles become more obtuse, as finding clues at crime scenes is like finding needles in a haystack, and the pacing of the game comes to a bewildering crawl. Honestly, we can’t blame you if you stopped playing because of these cases.

“Dark Souls” (2011)

We’d happily replay a good portion of the “Dark Souls” series, but when it comes to the first game, our excitement levels aren’t as high as they would be for the second and third games. Dark Souls built it’s reputation on its tough but fair difficulty, demanding players time their moves carefully and knowing precisely when to attack, when to block and when to dodge roll. That all goes out the window when players reach Blighttown, as this area suffers from framerate issues, making it tricky to time your moves right. Thankfully the problem has been fixed in the 2017 “Dark Souls Remastered” … 6 years later.

“PaRappa the Rapper” (1997)

PaRappa has always been one of those obscure PlayStation mascots that people fondly remember, but when his first game was remastered in 2017, we were reminded why many of us didn’t see the game through to the end. As if the awkward timing wasn’t bad enough in the first three stages, Stage 4 made the game even more infuriating. Even though it feels like you’re pressing buttons at the right time, the game will constantly throw you between the Good and Bad ratings. What more does this game want!? Hell, if we know! We stopped after hearing the song reset for the hundredth time!

“DOOM Eternal” (2020)

While “DOOM Eternal” has been met with mostly positive reception, there are two enemies in the game that are the frequent talk of contention. Tentacles often feel like a sucker-punch and lead to a sudden end of many Ultra-Nightmare runs. Marauders, on the other hand, have been lambasted for how they slow down combat, how they can only be attacked during a very specific window, and how they must be fought one-on-one in order for players to stand a chance. It's honestly no surprise that so many players are fuming because of these two, and it has sparked a discussion on removing them.

“Half-Life” (1998)

One cannot deny the marvel that was the first “Half-Life”. At the time of its release, no other shooter had accomplished the same quality of cinematics and AI. However, there are very few players out there that will defend the Xen Chapters. What made these chapters so odd was how the level design required players to employ their platforming abilities, which is something you don’t force upon first-person shooter players. It didn’t help that the environment was so barren that it made Xen so unbearably uninteresting, and the healing pools slowed down pacing drastically. It’s no wonder that it’s the most forgettable part of the game.

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” (2020)

What was supposed to be the exciting start of seasonal events in “New Horizons” quickly became one of the most resented. All was right on our island paradise until Zipper showed up and started trashing the place with freakin’ eggs everywhere! EVERYWHERE!! Fishing in your river? Egg. Shaking trees? Egg! Chipping at a rock? EGG! Shoot down a balloon!? EGG EGG EGG EGG EGG!!!! The madness had tormented so many players that Nintendo had to reduce their spawn rate. And the worst part of it is you didn’t even need the eggs - just get the DIY recipes and you’ll get that creepy Zipper toy. Our Anime guru Ashley said it best on twitter once the event was over. (“Is it safe to play animal crossing again yet?”)

“Jet Force Gemini” (1999)

And here we have one of the rare cases of a fetch quest, within a fetch quest. While the first half of the game has you shooting and exploring your way through a unique variety of alien worlds; The second half of "Jet Force Gemini", you have to go back and collect 12 parts of a spaceship in order to access the last level. One of these parts is locked behind another requirement - finding every Tribal in the game! All 282 of them. A task made unbearable by the game's unreliable save system, as it only records a tally of how many tribals you collected, but doesn’t specify which ones. Because of this, many players never saw the final level.

"Heavy Rain" (2010)

“Heavy Rain” isn't for everyone, at least not for those looking for action-packed gameplay. However, those who were looking for an intriguing story were treated to an intense murder mystery. That isn't to say "Heavy Rain" was perfect, as some of its unconventional gameplay made the game the butt of many jokes, from its dancing speech commands to requiring a button prompt for literally every action. Of course, we could never forget the insanely ridiculous "Jason" segment. Aimlessly wander around, pressing X to Jason every second? We understand this moment is supposed to strengthen our bond with Jason, but some of us ended turning the game off and leaving the kid lost forever.

"The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker" (2003)

When a game is padding a quest out, it can feel like we're wasting our time. "The Legend of Zelda" has made us feel that way a couple of times, especially in "Wind Waker", which has a glancing blemish on an, otherwise, perfect face. The Triforce Quest will task you with tracking down and collecting eight Triforce shards, but before that you must obtain eight Triforce charts, which requires a lot of backtracking AND they have to be deciphered by Tingle for just under 400 rupees … each. Basically, this is an overly-complicated, unnecessarily long fetch quest, and it caused many players to either quit or remain as salty as the game’s vast ocean for the remainder of the game.

"God of War" (2005)

This wasn't just a headache; it was a nightmarish migraine. In the first "God of War", Kratos must escape Hades by scaling a massive pillar of spinning blades. Sounds simple...until you get hit and fall AAALLLLL the way back down to the bottom! This caused many players to give up and never play it again. Although, this problem didn't go unnoticed by the developers. In an interview with GamesTM, director David Jaffe admitted that this segment was not tested and focus-testing was skipped because they thought everything was fine with it. This was something he regrets doing. Well, at least he’s was honest about it.

"Resident Evil 5" (2009)

One of the most polarizing games in the franchise, “Resident Evil 5” made some drastic changes to the series formula by making Co-op gameplay it’s main focus. Resident Evil has been known to feature some of the most ridiculous moments in gaming, but none were quite as absurd as this. As the final level in the game, we witnessed Albert Wesker turn into a tentacled garbage monster, and we were subjected to quite possibly the most insane quick-time event of all time – Chris Redfield punching a boulder. We honestly don’t know what was ruined more, our thumbs or this game.

"The Lion King" (1994)

If you somehow managed to conquer "The Lion King's" convoluted monkey puzzle, then you got the unfortunate experience of playing one of the most difficult platformers ever made. Chances are you eventually became so frustrated that a controller was thrown or you uttered your very first obscenity before officially quitting. What if we told you there was a reason for the game's unforgiving difficulty? According to Louis Castle (co-founder of developer Westwood Studios), Disney believed that if players managed to beat the game, they wouldn't buy it. That's a fair point, but this was a game designed for kids. So, "challenging" wasn't a friendly term to younger players. At least "Aladdin" was easier, more or less!

“Ghostbusters: The Video Game” (2009)

When you force players to use a mechanic that works half the time, maybe don’t make it the primary focus of a puzzle. That’s exactly what “Ghostbusters” did in its final level. To get the Ecto-1 through the cemetery, you have to slime tether flying demon babies to smash open a gate. The problem is that not only is this the only way to defeat this particular enemy, but the slime tether doesn’t always function properly. Most of the time, it’ll smash the nuisances into other things or fail entirely and do nothing. Even on the easiest difficulty, the harassment you’ll endure from the demon babies is enough to make anyone quit, especially since you’ll encounter them again shortly after.

"Batman: Arkham Knight" (2015)

For years, fans had been itching to take the Batmobile out for a spin in the "Batman: Arkham" games. Well, developer Rocksteady made it happen for the final chapter in the series, and it was certainly not what everyone was hoping for. Many players felt glued to the Batmobile because of some missions requiring the player to race a time limit or blow up enemy tanks. Don't worry, though! The Batmobile's cannons are "non-lethal". HOW EVEN?! That makes no sense! It's a freakin' tank! "Arkham Knight" wasn't a terrible game (unless you played the PC version), but to many Dark Knight fans, this would be one whimper of a finale.

"Battletoads" (1991)

"Battletoads" might be known as one of the most difficult platformers in gaming, but there are a few portions that are somewhat doable. What ISN'T doable are the speeder bike levels, which will lull you into a sense of easy patterns before demanding faster and faster reactions. Needless to say, this is not a game for the easily frustrated, as you'll find yourself swearing at your screen and going into a blind rage. We'll never know how some people have managed to beat the game. Then, again, we'll never even attempt it because the cycle of fury will just begin anew. It's best for both us and our masochistic love for "Battletoads".

“Star Wars Battlefront II” (2017)

Prior to launch, DICE and Electronic Arts touted the single-player campaign as an opportunity to play as the bad guy, a chance to see the perspective from the Empire as they take down those Rebel Scum. Seems like they were ready to show something interesting...in the first half. However, the entire campaign falls apart when Iden suddenly defects to the Rebels because “You destroyed my home planet! I hate you, DAD!” In short, it was less of “seeing through the eyes of a Stormtrooper” and more of a cop out to tell a story that heavily borrows motives and cues from other “Star Wars” stories. Oh, and she falls in love with Del, as if the story couldn’t get anymore tropey!

"Assassin's Creed" series (2007-)

To newcomers, "Assassin's Creed" seems like a series of grand adventures that take place throughout different time periods. This belief is not entirely wrong, but it's also why many new players have left disappointed. For example, "Black Flag" boasts an excellent experience and is regarded as the best in the series. However, when the Animus is hamfisted into the plot, it feels like you just took on a second job. This completely destroys the immersion, and it's enough to cause any new players to delete the game from their system. Can you really blame them?

"Sonic Adventure" (1999)

Many fans fondly remember "Sonic Adventure" for its open exploration and quality graphics. (Well, at the time, they were.) Is it the best "Sonic" game ever? Well, it could have had it not been for Big the Cat. Only a terrible character like him could deliver such an abysmal experience. In case you were never subjected to it, Big's campaign involves fishing for his pet Froggy in various levels. Yes, it's incredibly tedious, and the poor controls certainly didn't make the experience any more tolerable. Needless to say, many of us put the controller down to go question our life choices and the purpose of searching for this damn frog.

“Star Ocean: Till The End of Time” (2004)

Imagine clocking in so many hours into an RPG, and when the story is reaching its climax, you witness a plot twist that completely decimates your hard work. “Star Ocean” did exactly that in “Till the End of Time”. About two-thirds of the way into the game, everyone in this space exploring adventure ends up in a parallel universe, where they learn that their universe, ... is all just an MMORPG. More surprisingly they handle this reality-shattering truth surprisingly well. This revelation doesn’t just dampen the adventure, it also undermines all of the events of previous “Star Ocean” titles, and since then, the franchise hasn’t been able to achieve its once notable reputation.

"Mass Effect 3" (2012)

Look, ending a video game on a high note can be hard. We get it. As for "Mass Effect 3"...whew, that backlash was intense. When it launched, critics and fans praised "Mass Effect 3" for its combat, music, voice acting--just about everything was as perfect as mama's cooking...except for the ending. The ending was a complete mess as both fans and critics pointed out contradictions and inconsistencies in the narrative, expressing their disappointment and frustration. How could BioWare end the series on such a sour note? This prompted BioWare to release free DLC known as "the Extended Cut", which added more to the story while resolving a few problems.

Have any moments ruined a video game for you? Let us know in the comments below!