Summary
Some video games are universally beloved, some are detested by the masses, and others hang delicately in the balance between love and hate. Those particular games are often praised for a variety of triumphs, be it storytelling or character designs, but those same titles come under scrutiny from players for the exploration of controversial topics. On the contrary, some games are despised for far simpler reasons, such as boring and repetitive gameplay, an unenjoyable experience, or a lack of faithfulness to the source material (in the case of remakes, reboots, or other adaptations).
These video games became the talk of the town upon release—for better or worse—as they divided communities right down the middle, forcing players to either love or hate them. Regardless of whether players loved or hated them,these polarizing horror video games went on to become some of the most influential titles in the history of gaming, even if it was for all the wrong reasons.
In the four years sinceThe Last of Us: Part 2was released, audiences have continued to spark adversarial discourse over the sequel’s many controversial themes, characters, and scenes. Rather infamously, Laura Bailey, the actress who portrayed Abby Anderson, received death threats from outraged fans because ofthatscene — enough said. Upon release,The Last of Us: Part 2was review bombed on Metacritic with many negative reviews criticizing the political undertones of the plot, as well as rancorous commentsaimed at the game’s LGBTQ+ characters. As part ofThe Last of Us: Part 2’s marketing campaign, many scenes were altered to conceal Joel and Abby’s roles within the narrative, which many players considered to be false advertising.
On the other hand,The Last of Us: Part 2received ample praise for its audio design, soundtrack, character performances, and overall visuals. Players were left in awe of Naughty Dog’s depiction of Seattle and Santa Barbara, while Ashley Johnson’s Ellie, Troy Baker’s Joel, and even Laura Bailey’s Abby — depending on who you ask — delivered memorable and impactful portrayals. Despite the mixed reception,The Last of Us: Part 2became one of the best-selling PlayStation 4 games of all time, as well as the fastest-selling PlayStation exclusive ever made.
IfThe Last of Us: Part 2divided the audience because of its controversial topics, thenSOMAexists on the opposite side of history, as its haters derive from a lack of fulfillment from the game. In other words,some players found it incredibly boring.SOMAtakes the term “there’s no in-between” literally, as anyone who playsSOMAseems to think it’s either profound and innovative or tedious and uneventful. The consensus forSOMAseems to be that players can appreciateits many narrative twists and its gripping tale of morality, they just weren’t that interested.Further criticism focused on how formulaic the gameplay could be at times, particularly as it employed the repetitive tactic of evading enemies.
However, the sound design was convincingly immersive, which aided in bringing the world ofSOMAto life, particularly as it pertains to the real-life dangers of underwater exploration.SOMAalso boasts an engaging and thought-provoking story, which is exceptionally well-written.Some fans have even claimedSOMAto be one of the best-written games of all time, regardless of Frictional Games' reputation withAmnesia: The Dark Descentand how critically acclaimed that game turned out to be. One of the biggest draws forSOMAisthe poignant message it delivers about identity, humanity, and what it truly means to be human.
While theResident Evil 3remake makes excellent use of the technological advancements that were unavailable to the original at the time,fans seemed to be divided by how allegedly unfaithful of a recreation it was, coupled with the fact that it cost a whopping $60 upon release, which many fans felt wasn’t worth it. In general, theResident Evilcommunity seems to agree — to some degree — thatResident Evil 3is a thoroughly enjoyable game, but (at the time)it wasn’t worth the staggering price tag considering how short it is.There seems to be discourse surrounding the game’s replay value, which is up for debate, as some fans seem to attest to replaying the game countless times, whereas others find it a one-time experience.
Resident Evil 3’s breathtaking visuals were mentioned favorably, as were the polished environments and tense ambiance. As a standalone title especially,Resident Evil 3was lauded as an incredible action game, featuring combat that is brutal, realistic, and varied in its execution. It reinvents the classic world ofResident Evilfor a modern-day audience, managing to capture the essence of the original without besmirching it. In terms of visuals alone,Resident Evil 3is a perfect rendition ofResident Evil 3: Nemesis, but a few scripted sequences and a lot of cut Nemesis content left a portion of fans wanting more.
Visagewas heavily inspired by the canceled Silent Hills playable teaser,P.T., in terms of story elements and graphics design, mimicking many visual elements that madeP.T.such a resounding success. For the most part,Visagereceived favorable reviews, especially as fans referenced it as the epitome of psychological horror games and an exemplary game of the subgenre.Visagemanages to amp up the scare factorwithout relying consistently on the jump scare mechanic, instead favoring the anxiety generated by paranormal happenings. The psychological effectiveness becameVisage’s biggest win and its biggest drawback simultaneously, asthe atmosphere appeared to drastically overshadow the story, leaving the narrative feeling hollow.
In particular,the controls ofVisagecame under heavy fire from players, who found fault in the clunky inventory controls, certain bugs that permitted interaction with certain aspects of the environment, and a complicated unraveling of the plot that left some gamers with the same dissatisfaction as going on a wild goose chase, only for the eventual completion of the task to be horribly thankless. Many reviews seem to indicate thatVisageis essentially a full-blown version ofP.T.with less smooth, chronological gameplay and more infuriatingly awkward controls.
Aside from allegations of racism, which were found to be insubstantial by the British Board of Film Classification, the biggest criticism ofResident Evil 5seems to be the dramatic change in pace fromResident Evil 4, especially in how the sequel turns to a more action-heavy cooperative system as opposed to Leon’s lone exploration. Not to mention,Resident Evil 5’s AI ally — be it Chris or Sheva — is laughably bad. As a co-op experience with a friend,Resident Evil 5excels as a worthwhile sequel, but for players who have no choice but to play alone, the experience becomes incredibly daunting. A lot ofthe hate forResident Evil 5comes from the fact that it isn’t a conventional survival horror, but instead more akin to a shoot-‘em-up that dabbles in horror tropes occasionally.
That being said,Resident Evil 5also received substantial praise for having some of the best graphics of any video game to date (at the time of release) and for how the voice performances and motion capture brought the characters of Chris, Sheva, Jill, and Wesker to life. Although it doesn’t conform to typicalResident Evilstandards, the action-packed blockbuster that isResident Evil 5still went down swimmingly with at least half of the fanbase,even if it isn’t the most beloved entry in the franchise.
