Top 10 Worst Video Game Graphics Ever
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at video games with awful visuals compared to everything else around at the time of release. We’ll be staying away from games whose visuals are purposely bad or those that just haven’t aged well.
#10: “Pac-Man (Atari 2600 Version)” (1982)
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Compared to games these days, those on the Atari 2600 likely look bad to many modern players. But on release, the port of arcade hit “Pac-Man” was still slammed for its visuals, among other things. Simplifying the design to run on a home console meant that the maze never changed, making it more repetitive. However, the biggest issue was with the ghosts that chased Pac-Man around. Because of the way this port was built, the enemies constantly flicker while on-screen, making it hard to tell not only which color they are, but where exactly they are in the maze. While it sold extremely well, the lack of quality also played a part in the infamous console market crash of 1983.
#9: “Deus Ex” (2000)
The original “Deus Ex” is a special case considering it’s one of the only games on our list that’s actually quite good. But even players and critics in 2000 could tell its visuals could’ve used a little more work. The game being thematically dark also made it literally so, with most of the color scheme consisting of variations of black and gray. Trying to discern what you were looking at certainly made its FPS gameplay a bit more challenging. However, character models are also far blockier with much less definition than those seen in other games at the time.
#8: “Bubsy 3D” (1997)
Ah, Bubsy. A terrible mascot platformer that somehow got to star in multiple games, even after this trainwreck. “Bubsy 3D” is, so far, the only game in the series not in 2D, and you can probably see why. Character models are literal eyesores, the level design is pretty barren, and the color scheme looks as if a clown threw up everywhere. To be fair, the game was released during a time when developers were still finding their footing in making 3D games. So maybe we shouldn’t be too harsh. But then we remember games like “Super Mario 64” and “Crash Bandicoot” released around the same time, and then we feel like being even harsher.
#7: “Far Cry Vengeance” (2006)
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The “Far Cry” series may have issues when it comes to world design. But things are usually solid in the graphics department. That can’t be said with “Far Cry Vengeance.” The game is a remake of “Far Cry Instincts: Evolution” on Xbox. Sadly, it’s a remake for the Wii. Nintendo’s motion-centric console would later gain a reputation for graphically inferior versions of games other players had access to. But as “Vengeance” released the same year as the console, it was a bit of a surprise. Graphics were severely downgraded to the point of actually impacting the gameplay. And the compressed FMV cutscenes were laughably bad.
#6: “Gods and Generals” (2003)
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The world of gaming is full of tie-in games of poor quality, rushed out to make a quick buck. But there are few whose visuals look as bad as those in “Gods and Generals.” Based on the war movie of the same name, it takes place during the American Civil War and has players choose a side. That won’t be your only important decision as you’ll definitely be tested on whether or not you want to keep playing. There were many things wrong with the game other than its visuals, but they were certainly a low point. Wide open areas with barely any enemies meant you only had the dull and fuzzy textures to look at. “Gods and Generals” has been mostly forgotten for good reason.
#5: “Life of Black Tiger” (2017)
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Your first thought upon seeing footage from “Life of Black Tiger” may make you think it came out in the early 2000s. But no, it’s only a few years old and it was released on the PlayStation 4. The premise is simple; players control a black tiger who must survive after being abandoned by their family. Unfortunately, that’s about as interesting as the game gets. In addition to barren environments and simplistic yet clunky gameplay, “Black Tiger” looks like garbage. Those empty environments are also hideous, and character animations are stilted and jarring. It was a shock that this was released on the PS4 in 2017, and it still is.
#4: “The Legend of Zelda” CD-i Games
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In the early 90s, Nintendo entered a partnership that eventually allowed tech giant Philips to develop three “Zelda” games. They are universally considered to be horrible for a great many things, partially because the CD-i wasn’t designed with gaming as its main focus. Regardless, every diehard fan shudders at their mention. The environments looked like those of a low-budget, educational game, which wouldn’t have been so bad if the gameplay wasn’t so cumbersome. However, the animated cutscenes of the first two releases have become infamous since release. With completely over-exaggerated movements, yet flat and uninspired designs, they’re certainly rough to get through. Not for nothing, we can also see why Nintendo kept voice-acting out of the series for so long.
#3: “Superman 64” (1999)
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Since it’s one of the most famously terrible video games in existence, you shouldn’t be too surprised to find “Superman 64” on this list. There are far greater sins on display, including its abysmal mechanics and repetitive level design. However, considering it was adapting the timeless look of the 90s animated series, it really is a shame it doesn’t look better. With so many muddled textures and colors, everything appears as if you’re looking at the game with blurred vision. The developers also heavily relied on distance fog, which not only obscures things while you’re flying around, but makes the world look dull and lifeless.
#2: “Drake of the 99 Dragons” (2003)
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The developers of this action game got a bit too overzealous, with plans to create comics and an animated series around it. But they all came crashing down when people actually played it. While it may be another case of a generally bad game that just so happens to also have bad graphics, the visuals of “Drake” still deserve some punishment. Its comic book style surprisingly doesn’t do it any favors as the cel-shaded look clashes with the tone and world. Other games that implemented similar styles still pop all these years later, but “Drake” looks sub-par. Then again, maybe the visuals would look better if the camera wasn’t constantly working against you.
#1: Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing” (2003)
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Objectively one of the worst games ever created, “Big Rigs” has a lot of problems. It was released as a broken mess with a slew of technical issues, including crashes, basically no physics, and a complete lack of collision detection. A racing game where you can drive through every physical barrier, including your opponent, is completely insane. And that atrocious performance works with the horrendous visuals as total assault on the player. Racing games are usually powerhouses in the visuals department, but not here. Of the few tracks to select, they all look basically identical and have frequent texture pop-ins. Better visuals wouldn’t have saved it, but it certainly wouldn’t have hurt.
What terrible graphics have you experienced in a game? Share your thoughts in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe for more great gaming videos!
