Every franchise has its heroes we adore, those lovable and witty characters whether good or evil keep bringing us back to the game. But then there are those few, those characters that make you wish you had never booted up the console in the first place because their very being is like OJ on freshly brushed teeth. And today we’re looking at some of the worst of the worst, it’s the top 5 most annoying video game characters!
Let’s preface this by saying it’s obviously going to be opinionated, some people have a higher tolerance for annoying and some may not find the 5 characters on this list annoying at all, that’s cool – you’re wrong – but it’s cool. I’ve tried to remain as objective as possible with the characters not just for their in-game attitudes but for their entire persona within their franchise. So let’s quit stalling and get to number 5!
5. DAISY – NINTENDO
She means well, she really does and in every game Nintendo throws her into her attitude is so upbeat and positive. So positive that she gives off that vibe of being your “everything’s totally okay” single aunt at Christmas. With so many warm vibes radiating from her you can’t help but wonder, is it all a visage? This may be reading too far into the Daisy mindset but something tells me that after a long day of kart, tennis or baseball she sits down in her bachelor apartment with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s and watches Top Chef in her underpants. Does anyone else get that feeling? The reason she comes at the bottom of this list is that you feel a little bad for her, the picture I’ve painted is not a happy one. She’s doomed to a quagmire of perpetual cheerfulness, that’s gotta be hell so we can’t be too hard on her. At the same time? Take the sugary sweet upbeat attitude down a notch, eh? You’re giving us all diabetes here.
Also as a final note when a player selects Daisy in a game she’ll shout, “DAISY!” or “YEAH, I’M DAISY!” Which leaves me sitting here like “I know who you are stupid, I chose you.” What if I yelled “YEAH, I’M RYAN!” every time I got picked for something? It’s off-putting.
4. MR. RESETTI – ANIMAL CROSSING
This dude is cute, he’s an adorable lil’ mole and I like him for it. That’s where the admiration ends though because when he yells at me I feel my heart drop into my stomach. Firstly the man never shuts up, it’s an interesting game play mechanic that instead of penalizing a player with demerits Animal Crossing has chosen to give a very stern and very lengthy lecture to deter you from ever resetting the game without saving again.
But as a child? I was traumatized. I honestly did not know what was happening, I thought the game was going to shut off or he was going to take all my money or something. I didn’t know why he was so mad at me and it still makes me a little nervous to this day. No one likes to be yelled at and no one likes a 20 minute lecture on why you’re terrible, Mr. Resetti does both. His lengthy screaming fits landed him at number 4 on the list.
3. SOREY – TALES OF ZESTERIA
It’s not secret I hated this game. I love the Tales series but this game was such a huge misstep; it couldn’t even be enjoyed on an ironic level. Some of that can be blamed on poor combat mechanics and game play, but a lot of it can also be heaped on the characters most notably Sorey. He is the ultimate cookie cutter anime trope of a do-gooder, he’s so one-dimensional and always has to be upstanding and kind. The protagonists of protagonists! If the Boy Scouts were having a Ms. Congeniality contest, Sorey would come in 3rd and still be like, “It was just an honour to be nominated, you guys.”
It’s his frustratingly naive outlook that makes him annoying, he thinks things are just black and white – which is the downfall of the entire game – but Sorey personifies it. If a hero at any point in a game drops the old anime adage, “I wasn’t strong enough!” That’s automatic call to be considered for this list.
2. HOPE – FINAL FANTASY XIII
Oh man, this kid is the worst. Fellow Game Fanatic and author of the article Give Final Fantasy XIII Another Chance James Riser tried to explain to me why Hope wasn’t the worst part about this game. Although he made some valid points my hatred for this weird white-haired kid is too palpable to forget. Hope is so frustrating, he’s a little brat who takes himself way to seriously and even when he starts to develop later in the game he still has a lot of the folly’s he did before.
Let’s start with some basic cattiness; I don’t know who picked out that kawaii hipster attire for you bud, but whatever first grade class had a hand in matching your clothes should take nap time, cause they messed up hard. Second if I have to hear you yell “COME ON LIGHT!” one more time at me I’m going to take your dumb little boomerang and bash you in the albino head.
Hope’s annoyance comes from his sheer quantity and volume of speech, every time he’s your companion he never stops talking. This coupled with the fact that he’s kind of a wiener – and a whiner – places him at number 2 on the list
1. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG – POST SONIC ADVENTURE
This is undoubtedly a controversial top pick for most annoying game character, but I assure you the reasons for Sonic – post Sonic Adventure – are legitimate. The original side-scroller Sonics were classic games and they were great because they knew what they were, “GOTTA GO FAST!” Says it all. But the more the developers tried to keep up with other franchises the more Sonic got weighed down and the slower the game play became.
The thing that sets him apart on this list is the fact he was made as Sega’s answer to Mario, Sega needed someone who could match that red hatted plumber in appeal. But that doesn’t really lend itself well to a franchise, to make a character just because you need to keep up with the competition? Sonic has always seemed like a hive mind of committee thinking, a bunch of suits got together and said, “Hey homies, what do the kids find cool and hip? My bros?” And Sonic was born.
He’s never had any real depth and the problem became very apparent in Sonic Adventure. The producers dialed up the “cool” factor by 10 and it was cringe worthy, Sonic started sporting catchphrases and little poses to give him an “attitude.” And the franchise continued on a steep slope down as more characters tried to match that style of radical-ness: Shadow, Rouge and Silver are all characters without any real memorable traits or qualities. It all started with that blue hedgehog though; it’s hard to see a franchise that tries be so prolific make flop after flop and even a revamp like Sonic Boom couldn’t save it – it might have even made it worse.
And this is why ladies and gents, Sonic tops the list at number one. Sonic now days is like Poochie the Rockin’ Dog from The Simpsons, he was built on buzz words and soulless broad room brainstorming; he spurned an entire misguided franchise that is sadly now imploding in on itself.
Well that’s it, that’s the rant and surely there are those who disagree and we’d love to hear from you down about it or maybe who you think should have made the list! Let us know who your favourite character to hate is!
