Top 10 Games That Didn't EVER Run Well On Their Own Console

Top 10 Games that Didn’t Run Well on Their Own Console



If we had a nickel for every frame skipped and second of load time…Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Games that didn’t run well on their own console.

For this list, we will be looking at video games whether good, bad or entirely terrible, that run poorly on their respective consoles, suffering from staggering frame-rate drops and horrendous glitches. You’ve been warned, this is going to get ugly.

#10: “Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric” (2014)

Oh, Sonic…how far you’ve fallen. Fans of the franchise held their breath for the umpteenth time, hoping that maybe this time, the blue speedster would finally be back in top form. Yeah…that didn’t happen. It’s bad enough the new look for Sonic and company was arguably pretty ugly, but the constant slowdown and game-breaking bugs didn’t do the experience any favors either. The game’s performance is so bad at times, that some consider it to be an even more broken-down mess than the infamously disastrous Sonic ’06 was, yikes. At the very least, the glitches can be hilarious in their own right. So that’s…something…right?

#9: “Pokémon Sun and Moon” (2016)

This recent installment into the Pokémon series certainly made great use of the portable’s hardware, delivering dense, colorful environments brimming with life and personality. Unfortunately, all of that graphical fidelity comes with a price. The improved visual were extremely taxing on the 3DS, as there is noticeable slowdown in much busier locations. Things take a really nasty turn whenever you are engaged in a battle involving four separate Pokémon, as the game chugs along at a drastically lower framerate. The New 3DS, despite its advanced hardware, has a hard time running this one, so just imagine the standard old 3DS? Actually, don’t. It’s not pretty.

#8: “Bloodborne” (2015)

While the art style of past ‘Souls’ games were always wonderful, the graphics themselves were never anything to marvel at. All of that changed with “Bloodborne”, the first next-gen ‘Souls’ style game to take advantage of the PS4’s powerful hardware. The PS4 was able to render massive levels with incredibly detail and polish. Once again, spectacular visuals resulted in serious framerate issues, especially in heated combat sections struggling to keep up with the game’s frenetic pace. Additionally, at launch, “Bloodborne” suffered from excruciatingly long load times. Patches have since fixed it, but it’s still not perfect. Prepare to cry.

#7: “Twisted Metal” Series (1995-)

Anyone who owned a PS1 back in the 90’s undoubtedly remembers the blistering action-packed intensity that was the Twisted Metal series. There was nothing quite like dozens of cars zooming around a contained setting, all blowing each other to smithereens with highly explosive weaponry…and herein lies part of the problem. The amount of carnage onscreen at one time proves to be quite a bit for the console to handle all at once. Things slow down to a crawl when in split-screen mode, where you can probably count two Mississippi’s in between each frame. We understand why the performance was so ‘bleh’ here, but that doesn’t make it any less noticeable.

#6: “Crysis” (2007)

At the time of its release, gamers were mind blown by the realistic graphics of “Crysis” and hey, we don’t blame ‘em. Everything from the water, to the fire to the foliage was top notch and photo-realistic. Even the physics engine was pretty impressive. Now, what’s the trend we’ve noticed here? Amazing visuals tend to come with performance issues, and Crysis is no exception. Even the strongest of PC’s had a tough time running this game, so can you imagine how the console ports fared by comparison? The usual suspects are here: framerate dips, graphical bugs, the whole situation could only be described as…well, a beautiful crisis. Yes, we went there.

#5: “Turok 2: Seeds of Evil” (1998)

The N64 was able render some visually impressive games, and one of the best examples was the second Turok game; Seeds of Evil. Complete with gargantuan levels, detailed enemies, and advanced particle effects and lighting, Seeds of Evil was ahead of its time. The poor N64 must’ve been screaming on the inside, and it shows, as the game’s framerate takes a huge hit from the beginning of the game straight to the end. The developers tried to use ‘fog’ effects to give the console less to deal with, but it didn’t do much in the grand scheme of things. Ah well, still fun to blow up mutant dinosaurs.

#4: “Perfect Dark” (2000)

Speaking of visual marvels on the N64, let’s turn our attention to Rare’s stellar first-person shooter “Perfect Dark”. Pushing the console to its limits and utilizing the expansion pack for extra horsepower, this game is easily one of the most stunning on the platform, but once again, there was a trade-off. Having to render these visuals and the fast-paced action in conjunction proved a bit much for the N64. Frequent performance issues, especially in heated shootout sections, were quite common. Multiplayer is another story entirely, with the game running so slowly we feared the console might burst into flames.

#3: “Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)

Did you know that technically speaking, the PS2 had the weakest hardware of its generation? You wouldn’t guess that by looking at mesmerizing visual masterpieces like “Shadow of the Colossus”, with its wide-open landscape, gigantic bosses, and near-zero load times. All things considered, this game shouldn’t even be working at all on the platform, and that notion seeps through in the gameplay. The framerate dips constantly, providing a very choppy and occasionally sluggish pace to the action on-screen. The game is still fantastic, yes, but it certainly benefitted from its PS3 port years later.With the PS4 remake now released, “Shadow of the Colossus” has finally been given the technical and graphical overhaul it so rightly deserves.

#2: “The Last Guardian” (2016)

Speaking of Team Ico, they certainly took their time after “Shaodw of the Colossus”. Their latest title,“The Last Guardian” was released 11 years later. Well, that lengthy development time must mean it’s polished from top to bottom, right? Eh, no. While the game is beautiful, there is an almost inexcusable amount of framerate drops throughout, sucking the life out of moments that were meant to be either moving or thrilling. Even on the more advanced PS4 Pro, the game still suffers from a magnitude of technical hiccups. A decade in development and they couldn’t iron out these kinks?

#1: “Virtual Hydlide” (1995)

Avert your eyes children! Look away! While the other games on this list suffered from graphical blemishes and framrate drops, you could still actually, y’know, play them! Virtual Hydlide, on the other hand, adds new levels frustration to the mix. The game’s attempt to recreate photo-realistic environments led to the Sega Saturn just giving up on performance. Literally nothing feels or looks right, with any movement made by the player causing the game to stutter and lag on an implausible level of bad. Anyone who has beaten (let alone played) this disaster should get their eyes examined, because it’s just a downright nauseating experience.