Buzz
Not every game introduces the anticipated heroic protagonists as expected by players.
Characters always take center stage in every game. In many renowned works, player-controlled protagonists are often crafted towards heroism. However, things don't always unfold naturally. Developers sometimes aim for something different, leading to the emergence of protagonists facing coldness and, especially, player hatred. Classic examples include the following 'culprit' characters.
Aiden Pearce in Watch_Dogs
Watch_Dogs is widely criticized as the least captivating game in the Watch Dogs series. Part of this originates from a significant downgrade in graphics, gameplay, and the game's mechanics. However, the most significant contribution to this failure must be attributed to the construction of the main character, Aiden Pearce, who could hardly be worse from the developer's perspective.
Unintelligent, humorless, Aiden Pearce even inflicts more harm on those around him than any enemy. Aiden himself lacks a distinctive personality or noteworthy charm, making it difficult to garner empathy from players.
Patroklos in Soulcalibur V
Besides controversial gameplay changes, Soulcalibur V faced numerous objections from players regarding its story development. The portrayal of the main character Patroklos can be considered the most evident proof of that failure.
Fundamentally, Patroklos is an arrogant character, spending most of his time in meaningless battles and committing evil deeds. Patroklos's journey doesn't leave any lasting impressions throughout the game. Moreover, he is criticized for taking away the potential 'spotlight' from many other potential supporting characters.
Henry Townshend in Silent Hill 4: The Room
Silent Hill 2 is one of the best horror games in history, and the main character, James Sunderland, even became an irreplaceable icon. This was a success but also a challenge for the developers of the series to create compelling and more attractive characters than what James Sunderland achieved.
Unfortunately, Henry Townshend is not such a character. Despite efforts to develop, both Henry Townshend himself and the game Silent Hill 4: The Room fail to deliver significant impressions. Henry is deemed lacking highlights, personality, and proper storyline development. In other words, compared to the perfect model of James Sunderland in the previous installment, Henry Townshend is too ordinary.
