For many hardcore gamers, phone games will never compete with the likes of Call of Duty or Skyrim. Mobile platforms are almost always too weak to run AAA games, and carry a reputation as freemium time wasters.
While there have been plenty of high quality mobile titles for people to explore over the years, including phone originals like Angry Birds and Candy Crush and ports of titles such as Hearthstone and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, there have been thousands of shoddy titles created to capitalize on the popularity and accessibility of the platform. Here are the worst offenders, according to Metacritic.
10 Hot Wheels World's Best Driver (2013) - 39
Not everything about Hot Wheels World's Best Driver is bad. The licensed game features plenty of variety for users to play with. Mobile gamers have an array of vehicles to select, and there are several different game modes based upon the color scheme of your vehicle.
Unfortunately, the controls for the game were universally considered to be subpar, killing any chance for it to be live up to the high standards of its premier licensing. Most players probably raced away to better titles.
9 ELECTRIC CITY The Revolt (2012) - 39
In 2012, Tom Hanks released a web series called Electric City. The acting legend's involvement offered high potential and a familiar name to the project. However, the series fell flatter than its creator hoped. Even though it ultimately didn't work, a game was produced to coexist in-universe and raise the profile of the production.
While the story within the mobile game was recognized for its merits, reviews were not as generous concerning the gameplay. Among these complaints were frustrations with inconsistent difficulty levels and a lack of content.
8 Scarface (2012) - 38
Like the two licensed games listed before it, Scarface had the potential to be a fantastic licensed title. Instead, it is little more than a mediocre free-to-play, pay-to-win app with nothing to distinguish itself.
Plenty of games in the same vein as Scarface have been successful, genuinely fun experiences. FarmVille and Clash of Clans managed to develop devoted followings because of enticing mechanics and a balanced approach to the freemium model. Unfortunately, Scarface fails to accomplish either.
7 NFL Pro 2013 (2013) - 35
While the Madden franchise has consistently dominated football video games on consoles, EA's premier gridiron experience has a lot more competition on mobile platforms. But with the wider variety has come an inconsistent quality of experience.
While Madden entries on mobile may not be the exclusive choice available to consumers, NFL Pro 2013 did not prove to be anything close to a serious competitor for the juggernaut, even on its most vulnerable platform.
6 RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 Mobile (2014) - 35
Many young adults have fond memories of the Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise on PCs in the early 2000s. Every child loves amusement parks, and the series was a hit as it allowed players to build their own theme parks from the ground up.
The series, which spawned almost a dozen sequels and spin-offs, eventually licensed the fateful Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 Mobile. The game was riddled with heavy microtransactions and little for fans except for a beloved name for a mediocre freemium experience. The game was such a disappointment that it even received scores as low as zero from critics.
5 The Relic (2011) - 33
Many games have troublesome launches and eventually fix their bugs; The Relic is no exemption. Unfortunately, the game only ventured from bad to less bad. The action RPG features a disappointingly simple story and boring enemy AI.
While many games successfully make complicated genres more accessible for wider audiences, The Relic was oversimplified. With overzealous automatic controls for movement and combat, fighting enemies quickly grows old and prevents players from enjoying the art of the hack and slash.
4 Pillowfight Girls (2010) - 33
Some games sell copies through strong gameplay or an engaging story; Pillowfight Girls has neither. In the stead of either of these, the game is clearly unabashed in its belief that sex would sell copies of the game. Even customers who are drawn in by such a promise will be quickly disappointed.
With embarrassingly bad graphics and a misogynist premise, Pillowfight Girls is definitely not worth picking up. Save your cash for pretty much any other game instead, because this one belongs in the dustbin of history.
3 Painkiller Purgatory (2011) - 32
A continuation of the Painkiller series that originated in 2004, the game does something right: just like the protagonist, you will feel like you are stuck in purgatory, wishing you could leave. Unfortunately, an aptly named game means that you are playing a painfully bad one.
The controls are abysmally bad in Painkiller, turning what should be simple navigation into a chore. The environments are uninspired with few interesting levels to explore and a tendency for enemies to be trapped in place by whatever else may be in the room. Thankfully, the game is short, allowing you to get away from the unfortunate experience quickly.
2 Final Fantasy: All The Bravest (2013) -25
The Final Fantasy series has reached some of the loftiest heights of any video game franchise, with some of the best titles of all time among its ranks. While some of Square Enix's more recent additions have been more lackluster than longtime fans would like, few have reached the perilous lows of All the Bravest.
The phone game is easily one of the worst in the Final Fantasy franchise. With an insulting dependence on microtransactions in a game that was not even offered as a free-to-play title, only those blinded by the most nostalgia or with the most money to burn will find any enjoyment from this cash grab.
1 Kick-Ass: The Game (2010) - 24
Longtime gamers have come to expect little from titles that are meant to coincide with movie releases. With few exceptions, the game will be a mediocre, repetitive experience receiving middling scores from reviewers. Every once in a while, however, movie games will fail to eclipse even these low expectations.
Based on the movie based on the comic, Kick-Ass released broken in almost every way. With graphics that already looked aged and mechanics that are beyond laughably bad, the game is mercifully short. Quite possibly one of the worst games of all time, it makes fellow movie-tie ins like The Expendables 2 look like a "Game of the Year" contender.