Character creation has been around for decades in video games and has been a staple of RPGs ever since its introduction. The concept of a custom character is inherently interesting when it comes to videogames as it allows the player to truly embody the character that they are playing, whether or not they choose to recreate themselves or create their own original characters.
Character creation tools have steadily improved over the years and have given players the ability to put together some truly amazing, and even grotesque, player characters. Unfortunately, the games that these custom character tools come with don't always turn out to be very good.
10 Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Was A Mediocre Game
In 2015, Dragon Ball Xenoverse was released and was a breath of fresh air for the Dragon Ball video game franchise. After a couple of decades of yearly releases, franchise fatigue was setting in and, though the game wasn't perfect, Xenoverse's character creator ended up being warmly received. When Xenoverse 2 was released the following year, the character creator was improved, allowing players to create a character of any Dragon Ball race and customize them to a very deep level.
Unfortunately, the novelty had very much worn off by then, as Xenoverse 2 was considered to be an extremely mediocre game.
9 Fallout 4 Took One Step Forward And Several Back
In a lot of ways, Fallout 4 did improve on the Fallout formula from previous games. In a lot of other ways, however, it took a few steps back. Its conversation system was considerably stripped-down and exploration seemed to take a backseat to more action-oriented setpiece moments.
What has unequivocally been considered better than the previous games were the character models and character creation tools. Visually, the game was a massive leap forward from New Vegas, and the character creator allowed for players to not only create their main character but also their character's spouse.
8 Jump Force Was Littered With Bugs
Jump Force was meant to be the quintessential anime fighting game, putting together the most famous characters from the most famous anime and manga franchises, and putting them in a fight against each other. The game had a significant amount of hype leading up to its release, but by the time it came out, the game was littered with bugs, glitches, and general design problems.
One thing that Jump Force did have was its character creator which allowed for players to create their own anime protagonist with an extensive amount of customization options. Unfortunately, the story mode tied to the character wasn't very good either.
7 Final Fantasy XV: Comrades Suffered From Overly Simple Mechanics
Final Fantasy XV: Comrades was a downloadable expansion for Final Fantasy XV released in November of 2017. Comrades tied into the main story of the game and was a dedicated multiplayer mode. The mode, and Final Fantasy XV at large, was received with a lukewarm reception. Though fans of the game enjoyed the multiplayer mode, Comrades didn't fix what a lot of players considered to be a central issue with the game's combat, namely the overly simple mechanics.
Regardless, the mode allowed for players to create their own Final Fantasy character with a very extensive character creator.
6 Biomutant Was Too Repetitive
Released in May of this year, a lot of people had their eyes on Biomutant. It had a unique take on the open-world action-adventure genre and visually, it looked fantastic. Ultimately, the game was considered average at best with critics, many complaining that the open world was light on actual things to do. The overall gameplay felt extremely repetitive and the charm of the open-world started to wear thin.
Despite this, the game's character creator is very well done. There are a number of ways to make the player's mutated mammalian creature look uniquely their own.
5 The Sims 4 Was A Major Disappointment
The Sims is one of the most ubiquitous game franchises of all time. Over the years, the games have been released to consistent universal acclaim and their numerous expansions add several layers of depth to the game's formula. The only exception to this rule is the last release in the franchise, The Sims 4.
The game was met with criticism for stripping away content that had been mainstays in the series up until that point, and though the game had undeniably improved with its expansions, many players criticized that they had to pay extra to see old features return. In the midst of all of the drama, one thing that everyone could agree upon was that the character creator was much deeper than any of the previous games.
4 The Character Creation Tool Was The Only Thing That Worked In WWE: 2K20
The WWE games have been in a downward spiral for some time now, with WWE: 2k20 releasing in such a sorry state, and fan backlash being so vitriolic that the presumed next game in the series, WWE 2k21 was canceled because of it. Everything about the game was considered completely broken, and the only functional part of the game was its character creation tool.
The WWE games have had a reputation for having excellent creation tools; some games allowing the creation of entire wrestling storylines and feuds. 2k20 was no different, allowing players to create great wrestlers or horrifying creatures with its in-depth sliders.
3 Saint's Row 4 Introduced Powers That Hindered Gameplay
The transition from Saints Row: The Third to Saints Row 4, was an uneasy one. The fourth game in the Saints franchise was originally supposed to be a DLC for Saints Row: The Third, however, the idea was expanded to be its own game later on. The problem was that the game felt like a step backward from the third game, with the exact same map and superhero powers that, while novel, actually hindered other elements of the game.
Despite this, Saints Row has prided itself on allowing players to express themselves through the main character, changing everything from their voice to their body proportions.
2 Attack On Titan 2 Recycled Its Formula
The games based on the Attack on Titan franchise were great for fans of the show and manga. When based on their own merits, however, the games were only decent at best, with the sequel Attack on Titan 2 receiving a large amount of criticism for feeling like more of the same without any substantial changes to the formula.
What the second game did add was the ability to create a unique character to live in the game world. The character could form friendships with characters from the show and battle alongside them. While this was a great idea, for a lot of people it wasn't enough to make the game worthwhile.
1 Dragon Age: Inquisition Made Players Backtrack A Lot
Dragon Age: Inquisition is seen as the most controversial game in the Dragon Age series. In some ways, it elevated the game formula by expanding on the previous games, but it also had some unwelcome changes to the game formula. While the characters were interesting and the overall plot was engaging, gameplay elements such as backtracking to the same exploration areas repeatedly got old to a lot of players.
However, the game's character creator is extremely well done, with a famous example of its accomplishments being stunningly accurate recreations of Daenerys Targaryen.