Nintendo held its Nintendo Direct broadcast early this September and there are plenty of games coming out for fans of the system, both sequels and original properties. Hopefully, the gaming company continues to showcase the characters and avatars that fans have grown to love, while avoiding the ones who cause more grief than anything else.
Video game characters come in all shapes and sizes and while some capture the hearts of players others cause years of frustration and vitriol. Redditors have long debated which video game character should earn the title of worst, but players can be sure that some always make the shortlist.
Mindy - Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
In order to encourage players to purchase different versions of the Pokémon generation games, Gamefreak made it so that some Pokémon only evolve when traded. For some players who may not have had friends with the correct version, that meant they would not have access to some really cool monsters.
Redditor thepotato007 hates "Mindy from Pokémon Diamond/Pearl Platinum" for a related reason. The NPC offers to trade you a Haunter, which should then evolve into a Gengar. But what she doesn't mention is that the Haunter is holding an ever stone, which stops evolution. It's a bit of a dirty trick that players discover after the trade is already made.
Porky Minch - EarthBound Series
Reddit EarthBound series.
Porky is Ness' main antagonist throughout the video game series and is a classic narcissistic, egotistical child who wants everything. This selfish immaturity means that every battle with the character is a painful reminder that people like that actually exist, even if they don't have access to world-controlling technology.
Nazeem - Skyrim
Skyrim character Nazeem, saying, "Nazeem is up there for me."
This Redguard citizen is known for his oft-repeated line, "Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying, of course you don't." He never stops asking the same question, and it doesn't help that the one thing he asks is dripping with condescension. Nazeem is one of the most annoying NPCs out there.
Navi - The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
One Reddit puts it best when they write exactly why the little fairy annoys them so much. LoneKharnivore posts, "Hey! Listen!" Any gamer from the '90s will recognize that line, and it will immediately bring to mind the frustration of having to stop playing to read a wall of text.
The tiny fairy that guides both the young and older versions of Link through the levels of the game is a bonus to be sure. It gives information about puzzles and directs the player on where to go next. But the frequency of its direction and how it forces the player to stop running around with Link serves to frustrate anyone just trying to get on with the game.
Preston Garvey - Fallout 4
Some characters become hated even though they are doing exactly what they were designed for. Preston Garvey from Fallout 4 is tasked with asg players new quests that generally involve liberating settlements.
Redditor Jah-warrior answers the question of who they hate the most, "Another settlement needs help, I'll mark it on your map - Preston garvey." The first part of that quote rings in players' ears as they continue through the main storyline. Preston continuously urges players to help settlements, clogging up their quest lists.
Ava - Borderlands 3
Redditor Borderlands 2 character.
Ava is supposed to be a teen in the game, but her character design makes her look more like an adult. This just makes her angst and ive-aggressiveness even more unpleasant. She also never takes responsibility for any events of the game but is still kept around as part of the players' main group.
Mr. Resetti - Animal Crossing
One Reddit has an issue with an Animal Crossing character that some players may be able to avoid completely. Redditor galambalambos posts, "Mr. Resetti from animal crossing" as their least favorite video game character.
Mr. Resetti is a mole that appears whenever a player resets the game without saving. He appears and lambasts the player for not saving, and the player can not move on for minutes until the lecture is done. While the gag is funny the first time, it becomes tiresome getting lectured every time a player doesn't save their progress.
Slippy - Star Fox
The Super Smash Bros series than their own games, but those who don't play them will miss out on the great rail shooting gameplay. What they won't miss out on, according to Redditor linkwiggin, is, "Slippy - Star Fox."
Slippy is a frog pilot and part of team Star Fox in the games. Each member of the Star Fox team is supposed to be a master aerial fighter, but when playing the game, Slippy continuously pops up on the screen asking the player to save him. His requests "to get these guys off me!" become headache-inducing as the gamer wonders why Slippy can't seem to help out at all.
Kai Leng - Mass Effect 3
Reddit Mass Effect 3, "Kai Leng from Mass Effect 3. Terrible character with no depth and he doesn’t fit into the narrative at all." Kai Leng is a human assassin sent to kill the hero of the series, Commander Shepard.
While an assassin antagonist is not the worst thing to face in a video game, it's the way the character is handled that rubs many fans of the series the wrong way. There were two games before Mass Effect 3 and Kai Leng was never mentioned in them. But in the final game of the trilogy, players are faced with a character who hates them without any backstory and yet are supposed to be interested in his arc.
Moneybags - Spyro
One Redditor, Spyro NPC named Moneybags, "MONEYBAGS. I hate him so much. He's like 'Oh you wanna continue in the game? PAY ME 500 GEMS.'" There aren't characters gamers tend to hate more than those that stop them from playing the games they bought.
Moneybags is a character to whom the dragon Spyro must deliver increasing amounts of gems in order to continue on through the world. He is a rich-looking bear who treats Spyro and the player very rudely, demanding exorbitant prices and never saying so much as thank you for the effort.