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00:00Doesn't matter who you are, there's just some things you have to protect.
00:07But what do you do when the world fights back?
00:10Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're being pretty judgmental, but I'm alright with it.
00:14Whether they shoehorn in exposition like they forgot to butter an already made sandwich,
00:18or they write dialogue like a third grade fiction assignment,
00:20these are 10 video games with the worst writing.
00:23Let's go.
00:24Before we continue, we publish content all week long,
00:26so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:32The Quiet Man
00:45The Quiet Man tries to present itself as an experimental story-driven game by removing most of its dialogue.
00:51And I know what you're thinking, how can it be badly written when you have no dialogue?
00:54Well, that's just how shit it is.
00:56For the majority of the experience, characters speak without sound,
00:59forcing players to interpret the plot through body language, facial expressions, and exaggerated gestures.
01:05But all this does is expose how disjointed the narrative really is.
01:09And trust me, I can say that.
01:10I took one unit of creative writing at Australia's 9th best university.
01:14I failed.
01:15Scenes jump from confrontation to confrontation with little explanation,
01:19leaving players confused rather than invested.
01:21Ironically, the truth becomes clear in New Game Plus,
01:23where the game finally includes audible dialogue.
01:26Instead of revealing hidden depths,
01:28the spoken lines highlight the real issue.
01:30The writing sucks farts.
01:34Atomic Heart
01:48Was anyone else really, really excited for 2023's Atomic Heart?
01:53Yeah, everyone.
01:54Promising a stylish blend of first-person shooting, puzzles, and retro-futuristic worldbuilding.
01:59In many ways, it delivered.
02:01Unfortunately, the experience is dragged down by its writing,
02:04particularly the dialogue of the main character.
02:06Throughout the game, P-3 constantly mutters strange one-liners
02:10and catchphrases that feel awkwardly inserted into otherwise serious moments.
02:14Lines, like crispy critters, are repeated so often that they become distracting rather than charming.
02:20The timing of the voiceovers is also strange,
02:22with P-3 sometimes talking over important story beats,
02:25or reacting in ways that feel disconnected from what's happening on screen.
02:28The problem here is that the dialogue undermines the game.
02:32Bad idea.
02:33Converse section of...
02:35We've got a problem.
02:36The central hub is broadcasting.
02:39Someone is trying to send information to the rest.
02:42Who?
02:42Who could have done that?
02:44There are only two people who could have done it.
02:46You and Petrov.
02:47Petrov's dead.
02:48I saw his body.
02:49Just his body.
02:50Twelve minutes.
02:53Hey.
02:55We're doing it.
02:56We're having a baby.
02:58Hey, I have an idea.
03:00Don't laugh at me,
03:01but do you want to dance with me?
03:04Twelve minutes sets out to be a tense cinematic thriller built around a time loop premise.
03:09It's also a crap pile of crap built around crap.
03:12Okay, got that off my chest.
03:13I'm being an asshole.
03:15The game was reviewed average,
03:16but some people still liked it,
03:17so I do apologize.
03:18With voice performances from high profile actors like James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley,
03:23the game clearly aims for emotional weight and dramatic storytelling.
03:27The central mechanic traps the player in a repeating 12-minute cycle where a mysterious police officer breaks into an
03:32apartment and violently confronts a husband and wife.
03:36Each loop reveals new pieces of information, gradually exposing deeper secrets behind the situation.
03:40In theory, this structure should create a gripping mystery.
03:45Here's the problem, and some writers still struggle to grasp this.
03:48If you're going to take the risk of taking your story to some really uncomfortable territory, you need to handle
03:53it thoughtfully.
03:54Domestic abuse and incest are introduced as major twists with all the impact of a punch in the face.
04:00These elements often feel inserted purely for shock value.
04:04And that is something viewers pick up on straight away.
04:06But we need to be on the same page.
04:10These feelings for my daughter.
04:13Your sister.
04:15Look.
04:17Why?
04:19This isn't how I wanted to tell you.
04:21Metroid Other M
04:23Ah, fancy meeting you here, Francis.
04:30Remember me?
04:32Anthony.
04:33The Metroid series has traditionally relied on simple, atmospheric storytelling.
04:38Metroid Other M took a very different approach, attempting to deliver a far more cinematic and character-driven story.
04:44Unfortunately, that shift is exactly what caused so much backlash.
04:48The game features long, unskippable cutscenes filled with awkward dialogue and repetitive narration, which many players felt interrupted the flow
04:55of gameplay.
04:56But the biggest criticism centres on its portrayal of Samus herself.
05:00In previous games, she's depicted as calm, capable, and fiercely independent.
05:05In Other M, she's often written as hesitant, emotionally fragile, and overly dependent on the approval of her former commanding
05:12officer, Adam.
05:13Boo.
05:14Boo.
05:18Alright.
05:19And we'll go on ahead.
05:32Forspoken.
05:33Doesn't matter who you are.
05:35There's just some things you have to protect.
05:39But what do you do when the world fights back?
05:42Guess I know now.
05:44Much like Atomic Heart, Forspoken arrived in early 2023 carrying a great deal of hype.
05:49Unfortunately, while Atomic Heart still managed to impress players with its combat and presentation, Forspoken impressed nobody.
05:55The biggest point of criticism quickly became the game's dialogue, particularly the lines delivered by its protagonist, Frey.
06:02Throughout the story, Frey constantly fires off sarcastic remarks and attempts at witty one-liners.
06:07The problem is that many of these lines feel forced, rather than clever, coming across as awkward attempts at humour.
06:13Instead of making Frey feel charismatic, she sounds dismissive of everything around her.
06:19It feels like if she came across an alien handing her billions in gold, she'd say, this better be real,
06:24Green Boy.
06:34Hey, look at you.
06:35I'd be careful.
06:37Come on, don't be shy.
06:39Seriously, I wouldn't.
06:40Let's just keep moving.
06:41Why are you so freaked out by this fella?
06:44Duke Nukem Forever.
06:45Oh, oh yeah, right there.
06:47Oh, oh yeah.
06:51That was fun.
06:52Was it good for you, baby?
06:56Speaking of bad one-liners, Duke Nukem Forever leans heavily into the crude, exaggerated personality
07:02that defined the character in earlier games.
07:04Duke himself has always been portrayed as an over-the-top action hero, the kind of character
07:08that worked in the 90s and could have worked in the 2010s as satire, poking fun at the macho
07:14cliches of action movies and video game heroes.
07:16But the game rarely does anything interesting with that concept.
07:20Rather than commenting on Duke's behaviour or using it for clever parody, the game mostly
07:24repeats the same jokes and attitude over and over again.
07:28The result feels like a celebration of the very stereotypes it could have been mocking.
07:44Indigo prophecy.
08:02Indigo prophecy begins with the setup of a tense supernatural thriller.
08:06The opening chapters focus on a mysterious murder, a possessed protagonist, and two detectives
08:12slowly piecing together what happened.
08:13It's grounded.
08:14It's eerie.
08:15It's full of suspense.
08:17Unfortunately, the story eventually abandons that tone entirely like so many interactive story
08:22games do.
08:23As the plot progresses, the grounded mystery suddenly explodes into ancient conspiracies,
08:29secret cults, AI-like oracles, and world-ending prophecies.
08:32The shift happens so abruptly that it feels like two completely different scripts were stitched
08:37together during development.
08:38Characters begin acting according to whatever the new plot demands, rather than the motivations
08:43that the beginning tried so hard to set up.
08:45Dialogue becomes increasingly heavy with exposition, and that seals its fate.
08:49The game is praised as a cult classic, but has never risen to the status of regular classic
08:54for a reason.
08:55You got a lot of guts, Mr. Kane.
08:57Call my office and ask for a meeting when every cop in the country is hot on your trail.
09:01I didn't see that coming.
09:04Your investigation has too many shadowy areas in it for you to content yourself with the official
09:09version.
09:10Sonic the Hedgehog
09:27Sonic the Hedgehog
09:28That Sonic the Hedgehog
09:29is often remembered not just for its technical problems, but for how strange and uncomfortable
09:34its story became.
09:36Anyone remember that kiss?
09:38Just me and my nightmares?
09:39The game tries to push the traditionally light-hearted Sonic series into a darker, more serious direction,
09:44focusing heavily on tragedy, sacrifice, and a really uncomfortable kiss.
09:49Remember guys?
09:50Anyone?
09:51The writing and presentation struggle to support these new themes.
09:54Dialogue is often awkward, scenes drag on with melodramatic delivery, and the plot becomes
09:59increasingly confusing as multiple timelines and characters overlap.
10:02Also, Princess Elise kisses Sonic and he's a hedgehog and she's a people.
10:05Did I mention that already?
10:09Resident Evil
10:10What is this?
10:12Wow!
10:13What a mansion!
10:18Captain Wesker, where's Chris?
10:21The Resident Evil series has evolved dramatically since its debut in the late 90s, growing into
10:25a massive franchise with numerous games, films, and a TV adaptation.
10:29Modern entries and remakes, such as the 2023 version of RE4, tend to smooth out the more awkward
10:34elements of the older titles.
10:36Unfortunately, Resident Evil was a testing ground for a lot of elements that need ironing, and
10:40love it or hate it, it has some of the worst dialogue ever put in a game.
10:44Jill Sandwich, Master of Unlocking, the list goes on.
10:48I will say, unlike other entries on this list, rather than resenting it, many players look back
10:52on moments like this fondly since they contribute to the slightly goofy, campy tone that helped
10:57make the original game so memorable.
10:59Is that you, Jill?
11:02What's going on?
11:04How come you look so scared?
11:07Ride to Hell, Retribution
11:26Few games demonstrate storytelling failures quite like Ride to Hell, Retribution.
11:31The premise is simple enough, a gritty biker revenge tale filled with betrayal, violence,
11:36and outlawed drama. However, the narrative quickly falls apart. Characters appear and
11:40vanish with little explanation, major deaths happen without emotional build-up, and the
11:45story often jumps between scenes with no clear transition. It frequently feels as if entire
11:50segments of the script were cut during development. The protagonist, Jake Conway, barely reacts
11:55to the events unfolding around him, which drains any tension from the plot, and moments that
12:00should feel dramatic instead come across as strangely lifeless. Dialogue doesn't help either,
12:05much of it sounds like a collection of recycled tough guy cliches, delivered in conversations
12:10that repeat information the player already knows. It's hardly days gone. It's more days drag.
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