50 video games explained really badly

Sensationalise me

Remember that short-lived Twitter fad #explainafilmplotbadly? Yes, well, you can rest assured that this piece of hard-hitting investigative journalism is absolutely, 100-percent dissimilar. No wait it's exactly the same. Of course there are a number of minor caveats to consider. For one, not all of these entries are 'bad' - some are simply undercooked - while others remain plain old ignorant. Think of it like a giant resource centre for tabloid news rags and outraged parents' groups. Vis-a-vis "I know I left my son at that broken glass factory officer, but damnit, if I can't blame my personal failings on the latest GTA, then what can I blame?"

So, if you're on a deadline, need a scapegoat, or fancy fabricating a fresh and tasty moral outrage, why not give this handy guide a go? There's enough badly described plotlines for everyone! Hurray!

The Walking Dead

A convicted killer takes a young girl on a hugely dangerous hike.

Final Fantasy X

A star athlete pursues his abusive father through time. Daddy is a genocidal whale beast.

Splinter Cell

Gymnastic 50-something dons black spandex outfit; chokes men.

The Last of Us

Grizzled killer escorts vulnerable girl through disorderly garden centre.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter

Softly spoken mercenary assassinates deranged woman in order to procure a son.

Abe's Odyssey

Low-income employee discovers staff cuts, skives off work with his buds.

Crash Bandicoot

Mutant marsupial kills dozens of animals in order to punish reckless scientist for harming animals.

Mass Effect

Space age sailor goes from port to port, seeking out desperate ladies / men / blue things with whom to dock his ship.

Halo

Unstoppable super soldier escorts lunatic A.I. to humanity's most-vulnerable hotspots.

Samuel James Riley
When he's not busy saving small animals from dangerous brush fires, Sam enjoys writing about the weird world of video games. All-time favourites include Half-Life 2, Knights of the Old Republic, GTA: Vice City and Final Fantasy 10. Last year, Sam finally succeeded in besting Rayman 1 for PlayStation, leaving his life utterly without meaning.
Latest in Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy 14's Yoshi-P was unsure about referencing Final Fantasy 9 so heavily because it's a "masterpiece, and everyone has a strong emotional attachment to it"
A Final Fantasy 14 character points to something off the screen as two others in the background watch on
Final Fantasy 14's 7.2 patch launches in under 2 weeks, kicking off a run of MMO content that the community has been waiting for since Dawntrail launched last year
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
The Final Fantasy series has sold a whopping 200 million copies, while the Pixel Remaster reportedly outsells FF16 with 5 million copies
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail screenshot showing the Warrior of Light, a man with lengthy swept-back brown hair, blue eyes, and facial hair stubble, smiling slightly
As Final Fantasy 14 fans gear up for patch 7.2, Yoshi-P teases that the update will be the MMO's largest ever
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail Futures Unwritten Ultimate raid
As Final Fantasy 14 raiders tear through the MMO's hardest duty with no healers and then no tanks, the community can only see this going one way: "Now it's time to clear without DPS"
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail cinematic screenshot showing Alphinaud Leveilleur, an Elezen boy with short white hair
Final Fantasy 14's funniest speedrunning beef continues as runner who lost a world record to its original champ in just 1 day returns, beats record, is promptly dethroned again
Latest in Features
Best Assassin's Creed protagonists: A collection of several of the heroes in the Assassin's Creed games edited together.
Ranking the best Assassin's Creed protagonists of all time
Matt Mercer, Brennan Lee Mulligan, and art from the opening of Exandria Unlimited: Divergence
"He's right to think it's cool, because it is": D&D legends Matt Mercer and Brennan Lee Mulligan on Divergence, sharing worlds, and what they want next from Exandria Unlimited
Monster Hunter Wilds beta and trailer screenshots
The Dark Souls games might be my all-time favorites, but Monster Hunter Wilds beats them in one crucial way: fashion
The Elder Scrolls' Oblivion's most annoying fan holds a torch
Oblivion remake leaks suggest Skyrim's cooler sibling is making a comeback, but I'm worried a modern makeover could bulldoze over the weirdness that makes it great
Ayo Edebiri in Opus
The Bear star's new A24 cult thriller proves Ayo Edebiri needs to be the final girl in a horror movie
Xbox Series X
I love consoles more than anything but Microsoft has me less excited than ever about the Xbox Series X successor