When Bad Controls Ruin The Fun
Ever had a game ruin the fun before you even got past the tutorial? Not because of the story or the difficulty—just the downright awful controls. Some are clunky, others feel like they were designed to test your patience, and a few are so unresponsive they might as well be broken. So, here are 20 games whose potential was completely squandered with infuriatingly bad controls.
1. Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing
Nothing in this game works as intended, especially the controls. The steering feels like sliding on ice, braking is nonexistent, and trucks can accelerate infinitely in reverse. The lack of collision detection makes driving feel pointless. No wonder it's considered one of the worst games ever.
Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing | 4K | RTX 3090 | 5950X by h1tzz
2. Drake Of The 99 Dragons
Shooting should be fun, but this game turns it into a nightmare. The auto-aim randomly picks targets, and movement feels like skating on butter. Platforming is borderline impossible with its sluggish inputs. Even in 2003, critics tore it apart for its broken mechanics.
Drake of the 99 Dragons | XEMU 4K 60FPS | Playable✔️ | Xbox Classic Game (2024) by Emulation World
3. Mortal Kombat Advance
Handheld adaptations often struggle with controls, and this one takes the cake. Moves fail to register, blocking is inconsistent, and jumping feels stiff. Plus, veteran players found themselves at the mercy of delayed responses. Reviewers called it "borderline unplayable," cementing its place as a series low point.
4. Rise Of The Robots
Imagine a fighting game where only one character has a functional move set. That’s the experience here. Its limited AI reacts faster than human reflexes allow. The game was released in 1994, and it serves as a lesson in how not to design combat mechanics.
Rise of the Robots Longplay (PC DOS) [4K] [CD-ROM Edition] by AL82 Retrogaming Longplays
5. Action 52
Every mini-game here suffers from stiff, unreliable controls. Many of its titles suffer from rigid movement, inconsistent jumping, and outright broken mechanics. One game, "Ooze," is nearly unplayable because the character barely responds.
[TAS] NES Action 52: G-Force Fighters by LoganTheTASer in 00:49.98 by TASVideosChannel
6. The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The World
This game’s unresponsive jumping mechanics sabotage every attempt. Bart slides off edges with no warning, and enemies attack before you can react. This NES game took what could have been a fun adventure and turned it into an exercise in frustration.
Amiga 500 Longplay [333] The Simpsons: Bart vs. the World by World of Longplays
7. Superman 64
“Superman 64” was launched in 1999 and had all the ingredients for a superhero disaster. Flight controls are painfully unresponsive, making missions like ring-flying nearly unplayable. Add in erratic hit detection and clunky combat mechanics, and you have a title that many consider one of gaming’s worst failures.
Superman 64 - Prototype - 4K - N64 - Project64 - Core i7 2600 - GTX 970 by Nate Masterson
8. Resident Evil (Original)
Survival horror works best with immersive controls, yet this classic defies that logic. Tank controls make turning and movement a struggle. Though the system aimed to heighten tension, it often resulted in players battling the controls rather than the game’s terrifying creatures.
Resident Evil 1 HD Remastered (PS5) 4K 60FPS HDR Gameplay - (Full Game) by FA GAMEZ
9. Tomb Raider
Lara Croft controls more like a machine than a person. Every movement is stiff, jumps require perfect alignment, and combat feels clunky. While groundbreaking in its time, this game’s movement system made even basic platforming a frustrating challenge.
10. Alone In The Dark
In this game, action sequences fall apart due to sluggish movement and an awkward camera. Driving controls are just as bad, making escape sequences feel impossible. Despite its intriguing story, the game’s control scheme actively fights against the player.
ALONE IN THE DARK Gameplay Walkthrough FULL GAME [4K 60FPS PC ULTRA] - No Commentary by MKIceAndFire
11. Sonic The Hedgehog
Speed should be Sonic’s strength, but this game’s controls make it his greatest weakness. Platforming sequences are riddled with slippery movement, and scripted events break mid-motion. Sonic has had rough games, and this one became the gold standard of franchise mishaps.
Sonic the Hedgehog - Complete Walkthrough by Typhlosion4President
12. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600)
Falling into pits is unavoidable because of clunky movement. Climbing out? Even worse. The character slides unpredictably, and collision detection is nearly nonexistent. These issues contributed to this 1982 title becoming the face of the video game crash.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Longplay - Full Playthrough on Atari 2600 (US Version) by RetroLongplay
13. Bubsy 3D
“Bubsy 3D” has poor controls stemming from its clunky tank-style movement, which made precise platforming nearly impossible. Instead of fluid motion, players had to rotate Bubsy in place before moving forward. Plus, the lack of intuitive handling turned simple navigation into a tedious struggle.
Bubsy 3D (PS1 Longplay, FULL GAME, No Commentary) by Longplay Express
14. Star Wars: Masters Of Teräs Käsi
"Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi" played like a fighting game that just didn’t want you to have fun. Characters shuffled around like they were stuck in molasses, which made dodging and countering almost impossible. Pulling off combos? Good luck. The input lag made every button press feel like a request rather than a command.
Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi (PS1) - Arcade Mode gameplay [4K] by @IoriYagamiBR
15. Lair
Forced motion controls ruined what could have been an epic dragon-riding experience. Steering feels unresponsive, and attacking with gestures barely works. Despite a 2007 patch that added traditional controls, the damage was done. The PS3’s Sixaxis controller simply wasn’t ready for such mechanics.
I Finally Finished This Terrible PS3 Game I Bought in 2007 - (Lair) | PSR by Mystic
16. Perfect Dark Zero
"Perfect Dark Zero" felt like trying to run in a dream—you know where you want to go, and everything drags. Shootouts lacked the fluidity expected from a next-gen shooter, turning every encounter into a struggle against the controls. Even tweaking the settings failed to make gunfights feel natural.
17. Two Worlds
"Two Worlds" felt like it was held together with duct tape and wishful thinking. Swinging a sword felt like flailing in the air while spells fired off with all the precision of a drunken wizard. The game promised an open-world RPG adventure, though every step felt like a battle against the controls.
Two Worlds - Gameplay - 4K HDR - RTX 4090M by Gametism
18. Deadly Premonition
"Deadly Premonition" played like it was daring you to quit. Combat turned into a battle against sluggish movement, with enemies shambling toward you faster than you could react. This game had charm, but every action—walking, shooting, even turning—felt like wading through molasses.
Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut - Gameplay - 4K - RTX 4090M by Gametism
19. Early 3D Tank Controls
Several early 3D games, like "Resident Evil" and "Tomb Raider," relied on tank controls that made movement frustrating. While they were a product of hardware limitations, they’ve aged terribly. Modern gamers often struggle with these clunky mechanics when revisiting classics.
20. Club Drive
One of the Atari Jaguar’s worst offenders, this 1994 game features unresponsive controls and floaty physics. Vehicles handle unpredictably, turning is awkward, and acceleration is inconsistent. Moreover, in an era filled with bad racing games, this one stood out for all the wrong reasons.
