Characters with "character" are good, but not when it makes you wish you had anyone else to have in your party.
I somewhat disagree. There should be characters of all sorts, including asshole ones. You aren't forced to take any of them. Durance in Pillars of Eternity is a great example. He's a complete piece of shit - racist, misogynist, petty, vindicitve and not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. He's also an incredibly memorable foil to both you and Eder. He's easily my second favorite, precisely because he's so awful.
Oh I agree,
if there are other options available to take with you. It shouldn't be a choice of playing Lone Wolf style
or deal with a party of bickering, is my point, but if there are a few "less savory" options to take with you that aren't also the
only options to take with you, I'm fine with that.
Xzar from Baldur's Gate I was a jerk as well, but could be fun and memorable, and was also with you for only a limited time. People like that also weren't your
only options in BG1. Similar with
Xan who either got along great with some party members, or got along very poorly.
