Switch Theme:

Worst game of the year  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in ie
Norn Queen






Dublin, Ireland

We've had the good, lets hear the bad (usually juicier ).

Firewatch for me. Too short, under developed, under cooked and such a disappointing conclusion.
Potential was most definitely there but they sqaundered it down the river without a care in the world.
A real pity.


Dman137 wrote:
goobs is all you guys will ever be

By 1-irt: Still as long as Hissy keeps showing up this is one of the most entertaining threads ever.

"Feelin' goods, good enough". 
   
Made in no
Terrifying Doombull





Hefnaheim

 Ratius wrote:
We've had the good, lets hear the bad (usually juicier ).

Firewatch for me. Too short, under developed, under cooked and such a disappointing conclusion.
Potential was most definitely there but they sqaundered it down the river without a care in the world.
A real pity.



HERETIC

All disagremts aside I do see you point on Firewatch I must admidt

My nomination goes to the new Call Of Duty, because who needs even the most basic historical correctnes rigth? That and we yet again get to play the done to death invasion of Normandie

   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Outer Space, Apparently

Wasn't Firewatch released last year?


Of the games I played this year, it has to be Dawn of War 3; it's not a bad game, but it ain't good either, and worse still it's likely killed any possibility of a sequel.


There's definitely been some proper flaming garbage released this year though - I've just been lucky in avoiding it...

G.A - Should've called myself Ghost Ark

Makeup Whiskers? This is War Paint! 
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




Bad Games? There are far too many to call any worst, as the industry as a whole loves it shovelware.

My personal bottom tier purchase was Bastard's Wound, the DLC for Tyranny. Instead of expanding on the world and fleshing out a weak ending, the DLC drags you into a completely unrelated cave and only replicates the worst content from the main game: the tedious dungeon battles with unexplained spirits.

It teases a tiny little bit of lore, but leaves it in a 'oh, it's up to your own interpretation' cop out.



Honorable mention for Dawn of War 3 for completely botching a sequel.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/05 19:14:57


Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in us
Ancient Venerable Black Templar Dreadnought





Where ever the Emperor needs his eyes

Im gonna have to go with Dawn of War 3. It was a complete and utter disappointment.

I would have been unhappy but lived with it (And liked it even) if it just went back to being DoW1 rather than DoW2, instead it was neither, but kinda both or something. It wasnt fun.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/05 19:20:10


 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





Most disappointing is generally a better category than worst. Few people are rarely even aware of the actual worst game released in a year.

I'll throw in my vote for 1-2 Switch. I've played a lot of bad games but its one of the few that I've actually legitimately regretted purchasing. It absolutely should have been a free tech demo, but even then it would have been pretty awful.
   
Made in us
Did Fulgrim Just Behead Ferrus?





Fort Worth, TX

Fortunately, I'm usually lucky enough to not buy any genuinely bad games. This year, though, I actually bought a lemon: Elex. I gave it six hours to prove itself, but just couldn't keep going. The protagonist was completely uninteresting and did not make me care about him or his plight. Combat is somewhat clunky, and the difficult curve ramps up very quickly. The world was certainly pretty enough, and had a potentially different and interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre. But that protagonist...sigh.

"Through the darkness of future past, the magician longs to see.
One chants out between two worlds: Fire, walk with me."
- Twin Peaks
"You listen to me. While I will admit to a certain cynicism, the fact is that I am a naysayer and hatchetman in the fight against violence. I pride myself in taking a punch and I'll gladly take another because I choose to live my life in the company of Gandhi and King. My concerns are global. I reject absolutely revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method... is love. I love you Sheriff Truman." - Twin Peaks 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

Voss wrote:
Bad Games? There are far too many to call any worst, as the industry as a whole loves it shovelware.

My personal bottom tier purchase was Bastard's Wound, the DLC for Tyranny. Instead of expanding on the world and fleshing out a weak ending, the DLC drags you into a completely unrelated cave and only replicates the worst content from the main game: the tedious dungeon battles with unexplained spirits.

It teases a tiny little bit of lore, but leaves it in a 'oh, it's up to your own interpretation' cop out.



Honorable mention for Dawn of War 3 for completely botching a sequel.


Pretty much exactly what I was going to post.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in nl
[MOD]
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Cozy cockpit of an Imperial Knight

Dawn of War 3 as well for me, it's not hot garbage but not great either, so for me a guilty pleasure that could've been a whole lot better if the focus was not on the scrotum-dipping esports scene and instead put the emphasis on singleplayer first and multiplayer second.

IMHO.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 General Annoyance wrote:
There's definitely been some proper flaming garbage released this year though - I've just been lucky in avoiding it...
Also this. I don't have a big gaming budget, so I tend to mull over purchases a lot before committing and keeping an eye out for reviews from various sources before jumping in.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/05 20:12:45




Fatum Iustum Stultorum



Fiat justitia ruat caelum

 
   
Made in us
Proud Triarch Praetorian





Does it still count if DLC was released for it this year?

Because if so, I nominate The Division. Biggest let down in gaming I have ever had. It had such great potential to be an amazing 3rd person shooter. But the devs know absolutely nothing about game balance and have bungled it from the start.
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




 Tannhauser42 wrote:
Fortunately, I'm usually lucky enough to not buy any genuinely bad games. This year, though, I actually bought a lemon: Elex. I gave it six hours to prove itself, but just couldn't keep going. The protagonist was completely uninteresting and did not make me care about him or his plight. Combat is somewhat clunky, and the difficult curve ramps up very quickly. The world was certainly pretty enough, and had a potentially different and interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre. But that protagonist...sigh.


Ah, I remember looking at that one. The premise sounded interesting, but absolutely no one I usually pay attention to for previews even talked about it except once in a 'it looks kinda cool, may check it out at some point' sort of way.
So i ventured into the depths of youtube looking for a playthrough or something and finally found one. It was.. not good. I could tell what it was trying to do and despite being probably an honest effort, it just... missed.

Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in us
Shas'ui with Bonding Knife






Definitely Elex. Cool world, terrible balance that makes exploring incredibly difficult o the point where cheesing it with companion's ranged attacks is about the only way to play because EVERYTHING is higher level than you. And not by a little, by enough to one shot you for the most part.

Doesn't help that the AI is also terrible, melee combat isn't responsive, I.e. dodging while in an attack animation results in you continuing the attack chain, has poor elevated fighting (Don't try fighting on a hill, your attacks with either hit the hill negating the hitbox or simply swing aimlessly above the enemy)

Characters are boring for the most part, and again, exploring is the only saving grace the game has. The jetpack is fun, and there's always some loot stashed somewhere to find (I.e. top of a building or hill that you can only get to with the jetpack)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/06 00:02:41


DQ:90S++G++M----B--I+Pw40k07+D+++A+++/areWD-R+DM+


bittersashes wrote:One guy down at my gaming club swore he saw an objective flag take out a full unit of Bane Thralls.
 
   
Made in gb
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain





Earth

Mass Effect Andromeda, failed on so many levels :/
   
Made in gb
Drakhun





The older and the poorer I get, the more I tend to check out games before I buy them. The last 2 games I got in the week of release were the Crash Bandicoot Trilogy and FFXII. Both of which were remakes.

As such, I haven't actually played any game that I'd call "bad" this year. Which is pretty good I think.

DS:90-S+G+++M++B-IPw40k03+D+A++/fWD-R++T(T)DM+
Warmachine MKIII record 39W/0D/6L
 
   
Made in us
Confessor Of Sins




WA, USA

Having put some thought into this, I feel I need to name Mass Effect: Andromeda as my 'worst' game of the year, although I admit that its label isn't quite accurate since it is a functional game for the most part, and I sunk 60-70 hours into both the single and multi-player aspects of it, but what ME:A represents as a wider scale is what lands it this title for me.

It is a monument of broken promises and haphazard handling from the developers. When it was first announced, I thought it was a good idea. Get out of the Milky Way and away from the bitter-taste ending of the original trilogy. And I squinted hard during the game to find likeable aspects. I kinda liked Ryder as a hero, way more embodying the fun adventure side of things than the gritty veteran that Shepherd had become. I wanted to like this game really badly, but I just can't find any passion for it, or desire to play it again, and I can even do that with ME3. There were no hugely compelling story arcs and rarely did the world feel influenced by the decisions I made. I cleared out enemy camps, did missions and sidequests and there was a base. Areas of the game that did have some choice were small and low-influence, such as who I sided with between Reyes and and Sloane. I think it speaks volumes that just now I needed to go to a guide to even remember those characters' names.

In the end, ME:A is a functional game, and there are certainly more technically flawed games in 2017. There are certainly games with more venomous practices than ME:A in 2017 (both large and small studio). And there are certainly more controversial and damaging games out there in 2017. But Mass Effect has a higher standard, and getting by as a functional title is not good enough. What Andromeda lacked was soul and spirit. If I squinted, I could see hints of former greatness, but it required that I look past how much got powerwashed away.

 Ouze wrote:

Afterward, Curran killed a guy in the parking lot with a trident.
 
   
Made in us
Fiery Bright Wizard





California

Honestly this has been a pretty bleak year for games as far as i'm concerned. I think the only new game I bought was also ME:A...and I wasn't happy with that one either. I think it's put a bullet in the ME franchise for at least a little while, I can imagine them putting them IP on ice for several years. Almost none of the ohter games being released even managed to catch my eye. Then again i'm willing to spend 60 bucks on a game that is just 'okay'. There was no way in hell I was going to buy cod, destiny 2, or battlefront. The last FPS game I bought that was truly awesome was the Doom reboot.

 
   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





The Battle Barge Buffet Line

 curran12 wrote:
Having put some thought into this, I feel I need to name Mass Effect: Andromeda as my 'worst' game of the year, although I admit that its label isn't quite accurate since it is a functional game for the most part, and I sunk 60-70 hours into both the single and multi-player aspects of it, but what ME:A represents as a wider scale is what lands it this title for me.

It is a monument of broken promises and haphazard handling from the developers. When it was first announced, I thought it was a good idea. Get out of the Milky Way and away from the bitter-taste ending of the original trilogy. And I squinted hard during the game to find likeable aspects. I kinda liked Ryder as a hero, way more embodying the fun adventure side of things than the gritty veteran that Shepherd had become. I wanted to like this game really badly, but I just can't find any passion for it, or desire to play it again, and I can even do that with ME3. There were no hugely compelling story arcs and rarely did the world feel influenced by the decisions I made. I cleared out enemy camps, did missions and sidequests and there was a base. Areas of the game that did have some choice were small and low-influence, such as who I sided with between Reyes and and Sloane. I think it speaks volumes that just now I needed to go to a guide to even remember those characters' names.

In the end, ME:A is a functional game, and there are certainly more technically flawed games in 2017. There are certainly games with more venomous practices than ME:A in 2017 (both large and small studio). And there are certainly more controversial and damaging games out there in 2017. But Mass Effect has a higher standard, and getting by as a functional title is not good enough. What Andromeda lacked was soul and spirit. If I squinted, I could see hints of former greatness, but it required that I look past how much got powerwashed away.


Agreed. I was going to post a detailed write up but your's is better. I'll just add that ME:A wasn't by any means the "worst game of the year" but, at least for me, was the most "disappointing game of the year" with close runner up being Star Wars Battlefront 2 due to the horrid pay 2 win lootbox mechanics. Both are decent games but I was expecting so much more from each...

We Munch for Macragge! FOR THE EMPRUH! Cheesesticks and Humus!
 
   
Made in us
Fiery Bright Wizard





California

I booted ME:A up again recently and man it's the little things that irk me too. This game is from 2017 and there aren't even idle blinking animations for your character. The game world feels crazily static, same with the station. Compared to the past 3 games this one feels lifeless and hollow. Bioware has fallen so far from grace it's almost comical.

Alright i'm done, just had to beat this game over the head one last time.

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





USA

ME:A for me - I might have been more gentle but given my love for it's predecessors in the franchise my dislike for this game is pretty intense.

Shadowkeepers (4000 points)
3rd Company (3000 points) 
   
Made in us
Confessor Of Sins




WA, USA

What makes ME:A hurt more for me personally is that every now and then in the game, you can see glimpses of something that could have been special. Like the whole final scene of the movie night quest chain, that was such good fun. But the problem is that the rest of it is so bland and un-memorable.

 Ouze wrote:

Afterward, Curran killed a guy in the parking lot with a trident.
 
   
Made in ca
Longtime Dakkanaut





3a game would be Star Wars battle front 2
Computer would be dawn of war 3 ( copied too much from dow2 so it failed)
Ps4 destiny 2
Xbox would be lucky a adventure or what ever it is called with the squirrel
Switch would be paid free mobile games.

I need to go to work every day.
Millions of people on welfare depend on me. 
   
Made in us
Krazed Killa Kan





Denver, Colorado

While it's not a bad game, exactly, I would say the most disappointing game for me this year was Nier: Automata.

It got rave reviews, and while the gameplay itself was fine, if a bit repetitive, the characters and story were completely bland and boring.

I feel as if it was trying to be deep and meaningful, but came off as boring and vague. Maybe I'm just as dumb as a bag of hammers, but that's my two cents.

"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." Words to live by. 
   
Made in us
Ancient Venerable Black Templar Dreadnought





Where ever the Emperor needs his eyes

OgreChubbs wrote:

Computer would be dawn of war 3 ( didn't copy enough from dow2 and aimed too much at being an ESport like game so it failed)


ftfy

This message was edited 4 times. Last update was at 2017/12/08 18:21:13


 
   
Made in nl
[MOD]
Decrepit Dakkanaut






Cozy cockpit of an Imperial Knight

 Kap'n Krump wrote:
While it's not a bad game, exactly, I would say the most disappointing game for me this year was Nier: Automata.

It got rave reviews, and while the gameplay itself was fine, if a bit repetitive, the characters and story were completely bland and boring.

I feel as if it was trying to be deep and meaningful, but came off as boring and vague. Maybe I'm just as dumb as a bag of hammers, but that's my two cents.
I so want to play this, but the PC port is still not fixed.



Fatum Iustum Stultorum



Fiat justitia ruat caelum

 
   
Made in us
Krazed Killa Kan





Denver, Colorado

 BrookM wrote:
 Kap'n Krump wrote:
While it's not a bad game, exactly, I would say the most disappointing game for me this year was Nier: Automata.

It got rave reviews, and while the gameplay itself was fine, if a bit repetitive, the characters and story were completely bland and boring.

I feel as if it was trying to be deep and meaningful, but came off as boring and vague. Maybe I'm just as dumb as a bag of hammers, but that's my two cents.
I so want to play this, but the PC port is still not fixed.


I vaguely recall something to that effect on PC, but I found workarounds for it.

As I recall, it wouldn't go to fullscreen mode, but there was some fix I found in a thread that someone made that fixed it up.

Long story short is that I did get it to work for me on PC.

That being said, I don't recommend it.

"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." Words to live by. 
   
Made in us
Proud Triarch Praetorian





 BrookM wrote:
 Kap'n Krump wrote:
While it's not a bad game, exactly, I would say the most disappointing game for me this year was Nier: Automata.

It got rave reviews, and while the gameplay itself was fine, if a bit repetitive, the characters and story were completely bland and boring.

I feel as if it was trying to be deep and meaningful, but came off as boring and vague. Maybe I'm just as dumb as a bag of hammers, but that's my two cents.
I so want to play this, but the PC port is still not fixed.


Own it on PC. Never had a single issue with it. Excellent game.
   
Made in us
Wing Commander





TCS Midway

 Trondheim wrote:
 Ratius wrote:


My nomination goes to the new Call Of Duty, because who needs even the most basic historical correctnes rigth? That and we yet again get to play the done to death invasion of Normandie



CoD: WW2 fails on a lot of levels, but is still fun in places. It has the same CoD problem of enemies headshotting you through buildings from 500 yards out with all weapons while ignoring your fellow troopers. Speaking of, again, your squadmates are useless. They couldn't take down a wet paper bag. Despite giving them character in cut scenes, you are still a one man army which is unfortunate.

Battlefield 1, even with it's flaws, had a superior campaign in that it covered many theaters of war. If this was to be, WW2, where is the pacific, Italian, Southern France, Africa, Norway, Russia, Eastern Europe, Burma, and others?

The missions are also pretty ludicrous, with your soldier basically being invulnerable given the horrific accidents he walks away from. The espionage mission was good, and well done (dumb setup/conclusion, but a well done mission for most of it, that showed the makers could break the mold to capture various aspects of the war).

I'm playing Multiplayer, but was underwhelmed by the campaign.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/12/11 16:30:29


On time, on target, or the next one's free

Gesta Normannorum - A historical minis blog
https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/474587.page

 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Savage Minotaur




Baltimore, Maryland

After forcing myself to get deeper into it, my most disappointing full release game has to be Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. I probably won't finish it, as its getting samey.

My reasons:

1. The ending of The New Order was pretty powerful, didn't care for BJ surviving.
2. Didn't care for the new crop of characters introduced either. Was actually happy to see one get smoked before your trial, after being captured. Compare that to the raid on the base in The New Order, where key characters choose to make their last stand. That was awesome, but I never connected with these new goons.
3. Cutscenes were too long and too frequent. I also gave zero feths about BJ's upbringing, nor his constant bitching about his imminent death. But then...
4. The "choice" midway through the game wasn't really much of a choice.
Spoiler:
You are given a new body after a pretty bloody and admittedly suprising scene where you are beheaded before the Lincoln Memorial, (replaced by Hitler), and your team attaches your head to a nazi super soldier body. You're given the choice of 3 bodies, each with a particular ability. Pretty neat, but then you realize it doesn't really matter. You chose the body that allows you to run through select walls? Awesome, go ram that wall. But don't look above it, where there is a window for you to jump into if you chose the telescopic legs. And don't look to the right at that tiny crawlspace, where the super flexible body would allow you to snake through. Basically, no matter what you chose, your choice is irrelevant, as its the same path whichever way you go. The possibilities for different play styles where there, but let down by unispired level design.

5. And speaking of unisipired level design... aside from a brief sojourn to a city thats hosting a military parade, you never really know you are in Nazi Occupied USA. The possibilites would've been awesome, imagine having to fight your way to a Nazi-fied Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty(Which is in fact the actual The New Colossus, from the poem by Emma Lazarus). Every level just feels and looks the same, aside from a few brief missions to a generic bombed out New York, the battles in the bowels of your headquarters/submarine, and the aforementioned parade, where you literally just walk into a diner and everything else is taken care of by scripted moments. Ugh.
6. Seems pretty easy, even at the highest difficulty. I feel like I had more of a challenge in The New Order.
7. Weapons felt the same as the last game too.

I'm only a few missions past the event described in the spoilered section of #4, so if it gets better, or I'm off base, let me know!

Its objectively not a terrible game, but in my opinion, it just couldn't replicate the heart and grit that Wolfenstein: The New Order had.

Only game I purchased this year that I regret. I thought I'd learn to like it, but it never clicked for me. I'd recommend it when its $19.99.

"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
 
   
Made in gb
Huge Hierodule






Nottingham (yay!)

Breath of the Wild.

Too much walking. Too much falling. Too much inventory bloating. Too much changing equipment, as if nothing was learned from the iron boots. Too much weapon breaking, as if anyone bothered fixing Biggoron's sword. Too much desolate, isolated, silent survivalism with occasional fragments of retro melodies and, for some reason, the Nokia ringtone. Too many instant death enemies early on, too much access to healing and teleportation later on. Too much abilities frontloading. Too much incentive to sandpaper enemies with infinite grenades. Too much mist and dim or excessive light for a scavenger hunt on a 6" screen. Too many physics fails in a 'try to see what works' sandbox. Too many recipes. Too much uncertainty as to what you can safely sell. Too much waiting for the rain to end. And apparently I've got some questionable content to look forwards to in Gerudo Desert.

Absolutely delightful animation and writing, but that's not enough to carry an attempted tribute to Daggerfall and Monet that misses both. Hyrule Warriors felt more like Zelda than this.

   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka





 Kap'n Krump wrote:
While it's not a bad game, exactly, I would say the most disappointing game for me this year was Nier: Automata.

It got rave reviews, and while the gameplay itself was fine, if a bit repetitive, the characters and story were completely bland and boring.

I feel as if it was trying to be deep and meaningful, but came off as boring and vague. Maybe I'm just as dumb as a bag of hammers, but that's my two cents.


Did you play through it the second time as 9A? The 2B storyline with Adam and Eve is pretty anticlimatic. It's got some nice surprises and interesting set pieces, but most of the character of the game doesn't come across until the second time through and after that you get the actual third act of the story. I think it could have been handled better and it is never completely free of some cringy JRPG tropes, but I think most of its praise comes from the latter playthroughs.
   
 
Forum Index » Video Games
Go to: