Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – Ruined by Short Campaign and Lack of Content
Metacritic score: 53
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was a major disappointment for both fans and critics. The single-player campaign was painfully short and potentially offensive, while the multiplayer mode didn't offer much improvement. Players were furious that they were charged £70 for what felt like a DLC package at best. This game is even driving players away from Modern Warfare 2.
Unholy – Atmospheric Horror Game with Terrible Gameplay
Metacritic score: 52
Unholy had the potential to be a great atmospheric horror game, but it fell short due to its terrible gameplay. Despite looking the part, the game's puzzles and AI were uninteresting. The difficult controls frustrated many players, leading to disappointment.
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains – Poor Translation and Boring Dialogue
Metacritic score: 52
Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains suffered from a terrible translation, making the game fall flat. While the story had potential, the boring dialogue made the long run time hard to endure. The lackluster visuals didn't help its case either.
Crime Boss: Rockay City – Star-Studded Cast Can't Save Poor Gameplay
Metacritic score: 52
Crime Boss: Rockay City prioritized a star-studded cast over solid gameplay, resulting in a major failure. Despite excitement over Chuck Norris and Vanilla Ice appearing in the game, their performances were terrible. The repetitive gameplay and uninteresting story made it difficult to keep playing.
Loop8: Summer of Gods – Slow Pace and Boring Combat
Metacritic score: 49
Loop8 had the potential to be a promising game with its Persona-style gameplay, but it failed to deliver. The shallow characters, slow-paced story, and boring combat made for a dragged-out experience. While the game functioned fine, it ultimately fell short.
Quantum Error – A Tonally Confused Game with Weak Shooting Mechanics
Metacritic score: 42
Quantum Error stood out from the rest of the games on this list by being simply bad. The game's tonal confusion, weak shooting mechanics, and uninteresting firefighting elements left players scratching their heads. It tried to incorporate horror game tropes but failed to make any sense.
Testament: The Order of the High Human – Ambitious Fantasy RPG that Falls Flat
Metacritic score: 41
Testament: The Order of the High Human had ambitious dreams but couldn't deliver. The fantasy RPG, reminiscent of Skyrim, turned out to be a bloated mess. The team showed promise, but their ambitions got the best of them, resulting in a disappointing experience.
Greyhill Incident – Mediocre Survival Game with Little Substance
Metacritic score: 38
Greyhill Incident may look acceptable in screenshots, but the gameplay is lackluster and unfinished. It offers nothing new in the oversaturated market of early-access survival games. Despite its shortcomings, the game is being sold for £21 with additional DLC.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum – Highly Anticipated Flop
Metacritic score: 34
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was the biggest disappointment of the year. Fans were excited for the next big Lord of the Rings game, but Gollum was barely functional and far from what was promised. The team had to apologize publicly for the game's quality, but spelling mistakes in the apology only angered players further. The gameplay was boring and frustrating, adding to the overall disappointment.
Skull Island: Rise of Kong – A Diabolical Nightmare
Metacritic score: 23
Skull Island: Rise of Kong, with its big-name IP, King Kong, turned out to be a diabolical nightmare. The game had clunky graphics, terrible design, and still images intercut into motion cutscenes. It was a horrible experience to look at and play, yet the developer had the audacity to charge £35 for it.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.
