Most Disappointing Games of 2018

Most Disappointing Games of 2018

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It’s award season here at Twinfinite, but sadly, not every award is one to be proud of, and that’s certainly the case here. We’re looking back at the most disappointing games of 2018. Voted on by our editors, these were the games that had so much potential, and barely met our lowest expectations. They were either downright dull, not enjoyable to play, or simply didn’t live up to fans’ expectations for the series.

Let’s take a depressing look back at the most disappointing games of 2018, starting with our runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner of this less-than-appealing crown.

Second Runner-Up: Agony

Editor-in-Chief Ed McGlone: Agony was a Kickstarter and social media darling that captured the imagination of metalheads and dark horror fans everywhere with its gruesome take on hell. The idea was to deliver a game that was true to the absolute worst depictions of hell which, in theory, should be a pretty bad place.

It was a neat idea that was undercut by absolutely terrible execution. I personally handled the review for Agony, and the only glimmer of good will that came from it was that maybe I was able to reach a few people before they wasted their cash on it.

It did somewhat deliver on visually depicting hell in the way I was looking forward to, although visually the game left a lot to be desired. However, the game was virtually unplayable unless you enjoy games that are punishingly unfair.

The game was littered with poorly explained mechanics, infrequent checkpoints and long stealth sections that were unforgiving to the point of being un-fun, and featured erratic AI that you couldn’t learn from to improve.

I desperately wanted to like Agony. I loved its premise. Despite its smaller indie status, I went out of my way to make sure it was on our reviews editor’s radar. I know I’m not the only one that was disappointed then when it turned out to be a total disaster.

Most Disappointing Games of 2018

First Runner-Up: Metal Gear Survive

Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: Where does one even begin with the disappointment that is Metal Gear Survive? Perhaps a good place to start would be the complete and utter lack of a coherent story —the main driving point that kept Metal Gear fans so invested in the series for such a long time. Or perhaps we should start with the boring co-op aspects that this game was supposed to deliver on in the first place.

Going into Metal Gear Survive, we all pretty much knew that this was in no way going to deliver the kind of quality content or storytelling (this might be debatable, actually) we’ve come to expect from the series. What we did expect, however, was a fun cooperative shooter game with zombies. Metal Gear Survive failed to deliver on that front.

Survive suffers from a severe shortage of maps and content. After the first couple of maps, the subsequent ones have huge level requirements, meaning that you’ll have to grind for gear in the same two maps before you can proceed. The fact that the objectives across all maps are virtually the same as well —just kill zombies and defend a point— really kills any sort of longevity Konami might have been hoping to achieve with this title.

Multiplayer aspects aside, the single-player campaign is a complete slog with survival mechanics that just aren’t all that fun to get into. The campaign is filled with lifeless NPCs you don’t care about, brainless zombie enemies that you can’t sneak by (but why would you?), and an ugly farm that you probably don’t care about either but have to maintain anyway.

I didn’t have very high expectations for Metal Gear Survive, but somehow, it still managed to disappoint in such a big way.

Most Disappointing Games of 2018

Winner: Fallout 76

Fallout 76

Guides Editor Chris Jecks: Bethesda took a risk with Fallout 76, and sadly, this one just didn’t pay off. Back in May when Bethesda first began teasing the announcement of a new Fallout title, fans were delighted that they’d soon be exploring a new wasteland, full of new characters to quest with (and kill), and more than its fair share of mutated creatures to tango with. Well, we kinda got that, but it wasn’t the wasteland adventure fans had been hoping for.

Instead of the usual single-player affair, having you interact with charismatic NPCs, embarking on epic, interesting quests, and getting embroiled in an interesting story, we got Fallout 76. A multiplayer, shared-world experience where NPCs and interesting plot points are left by the wayside in favor of monotonous fetch quests and an emphasis on playing with your fellow vault dwellers (read: other players online). Now, I’m all for developers taking a risk and trying something new; the problem here was that Fallout 76 didn’t do anything new very well.

Its heavy focus on base-building is at odds with its meager stash limit (though this has been lifted since launch). Its Pip-Boy menus are a nightmare to navigate in real-time in a world literally teeming with giant mole rats that want to eat your face. Multiplayer events and experiences seldom feel rewarding enough to want to grind them out, and the West Virginia wasteland, while ripe with exciting discoveries to be made, feels devoid of personality thanks to its lack of human NPCs. It’s lonely, but not in the right way.

The fact that Fallout 76 is multiplayer isn’t what makes it disappointing. It’s that Bethesda tiptoed so carefully around its PvP elements that meeting other players feels inconsequential. Unless they’ve got a Fat Man and several hundred mini nukes to launch at you while you stand incredibly still, there’s no real danger.

Despite pouring 50+ hours into Fallout 76, it never managed to sink its claws into me like the series’ past adventures into post-apocalyptic wastelands have. Fallout 4 may not have pushed the series quite as much as some had hoped, but at least it felt like a true Fallout game.


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Author
Chris Jecks
Chris Jecks has been covering the games industry for over eight years. He typically covers new releases, FIFA, Fortnite, any good shooters, and loves nothing more than a good Pro Clubs session with the lads. Chris has a History degree from the University of Central Lancashire. He spends his days eagerly awaiting the release of BioShock 4.