Star Wars Battlefront II
Most Disappointing Games of Q4 2017
Before its release, Star Wars Battlefront II looked like one of the most promising titles of Q4 2017. Its predecessor had given Star Wars fans a solid, albeit flawed shooter, and Battlefront II was going to right its wrongs. Single-player campaign? Check. Free DLC? Check. Even more content in the base game? Check. It was seemingly shaping up to deliver on just about every front to ensure that Star Wars fans had a shooter they could play for years on end as part of a single, large player base.
Alas, that all fell apart before the game even released. Its greedy microtransactions were in the spotlight for a good few weeks, which resulted in them being completely removed from the game. Despite this, Battlefront II has been a commercial failure thus far, selling 60% fewer physical copies in the UK than its predecessor. The latest NPD figures don’t make for better reading, either.
Microtransactions aside, the single-player campaign was kinda mediocre too. It wasn’t massively long, but that wouldn’t have been a problem if there were memorable moments. Instead, the campaign felt more like a mishmash of characters and missions that didn’t seem to follow just Iden Versio’s story. These iconic cameos were clearly there as some sort of fan-service, but it took away from the overall experience.
Get some friends together and forget about the microtransactions and there’s still fun to be had here, but it’s far from the epic Star Wars game fans have been clamoring for for years now.
Fire Emblem Warriors
Most Disappointing Games of Q4 2017
Fire Emblem Warriors wasn’t a complete trainwreck, let’s at least give it that. Marrying the tactical gameplay of the Fire Emblem series with the hack n’ slash frantic action of Koei Tecmo’s Warriors series actually made for a pretty great combat experience. Battles felt that little bit more varied and exciting knowing that you could be a little more tactical than just mashing the X and Y buttons over and over again. Yet, while this may have been a strong Warriors title, it definitely didn’t win over Fire Emblem fans.
Some of the tactical mechanics that had made their way from traditional Fire Emblem titles just didn’t work. The permadeath system isn’t really a permadeath system if you have the right materials, and the support conversations are uninteresting and lack depth. The main gripes from Fire Emblem fans, however, came down to the lopsided and very limited roster, favoring characters from the more recent Fates and Awakening over the iconic old-school fan favorites. Partner all of this up with an underwhelming story and you’re left with a great-feeling Warriors game, but one that won’t satiate most Fire Emblem fans.
Sonic Forces
Most Disappointing Games of Q4 2017
Sonic Mania had filled fans of the blue blur with so much hope and promise. The dreaded Sonic Cycle had finally been broken and if something as miraculous as that can happen, maybe, just maybe, we’d get two good Sonic games in a single year. We were wrong, though.
Sonic Forces had ample reason to make you excited if you’re a fan of the speedy hedgehog. It would finally allow players to create their own avatar and have them work alongside Sonic, and it even attempted to offer up a mix of both modern and traditional takes on the series in one package.
Alas, you only need to play Sonic Forces for 30 minutes or so to understand why this is such a frustrating game to play. Its levels are designed so poorly that you’ll often miss checkpoints or dash panels because of the overly busy backdrops that make it difficult to tell between these and obstacles. What results is a very tedious and bland speed through some of the busiest levels you’ll probably see this year. And not in a good way. At least its boss battles offer some distraction, but you’ll have to cringe through the awful cutscenes beforehand as punishment. Sonic Forces may have been a sad return to poor form for the blue blur, but at least fans have got Sonic Mania to wash the bad taste out of their mouths.
Mario Party: The Top 100
Most Disappointing Games of Q4 2017
Mario Party: The Top 100 actually sounds like a perfect multiplayer experience. Mario Party has long fueled late-night, intense multiplayer sessions among friends to finally decide who was king or queen of the mini-game realm. Why, then, Nintendo opted to put this greatest hits of the Mario Party franchise on the 3DS over the hybrid, multiplayer-centric, brand-new Switch is completely beyond us.
It makes so much more sense. With the additional power of the Switch, Nintendo could have crammed more than just one small game board into the experience. It could have highlighted all of the fun little gimmicks of the Switch with this all-star compilation of mini-games. And most importantly, absolutely nobody would have turned down another first-party Switch exclusive, especially one that is literally a match made in heaven for the system.
Aside from the unforgivable choice to put Mario Party: The Top 100 on the 3DS and not the Switch, it just wasn’t all that great. Its one game board offers little in terms of replayability, and that dwindles even further if you’re playing it on your own. You’ll play some mini-games on one of four linear paths, earn stars, unlock more mini-games, and watch the credits roll after two hours.
Mario Party used to be a beloved multiplayer series that Nintendo had up its sleeve, but The Top 100 feels more like a cheap cash-in than a true celebration of the best the series has had to offer so far. Now, let’s just get this ported over to the Switch with some more game boards and we can put all of this behind us.
Need for Speed Payback
Most Disappointing Games of Q4 2017
Need for Speed Payback could have been the series’ time to turn things around after its dreadfully corny 2015 reboot. Yet, even though the core driving experience here is enjoyable, it seems as though it hasn’t put right all of the wrongs of its predecessor just yet.
When Need for Speed Payback was shown at EA Play in June this year, it gave us some serious Fast and Furious vibes. That’s a pretty awesome style of driving game to be going for, considering how outrageously fun (albeit terribly unrealistic) those movies are. Problem is, while the characters in Fast and Furious are likeable, Need for Speed Payback’s aren’t. Nor is its story particularly memorable. It’s just there to give you a reason to take part in more missions and cop chases, the latter of which feel more like dressed-up races than actual pursuits.
The biggest speed bump for Payback comes in the form of its upgrade system. Something that should be anything but a hindrance to a series that has always been about customizing your cars to exactly how you like them. In short, it’s incredibly convoluted and revolves around Speed Cards rather than actual parts. Oh, and it really tries to push you into its microtransactions, too. Sure, you don’t have to, but your enjoyment of the game in its latter stages will likely plummet if you don’t.
Looks like we’ll have to wait another couple years for the series to return to the dizzying heights of Underground 2 or 2005’s Most Wanted.
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