The 4 Worst Games of Q4 2018

Worst Games of Q4 2018

The Quiet Man

Where do we start with The Quiet Man? I mean, its accolades trailer literally pokes fun at how bad the game was received by critics and users alike, so that probably tells you a lot.

The Quiet Man intends to be a narrative-driven, action experience that follows a deaf protagonist. So, even when there should be dialogue audio in conversations, there’s not.

There’s muffled noise throughout, and while protagonist Dane is able to communicate easily with other characters in conversations that drive the narrative forward, you’re left trying to figure out what’s going on.

When The Quiet Man isn’t trying to be some edgy interactive movie, it’s a bland 3D action beat ’em up that would feel right at home in an arcade from decades ago.

You’ve got one button to kick, another to punch, one more to dodge, and finally a finisher you can activate from time-to-time. Thing is, you’ll never have to dodge, as the cut-and-paste enemies just take your beatings. They don’t try and fight back, so you can button mash your way through battles as the animations clip through enemies almost every time.

The Quiet Man may be attempting something unique with its deaf protagonist and interactive movie vibes, but it doesn’t know how to execute them in a remotely enjoyable way.

It’s not just one of the worst games of Q4 2018, it’s probably one of the worst games of this generation period.

Worst Games of Q4 2018

Fallout 76

Oh Bethesda, all you had to do was release a Fallout: New Vegas-esque solo adventure and fans would have thrown their cash at you with screams of “yaaaaas” being heard around the world.

Alas, Fallout 76 proved to be a massive misstep for Bethesda, as it deftly followed the ‘games as a service’ and ‘everything has to be multiplayer’ trends we’re seeing far too often in the industry nowadays.

At its core, Fallout 76 had the potential to be something great –a true, multiplayer Fallout experience, set in the wasteland of West Virginia that’s not only a darn sight prettier than past wastelands we’ve explored but teeming with the mysterious creatures and sights to behold.

Instead, Fallout 76 feels like a botched job, something quickly rushed out to satiate fans’ desires for another entry in the series, while also trying to maximize the figure on the bottom line. Let us explain.

As a shared world experience, everything now plays out in real-time. Accessing the laborious Pip-Boy menus doesn’t pause the world around you, and enemies like to spawn nearby spontaneously at the worst possible moments.

One moment you’re quietly scrolling through your arsenal of weapons, the next you’re being harassed by six Super Mutants that appeared out of thin air. Not to mention its PvP system is half-baked, kind of nullifying the entire point of a shared world Fallout title, to begin with.

Without any NPCs, Fallout 76’s world of Appalachia feels devoid of life. Moreso than a wasteland should. Its missions are often simple fetch quests asking you to trek across its giant map, defeat a couple enemies, grab an item, and take it back to a specific location or utilize it in the crafting system.

Simply put, Fallout 76 was a missed opportunity and one that, had Bethesda spent some more time polishing it rather than rushing it out for the holiday season, could have actually delivered an enjoyable multiplayer experience.

In its current form, however, it’s difficult to really recommend Fallout 76 to anyone outside of the most hardcore fans, and that’s a real disappointment considering the studio’s stellar back catalog of titles.

Worst Games of Q4 2018

ARK: Survival Evolved (Switch)

Let’s start this off by saying that ARK: Survival Evolved, isn’t necessarily a bad game. It’s just absolutely horrendous on the Nintendo Switch. If you like visually obscure titles that make you squint at the screen and wonder whether you’re actually looking at a tree or just a greenish hue on a landscape though, by all means, pick it up.

It’s worth noting that ARK isn’t always a complete trainwreck on the Switch. In docked mode, the game runs poorly, but not to the point of being unplayable. That’s where handheld mode comes to the rescue, with framerate, pop-in, and resolution all just dying.

Exploring wooded areas literally looks like you’re ambling through a land of 2D, green, cardboard cut-out trees that just appear in your face and obscure your view. It’s difficult to see what you’re doing, let alone trying to actually do anything in this disgustingly, dizzying, prehistoric world.

Though things are mildly better when you play ARK in docked mode, the game still suffers from horrendous performance issues, pretty much freezing up every time you open your inventory. And if you’re stuck to just playing in docked mode, you may as well get this on Xbox One, PS4, or PC.

Don’t put yourself through this ugly torture.

Worst Games of Q4 2018

Overkill’s The Walking Dead

At this point, we’re beginning to think that it’s actually impossible for a non-Telltale (RIP) Walking Dead game to be good.

Overkill’s The Walking Dead is a co-op ‘first-person shooter.’ Take that lightly, though, as the game’s sound meter often forces you to use stealthy melee weapons as not to alert a herd of walkers with gunshots.

In between spamming your melee attacks before resting for your stamina to replenish, you’ll have the odd, simple puzzle to solve with the help of your teammates. Though often simple and uninspired, these do occasionally lean into the game’s co-op nature, forcing players to work together. These are actually brief, enjoyable moments.

The most disappointing element of Overkill’s The Walking Dead is just how generic it feels, though. It doesn’t feel like a Walking Dead title. It’s just a generic zombie stealth shooter/ action game.

Throw in robotic AI for your companions if you don’t have friends, and you’re left with an okay co-op zombie shooter you don’t want to play on your own. That’d involve you and your friends spending a fair bit of money on multiple copies of the game, though, and if we’re honest, your money would be far better off being spent elsewhere.