Most Disappointing Games of 2019
Dishonorable Mention: Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Deputy Guides Editor Tom Hopkins: The future of the Wolfenstein series was looking bright at the start of 2019. The New Colossus had released just over a year earlier and is widely considered to be one of the best shooters of the generation, and we had two spin-offs to look forward to, one of which was for VR headsets.
Youngblood, the co-op focused and non-VR title, decided to change the formula up, losing almost everything that made the last few Wolfenstein games great.
The map was split into small open areas and you needed to complete a selection of missions to get into a few Nazi bases. Gone was the varied, linear action, being replaced by directionless missions with little to tie them together. The decision to make sure a drastic change was baffling.
On top of that, the kind of emotional story full of charismatic characters that made New Colossus stand out was nowhere to be seen. 30 minutes at the start and 10 at the end is about all the story Youngblood has, with the rest of the time being spend wandering the bland Nazi-controlled streets of Paris.
The super weapon wielding action was still fun a lot of the time – it’s nigh on impossible to mess that up – but the new structure of Youngblood has me worried for where Wolfenstein is going as we approach a new generation.
