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.
