Mighty No.9
2016
Mighty No.9‘s long development and frequent delays saw it go from one of the most anticipated in-development games to one of the most controversial. It frequently went back to crowd-funders to add in English voice acting and DLC, and trailers released close to launch seemed like major graphical downgrades on what was initially shown and promised during the game’s early days. Kenji Inafune suggested that the game be used as an example of how crowd-funded games can over-promise and be too ambitious, and that fans should be happy that they received anything at all. The final product received mostly negative reviews, with many saying it feels too recycled from Mega Man games, while also failing to offer enjoyable gameplay concepts for any new features added.
Too Human
2008
When Too Human was first revealed for PlayStation in 1999, it seemed like an epic new twist on the sci-fi video game. The team at Silicon Knights promised to offer a stunning futuristic world set more than 400 years in the future, and as expected, hype was pretty high. However, when Nintendo established an exclusivity deal with the studio, focus soon turned to Eternal Darkness and The Twin Snakes, and we didn’t hear about Too Human again until 2005. The story and characters were mostly praised, but it was the game’s unconventional use of the right analogue stick that held the experience back. Too Human was initially intended to be a co-op game, but that was scraped and as such the final experience felt shallow and dull.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5
2015
The Tony Hawk series of games had fallen on hard times by the end of last decade, but there was still interest in a return to the series’ classic days of Pro Skater. When Activision revealed Pro Skater 5, hype was high that it could reignite the series. Unfortunately, the final product was riddled with technical issues, rendering the game almost completely unplayable, even after a launch-day patch that was bigger than the game itself. The game has certainly improved since, but its launch issues made it hard to enjoy and return to.
Mass Effect 3
2012
Mass Effect 3 is a spectacular game, and was understandably met with wide critical acclaim. But it was panned by diehard fans of the Mass Effect series, who felt the game’s ending was too simplistic and that it didn’t take into account decisions made in the first two games. Arguably one of the biggest gamer revolts of all time, Mass Effect 3 was mass-downvoted on Metacritic, despite achieving such high review scores. The endings lacked closure and had a number of narrative inconsistencies. A former Mass Effect writer admitted that Mass Effect 3‘s story writing process didn’t go through the same peer review process as the first two games. Bioware released free DLC to explain the ending, and eventually released an Extended Edition that attempted to tie loose ends in the story.
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst
2016
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst‘s fundamentals work just as well as they did in the original, but it’s additional gameplay features and a muddled plot drag it well below the quality of its predecessor. EA held off commissioning this sequel, concerned there wasn’t much of a market for it. In eventually signing off, DICE seemed forced to “reboot” a game that was already drowning in character and intrigue. They somehow managed to turn an empowered and likeable female hero into a dry, emotionless one, while also throwing in tedious gameplay features that undermine the brand’s parkour roots.
Call Of Duty: Ghosts
2013
Ghosts was Call Of Duty stalwart Infinity Ward’s first full entry in the franchise since 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. Sledgehammer helped develop Modern Warfare 3 after Infinity Ward’s falling out with Activision. Unfortunately, the studio’s time out from the spotlight led to the worst-reviewed and least commercially successful Call Of Duty game for years. Ghosts’ campaign lacked the explosiveness of the entries before, while its multiplayer component struggled innovate like others in the series.
What have been some of your most disappointing games of the past decade? Sound off in the comments below!
Leo Stevenson
Friday 24th of June 2016
Uncharted 3.