10 Most Disappointing Games of 2017 So Far…
It’s hard to deny the incredible quality of games released this year. So far 2017 has blessed gamers with huge heavy-hitting experiences like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Horizon Zero Dawn. The PS4 specifically has been privy to a wealth of awesome exclusives like NieR: Automata, Yakuza 0, and Persona 5. One quick glance at our Top 10 Games of 2017 So Far should be proof enough that the gaming industry is strong, healthy, and better than ever. Even more impressive is knowing that we’re only halfway through 2017, and there’s plenty of promising games landing this fall. Oh, our poor poor wallets.
However, not every game managed to exceed the hype. Anticipated sequels and new IP’s sometimes don’t always work out. More so, because the quality of games this year is so high that means more effort from developers are required to make their game stick out above the rest. We’ve compiled a list of 10 games that didn’t meet the standards gamers were looking for.
It’s important to note that this list doesn’t reflect the WORST games of 2017 so far but rather the ones that disappointed us the most. It’s also worth mentioning that some of these titles even scored well with our reviewers but is not necessarily indicative of the staff as a whole. So what are they? Read on.
10) Outlast 2
The original Outlast is one of the scariest games of all time with a real sense of dread permeating from every inch of its spooky environments. Being trapped in an insane asylum is a predictable horror-genre trope but Outlast made it work because of its night vision camera gimmick. It’s a shame then its sequel falls hard in the horror sequel cliche of opting in for more shock horror rather than psychological. Also, the focus on a crazy religious cult is a tired premise and the villain, “Papa” Sullivan Knoth, ventured dangerously close to being a cartoon. Outlast 2 offers up some good ol’ jump scare antics but its frustrating level design is probably its most frightening thing of all. For a game that is purposefully covered in darkness, navigating through most of Outlast 2 is very frustrating due to a lack of direction. It’s still worth a look for fans of the genre but it’s a disappointing follow up.
9) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is the latest Ubisoft game centred around open-world, cooperative-play hijinks. The Ghost Recon games that have come before are all about stealth and strategy while taking down your opponents without alerting anyone. Wildlands, while it does allow for these approaches, really just wants you and your buddies to get your hands dirty and to make a big ‘ol mess doing so. The military shooter mechanics and huge open-world are often times at odds with one another and sooner than later, it all becomes very repetitive. There’s definitely some enjoyment to be had with Wildlands but this is one franchise that didn’t benefit from going open-world. It appears to have paid off for Ubisoft in terms of sales, but we’re hoping for a more traditional Ghost Recon experience next time.
8) For Honor
Another Ubisoft game failing to deliver on its promise? Well, yes and no. For Honor is one of the most interesting games to come out this year mainly because it offers a unique and successful “art of battle” melee combat system that is both simple and difficult to master. The promise of one-on-one matches with both opponents reading one another’s moves works extremely well. What doesn’t work is practically everything else. From a bland single-player campaign and multiplayer modes that don’t service the combat system sour the core fighting mechanics. The strategic and methodical combat turns into a rushed, hack-and-slash experience the moment more than two players are on the battlefield. The different classes don’t matter as much in 4 vs. 4 scenarios, which simply turn into nothing more than medieval chaos. Add in some technical issues and bugs at launch and For Honor, sadly, falls under the Disappointed column.
