Most Disappointing Video Game of 2024
When looking at 2024’s most disappointing video games, they’re mostly big budget titles. A lot of them are from developers with quality pedigree. Some are from established franchises. What’s curious about this list is that a lot of these games reviewed well. It’s almost like the reviewers saw how well a lot of the pieces were constructed, but didn’t realize they would be left unsatisfied by the end. These games just didn’t stick the landing. They’re are opposite of a JRPG that seems archaic at first, but leaves the player with lasting memories. Get ready for a list of beautiful “meh”. COGconnected’s Most Disappointing Video Games of 2024 are:
10. Dragon’s Dogma II
I was so sad to see Dragon’s Dogma II on COGconnected’s Most Disappointing Video Games of 2024. The original Dragon’s Dogma developed a cult following over time, because of its unique gameplay and ideas. But it also had major graphical issues, so it didn’t review well. Everyone hoped Dragon’s Dogma II would be like the original game without any of the flaws. Instead, it was just like the original, with lots of great ideas, but too many bugs. Dragon’s Dogma II has an immersive world, and improved pawn system. But it’s also very complex and unapproachable for casual players, and is in dire need of major polish.
9. Silent Hill: Ascension
Silent Hill: Ascension was an interactive webseries, where fans got to vote on the outcomes of scenarios. It was free to watch, and players could create avatars, and pay to have a chance for their avatars to appear in the cutscenes. This led to over 50% of Silent Hill: Ascension’s content being pointless filler. A lot of the avatars looked so bad that viewers thought the entire series was AI-generated. None of the choices had any meaningful impact on the plot. The story also had nothing to do with any of the Silent Hill games, nor did it take place in the town Silent Hill. And worst of all, it was just plain boring. An abysmal waste of time. If this list was Worst Video Games of 2024, instead of Most Disappointing Video Games of 2024, Silent Hill: Ascension would be #1.
8. Star Wars Outlaws
Poor Star Wars fans. You’d think, at this point, they’d be ready to get hurt by disappointing media. Star Wars Outlaws was clearly envisioned as “Grand Theft Auto Star Wars”. Players get to experience the criminal underworld of the Star Wars universe. Our review gave the game 85/100, but wrote “Outlaws is an excellent Star Wars game. It’s also aggressively not for me. I felt tangible disappointment whenever a new mission required quietly infiltrating an enemy base. But I also recognize that the systems at work here are well-crafted ones.” They tried to be objective about Star Wars Outlaw’s quality, but didn’t enjoy playing it, especially the stealth sections. A lot of our other writers must have felt this way, solidly placing Star Wars Outlaws on COGconnected’s Most Disappointing Video Games of 2024.
7. GreedFall II: The Dying World
To be fair, GreedFall II: The Dying World is still in early access, so it’s possible that massive improvements could be made. The developers had the interesting idea to flip the script. Narratively, this puts the player in the position of an islander, instead of the colonisers of the original game. Because of this change, GreedFall II has lost all its 18th century sense of style that players loved. The combat has also shifted from something almost perfect, to a pause-heavy turn-based system. These changes have created a dull sequel. GreedFall II: The Dying World is the only early access game on COGconnected’s Most Disappointing Video Games of 2024, so maybe it will be one of 2025’s most improved.
6. South Park: Snow Day
South Park: Snow Day was a personal devastation. The prior South Park games, The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole, were both excellent RPGs, full of great writing. They also visually captured the TV series perfectly. South Park: Snow Day is a shallow first-person shooter, with ugly 3D visuals. It’s a backwards step from the other games in every way. The writing is still quite good, but that doesn’t matter if playing the game is no fun. It’s also very short, even if the price was low. Future updates will have to overhaul the gameplay, if South Park: Snow Day aspires to be anything other than disappointing.