5) Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Mirage is another tricky case. The review scores are fine, if a little under 80. Our own review paints a pretty favorable picture of the game. And yet, most everyone I talk to who actually played Mirage consider it a black mark on the franchise. Your assassin skills quickly make the game a little too easy, for one thing. The game is also so short it feels more like an expansion than a standalone title. Plus, the AI and the traversal are a little busted. Really, given the critical reception to the last few AC games, I’m not sure what we’re expecting at this point. The mark of the assassin appears to be a 7 or lower, in general.
4) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III
Much like the last entry, Modern Warfare III feels more like an expansion than a standalone title. But like, a bad expansion. Alex has the full review right here. Considering the enormous scale of this franchise, it’s no surprise that players have such consistently high hopes. CoD is synonymous with modern gaming, so it’s always a shock when Activision drops a dud. The gameplay is mostly unchanged, there weren’t any new multiplayer levels at launch, and the campaign was crazy short. The game wasn’t all bad, but CoD fans have grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle, so to speak. You can’t be playing with them like this.
3) Forspoken
For a lot of fans, Forspoken was letting them down before it even came out. Once we saw that first dialogue-heavy trailer, the jig was up. The full release was even worse. Prolonged exposure to this game’s writing has almost toxic effects on one’s cerebral systems. Beyond Forspoken’s lethal levels of snark, the actual gameplay is pretty forgettable. Normally this game would have taken its place in the 7/10 halls of power like so many others. Unfortunately, the dialogue is cringey enough to make it the wrong kind of memorable.
2) Starfield
Starfield committed the worst crime possible for a AAA release. It’s boring. Rather than being hilariously bad or incredibly good, it’s just dull. Bethesda created a massive world with very little to do. Plus, space travel is done entirely in maps and menus. They made space travel boring, you guys. While a lot of the side missions are somewhat cool, the main questline is a long, punishing series of fetch quests. There aren’t even many Bethesda-style bugs to revel in. I know many people who played Starfield, but I don’t know anyone who finished it. You aren’t disappointed at first, but you get there eventually.
1) Redfall
Our number one game had such high hopes. Vampires in an open world? Made by Arkane? What could go wrong? Well, Arkane hasn’t ever made a game like this before, and it shows. The world feels empty, the combat is repetitive, and the graphics are mediocre. Things like lip-syncing, enemy models, and backgrounds all suffer. Plus, the difficulty curve was hot nonsense. The whole game is (sort of) designed for four people, so solo players are in over their heads. But enemy level-scaling is all bugged out, so a full party is in for a cakewalk. Arkane’s single player games have been so excellent, it’s disorienting to see them blow it like this. We wanted so much from Redfall, and it totally failed to deliver.
And there you have it. COGconnected’s most disappointing games of 2023. What did we miss? What did we get wrong? Feel free to let us know in the comments. And keep an eye out for our big Game of The Year breakdown.