These 10 Games Just Let Us Down
Given the explosive content of last years wallet-destroying releases, you might be forgiven for thinking 2018 hasn’t been up to snuff. What we have seen this year, however, have been some truly genre-defining and serious course correcting games such as Far Cry 5 and God of War, as well as a number of titles that blew us out of the water when it came to their supreme polish and memorable gameplay. You can check out our best games of the year so far list HERE.
There is, however, another side to this. For every intense shooter there is a buggy hack and slash, for every fantasy epic, there is a tired remake no one actually wanted. Yes, 2018 has unfortunately given us a balancing act of games in which every AAA masterpiece has a counterpoint in something far less savory. Now this list isn’t specifically about the worst games, but rather those that simply fizzled out and failed to impress. With that in mind, here are the top 10 disappointing games of 2018 so far.
The Labo was already a quirky cocked-eyebrow of an idea to begin with; create peripherals using cardboard in the hopes of bringing back that childhood nostalgia from the 80s when we could be entertained by a box and some crayons. Nintendo, having been on a hot streak with the Switch and a number of excellent releases, was given mostly the benefit of the doubt that in practice the Labo could be a great step. Our expectations didn’t skyrocket, however, Nintendo is known for taking big risks, loving peripherals, and testing the water with quirky gimmicks only to improve upon them down the road. While the Labo didn’t particularly ruin our expectations, it still failed to impress. As an educational tool it can be great for young kids, but as a practical application for gaming – well, only now has one of the kits been used for a proper full-length game. The Labo symbolizes the hope we have and trust we put in Nintendo and their zany ideas but this time around it just let us down.
If I told you there was a game combining the fast pace hack and slash action of Devil May Cry, the parkour of Assassin’s Creed, and the insanely massive bosses of Shadow of the Colossus, I would have to give you a moment to clean the drool which has now frothed from your mouth. Extinction promised an experience just like that, with epic trailers, killer combat, and fantastically fluid traversal. It looked to be a worthy successor to the hack and slash genre and would bring about an all-new RPG element unlike anything we had played before. Unfortunately, each and every one of its selling points were dull, buggy, repetitive, and frustrating. The game was more bothersome than anything and you never quite felt like the badass you were supposed to be. We all expected Extinction to be another heavy hitter but instead, it took a swing, missed, and tripped over its own feet.
Lego games aren’t known for being difficult, in fact quite the opposite. What they are known for is cheeky humor, massive rosters, and a great mix of puzzles and platforming to progress through each game. When it came time for The Incredibles version, however, it was as if the entire notion of the series went out the window simply to bank on the recently released movie. The world was small and empty, puzzles were nearly non-existent, and the roster was filled of mostly useless characters we had no reason to care about. This was the first big Lego game since Lego Dimensions went down and it honestly felt like a cash grab more than a legitimate entry into the Lego video games. This was a title much less than incredible.
