Top 10 Disappointing Games of 2019 So Far

Based off one of the best anime series of the decade, “Kill la Kill: IF” looked like a promising title for the franchise’s first foray into gaming. After all, this was a 3D fighting game being published by Arc System Works, the same minds behind the “Guilty Gear” and “BlazBlue” franchises, and the project was being supervised by Studio Trigger. How could this not fail? For starters, the oversimplified combat made fights bland after a while. On top of that, the story mode was only a couple hours long, and the character roster was extremely lean. How could you pay sixty dollars for a game that just didn’t have much to offer?

A brand new “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” game? Developed by Ninja Theory? Published by Nintendo?! Holy crap, this is the most ambitious crossover in entertainment history, right?! Not quite so… “The Black Order” had potential to be a triumphant return for the beloved “Ultimate Alliance” series, but quickly proved some things are best left in the past. Despite boasting a robust character roster, the game soils itself with uninteresting combat, bland visuals, and a camera frustrating enough to make anyone break a Joy-Con. The word of the day, kids, is “squandered”, and “The Black Order” perfectly demonstrated that proudly with its lack of unique alternate costumes.

When “Rage 2” was first leaked by WalMart Canada, many wondered why we were getting a sequel to what was one of 2011’s most “meh” games. If only the game kept up the same high-octane, bloodthirsty energy as its marketing campaign did. Blasting baddies and decapitating people with the wingstick was fun, but once again, “RAGE 2” followed the footsteps of its predecessor and did nothing interesting. After the carnage, you’re left quietly exploring and collecting materials, which kills the game’s pacing. It’s like when you’re having fun with your friends and your mother says, “Time to come home and help with the chores!”

When “Days Gone” gets it right, it really gets it right! Somewhere within this game, there’s an interesting story about a rugged biker trying to reunite with his wife in a zombie infested world … Sorry “Freaker infested world”. However, the game’s flaws often overshadow its strongest moments. Guns can be a hassle to control, the AI is incredibly stupid, and the game was bogged down with some serious glitches and techincal issues. It doesn’t help that the overall design of “Days Gone” makes the game look like a by-the-numbers open world game. Given how Sony has had a solid run of first party exclusives, its hard to believe they would end up with something this generic.

The tricky part of making a hack-&-slash game is to make the combat satisfying without letting things get a little stale. “No More Heroes” has been able to escape this problem thanks to its humor, flair, and attitude. “Travis Strikes Again” instead tried to simplify the combat of its predecessors and the results were disasterous. Plowing through enemies feels like beating a cardboard box with a wiffle bat, and the bosses don’t do much to make fights feel challenging. As for the frequently used meta-humor… Well, everyone has their own tastes. At least we’re getting a true “No More Heroes” sequel.

In hindsight, it is no surprise to see a mobile game make it on here, but given Nintendo’s decent track record of not-so-shady mobile games, “Dr. Mario World” has plenty of reason to be here. A match-3 puzzle game, “Dr. Mario World” trades the franchise’s challenging designs for luck-based gimmicks and “gacha” mechanics. So, if there’s a doctor or assistant you need to make a level easier, you’ll either have to grind or fork over extra cash for microtransactions. It seemed inevitible that “Dr. Mario” would have ended up on mobile devices, given it’s initial popularity on the GameBoy, but did we have to sacrifice so much of the original formula for a freemium model?

Oh, Bethesda - never before have we seen goodwill burst into flames faster than a leaky gas tank… Admittedly, Soph and Jess boast colorful personalities (even if they get a little cringy), but it isn’t enough to break “Youngblood’s” ugliness. Sure, it looks like “Wolfenstein”, but at its core, it’s another “live service” game with a messy story, standard RPG elements, and, of course, microtransactions. “Youngblood” is just a mediocre mark and another IP for Bethesda to cross off from its list of “Popular Franchises to Adulterate”. With “Fallout 76”, “The Elder Scrolls Blades”, and now “Wolfenstein Youngblood” being Bethesda’s current trend, it has us worried that “Doom” might be next on the road to disaster. (Show Bethesda.net login) OH SON ON A …

Well, this is a shocker, isn’t it? Over on MojoPlays, our reviewer, Ty, gave a glowing review for “Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled”, praising the remaster for its expressive animations, imaginative tracks, and faithful recreation of the original’s mechanics. So, why is “Nitro-Fueled” tacked on our list? This comes down solely to the fact that microtransactions were added to the game, a month and a half after launch! After the review period was over. Unlocking kart parts is extremely grindy, and you only get thirty to eighty coins per track, giving offline players no room to earn Wumpa Coins quicker. That is wrong on so many levels. This isn’t the only praising review we’ve had to retract - have you seen “Dead Or Alive 6’s” DLC and microtransactions? Like, come on, guys...

Could you believe we almost went an entire decade without a new “Crackdown” game? It’s hard to imagine which reality would be worse - that, or the disappointing launch that was “Crackdown 3”. With fans hoping for a return to form after the polarizing “Crackdown 2”, Many lofty promises were made about the title for years prior. Claims like using the Xbox One’s cloud processing to generate highly destructible environments, or that the game would be the ultimate “Terry Crews Simulator”. None of those expectations were met, instead it was like we were sent back to 2007 and experience the outdated mechanics of the first “Crackdown”, without the time travel. If you wanted a pure “Crackdown” game, you kind of got it?

BioWare, what has become of you? Since its reveal at E3 2017, EA championed “Anthem” to be BioWare’s next masterpiece. But as we now know, behind closed doors, BioWare was struggling to figure out what “Anthem” even was, starting development eighteen months before it was officially released this past February. Long story short, it failed to meet expectations (as some publishers would put it). A lack of content and dull combat are just a couple of problems that plagued the game. Oh, AND it crashed several consoles and computers, including the MojoPlays PC! Since launch, most of the player base has already left. BioWare maintains that it’s still committed to Anthem for years to come, but whether or not enough players will stick around to support the game is anyone’s guess.