I’m not one to get too hyped about video games. When a trailer comes out, depending on the game, I usually go, “That looks pretty cool”, to being completely excited. But I never, and I mean never, pre-order games or even go look into the game unless they are highly reviewed or just something that may seem interesting on the box. I said interesting, I didn’t say good. How else could I get roped into playing Fight Club: The Game. But, there are times when I let my excitement get the best of me. Mostly, it turns out okay. Other times… It doesn’t. That is what I am here to talk about today. Ten games that I feel were the most disappointing to me. This was a list I had spent months working on, because I couldn’t think of many games. But, now that I have some at my disposal, it’s time to discuss them. But, before I talk about these games, I want to make something incredibly clear. Just because I say a game is disappointing, that doesn’t mean I consider it a bad game. I can’t stress that enough. Hell, I may even get some enjoyment out of the games listed here. But I put them on the list because they could have been much better than what they were, be it a much more superior game before it or because of all the hype it had. Also, no obvious entries like Duke Nukem Forever, No Man’s Sky, or Mighty No. 9, mostly because I haven’t played those games and don’t ever plane to either. With that said, let us start the list.
~#10~
Devil May Cry was one of mine and my friends favorite franchises by Capcom, each game in the series being real good… Except 2. They felt so grand and pure and Dante was just one of the most enjoyable protagonists in a video game. Sure, he started out as your typical cheesy 90s action hero, but became so much better by the time of Devil May Cry 3. It felt as though they truly perfected him by this point… And then DmC happened.
#10: DmC: Devil May Cry
I think the saddest thing about the entirety of DmC is that the guys behind it really knew what they were doing. Being handled by Ninja Theory, a company whose previous works consist of… nothing of interest, they seemed to really put a lot of heart into the gameplay of DmC. It was fast, it was fierce, and hell, it was a ton of fun to go through. Attempt to get a high combo while in a horde of enemies. Dare I say, it felt like a Devil May Cry game. So, why is the game disappointing? Oh, you know why. You all know exactly why. Instead of the Dante we’ve grown to love from Devil May Cry 3 and 4, we get this new Hot Topic shopping, Marilyn Manson listening punk. Gone is the witty humor, gone is the clever insults, and gone is just the overall charm that Dante was known for. Instead, we get this Dollar Store brand that feels incredibly forced and very try hard in trying to appeal to a more edgy demographic. It’s just like when they remade Bomberman and created Bomberman: Act Zero, only being a better game completely. As a result of this poor choice, DmC was hated by fans of the Devil May Cry franchise and this design of Dante hasn’t returned since. Well, he returned in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, but we all know that it’s just the poorman’s Super Smash Bros. Poorman’s Smash deserves Poorman’s Dante.
~#9~
When it comes to horror games, I think 2010 was a very revolutionary time for it. Amnesia: The Dark Descent was released that year and this was the game that got many let’s players talking about it, and what helped gain notoriety for horror games. I’d go into more detail, but that’s an article for another time. So, instead, let’s talk about a horror game that many people said was good and wanted everyone to play. And if you’ve read my Corner of Horror articles, you probably know what I’m about to talk about.
#9: Alan Wake
I’m sorry, I tried to get into this game. The story was very interesting and well done, the world was filled with great characters, I liked the light mecaniques and I enjoyed the music, but I just couldn’t care for this game on a gameplay standpoint. Every time I ran into an enemy, I groaned, because not only did they look generic and not only did they slow down and do a zoom in on them every single time a new batch of enemies was dispersed, but they would always rush you in packs and always make getting to the key to open a lock door all the more frustrating, especially when there’s obviously going to be something else blocking the path immediately when you get passed that locked door. All of the puzzles felt boring as hell, dare I call them puzzles. Shine a light on this door, move this blockade out of the way, find the key to the locked door, the key which is just in the other room. That one irritates me all the time. I’m sure some people will tell me to look at the game as an action game and not a horror game. Big deal. It still feels sloppy. That doesn’t excuse the constant running around trying to open up a door. Doesn’t excuse why every enemy needs to slow down your progress. Doesn’t explain why I can’t dodge sometimes when an enemy hits me when I clearly hit the dodge button. Alan Wake, as a game, on a technical level, works fine. It functions. But I, myself, can’t stand running around, trying to move from one roadblock to the other. I did, however, play a little bit of American Nightmare, the sequel, and it is… better, from what I have played so far. So thank goodness for that.
~8~
If you have been around me long enough, you know that I cannot get enough of No More Heroes. The first game has easily made it as being in my top ten games of all time. From it’s amazing gameplay to it’s little pieces of symbolism and character writing, I was super hyped for the sequel, and couldn’t wait to see what would come next… And it came alright.
#8: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Another game that I talked about before, No More Heroes 2 is still an amazing game, one that I really enjoy playing for the gameplay and the music. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel a little let down when playing it. No longer is there an expansive overworld. No longer is there is there any assassination jobs for you to perform. No longer are there any trading cards to collect. Instead, you have a little guide to lead you to your next destination. Some of the levels were pretty lacking as well. You could get a full level sometimes. Other times, you could just get a really small area. Other times, you could get no leave at all and just go fight the boss right away. Another thing I have a problem with is Travis himself. Sure, he’s good on his own, still an enjoyable character, but… He’s a loser. A thirty-year-old nerd who watches anime and porn and has no friends at all. So why does every girl wanna jump on his Beam Katana? It’s a complete 180 when you compare to how everyone was either talking smack about Travis every moment or he was being used or tricked in some way. It seems that most of the clever, darker, and down-to-earth feel that the original game had is replaced for trying to be as insane and over-the-top as possible. While I have no problem with that, it’s a drastic change between games. And with the new No More Heroes game taking place inside a game console, it seems the over-the-top nature is here to stay.
~#7~
I will always be the first to tell people that Dark Souls is the best action RPG around. Amazing tone and atmosphere, interesting and expansive lore, great combat, and some of the most darkly serious and melancholy ways of telling a story I’ve ever seen in a game, it just makes every second feel like you earned your victory. So why don’t I get that same feeling from the sequel?
#7: Dark Souls II
Dark Souls II just feels like a much less memorable experience to me for some odd reason. Well, it’s not an odd reason, I can think of many things as to why I don’t have much fond memories with this one as I do the first one. Every NPC is always telling you how awful the world is, despite it being not as much of a hellhole as the first game. Sure, it’s not great, but they are still alive, and they can achieve their goals without the fear of going Hollow. In the first Dark Souls, that threat was for everyone. If you want to save an NPC from going mad, you have to make sure they fail in their quests. They cannot achieve it, if you can make sure of it. And yet, they don’t mope about it. In fact, they are always laughing, humoring you with conversation and always talking about how things will be okay, when really, they won’t be. In Dark Souls II, nobody shuts up about their problems, and I never cared for any of the NPCs, especially Winner of Trashiest Waifu Award, The Emerald Herald, a character I had little to no interest in when it came to characters at the bonfire. Bosses in this game were also underwhelming, either being very easy to relying on cheap tactics to be considered “challenging”. Adding more enemies in the room doesn’t make the boss more challenging, it just makes it reek that much more of bullshitery. And I can tell you, II’s Belfry Gargoyles: Oh, they stank! Then there’s the story. I won’t spoil what happens, but what does the game’s ending do to achieve my character’s goal in the end? One moment, he’s looking for a cure for the Undead, and lastly, the ending just gives me some reward, and not the one I was looking for. Boy, what a confusing adventure this was. My biggest gripe, though, is how the game is worried you will do something the wrong way. In the first game, you could go to any area from the start. In Dark Souls II, you only have a few choices, with other major areas locked. It doesn’t feel like you have the same sense of freedom or feel as trusted to go elsewhere like in the first game. It feels like Dark Souls II is holding your hand like a five-year-old at Disneyland. Dark Souls II is not a bad game, it’s fun, but man, does it feel very watered down compared to the previous game.
~#6~
New Vegas is the best Fallout game, there I said it. Fallout is an incredibly amazing game, where you’re choices actually do matter and each one of your actions has some effect on the characters and the world. This has been around since the very first game. So tell me why Fallout 4 didn’t follow this? I mean, it’s already got something here. Why change it?!
#6: Fallout 4
Yet another game that is not terrible but the choices that were made for it just make it that less interesting. Sure, the world is there, the enemies are there, Vault Boy will always be there in every Fallout game, but there’s something about Fallout 4 that just feels kind of… empty. Probably because none of your choices really matter much in this game. Yeah, I said that choices matter in a Fallout game. Forget I said that, they mean nothing now. Everything you do, everyone will always have the same reaction and won’t change their minds about it unless it is for story reasons. You don’t get to decide how your character behaves anymore. Now, the game decides for you. Every choice you have will give the same reaction from the person and just feels like you are wasting your time with options when it should’ve just been a cutscene with a created character on it. There isn’t any karma anymore, and you can’t get much reaction out of NPCs. The game will always point you back onto the path to the main quest and never allow you to explore for too long. What reason did the creators have to not make a morality system as deep as it was in New Vegas? Oh, right, settlement building. That’s where all the time and effort went. Just base building in Fallout. That makes up for the shotty writing, sure. Fallout 4, like many games I mentioned on here, is a good game. But as far as disappointing games go on this list, this one probably has the worst writing I’ve seen so far. But, I’m sure we’ll find worse soon enough.
~#5~
… This is one I am not too proud of putting on here. Back in my early years on this website, I talked about my fuming hatred for this game and how it was the worst thing ever made. But, now that I have calmed down, a lot, since that time, I think now is a good time to finally come back to this very topic. So… here it is.
#5: Saints Row: The Third
Let me just start by saying that I do not hate Saints Row: The Third, despite my immature anger to it years before. I’ve grown to appreciate this game for what it is, and have a fondness for it. I’ve learned to accept the crazy and over-the-top style that Saints Row: The Third was going for. I probably have Saints Row IV to thank for that, but still. However, I still must express my disappointment for this game. First off, the city that Saints Row: The Third takes place in is ugly. No environment sticks out in this game. It’s all the same muddy and ugly buildings the whole way through, where Saints Row 2, my favorite in the franchise, had a big city, airport, downtown, chinatown, museum, and a pier to explore. The most memorable locations for Saints Row: The Third was the zombie island and that one boat with the rabbit on it. The game was also far too easy. Despite the difficulty option at the start, you can buy upgrades that makes any and all challenge null and void. It is impossible to die once you buy the upgrade. It’s actually kind of disgusting how easy the game has become after that point. And lastly, after you do finish all of the missions and activities, that’s about it. No big world to explore and cause chaos in because you aren’t motivated to do that. All there really is to do after you finish everything 100% is go around and find glitches. Saints Row 2 had so much variety with its world and it’s interactive elements that you can spend hours on this game. I can’t say the same for Saints Row: The Third. But, for this game, I should at least mention that the story was incredible gripping and also very entertaining, because I played through it numerous times with different created characters just for fun. I enjoyed it that much. It’s not Saints Row 2…. But it sure as hell isn’t Agents of Mayhem.
~#4~
I was once going to put Dead Rising 3 on this list for it’s less than stellar side missions and how it took itself way too seriously for a game that parodies zombie games. But, there is far too much fun to be had with 3 that I let it pass. Plus, just last year, we got a game that, I think, was far more deserving of being on this list than Dead Rising 3.
#4: Dead Rising 4
I remember being real excited for this game when it was announced alongside Resident Evil VII. A return to form for both franchises, and we even got to get Frank West back, who, we all know, is really the best Dead Rising protagonist. But, of course, there was the issue with his voice actor changing. Yes, that was terrible, but I can’t blame that on the craters. Especially during the 2016-2017 Video Game Voice Actor Strike. What I can blame them for is making this Dead Rising game feel… Not very Dead Rising. Sure, the humor was there, the zombies were there, Frank was… visually there, but I don’t know auditorily. But what wasn’t there was the time limit, a key factor in the Dead Rising games. It added stress and made you feel real tense. Hell, even Dead Rising 3 had it, even if it was more forgiving, it was there! I get they wanted a more free experience, but this is, to an extent, a horror game. There shouldn’t be a free feeling, you should feel tense and a want to keep moving the plot along. The removal of psychopaths was a big problem for me. Aside from zombies, psychopaths were the other enemy types and made up the bosses in this game, and were an amazing addition to the franchise. So taking them out made less memorability to the game. How many people remembered the first Dead Rising thanks to Adam the Clown? Who will be the psychotic face of 4? Lightning Axe Wielding Mall Santa?! Also, for a game that wanted more freedom, they sure do keep a lot of the open world closed off for a good portion of the game until you move the main plot along. Why not just add the time limit then? And the DLC, Frank Rising, a DLC that forces you to not use anything to defend yourself, which, last I checked, being able to use the environment was a weapon was a key factor in the franchise, is what I despised the most. I actually do hate the Frank Rising DLC, without a doubt. As for Dead Rising 4 itself… It’s fine. I feel dirty playing it, but I’m sure someone will like it. But if I want an open world experience, I’ll play Off the Record instead. And as for Dead Rising 3… I can’t apologize enough for it.
~3~
Okay, now we are getting into the games that I actually hate. These are ones that I can only find little enjoyment out of it, if any at all. And what better franchise to get disappointed in than The Legend of Zelda. Zelda was always a great franchise. It’s the game that opens many young children such as myself to the expansive world or other, more well made RPGs (It’s a joke, don’t kill me). But then there’s a time where the franchise has just gotta shit the bed. And I’m not talking about the CD-i games. No one was excited for those games to even get disappointed.
#3: Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes
My older brother bought me this game a year ago for my birthday. Humorously enough, that same year, he also got me Dark Souls II… Is he trying to teach me a lesson that life will fuck you over the older you get? It was my eighteenth birthday afterall. That aside, boy, was this a not good game. You can tell it tried. Oh my god, did it try! But it just fell flat on it’s ass big time. The story was pretty funny, that’s for sure, and the costume mechanique wasn’t… the worst thing in the world, but aside from that, this game is unbearable to play. You have two ways of playing Tri-Force Heroes. Online or Offline. In other words, pick your poison. If you play Online, which, sadly, is the best option, 20% of the time, you will have two other people working with you who have no issues whatsoever and just want to finish the game as much as you do. But 80%, at best, someone will have a really buggy internet connection because they live out in the boonies or something and slow the game down to a crawl, and at worst, some douchebag will keep you over his head and never allow you to move, basically wasting everyone’s time for a joke that they can’t get any enjoyment out of since this game doesn’t have voice chat. I’m all up for hardcore trolling, but only if I can see or hear the reaction. Random emotion bubbles don’t count. And if you are playing offline, get ready to be switching back and forth between the three Links over and over again just to hit a single switch for a door in the first area. It gets to a point where it just becomes incredibly tiresome. I get what Nintendo was going for, an online experience, but they couldn’t have made the dungeons more forgiving for people who aren’t online at the moment, or don’t even have an internet connection? I can’t even imagine how some kid would feel if this was their first Zelda game and they didn’t have wifi. Hell, even if they did, it’s not much better. This was one of the only Zelda games I never beat, not out of difficulty or confusion, just because I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to keep going. It wasn’t even close to worth it, and it has been sitting on my shelf for a whole year. To my older brother, you suck, don’t ever give me something like this again.
~#2~
… Boy, Capcom was real shitty back in the day. Aside from terrible business practices and just pretending that Megaman didn’t exist, and the ever so lovely on disc DLC, they really made a lot of people made in the span of a few years. Granted, they have been trying to do better in recent years, but I can’t speak for an entire group of betrayed fans that they screwed over. And no other fandom was screwed over by Capcom harder than Resident Evil.
#2: Resident Evil 6
Wow, what a boring game. What a completely dull, boring, and uninspired game. Even from the first moments of the game, I was telling myself that this was a game that I couldn’t even finish. As I kept looking at the abundance of zombies rushing towards the group, mixed with the mess of quick-time events, I kept saying to myself, “Is this a parody? This has to be a parody. Because I know this isn’t a Resident Evil game”. This game was filled with stupid action sequences and throwing hundreds of enemies at you at once, never giving you a chance to even catch your breath as you were swarmed with more idiotic choices. You can argue that Resident Evil 5 was not a horror game, but it could be fun, in some regard. It’s not scary, but it’s fun. Resident Evil 6 just feels incredible uninspired, throwing a multitude of enemies at you, forcing you to fight through more and more zombies and enemies before you can move on. This doesn’t feel like a sequel to Resident Evil. This feels like Mercenaries mode but with a lot more bugs and glitches. So in other words, it’s like a slightly more polished Umbrella Corps. “Oh, but at least it looks good”. Tell that to the muddy textures when light touches it. And people tell me that Chris’ story is bad and Jack’s story was an ungodly mess, and Leon’s is as good as it gets… I couldn’t even bare through Leon’s, what made them think I had a chance of enjoying Chris and especially the waste of time story that is Jack’s. Yeah, those two were the worst ever, but the stage was already set with Leon’s. I am so thankful that Capcom changed things back to horror with Resident Evil VII… Because I don’t think I could’ve handled another one of these.
~#1~
… Come on now. You know me. You know my feelings and my hatred for certain things. You all knew, the moment you read the title, what game I was going to put in the number one spot!
#1: Final Fantasy XIII
There’s no way of trying to psyche you all out. I’ve gone on many times before talking about how much I can’t stand Final Fantasy XIII, and I’ll do it again and again. Final Fantasy XIII is a game I had no fun with. From the beginning to the very end, I didn’t have much reason to care for this game. It was a boring game from start to finish. The constant linear corridors you are forced to run down already made it a rocky start, but I would have forgiven that if it wasn’t for the fact that they kept you going down one long hallway until the the 11th chapter, when the end game is incredibly close by. Every time I ran into an enemy in those corridors, I didn’t feel like I was ready for a fight, wanting to get some experience and drops, I felt like I was trapped at a red light before I could continue down the road to nothingness! And the battle system is not fun in the slightest. Some people say that it gets better as the game goes on, I barely noticed it outside of boss fights. Enemies don’t have much strategy to them. I couldn’t find very much enemies that weren’t bosses where I could just spam the attack button repeatedly until the fight was over. Each time I did this, I still somehow managed to get four out of five stars, even five out of five, just by tapping the A button for a solid minute. Even when the game tries to have more emotional moments, with it’s visuals and it’s music and how the actors are speaking through the mouths of these characters I have no interest in, it’s made boring when, one, as stated, I don’t care about these characters because they give me no reason to care, and two, your still going in a linear line. Even when some places look like they are able to be fully explored, it’s not long before you are stopped be dead ends and put back on the Final Fantasy XIII scheduled tour. The story was also not very interesting. Once again, because I don't care about the characters. It doesn’t help that new characters come along as the story is introduced, as well as adding more random pieces of character backstory when the mood feels the need to. And no, I don’t hate the story because it’s a confusing mess. I hate it because I don’t care about the people involved with the story. A story is as it’s characters, and these are not good characters. This is not a good battle system. These linear halls that go on till the end of time are not good game design. Final Fantasy XIII, in my eyes, is not a good game.
~#10~
Devil May Cry was one of mine and my friends favorite franchises by Capcom, each game in the series being real good… Except 2. They felt so grand and pure and Dante was just one of the most enjoyable protagonists in a video game. Sure, he started out as your typical cheesy 90s action hero, but became so much better by the time of Devil May Cry 3. It felt as though they truly perfected him by this point… And then DmC happened.
#10: DmC: Devil May Cry
I think the saddest thing about the entirety of DmC is that the guys behind it really knew what they were doing. Being handled by Ninja Theory, a company whose previous works consist of… nothing of interest, they seemed to really put a lot of heart into the gameplay of DmC. It was fast, it was fierce, and hell, it was a ton of fun to go through. Attempt to get a high combo while in a horde of enemies. Dare I say, it felt like a Devil May Cry game. So, why is the game disappointing? Oh, you know why. You all know exactly why. Instead of the Dante we’ve grown to love from Devil May Cry 3 and 4, we get this new Hot Topic shopping, Marilyn Manson listening punk. Gone is the witty humor, gone is the clever insults, and gone is just the overall charm that Dante was known for. Instead, we get this Dollar Store brand that feels incredibly forced and very try hard in trying to appeal to a more edgy demographic. It’s just like when they remade Bomberman and created Bomberman: Act Zero, only being a better game completely. As a result of this poor choice, DmC was hated by fans of the Devil May Cry franchise and this design of Dante hasn’t returned since. Well, he returned in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, but we all know that it’s just the poorman’s Super Smash Bros. Poorman’s Smash deserves Poorman’s Dante.
~#9~
When it comes to horror games, I think 2010 was a very revolutionary time for it. Amnesia: The Dark Descent was released that year and this was the game that got many let’s players talking about it, and what helped gain notoriety for horror games. I’d go into more detail, but that’s an article for another time. So, instead, let’s talk about a horror game that many people said was good and wanted everyone to play. And if you’ve read my Corner of Horror articles, you probably know what I’m about to talk about.
#9: Alan Wake
I’m sorry, I tried to get into this game. The story was very interesting and well done, the world was filled with great characters, I liked the light mecaniques and I enjoyed the music, but I just couldn’t care for this game on a gameplay standpoint. Every time I ran into an enemy, I groaned, because not only did they look generic and not only did they slow down and do a zoom in on them every single time a new batch of enemies was dispersed, but they would always rush you in packs and always make getting to the key to open a lock door all the more frustrating, especially when there’s obviously going to be something else blocking the path immediately when you get passed that locked door. All of the puzzles felt boring as hell, dare I call them puzzles. Shine a light on this door, move this blockade out of the way, find the key to the locked door, the key which is just in the other room. That one irritates me all the time. I’m sure some people will tell me to look at the game as an action game and not a horror game. Big deal. It still feels sloppy. That doesn’t excuse the constant running around trying to open up a door. Doesn’t excuse why every enemy needs to slow down your progress. Doesn’t explain why I can’t dodge sometimes when an enemy hits me when I clearly hit the dodge button. Alan Wake, as a game, on a technical level, works fine. It functions. But I, myself, can’t stand running around, trying to move from one roadblock to the other. I did, however, play a little bit of American Nightmare, the sequel, and it is… better, from what I have played so far. So thank goodness for that.
~8~
If you have been around me long enough, you know that I cannot get enough of No More Heroes. The first game has easily made it as being in my top ten games of all time. From it’s amazing gameplay to it’s little pieces of symbolism and character writing, I was super hyped for the sequel, and couldn’t wait to see what would come next… And it came alright.
#8: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Another game that I talked about before, No More Heroes 2 is still an amazing game, one that I really enjoy playing for the gameplay and the music. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel a little let down when playing it. No longer is there an expansive overworld. No longer is there is there any assassination jobs for you to perform. No longer are there any trading cards to collect. Instead, you have a little guide to lead you to your next destination. Some of the levels were pretty lacking as well. You could get a full level sometimes. Other times, you could just get a really small area. Other times, you could get no leave at all and just go fight the boss right away. Another thing I have a problem with is Travis himself. Sure, he’s good on his own, still an enjoyable character, but… He’s a loser. A thirty-year-old nerd who watches anime and porn and has no friends at all. So why does every girl wanna jump on his Beam Katana? It’s a complete 180 when you compare to how everyone was either talking smack about Travis every moment or he was being used or tricked in some way. It seems that most of the clever, darker, and down-to-earth feel that the original game had is replaced for trying to be as insane and over-the-top as possible. While I have no problem with that, it’s a drastic change between games. And with the new No More Heroes game taking place inside a game console, it seems the over-the-top nature is here to stay.
~#7~
I will always be the first to tell people that Dark Souls is the best action RPG around. Amazing tone and atmosphere, interesting and expansive lore, great combat, and some of the most darkly serious and melancholy ways of telling a story I’ve ever seen in a game, it just makes every second feel like you earned your victory. So why don’t I get that same feeling from the sequel?
#7: Dark Souls II
Dark Souls II just feels like a much less memorable experience to me for some odd reason. Well, it’s not an odd reason, I can think of many things as to why I don’t have much fond memories with this one as I do the first one. Every NPC is always telling you how awful the world is, despite it being not as much of a hellhole as the first game. Sure, it’s not great, but they are still alive, and they can achieve their goals without the fear of going Hollow. In the first Dark Souls, that threat was for everyone. If you want to save an NPC from going mad, you have to make sure they fail in their quests. They cannot achieve it, if you can make sure of it. And yet, they don’t mope about it. In fact, they are always laughing, humoring you with conversation and always talking about how things will be okay, when really, they won’t be. In Dark Souls II, nobody shuts up about their problems, and I never cared for any of the NPCs, especially Winner of Trashiest Waifu Award, The Emerald Herald, a character I had little to no interest in when it came to characters at the bonfire. Bosses in this game were also underwhelming, either being very easy to relying on cheap tactics to be considered “challenging”. Adding more enemies in the room doesn’t make the boss more challenging, it just makes it reek that much more of bullshitery. And I can tell you, II’s Belfry Gargoyles: Oh, they stank! Then there’s the story. I won’t spoil what happens, but what does the game’s ending do to achieve my character’s goal in the end? One moment, he’s looking for a cure for the Undead, and lastly, the ending just gives me some reward, and not the one I was looking for. Boy, what a confusing adventure this was. My biggest gripe, though, is how the game is worried you will do something the wrong way. In the first game, you could go to any area from the start. In Dark Souls II, you only have a few choices, with other major areas locked. It doesn’t feel like you have the same sense of freedom or feel as trusted to go elsewhere like in the first game. It feels like Dark Souls II is holding your hand like a five-year-old at Disneyland. Dark Souls II is not a bad game, it’s fun, but man, does it feel very watered down compared to the previous game.
~#6~
New Vegas is the best Fallout game, there I said it. Fallout is an incredibly amazing game, where you’re choices actually do matter and each one of your actions has some effect on the characters and the world. This has been around since the very first game. So tell me why Fallout 4 didn’t follow this? I mean, it’s already got something here. Why change it?!
#6: Fallout 4
Yet another game that is not terrible but the choices that were made for it just make it that less interesting. Sure, the world is there, the enemies are there, Vault Boy will always be there in every Fallout game, but there’s something about Fallout 4 that just feels kind of… empty. Probably because none of your choices really matter much in this game. Yeah, I said that choices matter in a Fallout game. Forget I said that, they mean nothing now. Everything you do, everyone will always have the same reaction and won’t change their minds about it unless it is for story reasons. You don’t get to decide how your character behaves anymore. Now, the game decides for you. Every choice you have will give the same reaction from the person and just feels like you are wasting your time with options when it should’ve just been a cutscene with a created character on it. There isn’t any karma anymore, and you can’t get much reaction out of NPCs. The game will always point you back onto the path to the main quest and never allow you to explore for too long. What reason did the creators have to not make a morality system as deep as it was in New Vegas? Oh, right, settlement building. That’s where all the time and effort went. Just base building in Fallout. That makes up for the shotty writing, sure. Fallout 4, like many games I mentioned on here, is a good game. But as far as disappointing games go on this list, this one probably has the worst writing I’ve seen so far. But, I’m sure we’ll find worse soon enough.
~#5~
… This is one I am not too proud of putting on here. Back in my early years on this website, I talked about my fuming hatred for this game and how it was the worst thing ever made. But, now that I have calmed down, a lot, since that time, I think now is a good time to finally come back to this very topic. So… here it is.
#5: Saints Row: The Third
Let me just start by saying that I do not hate Saints Row: The Third, despite my immature anger to it years before. I’ve grown to appreciate this game for what it is, and have a fondness for it. I’ve learned to accept the crazy and over-the-top style that Saints Row: The Third was going for. I probably have Saints Row IV to thank for that, but still. However, I still must express my disappointment for this game. First off, the city that Saints Row: The Third takes place in is ugly. No environment sticks out in this game. It’s all the same muddy and ugly buildings the whole way through, where Saints Row 2, my favorite in the franchise, had a big city, airport, downtown, chinatown, museum, and a pier to explore. The most memorable locations for Saints Row: The Third was the zombie island and that one boat with the rabbit on it. The game was also far too easy. Despite the difficulty option at the start, you can buy upgrades that makes any and all challenge null and void. It is impossible to die once you buy the upgrade. It’s actually kind of disgusting how easy the game has become after that point. And lastly, after you do finish all of the missions and activities, that’s about it. No big world to explore and cause chaos in because you aren’t motivated to do that. All there really is to do after you finish everything 100% is go around and find glitches. Saints Row 2 had so much variety with its world and it’s interactive elements that you can spend hours on this game. I can’t say the same for Saints Row: The Third. But, for this game, I should at least mention that the story was incredible gripping and also very entertaining, because I played through it numerous times with different created characters just for fun. I enjoyed it that much. It’s not Saints Row 2…. But it sure as hell isn’t Agents of Mayhem.
~#4~
I was once going to put Dead Rising 3 on this list for it’s less than stellar side missions and how it took itself way too seriously for a game that parodies zombie games. But, there is far too much fun to be had with 3 that I let it pass. Plus, just last year, we got a game that, I think, was far more deserving of being on this list than Dead Rising 3.
#4: Dead Rising 4
I remember being real excited for this game when it was announced alongside Resident Evil VII. A return to form for both franchises, and we even got to get Frank West back, who, we all know, is really the best Dead Rising protagonist. But, of course, there was the issue with his voice actor changing. Yes, that was terrible, but I can’t blame that on the craters. Especially during the 2016-2017 Video Game Voice Actor Strike. What I can blame them for is making this Dead Rising game feel… Not very Dead Rising. Sure, the humor was there, the zombies were there, Frank was… visually there, but I don’t know auditorily. But what wasn’t there was the time limit, a key factor in the Dead Rising games. It added stress and made you feel real tense. Hell, even Dead Rising 3 had it, even if it was more forgiving, it was there! I get they wanted a more free experience, but this is, to an extent, a horror game. There shouldn’t be a free feeling, you should feel tense and a want to keep moving the plot along. The removal of psychopaths was a big problem for me. Aside from zombies, psychopaths were the other enemy types and made up the bosses in this game, and were an amazing addition to the franchise. So taking them out made less memorability to the game. How many people remembered the first Dead Rising thanks to Adam the Clown? Who will be the psychotic face of 4? Lightning Axe Wielding Mall Santa?! Also, for a game that wanted more freedom, they sure do keep a lot of the open world closed off for a good portion of the game until you move the main plot along. Why not just add the time limit then? And the DLC, Frank Rising, a DLC that forces you to not use anything to defend yourself, which, last I checked, being able to use the environment was a weapon was a key factor in the franchise, is what I despised the most. I actually do hate the Frank Rising DLC, without a doubt. As for Dead Rising 4 itself… It’s fine. I feel dirty playing it, but I’m sure someone will like it. But if I want an open world experience, I’ll play Off the Record instead. And as for Dead Rising 3… I can’t apologize enough for it.
~3~
Okay, now we are getting into the games that I actually hate. These are ones that I can only find little enjoyment out of it, if any at all. And what better franchise to get disappointed in than The Legend of Zelda. Zelda was always a great franchise. It’s the game that opens many young children such as myself to the expansive world or other, more well made RPGs (It’s a joke, don’t kill me). But then there’s a time where the franchise has just gotta shit the bed. And I’m not talking about the CD-i games. No one was excited for those games to even get disappointed.
#3: Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes
My older brother bought me this game a year ago for my birthday. Humorously enough, that same year, he also got me Dark Souls II… Is he trying to teach me a lesson that life will fuck you over the older you get? It was my eighteenth birthday afterall. That aside, boy, was this a not good game. You can tell it tried. Oh my god, did it try! But it just fell flat on it’s ass big time. The story was pretty funny, that’s for sure, and the costume mechanique wasn’t… the worst thing in the world, but aside from that, this game is unbearable to play. You have two ways of playing Tri-Force Heroes. Online or Offline. In other words, pick your poison. If you play Online, which, sadly, is the best option, 20% of the time, you will have two other people working with you who have no issues whatsoever and just want to finish the game as much as you do. But 80%, at best, someone will have a really buggy internet connection because they live out in the boonies or something and slow the game down to a crawl, and at worst, some douchebag will keep you over his head and never allow you to move, basically wasting everyone’s time for a joke that they can’t get any enjoyment out of since this game doesn’t have voice chat. I’m all up for hardcore trolling, but only if I can see or hear the reaction. Random emotion bubbles don’t count. And if you are playing offline, get ready to be switching back and forth between the three Links over and over again just to hit a single switch for a door in the first area. It gets to a point where it just becomes incredibly tiresome. I get what Nintendo was going for, an online experience, but they couldn’t have made the dungeons more forgiving for people who aren’t online at the moment, or don’t even have an internet connection? I can’t even imagine how some kid would feel if this was their first Zelda game and they didn’t have wifi. Hell, even if they did, it’s not much better. This was one of the only Zelda games I never beat, not out of difficulty or confusion, just because I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to keep going. It wasn’t even close to worth it, and it has been sitting on my shelf for a whole year. To my older brother, you suck, don’t ever give me something like this again.
~#2~
… Boy, Capcom was real shitty back in the day. Aside from terrible business practices and just pretending that Megaman didn’t exist, and the ever so lovely on disc DLC, they really made a lot of people made in the span of a few years. Granted, they have been trying to do better in recent years, but I can’t speak for an entire group of betrayed fans that they screwed over. And no other fandom was screwed over by Capcom harder than Resident Evil.
#2: Resident Evil 6
Wow, what a boring game. What a completely dull, boring, and uninspired game. Even from the first moments of the game, I was telling myself that this was a game that I couldn’t even finish. As I kept looking at the abundance of zombies rushing towards the group, mixed with the mess of quick-time events, I kept saying to myself, “Is this a parody? This has to be a parody. Because I know this isn’t a Resident Evil game”. This game was filled with stupid action sequences and throwing hundreds of enemies at you at once, never giving you a chance to even catch your breath as you were swarmed with more idiotic choices. You can argue that Resident Evil 5 was not a horror game, but it could be fun, in some regard. It’s not scary, but it’s fun. Resident Evil 6 just feels incredible uninspired, throwing a multitude of enemies at you, forcing you to fight through more and more zombies and enemies before you can move on. This doesn’t feel like a sequel to Resident Evil. This feels like Mercenaries mode but with a lot more bugs and glitches. So in other words, it’s like a slightly more polished Umbrella Corps. “Oh, but at least it looks good”. Tell that to the muddy textures when light touches it. And people tell me that Chris’ story is bad and Jack’s story was an ungodly mess, and Leon’s is as good as it gets… I couldn’t even bare through Leon’s, what made them think I had a chance of enjoying Chris and especially the waste of time story that is Jack’s. Yeah, those two were the worst ever, but the stage was already set with Leon’s. I am so thankful that Capcom changed things back to horror with Resident Evil VII… Because I don’t think I could’ve handled another one of these.
~#1~
… Come on now. You know me. You know my feelings and my hatred for certain things. You all knew, the moment you read the title, what game I was going to put in the number one spot!
#1: Final Fantasy XIII
There’s no way of trying to psyche you all out. I’ve gone on many times before talking about how much I can’t stand Final Fantasy XIII, and I’ll do it again and again. Final Fantasy XIII is a game I had no fun with. From the beginning to the very end, I didn’t have much reason to care for this game. It was a boring game from start to finish. The constant linear corridors you are forced to run down already made it a rocky start, but I would have forgiven that if it wasn’t for the fact that they kept you going down one long hallway until the the 11th chapter, when the end game is incredibly close by. Every time I ran into an enemy in those corridors, I didn’t feel like I was ready for a fight, wanting to get some experience and drops, I felt like I was trapped at a red light before I could continue down the road to nothingness! And the battle system is not fun in the slightest. Some people say that it gets better as the game goes on, I barely noticed it outside of boss fights. Enemies don’t have much strategy to them. I couldn’t find very much enemies that weren’t bosses where I could just spam the attack button repeatedly until the fight was over. Each time I did this, I still somehow managed to get four out of five stars, even five out of five, just by tapping the A button for a solid minute. Even when the game tries to have more emotional moments, with it’s visuals and it’s music and how the actors are speaking through the mouths of these characters I have no interest in, it’s made boring when, one, as stated, I don’t care about these characters because they give me no reason to care, and two, your still going in a linear line. Even when some places look like they are able to be fully explored, it’s not long before you are stopped be dead ends and put back on the Final Fantasy XIII scheduled tour. The story was also not very interesting. Once again, because I don't care about the characters. It doesn’t help that new characters come along as the story is introduced, as well as adding more random pieces of character backstory when the mood feels the need to. And no, I don’t hate the story because it’s a confusing mess. I hate it because I don’t care about the people involved with the story. A story is as it’s characters, and these are not good characters. This is not a good battle system. These linear halls that go on till the end of time are not good game design. Final Fantasy XIII, in my eyes, is not a good game.