Top 6 Most Disappointing Games of 2024

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As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that 2024 has been quite the disappointing year for video games. From the much-hyped Concord to the LEGO Horizon Adventures, it seems like developers are struggling to deliver what we, the gamers, truly want.

Instead of constantly enjoying one fantastic game after another, it’s unfortunate that sometimes things don’t go as planned. Consequently, we’ve found ourselves in a challenging position where we had to choose our top six most underwhelming games from 2024—so brace yourselves for some bitter letdowns!

2024 may have been a year filled with exceptional games worth discussing, but it’s essential not to shy away from mentioning its less-than-stellar moments as well. After all, every year has its share of disappointments, and while we can easily overlook the disastrous titles, let’s focus on those highly anticipated releases that ultimately fell short of expectations and left gamers feeling let down.

Similar Phrase: Here’s our list of the year’s most underwhelming video games from 2024, which, despite high expectations, fell short of delivering quality and fun.

Most Disappointing Games of 2024

Concord

The impact of Concord will undoubtedly resound for another decade or so. Initially, when I tried the Concord beta, I wasn’t overly impressed, thinking it was quite good but nothing extraordinary. I shared this sentiment with my friends, and I didn’t expect Concord to have a long lifespan. However, little did I know that my prediction would turn out to be more accurate than I could imagine.

In simpler terms, the fundamental shooting mechanics of Concord are strong, but it doesn’t offer anything unique compared to games like Overwatch, Valorant, or Marvel Rivals. Its content was disappointing, which is common for free-to-play, ongoing service titles upon release. The lack of excitement during the beta period indicated this. No one requested Concord, no one added it to their wishlist, and because people were unwilling to invest time and money into it, I now view Concord as something that no longer exists – it’s defunct.

In approximately two weeks after its debut, Concord was closed down by PlayStation. With an estimated production cost of $400 million, this action-packed game is now recognized as one of the biggest flops in gaming history. The lessons developers can glean from Concord’s blunders will likely be studied for years to come.

Skull and Bones

I invested approximately 20 hours into Skull and Bones, but the truly entertaining parts were few and far between. Initially, Skull and Bones was unveiled in 2017 with great anticipation and enthusiasm, as players eagerly awaited an immersive pirate experience similar to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. However, what Ubisoft delivered was a significantly less captivating rendition of their own creation.

In Skull and Bones, you won’t find yourself engaging in combat with other crews during gameplay; instead, these encounters are presented in cutscenes. Resource gathering is made easy as you can do it from your own ship through a straightforward mini-game. However, many critics find the game lacking in inspiration across multiple aspects such as its storyline, game mechanics, visuals, and progression. The fast travel system, which is poorly thought out, requires you to frequently traverse vast distances on your ship, with not much happening along the way.

At its debut, Skull and Bones failed to attract more than a million players, and it doesn’t seem to be picking up steam. This trend has become commonplace with big-budget games like Skull and Bones, which could be referred to as AAAA in this context, often falling short of expectations – similar to XDefiant, for example.

Star Wars Outlaws

It seems yet another Ubisoft game has arrived, and Star Wars: Outlaws carries the unmistakable aroma of a typical Ubisoft open-world. While it’s visually appealing on the surface, beneath that lies an empty, repetitive adventure reminiscent of past titles. It even makes The Force Awakens, with its apparent rehash of A New Hope, look remarkably original—though I must say, I’m quite fond of The Force Awakens.

In Outlaws, you’ll have the chance to experience life as bandits. This innovative concept is intriguing and exciting, yet during its development, previews, and gameplay demonstrations, I couldn’t help feeling it might be a rehash of Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed titles, merely with a fresh coat of paint. Granted, it’s a well-made game, but it seems unlikely to leave a lasting impression on players.

To put it simply, the game’s lackluster debut led to a significant drop in Ubisoft’s stock value, and its sales figures fell far short of expectations. In the end, it fails to measure up to Electronic Arts’ Star Wars Jedi series, demonstrating that having an intellectual property alone is not enough to truly excel.

LEGO Horizon Adventures

The LEGO video game series has sold countless copies by repeating a profitable formula. If you take a well-known movie or game series, transform it into a LEGO-style game featuring humor in cutscenes and simplistic gameplay, it’s bound to fly off the shelves like pancakes at breakfast time. The LEGO version of Horizon Tallneck is impressive, but we didn’t anticipate that this would lead to an unexpected crossover (similar to Concord), which many people hadn’t even asked for.

From a theoretical standpoint, the LEGO Horizon Adventures game appears destined for success. However, in reality, it hasn’t garnered the accolades or admiration that I believe it should have earned. The protagonist, Aloy, is an exceptional character to follow, and the game’s world is enthralling. Unfortunately, when it was given the LEGO makeover, players seemed disinterested. Its OpenCritic rating currently sits at 71/100, with its “Critics Recommend” score dropping significantly to a mere 53%.

Perhaps this serves as a reminder that merely attaching the “LEGO” brand to a franchise doesn’t guarantee an influx of golden bricks.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection

In simpler terms, I spent a significant amount of time playing Galactic Conquest and Hero Assault in Battlefront II, and I was looking forward to replaying it again in 2024 with potential improvements. However, my enthusiasm waned when I learned about the negative reactions to its upcoming release, especially after the disappointing reboot in 2017. I had even planned to buy the Classic Collection, but the strong criticism towards its launch made me hesitant.

At this moment, the Classic Collection on Steam carries a predominantly negative consensus from its 7,000 total reviews. Upon their initial release, Star Wars Battlefront games received minimal touch-ups, faulty servers, omitted modes from the original game, and questionable AI behavior. Interestingly, despite charging full price, you can purchase both “Star Wars Battlefront (Classic, 2004)” and “Star Wars Battlefront II (Classic, 2005)” on Steam for significantly less than the cost of the collection as a whole.

2024 saw its fair share of gaming releases, but one title that didn’t quite live up to expectations for me was the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. It seems like it slipped under the radar a bit, but trust me, it’s hard to overlook when it comes to our list of most disappointing games of the year.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

It’s clear that you were concerned I might overlook Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. After all, the live-service game, which was hurriedly removed from Early Access just an hour after its release, has been criticized as a disaster. Despite the controversy, Suicide Squad is intended to be a video game adaptation inspired by the movies, with an intriguing storyline about eliminating each member of the Justice League due to Brainiac’s manipulation turning them into villains.

Instead, “Kill the Justice League” is filled with repetitive missions that feel like they’ve been copied and pasted, tedious leveling processes, content that grows tiresome quickly, and storyline choices that critically damage and degrade Rocksteady’s intricately crafted Arkham universe. Additionally, it’s hard to overlook the fact that Suicide Squad marks the final role of the iconic Kevin Conroy as Batman – a disappointment indeed, especially considering his significant contribution to the character.

The Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League flopped, and another title on this list is struggling to meet expectations. Moreover, it cost Warner Bros. over $200 million, leading to numerous layoffs at Rocksteady Studios, and with Season 4 approaching, its days are numbered within a year.

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2024-12-26 14:18