Expectations lead to disappointment and that’s what this list is about. It may be the marketing, fan expectations or the sheer hype around a game that makes us want to spend our hard-earned money on it. But when you finally pop that disc into your system (or download it) and the experience isn’t all what you hoped for, you are left longing and wondering what went wrong. Here is a list of 12 games that we wish packed a better punch when they launched. The following list is in no particular order.
Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite
The character animations in the game are choppy and the story line is downright ludicrous but at the end of the day, the gameplay was fun. Sure, the X-Men are missing from the roster but fans of the franchise will enjoy the game. The additions of the Infinity stones give each character a variety of moves but the game isn’t as great as its predecessors. If it’s a fighting game you want to play this year, it should be Injustice 2.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Assassins Creed Origins
The Assassins Creed franchise was on a one year well deserved break in 2016. In 2017, we did not get an incrementally updated Assassins Creed game but a reimagining of the franchise. The combat may not be pretty to look at but it is deep. The game looks gorgeous too especially on a high-end PC and the Xbox One X. So why is it on this list? Well, to start with, the game is long and not in a nice way. The missions are repetitive and after about 20-25 hours, the game starts to get boring. The missions work on a rinse-repeat formula too. It will take some effort to get your character to the required level to progress in the story and that can get very frustrating.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Middle Earth: Shadow of War
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor was a fantastic game as it brought with it the much-appreciated nemesis system, Batman: Arkham Asylum style swift combat and an interesting story. Shadow of War on the other hand, is a sequel for the sake of being a sequel. It has more of the same nemesis system (without enough improvement to call it a sequel), infiltration which can get repetitive and an underwhelming story. Overall, if there was one game that we were excited for that left us wanting, its Shadow of War.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
When the trailer for Ghost Recon: Wildlands released it looked like the perfect game to play with friends. Synchronized headshots, infiltration, talking on drug lords, everything we love about action movies. But alas, the entire experience was lacklustre. The story, which could have been the highlight of a game like this was boring. The gameplay though fun wasn’t all the trailers hyped it up to be. You can command your offline AI comrades quite well but online, it’s as bad as your worst gamer friend. Fans of games like The Division will like it though.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Need for Speed: Payback
If you want a franchise to die, let EA develop it. Need for Speed, one of the longest running and at one point, the pinnacle of racing games is now struggling. With Need for Speed: Payback, what we expected was a game with the speed and fluidity of Burnout with the graphics of Forza 7. What we got was anything but. The story is cheeky and the gameplay is disappointing.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
When Crash Bandicoot, the N. Sane Trilogy was announced at E3 2016, we were really excited that one of the best platformers is making a comeback. What we got in 2017 was a game that wasn’t remastered very well. The first two games are brutally tough (because of remastering issues) and the overall experience though pretty isn’t as much fun to play.
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Star Wars Battlefront 2
Micro-transactions & EA are the best way to describe why Star Wars Battlefront is on this list. The gameplay is fun and the graphics are gorgeous. The micro-transactions may have been dialled down due to negative press but the damage has already been done. What could have been a Call of Duty killer is now selling very poorly.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Mass Effect Andromeda
The best example of expectations leading to disappointment is Mass Effect Andromeda. The game world is quite empty especially when you compare it to previous Mass Effect games. There are a few redeeming factors such as the combat mechanics, some characters and locations but that’s about it. A really sad thing is that the main missions, are very repetitive and the side quests are quite disappointing.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
LawBreakers
When someone like Cliff Bleszinski is behind a game you know it’s going to be good. The man is responsible for the Gears of War franchise. So, it’s natural that expectations were high for LawBreakers. Within the first few hours of playing LawBreakers you will realize that it lacks depth of content and sticks to tried and tested gameplay mechanics. The game looks good. But we expected more when a game is developed by one considered a God in the world of video game development.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
For Honor
If a Dark Souls like Player vs Player is what you are looking for, then For Honor is a good choice. But once again, this is a game with limited single player content. Also, the fact that online matches crashed when the game launched didn’t help much.
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
WWE 2K18
Another year, another WWE game. The only good thing about WWE 2K18 is the visual upgrade from its predecessor. Apart from that, the career is dull, the writing is terrible and we once again have a game plagued with loot boxes.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Halo Wars 2
A strategy game on a console isn’t a great idea but Halo Wars 2 proves that you can have decent controls for a top down strategy game on the Xbox. The story of the game is very good but the gameplay runs out of steam very quickly. Needless to say, there is a rock, paper, scissors mechanic at play with your forces which is interesting for a limited period of time.
Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows