So far, we’ve listed the best games that came out in 2014 and the best moments from gaming in 2014. However, things weren’t all hunky dory through the year and we also saw some terrible games. Let’s look at the 10 worst games of 2014 that gamers had the misfortunes of playing.
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS)
The Transformers movies have never received critical appreciation but one could argue that they could be enjoyed if you went in with low expectations. In the case of the Transformers game released this year, even the lowest of low expectations wouldn’t help. The Rise of the Dark Spark had dull combat, a mess of a story and very little reason to keep playing.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, Android, iOS)
Okay, here’s the deal: movie tie-ins have to be really, really good to even be considered as something worth playing, so the ASM 2 game is already at a disadvantage. However, there have been cases where such games have upturned expectations and ended up being loved such as with The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. Unfortunately, ASM 2 is not that game. Instead, it turns out to be one of the worst of the year thanks to oversimplified combat and boring side missions that feel like busywork.
Daylight (PC, PS4)
This wasn’t a great year for survival horror. While The Evil Within was at least a decent play, Daylight was just a terrible game all around. Even though procedurally generated horror gameplay sounds like a good idea, gamers also had to contend with a thoroughly linear experience, a story that relied on every possible horror game trope that you can think of and the worst thing was that the story didn’t even make sense unless you played the game multiple times. And you’d be mad to want to play the game more than once.
Rambo: The Video Game (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
I don’t even know why this game exists. Rambo the game does not try to emulate modern day shooters like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor, instead, it’s an on-rails shooter like the old Virtua Cop and House of the Dead games. This immediately means that the game offers virtually no freedom and is entirely a scripted experience. Also, the game controls horribly on both PC and consoles and is just packed with boring, repetitive combat.
Escape Dead Island (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
Unlike the main Dead Island titles, this one isn’t a first person game but a third-person action one. Also, it takes a cue from the Borderlands games by adopting cell-shaded graphics. But that doesn’t mean that the game tries anything new or looks good. It’s a buggy game that looks ugly and has unrefined controls.
Enemy Front (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
After years of first person shooters that just retread the same ground of ‘modern’ warfare, many gamers long for the days of WWII shooters. While I’m sure that a good WWII shooter is bound to be launched some time soon, Enemy Front is not that. Enemy Front fails when it comes to almost everything that a decent FPS should have- it has a malnourished multiplayer suite, it looks and sounds average, and you can pretty much run past everything without engaging in combat.
Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 Mobile (iOS, Android)
If there’s one thing stopping mobile games from attracting serious gamers, it’s microtransactions. And no game represented the evils of microtransactions better than Roller Coaster Tycoon 4. Older RCT games were loved by gamers because they encouraged strategy and were quite addictive. Unfortunately, this mobile version just appears to be designed to get players to keep paying money as almost every single activity in the game launches a timer and you need to pay to do things immediately. Stay away.
Dungeon Keeper (iOS, Android)
Another classic, much loved game that received the in-app purchase kiss of death. Just like RCT4, Dungeon Keeper requires you to pay or wait for hours on end to do simple things in the game. In fact the game’s IAP system is so ridiculously bad that it forced EA to issue an apology of sorts. Even Peter Molyneux, the man behind the original game, derided the mobile version for its IAP system.
Sacred 3 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
The previous two Sacred games were unrefined sure, but they were also praised for their open world design and humour. The fact that Sacred 3 utilizes a linear design makes absolutely no sense. Neither do the useless loot drops, a central feature of any action RPG. To make matters worse, Sacred 3 doesn’t have the tongue-in-cheek humour of the previous games, instead it has forced humour that just grates on your nerves.
Murdered: Soul Suspect (PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360)
In Murdered: Soul Suspect, you play a ghost, a description that automatically points towards innovative gameplay. There’s no denying that the game tries to do something new but it fails at everything else because of unlikable characters and nothing challenging to do in-game.
Special Mention: Assassin’s Creed: Unity (PC, Xbox One, PS4)
Unlike other games in this list, Assassin’s Creed: Unity received relatively positive ratings, although those scores were the lowest any AC game have ever received. At the time of its launch, Unity represented everything wrong with the AAA games industry. The game was made by a massive team and was launched despite being a buggy mess. Its unfinished state was only highlighted by the fact that Ubisoft has so far released four big updates for the game that weigh over 50GB! Also, Ubisoft was forced to give away free games to placate gamers who had spend money on Unity. Finally, Ubisoft also had the temerity to add in-game microtransactions to a game that already cost Rs. 1,800.
In a lot of ways, Assassin’s Creed: Unity deserves the title of the worst game of 2014.