Most Disappointing Games 2023

I haven't really been disappointed by anything I've played this year, but if I were playing it myself I'd probably (regrettably) have to give it to Lords of the Fallen... Simply because, as atmospheric as it all looks, technically it's just disappointingly bad in many ways for such an anticipated game.

There's a great game in there somewhere, and with a couple more months in the oven to iron out some of those issues I'd probably be too busy playing it (instead of my backlog) to make this post. But they undercooked it, and it suffers for it.

Metroid Prime Remastered, for all the same reasons that alastair said.

I completed it more to have completed such a highly regarded game than because I was still enjoying it. Even at the end I found navigating it extremely confusing, and was just stumped on several sections even despite there being a hint system that was supposed to be helping. The power ups (especially the later ones) never felt that important, when I was thinking that should be the main aim of the game. Was hoping for more.

I enjoyed the first 4/5 of it. The last 1/5 wouldn't have been done if I didn't download a guide. Sod that.

I had read somewhere, can't remember where, that there was talk of this not being a UE5 game from the get go. As in it was purely meant to be UE4 but higher ups wanted a show stopper so the team had to do a crash course and changed midway to UE5 and obviously this was the result. I could well believe it as the performance I've seen does seem shocking.

I havent played it yet purely because it looked like Fallout/Skyrim in space and everything that implies. How can something that turned out exactly like it looked like it would turn, even down to the bugs, be such a disappointment? What was everyone expecting?

She sounds like my wife. And my Dad. Eugh.

A show stopper it certainly is, emphasis on stopper, as the game occasionally comes to a halt

I think the hope was that they'd have taken their formula forward rather than backward.

I'll say again though... Wo Long is NOT a bad game. It is, in fact, a fucking good game and really does deserve to be played. Personally though, I found it severely lacking compared to what I hoped it would be, particularly at launch, and was ultimately disappointed. Hence it being on my list. If Nioh didn't exist, it would be right up there. But Nioh exists, and is better in every way. It's still a bloody good game though. 

I'm guessing the more cynical people just didn't buy it so can't be disappointed. Like me. Somehow dodged Redfall as well.

This is it. It's _worse_ than Fallout 4/Skyrim. Granted there are some improvements, but there are major parts of a previously winning formula which are now worse. After 8 years or whatever in development. Staggering really.

With Starfield I stopped after about 20hrs because there were just too many core elements that I’m hoping official or unofficial patches/mods/expansions can address to give a more enjoyable game. But I can see there is a very good game there it just needs changes!

Primary 3 for me are:

- switch to classic xp gain skills levelling rather than the poor current targeted gains system
- planet side ground transport
- improved space combat

Next up would probably be more varied base locations.

If they could deliver these it’s straight up 8+/10 game and other changes might push it higher.

As it stood for me though after 20hrs it was heading for a 6/10 at best and I could just see if deserved to be so much better so I stopped and can play the waiting game!

I almost can't bear to say it, but it's Starfield. Really struggling to keep playing it.

It's not the loading screens, or exhausting inventory management - I expected these things. There are 2 main problems.

First, systems that should be hooking the player in from the start (such as weapon & spacesuit upgrades) are locked out, buried deep in the perk trees.

Second - and the most egregious issue - is the moment to moment user journey. In previous Bethesda games a simple fetch quest was just an excuse to wander off, discover some new locations, and get into a few skirmishes along the way.

Similarly, Starfield should force you to use your ship to uncover new locations in uncharted space. Unfortunately all the space is charted, random encounters are extremely rare, and so there's no reason not to fast travel from planet surface to planet surface.

That said, I'd still rather be playing something like Starfield than anything on offer in the Sony camp. Maybe I should get back into PC gaming, or give up on gaming altogether.

It's also hearing from multiple people at the time that Starfield only gets really really good when you beat the game. So I have to put up with at least 30hrs of this middling game under the promise there will be some revolutionary thing at the end?