Enthusiasm is a double-edged sword: being a gamer also means anxiously awaiting a game, dreaming of touching it with your hands and lulling yourself in the hope that it could be the best ever. However, it can happen that enthusiasm is followed by disillusionment, as happened with these five disappointing video games.
Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013)
The marketing campaign and promises of the developers had led fans to believe that Aliens: Colonial Marines could be the definitive shooter based on the well-known film saga, but the game that arrived on shelves in 2013 will forever be remembered as one of the biggest splashes in gaming history.The very long gestation and the constant changes at the director’s desk (the last ones to get their hands on it were the guys from Gearbox Studios) should have acted as alarm bells, but we don’t blame anyone for believing them. The flat story, the dated graphics, the deficient AI and the very serious bugs they still torment players in dreams today, perhaps even more than the cinematic Xenomorph. Luckily, the following year Alien Isolation took care of the disappointment.
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017)
Fresh from the deluge of GOTY awards received by Dragon Age Inquisition, in 2017 the guys at BioWare felt ready to give new life to the series Mass Effect, which had indelibly marked the previous generation of consoles. Unfortunately in Andromeda there is little of the glories of Captain Shepard and the crew of the Normandy.The perspective offered by a new explorable galaxy and the load of epicness accumulated with the previous trilogy had projected expectations sky high, but the community inexorably ended up colliding with an experience that was anything but unforgettable and a mass of bugs which at launch heavily undermined the use and perception of the experience. Let’s be clear, Mass Effect Andromeda isn’t a bad game, far from it: it was simply unlucky to arrive after the original trilogy and committed the sin of not even managing to equal it. The bugs and problems were then resolved, but today it does not enjoy the same prominence in the collective gaming memory as its predecessors. Let’s hope well for Mass Effect Next…
Anthem (2019)
We’re sorry, but we have to mention BioWare again. Remember the spectacular Anthem gameplay reveal at E3 2017? At the time it exhilarated us like never before, after all what could go wrong? Despite the semi-failure of Mass Effect Andromeda BioWare was still held in high regard, and had already demonstrated that it knew how to master both the sci-fi language and that of MMOs.Unfortunately the Anthem that has arrived on the market it only kept some of its promises made during the marketing phase, making it pleasant to play, but also poor in content, repetitive and outdated in its gaming approach. Resuscitation attempts have failed miserably and have since BioWare is still looking for redemption.
Overwatch 2 (2022)
The original Overwatch was one of the brightest and most influential products of the previous decade, featuring a unique identity, an enviable cast of heroes, and addictive gameplay that ended up becoming the breeding ground for a vibrant community and rich scene. eSports. Overwatch 2 seemed to have all of this and more, starting with a story-based PvE campaign capable of finally enhancing the lore created by Blizzard. And instead…In the opinion of the writer, the Overwatch 2 project literally lost its bearings along the way. Blizzard disregarded the promises that the game would continue with the first chapter, furthermore it first launched the game on the market without the promised PvE mode and then definitively canceled it. The free-to-play format has never fully satisfied long-time players, as evidenced by the frequent controversies over microtransactions and progression in general. The soul of Overwatch, the one that has captured millions of gamers, is always present, and it is thanks to it that the game cannot be considered a failure, but it is undeniable that Overwatch 2 does not enjoy the same esteem and relevance as its predecessor.
Redfall (2023)
Arkane Studios has earned the respect of the entire community with great video games such as Dishonored, Prey and Deathloop. When the time came to Redfallthe first true exclusive under the Xbox label, expectations were sky high, but unfortunately they were completely disappointed.Redfall, unfortunately, it has little of the flair of the aforementioned video games, being devoid of a real identity as well as characterized by fluctuating writing, less than brilliant level design and antiquated AI. Sure, shooting vampires with friends can be fun, but it’s not enough. We expected more from Arkane, not a good game just because it can be downloaded at no additional cost with Game Pass.