2016 was filled with some wonderful games. Finally, exclusives made its way towards consoles published by Microsoft and Sony. E3 was a blast and showed off some amazing content. Despite this though, there were a number of games that were disappointing. We at VG Culture HQ are going to list the most disappointing games of 2016, in no particular order. While these games may not be bad per se, they never reached the heights that were promised. This is why we name them the the most disappointing games of 2016.
The Most Disappointing Games of 2016 — No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky was the second PlayStation-exclusive game to release this year after Uncharted 4. There was tremendous hype around the game. The final result? A complete disaster. There were a number of features promised by the developer that were not in the final game. The developer even received death threats, which was completely uncalled for. Even so though, the game never reached the heights promised. It was a PR nightmare and is easily the most disappointing game of the year.
The Most Disappointing Games of 2016 — The Division
I was really excited for The Division. In fact, when I was with another outlet, I wrote about how it would be a Destiny killer. Man, I was completely wrong! The game was a complete mess and the Dark Zone was not enjoyable at all. The gameplay was okay, but nothing spectacular. After Ubisoft invested so much money into the game, it was a severe disappointment, considering the end result. Most of my friends own a PlayStation 4 and I played the game on the Xbox One. Many missions were almost impossible to solo. The game was full of glitches on release and even with some patches, I completely wasted roughly $100 on the game and season pass. The MMO aspects don’t really work and Destiny is far superior.
The Most Disappointing Games of 2016 — The Last Guardian
The Last Guardian was one of the most anticipated Sony PlayStation 4 exclusives in years. It went through development hell and eventually landed on the PS4 after years of development, and the end result was a mixed bag. Simply put, it feels like a last generation game. Your companion, Trico, doesn’t always listen to directions which makes puzzle solving very difficult. The controls are awkward and there are some frame rate issues, even on the PlayStation Pro. After so many years of development you would think these issues would be fixed.
The Most Disappointing Games of 2016 — Final Fantasy XV
There were so many high hopes for Final Fantasy XV. The series has been on a downward slope ever since X and many hoped XV would help rectify the series. Well, it didn’t. Many weren’t a fan of Final Fantasy XIII. I was, although I recognized its flaws. XIII-2 rectified these and is the best Final Fantasy game in recent memory. The final installment in the trilogy was just okay, but it wrapped the series up nicely. Final Fantasy XV feels like a boy band expedition gone wrong. It has the illusion of an open world and the narrative is executed so poorly. The characters are uninteresting and considering how it started as Final Fantasy XIII versus and was in development for 10 years, there is no excuse. This is why it is one of the most disappointing games of 2016.
The Most Disappointing Games of 2016 — Uncharted 4
I will be lambasted for this. Many view Uncharted 4 as the holy grail of gaming. I respect Naughty Dog a great deal and have even talked to several developers at the studio. I went into the game with an open mind. I wanted to enjoy it. That being said, Uncharted 4 was a massive disappointment. It started out like a bad soap opera and while the narrative was not terrible by any means, the gameplay was incredibly rudimentary. I quickly tired of simply climbing rocks, finding cover and shooting enemies, and rinsing and repeating. It grew old quick and this is by far the most disappointing game of the year, regardless of what critics might say.
While many may disagree, these are our most disappointing games of 2016. It was by no means easy to put together this list, and some may lambast it, but as always we are brutally honest here and do not compromise. These games had so much promise but simply didn’t live up to them, which is they they are the most disappointing games of 2016.