We’ve already recounted our top 50 best games of 2018, but in these divided times we can’t stay optimistic for too long. We asked the GameRevolution editorial team to think on the worst games they’ve played this year, and while there was one obvious contender, there were also some surprises.
But what was the worst game you played this year? Be it a game that significantly disappointed you, or a release that was downright garbage, we want to hear your opinions. Sound off in the comments section below, and as always we’ll feature our favorite comment in tomorrow’s Tell GR.
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “I’ve likely played fewer games than the rest of the GameRevolution editorial team this year, so while I wish I could spice things up and go for a game that isn’t Fallout 76, my answer is inevitably Fallout 76. I think the most damning aspect of it is that even its multiplayer features, the only real selling point of an otherwise joyless slog through a barren open-world, are completely broken. Why do I have to activate the same objectives as my friends when we’re on the same mission? Whenever I enter a building, why do mission markers for every other activated quest pop up, ensuring that I’m always guided to the nearest exit rather than the objective? Fallout 76 was so bad that it put me off playing Fallout 5, and that game hasn’t even been announced yet.”
Jason Faulkner, senior editor: “The worst game I played in 2018 was Fallout 76. I hate to take the copout answer, but man that game was bad. We’ve had some great games pass through GR since I’ve worked here, and some real stinkers, but it’s the first one that made me feel like my strength was being sapped as I played it. It’s an unadulterated disaster, a real soulless heap that is an absolute chore to play. Everything about it feels like a dollar store version of Fallout. It makes me sad to think about it, and hopefully, Bethesda will stop fumbling about with it and put it out to pasture. I really feel for anyone who got it for Christmas because it’s the video game equivalent of getting socks, except socks have utility and purpose of which Fallout 76 has none.”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: “With only a few days to complete the game and meet the review embargo, I was hoping that We Happy Few would still make for an enjoyable experience. Sadly I was wrong, as the game quickly became repetitive and rapidly outstayed its welcome. I really wanted to like this title, but it was plagued with broken gameplay mechanics, and a general lack of polish tarnished any charm the game had.”
Bradley Russell, news editor: “Assassin’s Creed Odyssey was my worst game of 2018. That is, if you want to call this exhaustive, repetitive, money-grabbing trek across Ancient Greece a game. A game implies there was at least some entertainment to be had. The game was padded to Mount Olympus with artificial roadblocks, it had no identity, Assassin’s Creed or otherwise, to speak of, and just felt like a milquetoast Witcher 3. It was neither competent in story or execution, nor did it have any respect for my time. I’m done with talking about this game now. Shocker, I know. Leave overbloated, boring, RPG-fests with no rhyme or reason for existing outside of publisher pressure to milk an IP in 2018, please.”
Michael Leri, features editor: “While games like Narcosis are bad and forgettable and Fallout 76 is the slam dunk answer, Darksiders 3 was the worst game I’ve played this year. It tried to neatly drive through the intersection of Dark Souls Boulevard and Devil May Cry Street but, through sluggish controls and a lack of combos, ended up getting t-boned while running the stop sign. Awful technical performance sealed the deal since it often felt like I was beta testing the game instead of reviewing it. Darksiders 3 should have never released in that state and given its quality, maybe shouldn’t have released at all.”
Yesterday’s Best Comment
Question: What Games Did You Get For Christmas?
Damian: “For Christmas I got Smash Bros Ultimate and Diablo 3 on Switch. I feel like I may be part of the Activision-Blizzard problem by contributing to the idea of a more casual and accessible Blizzard library in the future (which I don’t like at all, in the case of Diablo Immortal), but damn if it doesn’t feel good to play Diablo on the couch.”
