Top 5 Most Disappointing Games of 2014

2014 was filled with a lot of positive and negative experiences. New games like Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, and Bayonetta 2 had players rushing to retail stores and online sites. However, other titles that received similar critical acclaim failed to live up to what was promised. These are my top five disappointing games of 2014.

5. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

After a massive improvement from the original game with Final Fantasy XIII-2 a lot of JRPG fans were looking forward to Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII to continue its positive progress. Square-Enix did deliver an excellent revision to the already establish Paradigm combat system, by giving players more control and challenge battles, and a decent array of customizable options. However, that’s when the positives stop and the negatives begin to pile on. With repetitive mission design, focus on fetch quests and kill specific target missions, a vexing countdown to armageddon, and a weak story Lightning Returns fails to capture the delightful experience that other games in the franchise have done.

Instead of a captivating narrative Lightning Returns relies on poor story mechanics. Most of the game’s shift in the narrative is summed up to Bhunivelze’s will, with the characters themselves conveying their confusion of what exactly is going on. The four environments you explore offer little in content, especially when compared to Final Fantasy XIII-2, forcing players to complete the same tawdry task over and over to unlock new missions and new areas that have Lightning doing the same tasks. The game does have some hope giving some impressive performances from characters like Snow and unknown information for those who stuck around from the beginning of the XIII series. This, however, doesn’t make up for all the flaws of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Perhaps it was Bhunivelze’s will that this game never manifest into something great.

4. Watch Dogs

After being delayed as a popular next-generation launch title, Watch Dogs released with mixed results. The open-world of Chicago was filled with activities to take part in and hacking into the ctOS was an entertaining and useful tool throughout the game. However, as Aiden Pearce made progress in his journey of vengeance, the stale mission structure and lack of rewards made this adventure one worth missing.

With a lifeless world, boring characters, and a weak finale Watch Dogs does little to hold your attention. Side missions have you undertaking the same objectives over and over, and upon reaching the end reward the player with nothing more than extra experience. Perhaps the sequel will resolve these issues, but for now Watch Dogs remains a forgotten title with merger reasons to play.

3. Thief

After over five years in hiatus, Thief finally made a return with fickle results. While the game had great stealth gameplay and replay value the map layout, technical issues and dry story weighed the game from becoming a great title. Garrett, while agile in the cutscenes, lost this ability when the player took control. It became more upsetting when you realize the confined path the player is forced to follow throughout Garrett’s journey. Fortunately there is a game that plays what the developers of Thief promised: It’s called Dishonored. 

2. Assassin’s Creed Unity

The first installment in the next-generation of Assassin’s Creed games, Unity was shown with great praise by Ubisoft for pushing the franchise further with the help of new more powerful technology. However, the results were less than expected, with players complaining about glitches, game-breaking bugs, and massive drops in the frame rate. Ubisoft have attempted to resolve these issues with massive patches that have proven unsuccessful. The company even offered free content as an apology for those affected, but the mark left by Assassin’s Creed Unity has left a scar that will need more than free content to heal.

Looking pass all the technical issues, Unity itself didn’t leave a lasting impression like Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag or the Ezio Trilogy. Arno Dorian, when compared to other characters within the franchise, and his love interest Elise, never manifest into anything shocking. The story itself does little to propel the story forward other than answering one question from Assassin’s Creed Rogue. Without looking at the fixable issues Assassin’s Creed Unity does little to propel the franchise forward or add anything that would excite gamers for the next game.

1. Destiny

Prior to its release, Destiny was the headline for many video game sites. Coming from a notorious developer and acclaimed publisher with the promise of “building a universe” that would “take on a life of its own,” Destiny was on the minds of a lot of players. What was released wasn’t was expected. Instead of a dense and interesting story, players were greeted to a summary that never fleshed out into a meaningful narrative. Collective digital cards were made available for completed basic feats within the game that would elaborate on enemies and the world, but not including this information within the game’s story remains perplexing. Some of these decisions have anger gamers, wondering why Bungie gave them only a taste of what the story has to offer only to fill in the gaps with future paid DLC.

These are my top disappointments of 2014. What are yours? Do you agree with my list or disagree, leave a comment explaining why. 

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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