I have been wanting to do yearly top ten list for some time, but I either lost motivation or just didn't have the time. So, here is my (very late) top 10 list for my personal favorite and most disappointing games of the year. Better late than never. To clarify, these are not the "best and worst" games of the year. They are titles I enjoyed or was letdown by based on my own preferences and expectations. Most of the titles on my disappointing list are not even what I would consider bad games, they just weren't for me, or were not what I was expecting.
I have ordered the list based on my overall dissatisfaction (one being the most disappointing) with the games I played in 2019. Most of the games listed here will not be brand new 2019 releases. They are games I played in 2019 that were new to me.
See also, my Top 10 Favorite Games of 2019
Author's Note: I did not play enough games in 2019 to do a Top 10.
#9: London Detective Mysteria
I went into this one knowingly only that it had something to do with a school for detectives. I really liked the episodic feel of the chapters and the whole premise of befriending the children of famous literary characters. It was a good game, but with some noticeable falls. The plot derails during the last act of the game, getting lost amidst unrelated character arcs, and the devs clearly had favorites, like Watson, who appears inordinately often in just about every route.
#8: Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
The only other Pokemon game I have played is Diamond, and I dropped it for the same reasons I dropped Let's Go - dwindling interest. There is very little story and the inherent repetition of the Pokémon gameplay loop just wears on me after a while. I guess my disappointment stems from expecting more in a modern Pokemon game.
#7: Transistor
The art style (art deco/cyberpunk) drew me to this one more than anything else. Well, that and the soundtrack. The combat system is pretty robust, having quite a few customization options and combinations, although, I wasn't very good with it (or crazy about isometric games). The story is tied into the combat, so if you don't experiment with the battle mechanics you'll miss out on a lot - as I did.
#6: Red Dead Redemption II
I liked this one; I just don't think it lived up to the hype. The gameplay was fine, nothing groundbreaking. I loved the kooky side quests and characters in them but didn't enjoy how directionless the main story-line was; Dutch keeps going on about needing money but never specifies how much, and I'm pretty sure the gang stole enough cash during their first couple of heists to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Then there was the unnecessary Guarma diversion... ugh. I think I appreciate the plot more for its philosophical elements, rather than for the story itself. The insane amount of unnecessary detail was also very impressive, not likley to be outdone anytime soon, if ever.
#5: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
I just didn't care much for the gameplay in this one, but appreciate the work and artistry that went into portraying mental illness within the game. The developers worked closely with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, and people suffering from psychosis to faithfully represent the condition in their protagonist, Senua. They even told little white lies that would elicit feelings of anxiety and dread in the player, similar to what Senua herself would be experiencing. Its an excellent use of video games as a medium.
#4: No Man's Sky Beyond
The original No Man's Sky had a rocky start. It was buggy and didn't come close to what was advertised, either visually or feature-wise. "Beyond" was suppose to be a sort of definitive release, a version update that finally brought the game closer to what was originally promised. Aesthetically, Beyond looks great, a huge improvement over the initial release. However, it is still very buggy, with crashes occurring about once every 30 minutes.
#3: Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV is the first game in the Final Fantasy franchise I have managed to finish. The combat was alright and visually it looked pretty good, but... I dunno. The whole experience was confusing and hollow; all spectacle and no substance. Things moved along at a snails pace up until Chapter 8, then raced to the end (Chapter 15) at breakneck speed, leaving no time to take things in or understand what and why things were happening. I had no idea what was going on, who the enemy was, or why I should care. I guess everything is explained better in the DLCS, the live action movie (Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV), and the anime (Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV), but I can't be bothered with any of that.
I was never much of a Zelda fan but figured Breath of the Wild could be the one to win me over. It's a break from the traditional Zelda formula and the guys over at Monolith Soft (developers behind Xenoblade) lent a hand with the project. The game is gorgeous, no argument there. It's charming and technically sound, but felt empty. I didn't get the same sense of joy from exploration in Breath of the Wild that I get from Xenoblade. There wasn't much to its story and there was no good reason to fight the enemies. In my opinion the hype oversold this one.
I had never played a Dragon Quest game before and really wanted to give one a try, especially given how over the moon people seem to be about the franchise. DQXI boasts solid, traditional gameplay, a distinctive art style, and is jammed packed with content, but I just couldn't get into it. The generic setting and old-school gameplay just isn't appealing to me, but I can see why it is popular with people nostalgic for this sort of thing.
Next Year - Top 10 Disappointing Games of 2020
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