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The gaming industry has undergone significant changes in the past few years, with games embracing new technologies and unleashing creative innovations, bringing every year a wave of highly anticipated titles that promise to redefine the medium. However, not every game lives up to the hype.
In 2024, despite the promises and potential, several games fell short of expectations, leaving players disappointed and longing for what could have been. This article will delve into the top four most disappointing games of 2024.
Disclaimer: This article is subjective and is solely based on the writer's opinions.
Four most disappointing games of 2024 so far
1) Silent Hill: The Short Message
Despite the hype, Silent Hill: The Short Message failed to meet expectations. Players felt no real fear, lacking horror elements or jump scares. Critics disliked the stiff narrative writing as it used too much exposition instead of subtlety.
The main character spoke unrealistically, with long, awkward lines. Its portrayal of the themes and the story bits felt rigid and inexpressive. While visuals and audio were acceptable, the experience felt shallow overall. The game also disappointed by being short and offering very limited exploration options.
Additionally, the game offered little to no originality or innovation, just a bland and generic cookie-cutter horror game. Overall, Silent Hill: The Short Message was criticized for failing to meet the expectations set by the Silent Hill franchise and for not delivering a satisfying horror experience. If the upcoming game wants to avoid such a disaster, the Silent Hill 2 remake must get these five crucial things right.
2) Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash
While the anime and the manga roared with success, Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash was cursed with disappointment. Players felt it lacked depth due to its poor pacing. The game seemed too easy, with no real challenge.
Its combat system was repetitive and unengaging, with very little context provided for the characters or the world. There was variety in moves or strategies, but it wasn’t enough to redeem the game. The story felt disjointed and confusing.
Though the graphics were praised, overall visual presentation lacked detail and polish. Technical issues like frame rate drops and bugs plagued the game. In the end, the game failed to come anywhere close to the standards set by the original Shonen manga or the anime.
3) Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Developed by the same team who created the Batman Arkham verse games, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had really high expectations. Also, the fact that this was Kevin Conroy's last portrayal of Batman in a game made fans pray that it would be worthy. Unfortunately, the game failed to meet the hype.
The game, priced at $70, did not meet anticipated sales figures and faced challenges with player engagement, as evidenced by a significant drop in concurrent players on Steam. Reviews criticized the game for being repetitive and bland despite having an engaging story. And the unnecessary focus on the live service mechanics ruined the game for good.
4) The Day Before
The Day Before was a historical title for all the wrong reasons. The game’s development cycle was so delayed and convoluted that many still believe it was an elaborate scam.
Furthermore, the game faced multiple lawsuits during its development, and it was accused of plagiarism and unpaid labor. Even a former developer who worked on the title accused the studio's founder of severe impotence.
Although not officially released, the game was available in Early Access in December 2023, which would have seen the 2024 release if everything went right. Unfortunately, it was the extreme opposite of that.
The game faced severe criticism for being unplayable and unbearable, with players experiencing significant technical issues and poor gameplay mechanics. The game's open-world MMO survival concept set in a post-pandemic America overrun by infected and survivors killing each other failed to deliver an engaging and enjoyable experience.
Players review bombed The Day Before as soon as it made its Steam review. Ultimately, the game was removed from sale, and the developers, Fntastic, shut down due to the resulting poor sales.
