The Worst Games of 2018
The Worst of the Worst
We don’t like it when games are rubbish.
We’ve reviewed a lot of “meh” games this year – games that fit right in the middle of our scale that are somewhat enjoyable yet also deeply flawed. And apparently we’ve reviewed six games that have scored less than the halfway mark – i.e. they’re truly bad.
All the games below were a pain to play. Although saying that, we did actually play them enough to feel like we could write about them. Trust us, we’ve played many others that after mere minutes we simply had to turn off in disgust.
So, here are the worst games (we’ve reviewed) in 2018. We feel sorry for you if you bought any of these.
Dakar 18
Our score: 4/10
What we said:
“If you avoid using cars or quad bikes and play on Rookie difficulty, you might get some enjoyment out of Dakar 18. If not, you’re highly likely to find it a frustrating and soul-destroying experience that you wish you’d not paid money for. It has some good ideas and interesting features, but it doesn’t feel polished enough to impress. Basically, it feels like it needed more time in development. With more modes, tighter controls and more accessibility options, Dakar 18 could have been a really good game. But as it is, it’s both horrendous and decent depending on which vehicle type you choose to play with and on what difficulty.”
Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
Our score: 4/10
What we said:
“Whether you’re a devout Naruto fan or not, I think Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is a game you should give a miss. With some major updates and a perhaps a price cut to draw more players in, it could become a decent way to spend your time. But until then, it’s likely to just annoy you. The idea of developing your own ninja is a great one, but here it relies on you engaging in action that feels borderline broken at times, sucking all the fun out of the process.”
Gene Rain
Our score: 4/10
What we said:
“I’m not going to write an essay on why you shouldn’t entertain Gene Rain as I’ve already wasted enough time playing it; all you need to know is that it’s bad. Perhaps not as bad as last year’s Touhou Kobuto V: Burst Battle or 2015’s Yasai Ninja, but still bad. If you want to play a third-person cover shooter, stick to the Gears of War series on Xbox or the Uncharted series on PS4 for now. All of their entries are cheaper than Gene Rain, and they all offer many times more fun.”
MX vs. ATV All Out
Our score: 4/10
What we said:
“If you want to play a racing game that really doesn’t feel like it makes use of the power of your current generation console, MX vs. ATV All Out will do the trick. Honestly, the visuals aren’t impressive at all. They’re dull and dreary, its environments are sterile, and rider animations leave a lot to be desired. But what’s worse is performance. At times, MX vs. ATV All Out chugs along even when played on an Xbox One X. And with the poor framerate comes a heap of screen tearing that really annoys.”
Super Street: The Game
Our score: 2/10
What we said:
“Under no circumstances should you consider buying Super Street: The Game. It doesn’t matter that it has got a bucket load of customisation options, or that on Xbox One X it actually looks quite nice. It also doesn’t matter that as well as having a career mode, it has quick race options and both split-screen and online multiplayer. The core experience is just so unbelievably bad that it ruins anything that the game does have going for it. And believe me, I tried to like it. I restarted events time and time again, hoping that somehow something would click. But as I progressed further, all that awaited me was more anguish. Simply avoid this game at all costs.”
Fallout 76
Our score: 2/10
What we said:
“There are no redeeming features to be found in Fallout 76, and I’m not even sure if it can be saved. Technical issues just make what’s a boring and soulless experience at its core into something that’s simply more of an abomination. And even if you made Fallout 76 into an offline single-player experience I doubt it would set anyone’s world alight. Uninteresting mission design, borderline broken gameplay features, ugly graphics, and a whole smorgasbord of technical issues combine to make Fallout 76 one of the worst gameplay experiences I’ve had this generation, and I’ve played Super Street: The Game and Yasai Ninja. I really hope Fallout 76 is turned around, I really do. I have a lot of respect for Bethesda for publishing quality single player releases such as The Evil Within 2, but Fallout 76 is just dire. It shouldn’t have seen the light of day, and you shouldn’t buy it.”
Agony
Our score: NA
What we said:
We never reviewed Agony. You know why? Because it was that bad we just couldn’t bring ourselves to play it. We had an Xbox One copy, and at launch it was simply abysmal. The game’s developer, Madmind Studio, took its sweet time in patching it, too. By the time the Xbox One version of Agony was in a state that you could call it remotely playable, we were just so over it. And besides, even after being patched it was still agony to play.
Make no mistake about it: Agony is the worst game we’ve played (a very little of) in 2018.
