While there were some great games in 2014, there were also a bunch that weren’t so great.
And then there was the following bunch of crap that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
Here now, in no particular order, are the worst games of 2014.
Enemy Front
Developers: CI Games
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Systems: on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
As a Jew-ish fan of World War II first-person shooters, I was really hoping this one was going to be good, maybe even good enough to revive the genre. Especially after I had fun playing an early version of it. But my hopes were dashed, and hard, when I played the finished game. While the bad controls made it hard to hit those damn Nazis, this was somewhat negated by the fact that those damn Nazis were really bad at paying attention.
SCORE: 3.0/10 (You can read my full review here.)
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate: Deluxe Edition
Developers: Armature Studio
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Systems: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, WiiU, PC
While this was supposed to be an updated version of a game that originally came out on the 3DS and Vita, it doesn’t seem like they really updated anything, save for the graphics, since this had all the terrible mechanics and other problems of the original. Not the least of which is that the tenets of the Arkham games don’t really work in two dimensions.
SCORE: 4.0/10 (Full review here.)
Akiba’s Trip: Undead And Undressed
Developers: Acquire
Publisher: XSeed
Systems: PlayStation 3, Vita, PlayStation 4
Even if this hadn’t been one of the most offensive games I’ve ever played, it still would’ve made this list for just being a terrible, terrible game that was poorly made. Not only doesn’t the camera work right, but the characters get into some really long, really inane conversations that are, at times, as bothersome as the game’s sexual assaulting gameplay.
SCORE: 0/10 (Full review here.)
DRIVECLUB
Developers: Evolution Studios
Publisher: Sony
Systems: PlayStation 4
At the risk of sounding like a hipster, I was hating this deeply flawed and rather dickish racing game before the server issues made it nearly impossible to play. While its strictness when it comes to not trading paint was irritating, it was the sudden spike in difficulty that really made my gears grind.
SCORE: 3.0/10 (Full review here.)
Thief
Developers: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Systems: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC
While other games on this list are here for having terrible controls or other fundamental issues, Thief gets a slot for being inexcusably dull. So lifeless and lacking in urgency, in fact, that after about an hour or so, I found it really hard to care anymore.
SCORE: 3.0/10 (Full review here.)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Developers: Beenox
Publisher: Activision
Systems: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, WiiU
Though not the worst of the bunch, this is the most disappointing game of the year, given how there’s been so many fun Spider-Man games over the years. Not only is it as dull as the year’s other big disappointment, Thief, but they screwed up the web swinging and made Manhattan feel like Generic City #421.
SCORE: 2.0/10 (Full review here.)
Transformers: Rise Of The Dark Spark
Developers: Edge Of Reality, WayForward
Publisher: Activision
Systems: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, WiiU, PC
While the Transformers movies have been varying degrees of terrible, the corresponding games have usually been fairly fun. Not this year. Not only was this bland and buggy, but it had a difficulty level that spiked randomly.
SCORE: 3.5/10 (Full review here.)
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z
Developers: Team Ninja, Spark Interactive
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Systems: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Much like with the aforementioned Spider-Man and Transformers games, this Ninja Gaiden spin-off should’ve and could’ve been a lot better. While it had some fun but mindless hack & slash stuff, getting around was often problematic, while the camera seemed to fight you at every turn.
SCORE: 3.5/10 (Full review here.)
So, what do you think were the worst of 2014? Let me know in the comments below.
13 replies on “Worst Games Of 2014”
Just opinions which I can’t really relate to since I haven’t played most of these games. I do disagree with your opinion on driveclub though, it’s a decent racing game. I’m sorry you found it difficult, but some games people find just fine are obviously frustrating to others. It’s too bad instead of assessing your skills, you blame the gameplay. It reminds me of that kid who tried to say Lords of the Fallen is better than Dark Souls 2. Sure, if it’s an opinion it’s fine, but this was a case where the difficulty was just too much for the player and they didn’t know how to cope other than bashing the game itself. And why would you even buy / play Akiba’s Trip: Undead And Undressed? That makes your opinions very low value to me if you would even take an interest in that game.
First off, it wasn’t that Driveclub was too hard, it was that the game awkwardly went from being challenging to super difficult — like someone switched the difficulty from “easy” to “expert” — all of a sudden, as opposed to getting progressively harder as you went along. That’s just bad game design.
As for Akiba’s Trip, when the game arrived at my house, I didn’t know anything about it and thought it looked like it could be fun, especially since I like beat ’em ups and had just been to Akihabara. Oh, and I didn’t buy it, the PR person sent it to me.
Driveclub is a POS, it still is.
WOW…. 3.0 scores…. clearly not a fan of these type of games.
Uh, actually, I think it’s pretty clear from the reviews that I am a fan of racing games, stealth action games, and especially World War II first-person shooters. Though maybe I should clarify that by saying I’m a fan of good racing games, good stealth action games, and especially good World War II first-person shooters.
Driveclub definitely had a bad launch, but it’s actually a really good game and the issues have all been resolved. Disagree with it being on a list like this, unless the headline title was “Worst Game LAUNCHES of 2014” (in which I’d then include Halo:MCC, Driveclub, and AC: Unity)
Actually, if you read what I wrote about it in this piece and in my original review, you’ll see my problems with the game had nothing to do with the bad launch. In fact, I wrote my review and posted it before the game launched. My problem was with the game itself, with how unforgiving it was about when you bumped up against another car or drove off the track slightly, and how the difficult spiked unexpectedly, like someone switched the difficulty from “easy” to “hard” when I wasn’t looking.
Go play Mario Kart
I did. It was okay.
Probably suck at racing games… its ok… im not that great either. The thing that i dislike is that the computer crashes into to you and you get penalize.
Actually, I’m okay. Which is what happens when you play them for nearly 35 years and spend 11 of them as the games editor for a car magazine (Rides).
ummmm……… ok, i guess
I totally agree with you. It’s a good game and it should have been delayed at least 6 months to polish the game and fix all those damn server issues.