Console game fanatics were thrilled to be alive this past year. Throughout the course of 2017, there were tons of great console games produced. From games such as Persona 5 to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, along with Final Fantasy 14: Stormblood and Destiny 2 — gamers have been thrilled. But with the good always comes the bad. The good games were great and the bad games were downright awful this year, along with a healthy mix of games which tote the line of good and bad.
Budgets, as usual, play a huge part, but we also had some new developments in 2017 which shook the gaming community to its core. Discussions about pay-to-play became such a hot topic that investment banks began to question a game's success. Then there are your typical issues such as storyline, accuracy, pace, character interaction and development, and let’s not forget the music.
Some games on this list might cause controversy, but they’re in here for a reason. It shouldn’t matter what your budget is or how popular of a name a console game has been in the past. A good game is simply a good game. You shouldn’t have to overlook certain issues because you’re a loyal fan. Junk is still junk even when sprinkled with roses.
Remember the scene from the 80s movie the Labyrinth when the girl's room is buried in a trash heap? Yeah, it’s something like that. Plus, there’s the issue of how much abuse gamers are willing to take from greedy execs. So, without any further distractions, here are the 15 worst console games of 2017.
15 Falling Short Of Its Hype: Halo Wars 2
The original Halo Wars had plenty of controversy surrounding it, from trying to emulate a PC RTS to being a rip-off of the StarCraft series. Halo Wars 2 is a slightly improved version of the original which sadly isn’t saying much, with a new mode called Blitz Mode. The gameplay is around 10 hours (same as the first) and the improvements from Halo Wars are minor.
Basically, you’re paying $60 bucks to play a decently paced campaign composed of 12 story missions, created from a weak and lazy script. If you're geeked about the Blitz Mode, then you might get your money’s worth. Halo Wars 2 has some eye candy moments, but as far as RTS games are concerned, it was more of the same old concepts regurgitated into a money maker based on its name.
14 Torture By Stardust With Vroom In The Night Sky
Vroom in the Night Sky was released this past spring as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch. Almost immediately after its release, the gaming community trashed it for a plethora of reasons. The almost non-existing plot is about a girl who rides a magical bike collecting Stardusts, which are needed to upgrade your bike. She also collects keystars to complete a stage.
The biggest complaint about Vroom in the Night Sky revolves around the crappy Japanese-English translation text that reads like it was sent through a decade old Google translator program. The visuals and music are bleh while the overall gameplay is boring and repetitive. If you stick around long enough to beat the game, it’s probably a sure-fire bet you won’t ever give it a second glance.
13 Dang! Scammed Again With Ghost Recon: Wildlands
The atmosphere of being lied to and scammed is at an all-time high in our society, especially when it's carried over into video games. Ghost Recon: Wildlands is nothing more than a competent scam, getting you to drop $60 on a game not worth playing. The missions start with you trying to not be detected, which is practically impossible, leading to being spotted repeatedly. Plus, the co-op play is borderline awful.
Even the solo missions are boring, making the game a permanent drag. If you want to spend 40 plus hours grinding away, you might get to the “true ending,” but with a crappy story and game glitches — who would even bother? Save your money and move on with life, or give Ghost Recon: Wildlands as a gift to someone you secretly despise.
12 Racing Nerds Are Let Down Again: Gran Turismo Sport
Back in the day, Gran Turismo was the bomb. It paved the way for console racing simulators and was king of the hill. Oh, how the proud have fallen. When your game feels like a demo, you might want to go back to the drawing board.
The largest complaint surrounding Gran Turismo Sport comes from it being a strictly online game. Poor internet service, want to build your stats offline — sorry about your luck, why don’t you check out our competitor’s games instead. The whole concept is completely absurd. You can’t even see what cars are in your garage unless you’re online. The other major issue is the safety rating score. If you drive like a drunkard, your score goes down and you’re placed with other irresponsible drivers. But if rear-ended or smacked by said drivers, your score also goes down.
11 Bait Me Once, Shame On You: 1-2-Switch
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve most likely read a handful of bad reviews regarding the 1-2 Switch. Nintendo’s biggest mistake was selling this garbage as a standalone game (for a whopping $50), instead of including it in a package bundle like Wii Sports. The 1-2 Switch is composed of 28 “games” that are no better than a free demo.
Besides the outrageous price and poor planning, the mini-games aren’t even that exciting. If you like playing charades, you might get use out of this game once every couple month’s during a dinner party. If you’re a gamer, just walk away and find comfort in the old glory days. Think we’re exaggerating? Out of the 28 games, all but one can be played without looking at the screen.
10 Flopping The Classics With Double Dragon IV
Remember the days hanging out at the arcade and shoving endless quarters into Double Dragon? Maybe not, but for those who grew up in the 80s, Double Dragon was the “it” game to play. Fast forward a few decades and we have Double Dragon IV. The game as a whole isn’t awful, but there wasn’t anything special either. At least the price of Double Dragon IV is decent, allowing you to step back into your childhood and relive old memories with friends.
But if you’re looking for updated graphics and an intriguing playing arc that has a creative and new spin, then save your money for something else. Enemy introductions are weak, and the swarms are borderline boring. If you’re determined, work through the story mode and enjoy the Tower bonus.
9 Uneventful Explorations In Mass Effect Andromeda
The main theme behind Mass Effect Andromeda is exploration. Besides being to pick your gender as the lead character (always a cool concept), the story is bland. There’s no identifiable conflict, making it difficult to be excited about objectives. It’s not until the third act when pieces come together, and things get interesting. The exploration concept, however, makes it difficult to determine which objectives are actually important.
The biggest issue we had with Mass Effect Andromeda stems from the lack of being able to choose between good or bad. Every decision you make in the game doesn’t seem to make a huge difference in how things turn out. Even when things go wrong, the characters seem to forget about your awful decision making not even a minute later.
8 Greed Taints The Galaxy: Star Wars Battlefront 2
I feel as if part of my soul has died by putting this game on the list, but thanks to DICE — there really wasn’t much of a choice. And the massive amounts of negative reviews only fuel this fire further into the great unknown. The story in Star Wars Battlefront 2 is above average. While having a few weak spots, it’s clearly been designed for Star Wars canon junkies like myself. If you’re a casual fan and only watch the movies, you’ll miss all the name drops and Easter Eggs.
The real issue is the pay-to-win scenario that EA tried to drop on a game that had a $60-$80 up-front price tag. While they’ve temporarily removed it, the last statement released by EA said it was only being removed “for now.” At what point do gamers say enough is enough?
7 Prepare For Boredom With ELEX
ELEX has grown since the Gothic and Risen, adding a few positive notes to its belt. First impressions of ELEX, however, were poor. The starting area is questionable, and the conversations remind you about the $60 bucks you just wasted. To make matters worse, the storyline has about as much charm as a DMV waiting room.
If you’re able to get past the beginning of ELEX, there are some enjoyable throwback moments that make the game somewhat pleasing to play. One thing ELEX does get right is the RPG player freedom options. Do whatever you want and kill anything. The only problem with this is if an inexperienced player gets lost, the game doesn’t try very hard to get you back on track. For some this is enjoyable, for others it’s a waste of time.
6 Taking Out The Trash With Troll And I
Possibly the worst game of 2017, Troll and I plays and looks like garbage. While that may be harsh — let’s face it, trash is trash. Adding a $50 price tag to it makes it downright blasphemy. If you’re looking for a plot, good luck. The controls are beyond awful and the combat you encounter is completely meaningless. Even the climbing mechanic is garbage.
The best way to sum up Troll and I is by comparing it to the live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The animated series is what good games should look like and the film is what movies shouldn’t look like. Troll and I is the what other games shouldn’t ever want to be like. Throw in the towel and don’t waste your money on this heap of filth.
5 The Blehness Of Bezerk And The Band Of Hawk
The anime genre is growing by leaps and bounds every day, making it a huge disappointment that Bezerk and the Band of Hawk didn’t bring that new level of creativity to the table. The imagery was there, but the key component of being emotionally attached to the story is nowhere to be found.
On the plus side, the opportunity to level up while acquiring new weapons and abilities works well. You can even create specific builds while trying out new characters with uniquely different styles. Negative moral decisions also impact your forces and the results of a battle. The gore factor was surprisingly nicely done, with plenty of missing limbs and blood.
The biggest complaints were boring combat play and repetition throughout the entire game. Simple problems like these shouldn’t be finding their way into modern day video games, but somehow corners where cut and Bezerk and the Band of Hawk fell on the short end of the stick.
4 2017 Console Low-Budget Flop: Akiba's Beat
Unrelated to Akiba's Trip, Akiba’s Beat is a low-budget game that lacks any kind of personal identity. Somehow the creators took what was good in Akiba’s Trip and managed to make them worse instead of better. If you’re looking to interact, this is not the game for you. Even the NPC’s walking around are nothing more than shadowy figures.
It’s hard, when a game like Persona 5 can set the highest standard of console gameplay, to enjoy a bland and otherwise dull game like Akiba’s Beat. Especially when the price tag of both games aren’t that far apart. The worst part of Akiba’s Beat was scenes that drag out forever without any decent written content. The creators took a safe route and the results are way less than average.
3 Missing The Point With Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days
Some amazing concepts need to be left alone and the creation of Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days only emphasizes it. The cult classic film directed and created by Quentin Tarantino wasn’t an action packed, shoot-'em-up type of movie. So why would you name a game after that type of film and try to make it something its not?
The artwork of the characters is horrible, obviously working off a low budget, and the music is nothing like the films soundtrack. Gameplay in Reservoir Dogs: Bloody Days is extremely repetitive. You are involved in a heist, shoot a bunch of people up, and grab your score — possibly fun the first time and a drag after that. Time-Rewind is a concept that probably sounded good in the drafting room, but is a pain in the rear while playing.
2 Slice And Dice Away With Friday The 13th: The Game
The overall concept for Friday the 13th: The Game is good, but the execution falls very flat. Gameplay involves 8 online players where 7 are councilors at an 80s camp and one is Jason. The concept is simple, play as a team and hide from Jason.
Major issues we had with Friday the 13th: The Game were the extremely long waiting times to join a session (15-30 minutes), being dumped out of the game, and poor sound issues. If the sounds drown out the voice chatting, how can players work together properly? Other issues consist of doors and windows being hard to open (essential for survival) and sloppy combat. The game as a whole has a ton of potential which we hope can be fixed in the near future.
1 Destroying Childhoods With Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Mega Battle
If mindlessly punching attack buttons is your thing, then Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Mega Battle is your game. Even a child would wind up bored with this game after 20 minutes of play. Missing from the game are the signature corny lines that made the series a hit back in the 90s and early 2000s. Excitement in the battles isn’t there and when it's over you hardly care whether you won or lost.
Overall, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Mega Battle is a ploy to attract money from those who loved the show growing up. The price tag of $15 may seem decent, but the graphics are poorly done and look like something a child would create. Even the classic music fell short, which still boggles our minds. Unless you're trying to torture yourself or little ones over the holidays, avoid Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Mega Battle at all costs since it's clearly the worst console game of 2017.