It seems that more games are released annually than at any other time in history. Between new indie developers launching and big companies expanding, we saw a stunning number of games this year. Of course, not all will be hits, but some certainly were expected to be much better than what we received. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest gaming flops of 2020.
Madden 21
The annual Madden releases of the past may have had some hiccups, but this year fans are very upset. Madden 21 was promised to be the “return to form” for the series after many lackluster installments in past years. What fans received instead was a half-baked game with many glaring flaws.
Not only were there countless bugs in this release, but there were also graphical errors everywhere, and somehow the gameplay just felt rigid and stiff. Also to the dismay of gamers, Madden went all-in with microtransactions, following the major trend. The game modes were uninspiring, the story mode is exceptionally poor, and ultimately what gamers received was the worst Madden in years.
Even features that were solid in past titles were somehow downgraded for Madden 21. Normally, the rating system for the players is accurate to their real-world counterparts. This year, the ratings were very mixed.
For example, quarterback Josh Allen received an 85 rating overall, an appropriate score. But his mighty arm has done wonders for the Buffalo Bills ensuring that the team is consistently discussed in the NFL picks and parlays. However, when you look at a player like Rob Gronkowski, his rating seems overvalued. He debuted at a 97 overall, a strange rating considering he has been on the decline and came back from retirement this year. There are many more complaints to find here and ultimately, the end result is a forgettable installment in the long-running series.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds
WWE games are desperate for a big title to help revitalize the pro wrestling genre. Fans were looking at this release like it would be a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, what it panned out to be is a boring button masher without any real depth.
Stylistically, the game showed a lot of potential. Instead of the ultra-realistic models that we see developers going for, this game had designs that were more reminiscent of action figures. Everything was over-the-top from the match types to the special moves and more. It could have been a very entertaining game but sadly, there is little to enjoy here. WWE 2k Battlegrounds is ultimately just about smashing buttons and the wrestlers have little personality to speak of.
XIII (Remake)
The remake trend has been going strong for a few years now as developers are struggling to find new source material. Cult classics like XIII look like surefire hits to remake for developers. In this case, it seems the original just could not translate to the current-gen systems and this release really left fans wanting more.
As sad as it is to say, this remake just seems like a cash grab and an unfinished product. The art and sound direction does not compare to the original in any way. The AI is terrible, without any real challenge for the player. However, it is the glaringly bad performance of the game that leaves a bad impression on players. This is a soulless release that has nothing over the 2003 original.
Marvel’s Avengers
This big-budget title had a lot working against it even before its release. Marvel fans were quick to express their distaste for the graphics and what appeared to be very shallow gameplay. Upon release, their fears were confirmed. Marvel’s Avengers is one of the most braindead beat-em-up titles in years. The gameplay is the definition of grindy, and performance issues aside, there is not much to enjoy here. While it sold well in the first month, this title has still not recouped its cost for its developer Crystal Dynamics.
Crucible
Ecommerce giant Amazon has expanded into numerous industries, including video games. After acquiring video game streaming company Twitch, it seemed like their initial launch title Crucible was destined to be a hit. Unfortunately, Amazon is just the latest company to realize that video games are not a simple industry to get started in.
Despite a multi-million dollar budget and years of development, Crucible was dead in the water. Upon releasing their beta version, gamers were met with a slew of issues ranging from horrible performance, bad connectivity, brain-dead AI, and just terrible design in general. The developer rushed to try to correct these issues, but sadly they decided to pull the plug and cancel the project outright. It may be a bad start for Amazon, but they have now shifted focus to their upcoming MMO, New World.
Cyberpunk 2077
Now we have come to the saddest story of the year. After more than seven years of development, Cyberpunk 2077 was expected to be the game that defines the next generation. The trailers that were released fueled the fire, as did the samples of gameplay we received. While it was always going to be a struggle to meet the expectations that gamers had built, no one imagined that this release would be so botched.
In some respects, the game is quite enjoyable. The features that the developers focused on, namely the action and story, are solid and make for many hours of fun. It’s when you go outside that scope that you start to run into the fact that there is not much else to offer here.
While the city itself is beautiful and expansive, there is not much to do at all. Some side quests were entertaining, but it’s more often just the main storyline that keeps your attention. There is no life in this city and you quickly find yourself bored outside of these missions.
Then there are all of the glaring and humorous bugs. The game was clearly meant for only highly advanced PCs and next-generation systems like the PS5. Playing on the PS4 or Xbox One meant a horribly unoptimized experience. We’re talking about game-breaking errors.
Falling through the level, cars falling from the sky, even your game outright crashing. All of the bugs caused companies to take action, and Sony outright removed the game from their online store. The in-game AI has been another topic of ridicule, as it is some of the shallowest AI’s we’ve seen in years. Overall, Cyberpunk 2077 certainly did not live up to the hype, and instead resulted in the biggest flop of 2020.
