It would be an understatement to call 2020 a historic year. Across all mediums, the year has provided great progress and setbacks in equal parts. For the gaming industry, 2020 marks the end of the eighth generation of game consoles. After a long few years, the PS4 and Xbox One’s replacements have taken to the scene. Both platforms are looking competitive, and it’ll be exciting to see where the next generation takes gaming.
However, as we look back on not just this year, but this console generation, it’s good to take a look at what games closed out the generation. For PlayStation, The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima served as swan songs for the platform. For Xbox One, that title is less obvious. However, there were also plenty of games that represented less of a swan song and more of a death rattle.
10 Those Who Remain – 59
One of a few titles holding steady at a 59 on Metacritic, Those Who Remain is a multiplatform psychological survival horror game akin to Silent Hill. It’s a game said to test one’s sanity, as creepy imagery and an oppressive atmosphere hang over the player. However, it seems that the only thing the game tests is the player’s patience for jank.
The title was incredibly buggy at launch. This shows across the other platforms, which actually have a worse score for the game than the Xbox One edition. Regardless of the interesting story and characters, players are left at odds with game systems that refuse to cooperate. However, Those Who Remain was at the very least promising, which shows that some care was taken into its production. That should be commended, even if the final product missed the mark.
9 The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics – 58
Licensed games have become somewhat of a rarity on consoles in the past few years. With the popularity of mobile gaming, there’s a wider audience for companies to target beyond consoles. However, consoles still receive the rare licensed title, and they even pretend to be video games. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics pretends to be a video game so well that it hardly even utilizes its license.
Reviews for the title all mention the gameplay being solid, if somewhat uninspired in the turn-based tactics genre. However, the major problem with the title comes into how it utilizes the Dark Crystal IP. The game feels like a hollow shell of what it wants to be, with none of the charm of the Jim Henson original or the Netflix revival. It’s just a thoroughly unnecessary game.
8 Tennis World Tour 2 – 58
Tennis isn’t the most popular sport in terms of sport simulation games. If it isn’t Mario Tennis, it’s rare that audiences will feel compelled to give it a try aside from the hardcore tennis fans. But every niche deserves a game, and Tennis World Tour 2 tries to offer that experience to tennis fanatics.
Reviews for the title say that the game is a much-needed improvement onto its predecessor. However, it still struggles in many of the same aspects. Visually the game lacks appeal, and gameplay-wise it can often feel like a coinflip. Add in a barebones list of features, and Tennis World Tour 2 just can’t achieve the high level of tennis games of old.
7 Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris – 58
The anime series Sword Art Online has had its fair share of tie-in games and adaptations. While these titles were hardly terrible, they suffered from crippling mediocrity (much like SAO itself). SAO: Alicization Lycoris is the latest in the line of thoroughly underwhelming adaptations.
While reviews commend its gameplay, it has serious issues holding it back. Mainly, the title performs incredibly poorly across all platforms. Optimization is a foreign concept to the game, making it manage to have framerate issues on any hardware that it gets thrown at. It also lacks the kind of meaty story a JRPG needs to be successful. It’ll work for the hardcore fans, but for the average player, it’s another game to skip.
6 WWE 2K Battlegrounds – 57
Wrestling games, under the banner of the 2K license, have been steadily declining in quality. WWE 2K20 was the breaking point for many fans, as the game was a rush job that barely functioned even after patches. With goodwill being drained so quickly, 2K needed a title that could get hardcore and casual fans back on board. WWE 2K Battlegrounds is exactly that…almost.
Reviews share that the game serves its purpose as a fun party game with friends. It’s simple to pick up and has a large roster of fan-favorite wrestlers. However, the arcadey style will be a detriment for those looking for a more “serious” wrestling experience. The grind and paid currency the game tacks on just makes it worse for everyone.
5 Rugby 20 – 57
For those who live in the United States, rugby can be quite literally a foreign concept. If tennis games are considered “niche,” then rugby games are a genuine rarity. However, Bigben Interactive has supplied its audience with exactly what they wanted: rugby action in digital form. It’s a shame the title is still undercooked.
After three years of iterations, the developer has made little progress in terms of quality. Reviews mention poor technical performance due to a lack of budget, although the gameplay has gotten better. It may not be a Madden-quality title, but it’s considered the most accurate rugby simulation on the market currently. Hopefully, fans can one day get the ideal rugby experience.
4 Gigantosaurus: The Game – 57
In the world of licensed games, some of the worst offenders are based on children’s shows. The developers are often forced to push something out quickly by a publisher, leaving kids with a poor gaming experience. While this is more focused on the mobile market now, there are still some kids’ games on consoles.
Gigantosaurus: The Game is a mostly harmless kids platformer. It’s serviceable fun for families and young children as a first game. However, when compared to other, similar cutesy cartoony platformers, there’s no reason to buy Gigantosaurus. It’s definitely designed for kids who already like the show.
3 G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout – 55
Long-after the popularity of the original cartoon, G.I. Joe found a revival in the game G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout. A team-based third-person shooter, Operation Blackout uses iconic characters from the series. There are various different game modes, and overall it’s a wholly complete multiplayer shooter. In fact, it’s considered the best G.I. Joe game released yet.
However, like the other games on this list, it’s just too mediocre to be worth playing. Reviews show that the controls are poor, with terrible aiming mechanics. This is already a death sentence for a shooter, but the poor enemy AI makes cooperative maps less than ideal. The lack of true PvP multiplayer is the game’s biggest drawback.
2 Road to Guangdong – 54
Although there are plenty of indie titles out on consoles, it’s rare that they are both bad enough and known enough to make the bottom of Metacritic. There are just too many games for critics to review every single one. Choices have to be made, and Road to Guangdong was interesting enough to at least get reviews.
The game is an emotional road-trip, with visual novel elements that serve to explore the characters and the narrative. Many reviews do commend it for its great style and uplifting story. Those great elements are often overpowered by the core road-trip drive, which is lackluster at best. It’s close enough to be an indie darling, but just a step too far away.
1 Fast & Furious Crossroads – 49
The funniest part about Fast & Furious Crossroads was how it was the crowning jewel of announcements at the 2019 Game Awards show. Vin Diesel presented the game, and most fans were confused about why a mediocre racing game got such a spotlight. When it finally released, people were validated in that confusion.
Reviews point to this title as a return to form for bad tie-in movie games, with stiff driving controls, no in-game map, and no way to even see how fast you are going. The online is shoddy and the gameplay itself is shallow. It’s not a surprise that Crossroads would be at the bottom of the Metacritic list.
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