5 Biggest Disappointments of 2018

Jurassic World Evolution

The 2003 release of Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis gave players the chance to build the five-star dinosaur theme park of their dreams, and Jurassic World Evolution looked to be a worthy spiritual successor. However, the game’s limited number of visitor models were lacking in both personality and intelligence, failing to interact with the park in any meaningful way. When paired with its repetitive objectives and unimaginative challenges, it made for a title that couldn’t live up to its pedigree.

Dynasty Warriors 9

Dynasty Warriors 9 brought an open world to Koei Tecmo’s long-running Musou series, but the end result failed to pan out. For one, this brand new world does not offer much to do, with all side tasks feeling arbitrary and unnecessary. The performance of this title was underwhelming too – frame drops were rampant (even on the PlayStation 4 Pro), and pop in affected everything from bases to trees. Here’s hoping Dynasty Warriors 10 irons out the kinks.

State of Decay 2

Five years after the release of State of Decay, State of Decay 2 promised more zombies, co-op play, and the chance to build a community amidst an apocalyptic landscape. However, melee combat is floaty and disjointed, while base management is somewhat limited in its scope. Frame drops are consistent, and it’s not uncommon to see zombies floating in the air or even the game stopping for seconds at a time. It really takes you out of the experience, and robs this title of any potential it may have had.

Fallout 76

The leadup to Fallout 76 had the song “Country Roads” firmly stuck in our heads as we awaited this new post-apocalyptic wasteland, but the final release left something to be desired. Presentation was greatly dampered with the lack of humans in its world, and the building elements came across as underdeveloped. When paired with the hard crashes, buggy quests, and janky enemy movements, the entire game felt like an Early Access title, and should have been labeled as such.

Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves can be summed up as a real hornswaggle. A lack of decent character customization is just the start – ship combat devolves into plugging holes and scooping out water, and there’s a distinct lack of life to be seen in its world. Those hoping to find salvation in PVP are out of luck as well, as there is no progression, penalties, or real rewards provided. The repetition, and lack of goals quickly become apparent, and the entire thing feels like it was not ready for release.