10 Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2021

4. Back 4 Blood

GTA Definitive Edition
Turtle Rock Studios

Developers at Turtle Rock have never been able to fully escape the shadow of the two beloved Left 4 Dead games. Their first effort after working on that franchise, Evolve, was one of the biggest disappointments of 2014, so with their latest game the devs seemingly said: "Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it, fine I'll make you Back 4 Blood."

As such, Back 4 Blood sees the studio return to four-player zombie-killing mayhem, as teams are tasked with gunning their way through undead hordes, special infected and bosses. It looked like the spiritual successor everyone had been asking for: full of weapons, levels and surprises to keep players engaged for years.

The issue with the final release, though, is kind of hard to put a finger on. The elements for success are all there, but something about the gameplay just didn't quite click: it was too slow, not all that visceral, and the balance and flow of levels made for frustrating difficulty spikes.

Then there was the card system, a bonkers approach to customisation and levelling that made players pick specific buffs through an obtuse system every match. It didn't work, and just left fans scratching their heads.

Contributor

Writer. Mumbler. Only person on the internet who liked Spider-Man 3