10 Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2021
4. Back 4 Blood
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.