10 Soulless Video Games That Are Just Slot-Machines

10. Candy Crush

Ridiculously popular despite its clear intentions to molest the gamer via a dastardly combination of addictive match-three-in-a-row gameplay, a frustrating progress mechanic and far too many ways to throw your money down a hole, Candy Crush is the benchmark for all other carnivorous free-to-play titles to aspire to. It starts out easy, hooking the player with bright colours and overly lavish positive reinforcement for even the most mediocre of achievements, and then steadily ramps up the difficulty until it becomes so difficult to progress without splashing some cash on power-ups and extra moves that it may cause blood to trickle from your eyes - the oldest trick in the freemium playbook. This is a title constantly trying to fleece you for more money, while the underlying game mechanic is tired and threadbare once you look past the shiny outer layer. But by the time you realise that, you've shovelled a fistful of cash into King Software's bloated treasure chest.