10 Video Games With Excellent Gameplay (That Still Disappointed)

When everything other than gameplay is a letdown.

by Jess McDonell

Video games have to master everything they set out to accomplish to be considered firm masterpieces but sometimes a game absolutely nails one aspect but misses the mark on a few others.

It can be disappointing to see a game excel at its core mechanics but fumble in areas like world building, narrative, or replayability.

The games on this list all have incredible core gameplay loops and, in some cases, even mechanics that marked the height of their respective franchises. Unfortunately, they dropped the ball elsewhere and managed to disappoint players.

This article is inspired by a Reddit thread from user KnightTrain so let's tuck right in and let me know which of these you agree with.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.