10 Video Games You Were Ready To Hate

The most recently released game on this list, the anticipatory hatred for Gotham Knights remains an active sore spot for many gamers.

Set after the deaths of Bruce Wayne’s Batman and Gotham Police Commissioner Jim Gordan, Gotham Knights follows four of Batman’s proteges as they combat the lawlessness and iconic villains that have since risen in open-world Gotham. However, a combination of ‘Huh?!’ reveals and outright pre-release blunders meant that expectations of the game were less than excellent.

Initially expected to tie into the Batman: Arkham games, the game operates in a separate universe with none of the familiar rhythm-based combat, and various non-canon character decisions raised comic fans’ hackles.

In particular, the indication that Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl, who was previously left paralyzed, had recovered from her wheelchair-bound disability through sheer willpower rightly led to criticism of the game’s potentially ableist outlook.

The game was also scrapped for previous generation consoles mid-development, which raised concerns about optimisation and playability. Yikes.

Thankfully, the release of Gotham Knights has proven that the game is, overall, better than expected. While an RPG-style grind-fest and the aforementioned issues mean the title remains polarising, solid characters and a genuine sense of comic book heart mean that for some fans there is fun to be had in this fresh iteration of Gotham.