7 Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2021 (So Far)

6. Magic: Legends

Ambition should always be championed, but the final product? It can be something else entirely.

Step forward, Magic: Legends, an attempt to take the classic, beloved and multifaceted world of Magic: The Gathering, the card game, and turn it into a top-down MMORPG.

Immediately, you can see what developers Cryptic Studios were going for. The MtG lore is rich with powerful characters, creatures and spells. The way we've all played Magic has largely remained the same, especially in game-form - there haven't been any over-shoulder action games or anything other than digitally replicating card battling itself.

In the end though, Magic: Legends fell at the first hurdle and just could not get back up. Publisher Wizards of the Coast don't have the best reputation when it comes to over-monetising a fanbase in the first place, but here we had notably aggressive microtransactions and threadbare gameplay. Fans sadly expected the former, but Cryptic tried to simplify duels with cooldowns instead of accurate resource management, leading to an all-out backlash from fans against what was clearly a very exploitative framework.

At time of writing, Magic: Legends is scheduled to shut down in October 2021, after living a TINY life entirely in early access, that started in March. Cryptic Studios noted that they "missed the mark" and refunds are available for everyone who still bought in, but what a staggering missed opportunity.