7 Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2021 (So Far)

5. Hitman 3

Okay, obviously a disclaimer: Hitman 3's gameplay was far from disappointing. IO Interactive singlehandedly gave every other developer a run for their money across the 2010s when it came to detailed interactive play-spaces, and they're one of the best developers on the planet.

That out the way... Hitman 3 totally squandered what was five years of surprisingly effective storytelling and world-building, ending on a level that didn't feel like Hitman at all, in a way that felt as though the entire project was cut short.

Not to dig the knife in too deeply, but we have a final level that ditches all the repeat playthrough-encouraging charms of a Hitman game, for something entirely linear, with zero cool kills to actually pull off, and a final encounter that was notably flat.

Going up against the head of the Illuminati-style Providence group after so long just leads to a choice of whether 47 wants to become a mindless killer or a Real Human Being™️, and then we're done. No memorable kill animation, no big send-off as we hit credits... nothing.

All of this comes after Hitman 2's ending teased the idea of Diana going up against 47, as the latter killed her parents on a mission, but that too is solved way too quickly when the game needs both characters to unite against their common enemy. As for Agent 47's makeshift brother Grey - the nearest thing the character has had to family in over 20 years in the franchise - he gets killed in a cutscene at the beginning.

It's all just a bit... flat, for a series of otherwise immaculate games and DLC packs that truly did create a hand-crafted "World of Assassination" to get lost in.