7 Most Disappointing Video Games Of 2021 (So Far)

2. Destruction Allstars

Another title that when it was announced, looked to be channeling one of the greats of yesteryear, Destruction Allstars could've carried forward the PlayStation-associating delights of Destruction Derby. An enjoyable physics model, fun excuses to mash vehicles into each other and something you can have a quick local game on? Just take that, add the processing power of the newest hardware, seamless online matchmaking and they'd be away.

Sadly, and it's baffling that the reality of the project started as a revival of Destruction Derby in the first place, Allstars began trying to emphasise damage as a focal point, and ended up not focusing on anything.

Where Bugbear Entertainment's Wreckfest is every bit the modern day Destruction Derby you actually want, Allstars' combat is barely reliant on a physics model at all. Cars feel as though they're bolted to the track, you're stuck side-swiping or charging foes in canned animations, and across the board nothing feels remotely satisfying about connecting with another vehicle.

Characters are either overpowered or forgettable, and the game's idea of treating cars as "weapons" i.e. you'd hop in different ones for finite amounts of time, falls apart when none of them are differentiable. There aren't even any power-ups - you just aimlessly shunt people until you get a tiny window to deploy your special. Rinse, repeat.

Tack on microtransactions that ask you to pay for cutscenes that are masquerading as a single player campaign, and there's an astonishing lack of anything done right.