2019 has been many things, the year after 2018 it was also the year many gaming fans felt the stinging let down from some of the years most anticipated titles. With exponentially improving game standards, new console releases and a growing market: gamer’s have come to expect consistent improvements in everything from post game release content, anesthetics to story depth and of course value. Below we discuss some of this years titles that had droves of people wishing they save their receipts. A unifying factor for all these titles is the pattern of rewarded customers with underwhelming game play

Read Dead Redemption 2s’ Multiplayer

Now if you raised an eyebrow and spat at your screen when you noticed Rockstar’s baby make its way to the list please cease all raging, this is based on the multiplayer only. Sequel to one of the most impressive open world games of all time Red Dead Redemption, the world held its breath as the release of one of the most awaited titles of the decade became available.

A campaign so immersive it makes you go out and buy a pair of cowboy boots is surreal, RDR2 delivers in full in regards to the solo experience. That does little to satisfy a hungry multiplayer community awaiting the sequel since 2010. RDR2 multiplayer remained in beta for months after release and the logical theory that followed was, big things were coming to the Red Dead online community. Reality often disappoints, a multiplayer release with a scant amount of content (missions, items, gear, mounts weapons etc), free roam became the go to for anyone willing to level/gain gold by briefing other players or skinning three star animals in quick re spawns. Most of the bare bones repetitive activities mentioned and things like hunting, map roaming, train conducting and brief NPC missions became a monotonous trudge. Small and large showdown series along with territory captures comprised the bulk of the online multiplayer at first with rotating modes like most wanted and  make it count to add map/ play diversity. New multiplayer modes continue to rotate as available play options but it would seem Rockstar is still searching for that special, cowboy shooter online market. Competitive multiplayer soon proved to be a hollow shell of what was promised, instead of a new trailblazing multiplayer community with all the polished bells like GTA5’s online mode, players may wait years for RDR2’s multiplayer to develop. Rockstar experienced minor trouble keeping players engaged in the following release months. Several loot events, game rewards, new modes and economy fixes have helped to support fan and community interest but evades the long-term fix. Adding more to do in both the multiplayer competitive and free roam modes will allow players the chance to do more than mosey around Valentine. 

Credit where credit  is due the devs have focused considerable effort in the beta phase and post release fine tuning the play experience, debugging and focusing on a more immersive approach compared to GTA5. Although RDR2 has had a rough reception following its premiere release it is certainly in the hands of very talented people; updates like the bounty hunter, trader and huntsman roles are on the way and part of a larger plan releases 09/10/2019.

Jump Force

Jump Force is one of the dream universal mash ups that had the gaming and anime community heaving with anticipation. I mean who couldn’t help but let out a high-pitched squeal when the Jump Force trailer premiered and highlighting Goku taking on Naruto, the intro fight being the very beginning of endless match up possibilities. Anime has become a huge market in the U.S especially shows based on the Shonen manga, tons of fans were rightfully excited to see a game attempting to bring anime characters out of their respective universes and into close digital contact.

Once in the death grip of eager anime and gaming fans, new and veteran gamer’s would soon learn some of their most iconic characters (Goku, Freeza, Yugi etc.) underwent a animation process that did not justice to the original artwork. Hit characters like Ashta, Ichigo and Midoriya received a nice polish and looked impressive but majority of the characters that drove sales (Goku, Freeza, Yuske etc) looked like McDonald’s toy plastic. What felt unfinished and empty however wasn’t the animation but the game setting. While your character waits for their next fight you spend most of your time in an in between area, apart from wandering around players can use this down time to change items, appearance and accept a set number of missions. It feels the dev’s goal was to create an area similar to the Time Patrols pocket dimension from Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Jump Force misses the mark and leaves you with a watered down world that feels somehow incomplete. At first the fighting system is so simple you almost wish your fighting team roster could be extended to five, after a few hours it is clear there is no need for a combo master to beat both the AI and online players. A simple fight style is a good plan to help players jump into the thick of fighting quickly, until you fight the third opponent who keeps their distance and spams a ranged attack prolifically. Or my favorite the match up against a speedy berserker that rushes you with a furry of bland combinations so relentless you might not even get the chance to counter. Playing in pvp it is obvious that powerful lengthy combos are now replaced by the relentless button mashing of your younger sibling. Watching Saiyans kamayamaya a Hidden Leaf Ninja is a surreal experience, Jump Force boasts not just dream anime match ups but a campaign that attempts to explain the melding of all the universes. The end product is a confusing mess that is again similar to the multiverse time crisis campaign in Xenoverse but a lot less fleshed out in terms of writing and enjoyment of play.

Hope is on the horizon, Jump Force is far from an abandoned project and has a rumored total of 9 DLC characters coming in 2019. Even though the story is a heap, the clever brains that had the idea to watch Lofi Gum Gum punch Goku; are giving slew of additional characters to keep us coming back. I highly recommend giving Jump Force a chance, no where else can you see Dark Magician take a full force Detroit Smash from Midoriya.

Fall out 76

Almost too easy to mention Bethesda’s hyped Fallout 76 release flop but it will done for the good of anyone duped into spending $60 on a rushed title. Fall Out 76 was a game that many people were looking forward to since the exciting E3 trailer featuring an old-time raspy cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home”.  Fallout 76 is an online based prequel that promises to introduce a impressive open world that allowed you (one of the first emerging vault survivors) to carve out their own wasteland adventures on a live server.

Mere hours into playing the Fallout 76 release the monotony of killing either a ghoul, dark claw, Mr. Gutsy or bandit had eroded conviction of even the most determined gamer. Referencing Bethesda’s previous success with Fallout 4, players are accustom to a lengthy fluid story, engaging NPC’s, ample side missions and a world built on Fallout’s wasteland apocalyptic lore. Release of 76 meet a host of criticisms such as; lack of NPC’s , repetitive mundane missions and a not so friendly online community all made the play experience overwhelmingly unpleasant. Finding a group to play with in co-op proved difficult since most random players interest lay in either loot jacking or griefing at the expenditure of your ammunition. Of course there is always the online feral player shooting at you senselessly until you respond. Player’s seeking player vs. player action had mixed feelings towards the in game rules , pvp mode could only be initiated by attacking another player and the attack being reciprocated. This solves problems seen in similar online survival games with pvp griefing, sacrificing the entire stealth element of Fallout. A pvp fight in 76 is more like taking off your white glove, slapping another player and seeing if they accept your challenge to duel. Putting all complaints aside, being able to actually play the game can make or break a release. Fallout 76 is certainty no stranger to deal breaker game glitches and bugs. Issues affecting the use of Power Armor, fast traveling, building and general play. As the dust settles many loyal Bethesda fans have failed to make their way back to 76 since the release of the new battle royal mode Nuclear Winter. 

It could be argued that Bethesda’s recent tale spiral with 76 might of been avoided by cater to either the Fallout fan base or the hardcore survival game fan basis, maybe even both. Cries from unsatisfied customers are not met with complete inaction,  the new Morgantown Nuclear Winter map is out next week, included in Patch 13 which will drop next Tuesday September 10.

Anthem

Anthem is the story of  a game developer that sorely needed a win . It is no secret that Bioware has recently been plague with employment issues ranging from losing some of their most veteran designers due to stress, depression and staff fatigue to workplace burnout. Anthem has some good ideas and does dabble into a hybrid role play looter shooter that could be great but in its current state of affairs needs major attention

An Anthem story play through can be summarized into a few short words, “what was that all about”. Within moments of the game opening narration players are assaulted with vital information ; Cyphers, Free Lancers, Cataclysms, Striders, Heart of Rage and the list goes on. Optional game dialogue gives the player the feel of controlling the outcome or direction of the story but in reality does little to affect the story line. Lack of variation in character travel is limited to running and flying, there are no vehicles or any exoskeleton upgrades that allow for say environment exploration like deep water diving, or subterranean exploring. The only vehicle in the world is a massive strider that minus a few cinematic scenes is never actually seen in action. With the familiar fallen advanced civilization theme in place, Anthem’s weapons and equipment need a touch of variation.  Players are given the traditional, rifle, pistol, shotgun, grenade launcher options, a refreshing change might of been some type of ordnance integration into the Javelin tech since how it is a Freelancers livelihood. Not knocking the unique experience of soaring through the sky like Iron Man, this feature is actually insanely overpowered when used against a dumb AI. There is actually no enemy with the same combat maneuverability (excluding some pushover rouge Freelancers), restricting practical fights to ground based confrontations. A number of the enemies are almost a running joke, with the bulk of threats being Skarrs (Anthem’s version of a Halo grunt). Players can easily overcome almost any situation in the game by using fly and run tactics. With a lack of any puzzle or problem solving elements in the game the only critical thinking you will face is navigating the mini map.

Anthem is a visual masterpiece and is a load of fun to play when drifting away from the story line and having a buddy who is equally willing to lend artillery fire and lose themselves in a looter shooter.

Who knows maybe in the coming months these titles will finish strong or even surpass our now dismal expectations with some great updates or DLC. Did you think one of these titles was the greatest thing since sliced bread? How about any games you felt had a poor release, don’t forget leave your suggestions and comments below.