The end of 2023 is near and so we take an easy approach at making an article that’s just a list created by Metacritic and use that to look like we put in some work. Actually the reality is, you can Google this list as Metacritic did an editorial article telling you this list. But we felt since others were making articles based on this easy to find information, we should do.
So, we all know this year has been a good year for gaming. Unless you are Redfall. But, even though that particular game doesn’t make the worst games of 2023 list according to Metacritic, there are a number of pretty obvious titles that do. Basically shovelware games.
There’s some rules as to how this list was slapped together. Firstly no game listed has received less than seven professional reviews. Also if a game has received multiple scores then the lowest score is what Metacritic used. I assume this is where a game was released on different systems but for whatever reason, there is a difference in overall crappiness given by the seven or more professional reviews.
There are ten games listed, as you’d expect in a list. You expected a weird odd number?
#01 Gargoyles Remastered – 49. This is how you screw up what plenty of others have attempted but succeeded at. Recasting a game can be a profitable and pretty easy cash grab, but you still need a budget and a decent deadline. Otherwise you get a game like this.
#02 Loop8: Summer of Gods – 49. Apparently according to the reviews, this is a boring JRPG with a crap battle system. I didn’t even know this game existed and with such a low score, I’m glad it wasn’t on my radar.
#03 Gangs of Sherwood – 48. What a random idea for a game. It’s got that thought process of taking a few shots and drunkenly telling your fellow colleagues of this amazing idea that for some reason didn’t sound like shit the next morning after you wake up and then got green-lit by the company. This game is set in a dystopian cyberpunk version of Sherwood Forest during the time of Robin Hood. It’s also a co-op game.
#04 Hellboy: Web of Wyrd – 47. It’s a game based on a license. That’s all you need to know.
#05 Crime Boss: Rockay City – 43. Yeah I just about remember this one being teased when the developers were showing off the list of big action star names of the 1980s who’d be voicing characters within the game. And then it turned out to be nothing more than a Payday clone, only a real bad one. And that says something. Seriously, what is it with everyone making live service games? Only one in like a thousand seem to be a success.
#06 Testament: The Order of High-Human – 41. I don’t really want to know what this is supposed to be about, that religious sounding name has me concerned. But I don’t think it’s religious related, which means I’m even more concerned.
#07 Quantum Error – 40. This game attempted to be a sci-fi/horror/shooter set in outer space, because there’s just not enough of those kinds of games. Soooo you play as a firefighter with a real generic name who is trying to rescue people from zombies, terrorists and fires? That’s certainly… interesting. But the name of the game makes me think the developers knew it was gonna be a bad game.
#08 Greyhill Incident – 38. Ok, who are reviewing all these bad games? I don’t think I have heard of half the ones in this list, yet there’s at least seven outlets actually reviewing them. Are there places that specialise in shit games? Is there a market for that? Should I be looking to do the same?
#09 Flashback 2 – 35. Okay now this one really hurts. How do you take an all time classic, my favourite game, delay it by a whole year then release something so shite into the world? Maybe we need to take the reigns of the IP from its creator and give it to someone else and make a new Flashback. This is his second attempt at reviving the game and he’s failed both times.
#10 The Lord of the Rings: Gollum – 34. Who didn’t see that one coming? Like, did no one expect this game not to make the list the very day the first trailer came out? Also where’s that King Kong game? That thing went viral. Are you telling me seven sites didn’t review a game that was going crazy all over social media in an age when they are all aiming for easy clicks?
Where’s that best games of the year list Metacritic? Isn’t that the one everyone wants to see? Odd they released a worst games list but not a good games list.