10 Most Disappointing Games of 2011

2011 has been an absolutely brilliant year for gaming. There have been some delays that we didn’t exactly like (The Witcher 2 Xbox 360, The Last Guardian, Mass Effect 3), but on the whole, we’ve been treated with one great game after other. This year has given us the likes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and so, so many others.

But that doesn’t mean it’s been all daisy and sunshine this year. There were several releases in the past few months that did not live up to their hype, did not live up to the expectations we had of them. And while there weren’t a lot of them, there were plenty.

So here’s a list of what have been the ten most disappointing games of 2011- so far. Enjoy the list, and leave behind your feedback in the comments section below.

DiRT 3

DiRT 2 was an absolute work of genius, one of the best racers to have been released this generation. To see DiRT 3 ditch so much in its approach and adopt a more realistic and racing simulator-like nature was disappointing. The series has always been about arcade racing, about drifting, about wheelspinning. The track design was shorter and not as inspired as what you’d see in previous games in the series, and most of the additions on the whole, other than maybe gymkhana and some of the new cars, were a disappointment.

Dead Island

A lot was expected of Dead Island when its debut trailer was first shown (given above). The trailer hinted that the game will be an extremely cinematic, very focussed experience with little to no flaws. Of course, it’s foolish to say a trailer is representative of the game, but after the video that Deep Silver showed us, we expected the next Left 4 Dead in the zombie shooter genre. And while what we got was still an enjoyable experience that most people should experience, it somehow left a lot of us disappointed, because it clearly did not deliver as well as we would have liked.

Killzone 3

Killzone 2 was an absolute stunner, and when Killzone 3 was announced, our excitement had no bounds. Killzone 3, while still an excellent shooter that no FPS fan should by any means miss, was a disappointment for us hardcore Killzone fans. Anyone who’s introduced to the series wit KZ3 would not be disappointed at all, but the KZ2 fans know that with the third installment of the series, they got a bastardized game that was trying too hard to imitate leading franchises of the genre with its set pieces. Not to mention the fact that it changed a lot and removed several features of Killzone 2, and that its story was downright cringe-worthy, and we had on our hands a highly enjoyable yet still disappointing experience.