Granted, support is still ongoing for many of these titles, and they could improve significantly in the coming months and/or years. As of now, however, they’re still underwhelming. Without further ado, here are our picks for the 15 most disappointing games of the year.

Bounty Star

A combination of bounty hunting with mechs and farming on the side in a lawless frontier, where redemption is only really the start? Sign me up, but in the case of Bounty Star, its reach severely exceeds its grasp. Repetitive combat and objectives, surface-level base-building, iffy storytelling – it just didn’t come together as I’d hoped. Which is a shame because, for all her faults, Clementine deserved better.

Battlefield: RedSec

Between desync issues and the lack of solo play, EA’s free-to-play Battlefield royale didn’t launch in the best circumstances. The fact that it arrived alongside the core monetization for Battlefield 6 and required playing to complete Battle Pass challenges rubbed people the wrong way (as did the fact that it included naval combat, which is missing in the base game). RedSec still has room to grow and offer a fun experience, but for now, it’s got a long way to go.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion

I had my doubts about Titanic Scion when it was revealed that the Arsenals were now power armor instead of mechs, which could now ride on horses and whatnot. That was the least of the game’s problems, however, as the open world approach gave way to some truly bland-looking improvements. As nice as the customization and weapon variety could be, the amount of frustration from actual combat just undercut everything else.

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate

How do you follow up the climactic finale to a ten-year-long Light and Darkness saga? In Bungie’s case, you start a brand new story, one focused on another intriguing subject in The Nine. Unfortunately, it also sought to anger players by ripping out whole systems, increasing the grind tenfold, recycling old content and introducing gameplay mechanics that no one wanted, like Matterspark. Destiny 2 has since experienced the lowest player numbers since the Curse of Osiris days, and as much as I like lightsabers, it doesn’t look like Renegades will completely right the ship.

TRON: Catalyst

Bithell Games’ titles can be hit or miss, but at least there’s this style, this panache that sticks out. Not TRON: Catalyst, though. The lackluster visuals make exploration dull, and the story, which attempted a time-travelling spin, often fell flat when it didn’t feel mundane. Then again, we did get TRON: Ares this year, so things can indeed be worse for the franchise.

Rennsport

Who says Teyon of RoboCop: Rogue City fame can’t make a racing game? Most people who bought Rennsport on Steam, apparently. While it had several problems throughout early access, you would think these would be addressed when it was time for 1.0, but you’d be wrong. Underwhelming physics, optimization issues, livery microtransactions and terrible multiplayer are just some of its shortcomings. All in all, a lackluster outcome.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

A canon entry in the Hyrule Warriors series – we did it. It’s just a shame then that the story as a whole feels completely perfunctory. Even if you can look past that, Age of Imprisonment doesn’t really do all that much interesting with its missions. The combat and performance are the series’s best yet, which is no small praise, but it really could have been so much more.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection

Packing every single classic Mortal Kombat title into one retro package, complete with interviews from the development team, sounds great for long-time fans (and whoever enjoyed Mythologies and Special Forces). The problem, as always, is the execution. Input, sound issues, lack of lobbies and more at launch – not to mention the price – put a real damper on the celebrations.

Yooka-Replaylee

It’s Yooka-Laylee, but with better graphics, improved controls, all moves unlocked from the outset, etc. So what’s the problem? Well, it’s still Yooka-Laylee at its core, which means the levels don’t always flow in the best ways or offer the most enjoyable challenges. Dr Quack’s quizzes are gone, which is great, but for those expecting any further overhauls beyond this should temper their expectations.

FBC: Firebreak

Why is Remedy, a developer known for its story-focused single-player titles, delving into the co-op shooter genre? Good question, but it did so anyway, and the results were mixed to say the least. While the developer included numerous improvements and even completely overhauled core systems, it wasn’t enough to proclaim Firebreak as anything less than a disappointment with an uncertain long-term future.

The Precinct

If you can get around the cheesy writing and characters, The Precinct may scratch that itch for old-school GTA with its overhead perspective. Its design choices fumble more often than not, though, whether it’s in the chases, how terrible the allied AI can be or the lackluster aiming. In other words, it may have been a neat spin on GTA, but with cops instead of gangsters, but not this one.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

Remember when I said that most of the entries in this list are titles that fell short in various ways and may not be outright bad? Black Ops 7 is the exception to the latter. Its campaign is simply awful in almost every way, and while multiplayer is an improvement over last year, it has more than its share of issues. But it’s the sheer soullessness of this year’s entry that gets to me, even more so than 2023’s Modern Warfare 3.

Synduality: Echo of Ada

Amid all the hype for ARC Raiders and even Escape from Tarkov, it’s worth looking back on Bandai Namco’s failed attempt at an extraction shooter – Synduality: Echo of Ada. Support is still ongoing, for what it’s worth, but with forced PvP (that too with a lackluster player base), a laughable grind for blueprints and more, it’s no wonder that player counts continue to decline on Steam.

NASCAR 25

Remember when new NASCAR titles were a big deal, alongside the likes of Need for Speed and F1? NASCAR 25, unfortunately, doesn’t return to those days of thunder. Between Career Mode looking lackluster and multiplayer’s flailing, it’s easy to ignore the mostly fun handling. Not the worst package for the brand, but certainly nowhere close to capturing its brilliance either.

Killing Floor 3

Good news – after the Rearmament update, all Specialists can now equip any perk they desire. Bad news – Killing Floor 3 is still very lackluster. Server issues, iffy movement, no mod support, no text chat, no server browser – the list goes on, and that’s before even getting to how the futuristic premise falls flat. Tripwire continues to update and improve it, but for now, it’s little more than dead weight on the Killing Floor name.

The story begins with Clementine McKinney, aka Clem, in far better circumstances. Part of a guard unit for the town of Short Spire, it suddenly comes under attack courtesy of outlaws led by Samuel Standage. After making short work of him, Clementine exercises mercy, pushing him to leave with his troops and never return; however, this leads to a double-cross, wherein the town – and Clem’s unit – are destroyed. Burying those who perished earns her the nickname “Graveyard Clem,” and she’s seemingly inert to the world afterwards.

"Oftentimes, you’re left waiting for calls to tackle new bounties, some higher risk than others and with their own unique backgrounds, but those don’t usually impact the overall mission (even if you decide to take them alive, when given the choice)."

That is, until former officer and friend Jake Triminy offers some bounty work for the mysterious Syndicate in the Red Expanse several months later. With nothing else to do and not wanting to die on an empty stomach, Clem accepts. Considering how such set-ups usually unfold, it’s interesting to see Bounty Star not immediately turn into a revenge saga. For her part, Clem feels dead to the world, even if she’s not keen on wasting away, but past events mean she’ll have to work her way up through the ranks, taking up low-risk marks until the Syndicate deems her worthy of tougher targets.

Slowly and slowly, she begins to come out of her shell, rediscovering the joy that outfitting and optimizing Raptors (the mechs in this universe) brings. However, she’s also cognizant that sinking further into the pilot’s seat means that more violence is coming her way, and the lawlessness of the Expanse isn’t something to take lightly.

The problem is that, aside from Clem’s own methodical development and inner thoughts, as depicted in her journal, there isn’t much driving the narrative of Bounty Star. Oftentimes, you’re left waiting for calls to tackle new bounties, some higher risk than others and with their own unique backgrounds, but those don’t usually impact the overall mission (even if you decide to take them alive, when given the choice). Throwing some no-good criminals behind bars does advance your rank, as Clem moves from a Prospect to a full-fledged Hunter worthy of her own Star, but their characters rarely rank above random mooks.

Besides Jake, characters like Utay offer some decent banter, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say Clem’s personality is what carries much of these exchanges. And even with that in mind, the writing does tend to become a little too cheesy – like when Clem tries to “talk” to her Raptor and figure out how to make it better, finds no answer and consults her stuffed dino Jeremy. At least the line, “You’ve once again demonstrated your genius by shuttin’ the hell up and lettin’ me be a genius,” is a cute bit of self-awareness.

"Unfortunately, combat as a whole can feel floaty and inconsistent. Follow-up melee hits feel like they trigger on their own sometimes, and dashing away to aim over the shoulder and fire some rounds mostly resulted in the Raptor performing a Trick attack instead."

Aside from all this, Bounty Star falls short in the gameplay department. If you’re keen to stomp through the Expanse in a Freelancer-like fashion, stifle those hopes immediately. Every bounty takes you to a predetermined area with boundary walls – some offer more space and verticality than others, but for the most part, you’re going toe-to-toe with other Raptors, foot soldiers, flying drones and the occasional heavy. Combat involves multiple weapon types, each offering significant advantages depending on the enemy. This is further diversified into Ranged and Melee resistance, so even if you have the matching firearm, getting up close and personal is the only way to break through.

When you’re not slicing and dicing with a blade or an over-sized hammer in one hand, you’re riddling foes with assault rifle bullets or shotgun shells with the other. Swapping between the two feels seamless enough, and you can even unlock the ability to transition from a melee attack directly into a Trick attack that uses your firearm. It can manifest through a spinning spread of bullets or a leap backwards as you pummel foes with grenade launcher shots, but I found only one option that truly allowed for continuing a combo. So even if the shotgun felt good for chunking down heavier targets, it doesn’t necessarily transition well into my hammer combos.

Then there’s the whole system of managing your heat, which is influenced by the time of day. Afternoons lead to a higher base temperature overall, but this can be dealt with by using a support system that significantly cools you down with each dash. However, you can use low and high temps to your advantage, either improving firearm speed or melee speed, though it’s often better to avoid an overload.

Unfortunately, combat as a whole can feel floaty and inconsistent. Follow-up melee hits feel like they trigger on their own sometimes, and dashing away to aim over the shoulder and fire some rounds mostly resulted in the Raptor performing a Trick attack instead. Some interactions also feel unintentional – like leaping into the air with a Trick attack and then using the short boost to air-dash multiple times around an opponent like it’s Armored Core (but worse).

Enemies have some variety to them, including different combos depending on their weapons, but they’re let down by the repetitive mission objectives. Aside from capturing or killing a target, objectives boil down to destroying an environmental object, emerging unscathed, finishing the objective before the specified time, and finding a lost stash of Curios. Nothing particularly compelling, and despite the simplistic layout of some levels, finding that last propane tank to destroy feels like hunting a needle in a junkyard.

"If the combat felt more fluid or the missions offered more variety – heck, even if the story kept up with Clementine’s character development rather than serving as an accessory, Bounty Star could have stood out."

The other major component of Bounty Star’s gameplay loop is the base-building, crafting and arming. However, these are extremely streamlined. I appreciate being able to directly buy materials from the shopping terminal without having to leave the crafting bench, but otherwise, setting up facilities, growing vegetables for ingredients, managing power – it all feels ridiculously surface-level, and I’m not expecting a survival crafting sandbox on the level of the genre’s current greats. Just something that demands more than simply pressing X to water the plants or sticking a battery into the power grid to power up a new function.

The difficulty does eventually increase, and some new weapons and upgrades for Clem to experiment with are introduced. The ability to swap between loadouts mid-mission is also a nice touch, nipping any concerns about restrictiveness due to damage types in the bud without completely removing any semblance of strategy.

However, Bounty Star’s overall cozy pace feels at odds with its gameplay loop, where repetitive activities lead to boredom more than relaxation. Even the side bounties begin to repeat, but you can’t pursue their optional objectives again for more cash. If the combat felt more fluid or the missions offered more variety – heck, even if the story kept up with Clementine’s character development rather than serving as an accessory, Bounty Star could have stood out. Instead, it teeters more towards sedative than contemplative on the regular.

This game was reviewed on PC.

October 24th will see the launch of Super Fantasy Kingdom into Game Preview for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Halls of Torment follows for all subscription tiers (sans Core) on October 28th and The Outer Worlds 2 on October 29th.

Getting an early start on announcing next month’s line-up is the news that 1000xResist will be available for Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass on November 4th. It coincides with the PC and console versions of Football Manager 26. As day-one launches, they’ll be available only for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Only three titles are being removed from the service on October 31st, but they’re fairly significant. Check them out below.

• Jusant (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Metal Slug Tactics (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Return to Monkey Island (Cloud, Console, and PC)

The shows off what the gameplay loop for Bounty Star will be like; players will start out with a basic mech, which they will have to set up and upgrade over the course of the game. This can be done by taking on bounties with rewards like not only cash, but also new parts that can be used for your own mech upgrades. These bounties will often take the form of intense battles with other mechs, and sometimes even numerous opposing fighters. This gameplay loop is wrapped up in a story that revolves around protagonist Clem trying to make a name for herself.

A key feature of Bounty Star is its emphasis on offering mech customisation. While players will start out with the Desert Raptor MKII – already a mech of “extraordinary power”, upgrades can be made to both ranged and melee weapons, with some parts even making use of powerful hydraulic systems, like siege weapons and explosive firearms. On the defensive side of things, the mech can be equipped with high-speed thrusters to boost mobility, and even gear like riot shields to block incoming attacks.

The game takes place in a place known as the Red Expanse – an area that is seemingly plagued by violent criminals and dangerous beasts. While the populace of the Red Expanse is on the verge of becoming prosperous thanks to strong mercantilism and agriculture, these threats stand in the way of the security and stability of the region. Throughout the game, Clem will have to deal with these threats as she makes a name for herself as one of the best bounty hunters in the Red Expanse.

To accomplish this, Bounty Star will also have players set up a base of operations. While things start out as being quite basic, with a run-down garage and a few tools, with a few missions under her belt, Clem can upgrade the place to offer more tools and greater modification capabilities for her mech. Over the course of the game, players will also be able to set up infrastructure like power and water supply lines, and also figure out the means to grow and cook food. Even ammunition can be crafted instead of being bought, which will further help Clem save her money for things that really matter – upgrading her mech and her base of operations.

Bounty Star was first announced all the way back in 2022. Since then, the game has seen several delays. The title was originally slated for release in 2023, before being pushed back to 2024, and then ultimately landing on its October 23, 2025 release date. Check out some of the base-building gameplay from a trailer released in 2023.

The trailer features creator and director of Bounty Star, taking us through how the game works. Players are put in the shoes of ex-soldier Clementine McKinney, who decides to get back into mechs to fight off mercenaries, all while she learns to care about her desert home.

As players pilot the Desert Raptor MKII mech, they will be able to customise it to quite an extent, which includes the kinds of melee and ranged weapons it uses, as well as other options, like hydraulic siege weapons. The mech can also be equipped with high-speed thrusters and boosters for dashing.

On the other side of the game is the farming and base building aspect, which involves players building out water and power supply lines, grow and cook food, and create ammunition and fuel for combat.

Bounty Star is coming to PC, PlayStation, and Xbox in 2024.

Developed by DINOGOD, Bounty Star is a third person over-the-shoulder mech action game. Players will step into the shoes of protagonist Clementine McKinney, a guilt-ridden former soldier traumatized by her past who must protect the patch of land she calls her home in the game’s post-post-apocalyptic version of the American Southwest. In addition to mech combat and customization, Bounty Star will also feature farming and base-building mechanics as part of its core gameplay loop. Check out the game’s reveal trailer below.

Bounty Star is due out sometime in 2023 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.