But we couldn’t help but feel that some games this year could have been so much more in terms of the value they brought to their players but ultimately let us down. It’s time to dive into 2025’s most disappointing games – and why they made us feel that way.

Let’s get started. 

Deliver At All Costs

Developed by Far Out Games and published by Konami, Deliver At All Costs had all the makings of a fun experience made engaging via a very unique premise. Winston Green’s determination to be the ultimate courier, letting nothing get between his cargo and his destination ultimately fell flat thanks to an uninspired gameplay loop.

While the isometric graphics and unique mechanics could entertain you for a brief time once you get started, the game quickly gets repetitive, with little to no narrative context other than a few fetch and carry requests.

Limited upgrades to the We Deliver pickup truck and a lack of actual consequences for your destructive actions other than some bland police pursuits make this an unfortunately forgettable experience that is sure to lie forgotten in many of its players’ libraries once the initial thrills wear off. 

Monster Energy Supercross 25 – The Official Video Game

Despite an excellent visual makeover courtesy of Unreal Engine 5, a wide selection of tracks, and the legendary Ricky Carmichael taking up the in-game commentator’s mic, Monster Energy Supercross 25 wasted away its advantages with a learning curve that a significant portion of players would find daunting.

Its tutorials are ineffective at getting you into the ebb and flow of a race, a lapse that is sure to throw you face-first into the dirt in front of a crowded stadium. Milestone S.r.l. probably assumed that anybody picking up the game was already a fan of dirt-bike racing and tailored the experience accordingly.

We’re sure that fans of the sport will swear by this one but for the rest of us, this is a title that is a very ironic uphill climb.

JDM: Japanese Drift Master

This indie title from the stables (or garages?) of Warsaw-based developer Gaming Factory seemed like it would be a great drifting simulator for racing fans who like a bit of style when they turn a corner. While its in-game physics and story-based open world are certainly highlights, the overall experience was ultimately marred by several inconsistencies in the Guntama Prefecture’s streets and winding mountain roads.

Obstacles that a fast-moving car could plow through quite easily in the real world could bring you to a complete stop while irregular lighting ruins the dynamic day and night cycle, sending you tearing right into unsuspecting NPCs who just want to get home and unwind after a long day.

Its delivery missions are nothing to write home about either while errors in the kind of vehicle you will need for its many events are a constant annoyance, requiring you to reload at the last garage you were in and drive a new car all the way back to the starting point.

We recommend rewatching Tokyo Drift a couple of times while you wait for a sale on this one.

STAR WARS: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Remastered

We’ll be the first to admit that getting to revisit the origin story of Anakin Skywalker (or Darth Vader as you know him) had us pretty excited for this remake of the 2000 title from LucasArts. Getting all of its original content in one place while Aspyr’s additions like the ability to play as a bunch of enemies you beat down in your first playthrough during New Game+ was quite the attractive package.

However, an excellent visual makeover aside, all of the problems that players had with the original continue to plague the remaster, and are annoying enough to drive you towards the Dark Side of the force. It’s a baffling lack of polish that is sure to ruin what could have been a very entertaining return to Star Wars’ glory days.

Perhaps Qui Gon would be happy to let Darth Maul stab him to death if he were to try this one out.

TRON Catalyst

Bithell Games had the opportunity to bring the magic and complex political discourse of the original TRON films to a new generation of gamers in its take on the sci-fi franchise. However, Exo’s adventures and the subsequent conflict between the Automata and Core ultimately failed to impress thanks to a lackluster story and a distinct lack of utility to its many inventive mechanics.

From the Glitch system that lets you reset your state on a server to an earlier, safer time, or the lore that fails to flesh out the various factions you encounter in any satisfactory way, this is a game that could have, and should have been a whole lot better than it ultimately was – and that’s a real shame considering that it does so many things right.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter

Although Arlo’s quest for revenge and his adventures as the Warden of the West are quite well-written and given a lot of gravitas and weight thanks to Doug Cockle’s narration, this attempt to create a side-scrolling Soulslike was ultimately let down by its tonal inconsistencies.

It was quite jarring to see a boss brutally murder innocent NPCs only for a character to make a very droll quip a few moments later. While the combat on display is certainly top notch, the healing mechanic proved to me more annoying than innovative, especially towards the story’s final sections and boss fights.

Hardcore Soulslike fans might find a lot to like in this game but for the most part, it does feel like it could be more fleshed-out both narratively and from a technical standpoint. Its world-building does deserve credit, though.

La Quimera

What could go wrong with an FPS title that puts you in the heart of a conflict between warring states in a world gone mad? A lot, apparently. Reburn’s take on a co-op experience that lets you team up with your buddies to take on a world of threats with an AI companion in tow failed to impress on any level.

It didn’t help that the game was delayed on the day of its release, a misstep that is sure to be a sore spot for the studio and anyone who was excited for the game alike. But its distinct lack of a clear and engaging narrative coupled with its lackluster combat is sure to make this one a game that the gaming world would be happy to leave behind.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster

We’ve certainly been seeing a lot of Oda Nobunaga and his exploits in recent times. But younger games might have not known that the Japanese warlord was the main antagonist of a very popular action franchise from Capcom back in the day.

The studio’s remaster of 2002’s Onimusha 2 does include everything that made the original title so memorable, but fails to bring anything new to the table other than a new weapon swapping quality-of-life improvement and a couple of difficulty modes to accompany its visual upgrade.

Jubei Yagyu certainly deserved better despite his stoic and occasionally sassy demeanour making him less popular than Dante or Leon.

The Precinct

Fallen Tree’s police-sim brought a very promising start to Mick Cordell Jr’s first day at the Avernus City PD’s headquarters. However, his career soon took a very boring turn, devolving into mindless prowling along the city’s streets with only a hint of the promise he brought to table ever showing up during its runtime.

Terrible driving controls aside, The Precinct was a pretty interesting title that failed to deliver on the action-packed chases and gunfights it seemed to offer, instead focusing on the boring and dreary parts of police work. While it does shine on occasion and its main story could be interesting to some, this is a game we quickly moved on from thanks to its sloppy writing and average gameplay loop.

Splitgate 2

Its controversial marketing aside, Splitgate 2 never really reached the heights that its predecessor did thanks to being held back by a limited selection of playable classes and a gameplay loop that many players found derivative despite its intention to innovate.

Although credit must be given to its wide selection of weapons, maps, and modes, they were ultimately let down by its gameplay, which was hamstrung by the presence of only three playable classes with fixed functionalities. That’s especially saddening when one considers how many people worked on it as opposed to the original game.

Atomfall: Wicked Isle DLC

Although Wicked Isle did bring meaningful additions to Atomfall’s main story, they weren’t enough to make up for its lack of new enemy types and glaring omissions that made its runtime more tedious than it should have been.

That’s especially egregious considering how the main game always found a way to keep us on our toes, and the DLC’s new weapons, skills, and characters could not justify its lack of enough content to justify its price tag. Wicked Isle is another presence on this list that could have been so much more but ultimately failed to live up to the expectations it generated.

Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest

While getting to dive back into the main game’s story and learning more about the tragic events that brought about the Beira D’s destruction was certainly exciting, Mhairi’s search for its data logger was a disappointment thanks to its shorter runtime and technical issues that actively made it far less appealing than the main game.

Although it did bring a fairly interesting narrative to the table, it was not enough to deserve the same praise that the main game earned, mostly in part due to The Chinese Room’s attempts to address the linear nature of the main game only to get caught up in pathing and other technical issues that were obstacles to obtaining the full experience on offer in the DLC.

That’s a paradox many studios would rather avoid. 

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

After 26 years of silence, Fatal Fury fans were all “REV”ved up to receive a new title in the popular  SNK franchise. Bringing innovative new mechanics and excellent visuals to the table, it’s quite surprising that KOF Studios failed to do more with a franchise that had many gamers very excited about returning to the 2D fighting experience it offered.

That was unfortunately the extent of its traction, as an uninspired RPG mode and a distinct lack of heavy hitters on its playable roster brought disappointment to its fans despite the presence of excellent fighting systems that would challenge newcomers and veterans alike.

FBC Firebreak

A co-op multiplayer shooter set in the world of Control had us immediately invested in what we assumed would be another banger from Remedy Entertainment. However, FBC Firebreak failed to live up to that hype with a gameplay loop that quickly became repetitive while its inspirations were largely relegated to the background with a few notable exceptions.

A limited selection of weapons and little to no variety in locations and enemy types marred a gameplay loop that was frantic and action-packed until it revealed a slew of unlockables that required way too much grinding for the average player.

All is not lost, however, as Remedy could bring changes that puts this exciting yet flawed shooter back on track.

MindsEye

Oh, MindsEye. We really wish Build a Rocket Boy could have made this game live up to the high expectations that we and the rest of the gaming world had for it. We once expected it to be the perfect title to ease our sorrow at the delay of GTA 6. On paper, MindsEye has everything a modern hit should bring to the table. An interesting narrative backed up by a gorgeous open-world that blurs the line between man, machine, and AI.

But Redrock’s empty streets and non-responsive NPCs worked in tandem with its uninspired mission design, lackluster story and buggy execution to rob us of what could have been one of this year’s finest titles. We wish we could say this was a bittersweet experience but we have to lean more towards the former than the latter.

Were there any games that you believe failed to live up to your expectations? We’d love to hear about them in the comments!

Lost Soul Aside

Lost Soul Aside is currently in development at UtilZeroGames, and it revolves around saving your family and the larger world from the clutches of evil. With its fast-paced combat that revolves around stringing together a flurry of attacks and popping art direction, Lost Soul Aside is a game that definitely demands your attention. It’s scheduled to come out sometime this year for PC and PS5.

The set-up involves the North, where you play as Arlo, the adopted son of the Warden of Winter’s Edge. After repelling the Dark Wings long ago, the region is at relative peace…until it isn’t. The bats make their somewhat expected return, possessing a powerful ancient beast, and burn Winter’s Edge to the ground. Arlo must now rebuild his home while simultaneously stepping up to new responsibilities.

"The path of vengeance is one laden with preparation, and Arlo is a busy rat, from building an arsenal of weaponry to restoring Winter’s Edge to its former beauty."

Tails of Iron 2 doesn’t feature any dialogue between characters – their intentions are laid bare through icons and symbols. It’s on the returning Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, to carry the narrative. And make no mistake – the stoic tones fit well enough, even with the occasional animal-focused jokes. Though the frequency can take some getting used to at the start, you eventually settle into the mood, especially with how seamlessly the narration transitions between events and levels.

Unfortunately, it can’t mask how dry some of the characterization is. Even with some of the more memorable NPCs like Ron the Blacksmith and Billy the Beaver, I’m hard-pressed to remember many others by name, much less care (death predictions aside). Arlo is developed enough – perks of the protagonist and whatnot. However, I’m not quite reconciling the character so vividly depicted in Cockle’s words with the one I’m playing.

The connection between narration and on-screen action also occasionally isn’t one-to-one, as Cockle’s narration lagged and came across as awkward during one pivotal point. Not that there was too much dramatic tension, but it certainly didn’t help.

The path of vengeance is one laden with preparation, and Arlo is a busy rat, from building an arsenal of weaponry to restoring Winter’s Edge to its former beauty. You’ll start by venturing to other regions and recruiting various NPCs to fulfil the roles of builder, blacksmith, and chef. Once your retinue is complete, you can build and upgrade their facilities, unlocking new benefits. The settlement-building isn’t the most robust, but it’s serviceable, neither bogging down the action nor requiring excessive material grinding.

"That Monster Hunter lite feeling further arises when taking on optional hunts against large monsters, some appearing during story quests and requiring multiple phases of stabbing to defeat later."

Despite the action RPG moniker, you won’t accrue levels, assigning stat points and attempting to scale off your weapon of choice. Tails of Iron 2 instead takes a pseudo-Monster Hunter approach where meals are key for bonuses like increased health, and your “build” leans most on the equipped armor and weapons. The Souls-like weight system of Light, Medium, and Heavy builds comes into play, affecting your dodge roll, but there’s no stamina. Arlo can parry with a weapon and shield bound to R1, smash enemies with a two-handed weapon to R2, and deliver ranged death with bows, firearms, and more with L1.

Combat is intriguing at first. Despite the cartoonish veneer, slices and strikes splatter blood on your surroundings and character, while executions add to the brutality. Yet the actual feel and responsiveness never quite match it, lacking that satisfying crunch at times. It also doesn’t help that swapping sides while guarding can feel awkward at first. Holding down R1 or R2 will unleash a charged attack after a short duration, which may seem ideal for closing the distance on a parried foe. The reality is that walking up and smacking them with normal attacks is better.

Almost every weapon has an elemental attribute, which is necessary to exploit lest you deal reduced damage to an enemy. You can also use whetstones to sharpen a weapon, exponentially increasing the damage dealt, but it eventually becomes unnecessary once you learn to match elements.

That Monster Hunter lite feeling further arises when taking on optional hunts against large monsters, some appearing during story quests and requiring multiple phases of stabbing to defeat later. You can even repeat them to farm certain materials, which is neat. Having them run around the region isn’t, especially since the environments don’t really mix up or add to the hunt in imaginative ways. At least the bosses have a decent range of attacks, keeping you guessing between the parryable and dodgeable.

"Even if you become comfortable with all the various quirks, most fights can be resolved by matching the right element. Your opponent spits fire? Switch to ice. Are they using lightning? Go for poison, maybe, and so on."

I’m a proponent of hunting, gathering and crafting your weapons and armor, but completing quests and hunts is usually enough to earn some free of charge. It’s not the first ARPG to try and balance between crafting and quest rewards, but Tails of Iron 2 can feel slightly skewed towards the latter. Higher rarities exist to strive towards, yet at times, it felt like I was sitting on all my gathered and carved materials as blueprints gathered dust at the smithy.

Even if you become comfortable with all the various quirks, most fights can be resolved by matching the right element. Your opponent spits fire? Switch to ice. Are they using lightning? Go for poison, maybe, and so on. Combat can thus become repetitive, even if there’s a decent variety of enemies to slay and multiple weapon types. The new elemental magic also sadly doesn’t do much to change this, long cooldown times notwithstanding.

A note on the difficulty: What is the first hour supposed to be? On Tails of Iron mode, the default “Medium” difficulty, you have few weapon or armor choices and almost no Whetstones to improve damage. Health recovery is gradual, requiring you to hold the button and hope the bar fills fast enough. On the one hand, it feels appropriately challenging, forcing you to read your opponent, know when to parry or dodge and utilize traps to gain an opening.

On the other hand, enemies can nearly one-shot you, adding to the frustration of the initially clunky movement, and they seemingly take little damage. The first two real boss fights feel massively overtuned in this regard, leading me to drop the difficulty to Fairy Tail.

The next few hours were then a stomp, through and through. Changing it back resulted in bosses two or two-and-a-half-shotting me, which felt much more manageable. Even then, however, most of the encounters were easy-breezy. If this is what the balance on Tails of Iron difficulty is supposed to be, I can’t fathom the point of making the first hour so frustrating.

"If you enjoyed the first game and want more, it may be worth diving into it, but everyone else should think carefully before following the rats."

At least Odd Bug Studio’s environmental art is gorgeous, with immense amounts of hand-drawn details. From the massive skeletons of the Whale Boneyard to the parliament of Owls, it’s awe-inspiring. I also liked the little details while traversing, like a queen spider who later became a hunting target skulking by in the background or the Owls peeking from trees as you entered their realm for the first time. A few animations can feel stilted at times, like the one odd enemy which went from standing upright to on the floor in a frame, but they’re otherwise fine.

The exploration is a whole other rat’s nest. There are some hidden areas and grapple points with very light platforming, but it’s otherwise very straightforward, resulting in tedium when backtracking. Fast travel alleviates this later, though you must have the resources and gold available to build the points. Subsequent regions open up a bit and offer more winding paths, but they’re still dull to traverse with only NPC conversations and save benches occasionally breaking up the flow. Something more could have been done, especially for the side hunts, yet it feels like you’re going through the motions.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter starts as a brutal medieval fantasy rooted in the fantastical with its various anthropomorphic races. The awkward combat offers many weapon choices, but the overall loop eventually becomes repetitive. With unimaginative and dull exploration, it’s up to the story to drive you forward, and the Butcher of Blaviken can only do so much. If you enjoyed the first game and want more, it may be worth diving into it, but everyone else should think carefully before following the rats.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

As outlined on Steam, there are four types of Elementa: Fire, Ice, Electric, and Poison. Fire can scorch enemies, and Ice temporarily halts them. Electric will stun threats, while Poison causes damage over time that spreads to nearby threats. Of course, discovering other shrines will further upgrade these Elementa, though in what ways remains to be seen.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter launches on January 28th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The Standard Edition retails for $24.99, while the Deluxe Edition costs $29.99. The latter includes two DLC packs with armor sets, shields, axes, and cosmetic customization.

The former retails for $24.99, while the latter costs $29.99 and features the Augur of the Draugr and Hair to the Throne Packs. Together, they offer new helms, axes, shields, pauldrons, and armor sets alongside six beards and hairstyles to customize the protagonist Arlo.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter follows up on the 2021 action RPG, with Doug Cockle of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt fame returning to provide narration. While retaining the first game’s visceral combat, players can look forward to six new biomes, elemental effects in combat, monster hunting, and a new day/night system. Stay tuned for more gameplay, and check out the previous trailer here.

Tails of iron 2 is now available to preorder! Welcome back to the Ratdom! 🐀⚔️🦇 pic.twitter.com/2amfJe6j1t

— OddBugStudio 🐀🐁 (@OddBugStudio) December 5, 2024

With a new trailer showcased at Xbox’s day 3 Gamescom livestream, it was announced that Tails of Iron 2 has been delayed, and is now set to launch sometime in February of next year. A more specific release date wasn’t announced. Of course, the trailer also showcased some new gameplay footage, showing off several different locations, enemy types, glimpses of combat, and more. You can view the trailer below. 

Upon its release in February, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Check out more combat-focused gameplay footage through here.

The company revealed an updated roster of titles appearing during the livestreams. August 21st will feature Diablo Immortal, Overwatch 2, Forza Horizon 5, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, and Dustborn. On August 22nd, we can expect to see Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Two Point Museum, The First Berserker: Khazan, Eternal Strands, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, and more.

Aside from Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, August 23rd will feature  Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Path of Exile 2, The First Descendant, Tails of Iron 2, and Sea of Thieves. Stay tuned for more details when the shows unfold next week.

Players have quite a range of options in pursuing their quest. They can take on the Dark Wings’ leaders, hunt down powerful monsters and use their remains to craft powerful items, customize their character with various armor sets and weapons, upgrade their settlement and even take on some side-hunts for extra coin.

If that weren’t enough, Doug Cockle, the voice of Geralt from The Witcher series, narrates the story. Though it doesn’t have a release date, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is confirmed to launch this year for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter picks up its story where the first Tails of Iron left off. Players will take on the role of Arlo as he sets off on a violent quest to get revenge against the Dark Wings. The game will also feature new monster-hunting side quests against massive enemies.

To help on his journey, Arlo will be able to apply elemental effects to his weapons, as well as make use of other abilities to take down enemies that might stand in his way. Along the way, Arlo will have to aid the northern garrison of Winter’s Edge in rebuilding.

Much like the original, Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter will also feature Souls-inspired combat described by the developer as “hardcore”. The base building will also be improved, allowing players to construct and upgrade different buildings in Winter’s Edge.