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.

Between new areas, enemies, and moves (with the duo now having full access to their repertoire from the outset), Yooka-Replaylee adds the Treasure Tracker. Now you can check how many Pagies remain in a level and track them more reliably. Vendi also offers some new Tonics, such as Reaper-Laylee, which drops your health down to one heart, and Newbee Blast, which creates an energy ring after a Buddy Slam.

Rextro’s Arcade has also seen a makeover, with players now directly controlling the dinosaur in new platforming stages. For more details on Yooka-Replaylee, check out our review. We gave it a seven out of ten, praising the art direction, music and controls, but the overall core remains the same, which may be good or bad depending on the player.

After over nine years and an entirely separate (and much better) game in The Impossible Lair, Playtonic has returned to where it all began with Yooka-Replaylee. Revamped visuals and animations, new quality of life features, and an overhaul to Rextro’s Arcade – it offers no small amount of changes and improvements to the original game’s formula. Try as it might, however, it can’t completely rise above average – and at times, even dull – level design and platforming challenges that oscillate between easy and insultingly so, resulting in a solid but ultimately unremarkable 3D platformer.

The story, such as it is, remains the same. Yooka and Laylee crash land on an island and discover the One Book, a tome that can make anything written within a reality. Captured by the villainous Capital B, the duo help set it free… only to witness it captured once more, scattering its Pagies to the winds to keep its power from falling in the wrong hands. It’s thus up to Yooka and Laylee to recover those Pagies, many residing within other tomes that house their own worlds, even if they’re playing into the hands of Capital B and his researcher, Dr Quack.

"Regardless, the platforming is the main appeal, and it’s here that Yooka-Replaylee’s improvements are more obvious. Thanks to some deus ex machina with the One Book, Yooka and Laylee have access to their full moveset from nearly the beginning."

It’s a tale as straightforward as any other, even with the late-game twist. The real appeal is supposed to be the writing and charming characters, like Clara Lost, an explorer who’s also a skeleton. Cue jokes about the lack of a heart (or just her survival instincts in general). Or Dr Puzz, a former scientist who worked for Dr Quack and whose experiments have resulted in some marine-like changes. Cue the jokes about seas, tentacles, and so on. Some of Laylee’s biting commentary can be fun, but at times, the sheer amount of attempted “gotchas,” puns and snarks feels way too overdone to really end up paying much mind. Don’t even get me started on Galleon Galaxy and whatever the heck is going on with the Blamphibians in Galleon Galaxy.

Regardless, the platforming is the main appeal, and it’s here that Yooka-Replaylee’s improvements are more obvious. Thanks to some deus ex machina with the One Book, Yooka and Laylee have access to their full moveset from nearly the beginning. Instead of waiting until Glitterglaze Glacier, the second world, to unlock Lizard Leap and gain some extra jumping height, its availability from the outset allows for much more freedom of exploration (especially when comboed with Glide). It’s incredibly liberating, as is having Slurp Shot available when tackling sections that require hosing down multiple enemies with projectiles or destroying objects, rather than collecting Quills, returning to Trowzer to purchase the move, and so on. That they flow fairly seamlessly into each other and control so well is also great. Say what you will, but Playtonic nailed the feel of movement.

That said, the sheer range of available moves feels lackluster. Yes, there are a few standouts, such as the Sonar Shot, which reveals hidden platforms; Slurp State for inheriting an object’s properties; and Camo Cloak for going invisible. It’s just that their applications feel way too simplistic, which boils down mostly to the nature of challenges and combat as a whole. Most enemies are downright pathetic, crumpling to a few Tail Twirls or a simple bop on the head, so much so that I often just rolled past them when possible because it wasn’t worth the effort. The few exceptions – the invulnerable bot that releases energy waves or the spiky enemies that must be pushed back with Sonar Shot instead of melee’d – do very little to mix things up.

Tonics return, and there are many more to earn, though I found many of them, from increased energy to more hearts, to be unnecessary. The sheer number of cosmetic options and filters is pretty nice, as are the upgrades from Trowzer. Again, unnecessary, especially with the overall difficulty of the experience, but it’s better than nothing, even if it significantly reduces the urge to collect Quills.

"While not inherently a terrible thing, it doesn’t help the levels to really stand out or feel memorable in terms of gameplay, much less cohesiveness. The transformations also remain as underwhelming as ever."

In terms of other new additions, the new map and challenge tracker make it easier to mop up any missing Pagies. Some challenges have also been improved – the “quest” involving Shovel Knight focuses more on seesaw-like platforms and freezing them in place compared to the original’s more boring approach of shooting switches. Rextro’s Arcade now has you controlling Rextro in separate puzzle platforming levels, where utilizing his chomp is the key to progression, especially since he can’t jump.

However, many of the challenges aren’t exactly all that, well, challenging, and the overall design of each world still leaves something to be desired. Some feel rudimentary, simply thrown in for the sake of doing; certain sections feel like they could be expanded on much more. Then you have sections like the one in Moodymaze Marsh that involve moving past some spiky obstacles underwater to get to the Pagie on time, which feel poorly designed, possessing no pretence of challenge whatsoever.

Pagies can just as easily be obtained from minecart rides as from a half-buried treasure chest in the sand. While not inherently a terrible thing, it doesn’t help the levels to really stand out or feel memorable in terms of gameplay, much less cohesiveness. The transformations also remain as underwhelming as ever.

Of course, it’s not all terrible. Some may appreciate the sheer variety of “things” on offer, from passing through gates with the Sonar Shield to beam up and destroy a point of interest (which sounds way more exciting than it actually is) to navigating a maze from a top-down perspective, avoiding hazardous blocks as they shift around. Each of them looks pretty great in terms of art design and fidelity, and the revamped visuals, especially with the lighting and reflections, are nice. It’s actually amazing to see the difference between locations like the Waterworks, which feel more appropriately dingy compared to the original.

"However, it’s still Yooka-Laylee at its core, which means dealing with uninspired platforming sequences, so-so bosses, unfunny dialogue and worlds that feel more cobbled together than anything else."

Performance is also quite solid throughout with very rare frame drops, and the soundtrack is even better than ever, thanks to Grant Kirkhope and David Wise. And if that wasn’t enough, the camera is much more cooperative this time around, though there are still plenty of instances where it feels too uncomfortably close with no means of rotating or moving it.

Yooka-Replaylee, as promised, is the “definitive” version of Yooka-Laylee in almost every way. The presentation is a significant step up, and many of the more annoying aspects of the original are either downplayed or revamped. However, it’s still Yooka-Laylee at its core, which means dealing with uninspired platforming sequences, so-so bosses, unfunny dialogue and worlds that feel more cobbled together than anything else. That may appeal to a strong contingent who loved the original despite its flaws, and might make for a stronger sell to those previously wary, even if it’s far from an amazing platformer.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Similar to Banjo-Kazooie, which Yooka-Laylee is a spiritual successor to, players traverse magical realms and collect items to unlock further levels. There are transformations to unlock, from a bulldozer and school of fish to a pirate ship with a flamethrower, and players can customize the duo with different cosmetics.

It’s unknown how many bosses will be available to fight, but demo transfers to the full game when it launches on October 9th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Retailing for $29.99, the remaster will be discounted by 30 percent if you own the original on the same console family.

The digital version will retail for $29.99 while the physical edition costs $49.99 on consoles (and even includes the full game on the Switch 2’s card). Most importantly, those who own the original 2017 platformer can purchase the remaster at 30 percent off. They must own it on the same platform or console family, though.

In a press release, Playstonic studio director Gavin Price said, “Yooka-Replaylee is built to shine on every platform, and we’re chuffed to bits it’s on Switch 2 from day one, it holds a special place in our hearts (and hands). It’s bigger, brighter, bolder, and packed with all the little touches we always dreamed of. We can’t wait for players to jump in.”

Yooka-Replaylee retains the same story as the original but with new plot points and sequences, overhauled graphics, new Tonics, a new map, and more. Rextro’s Arcade is also completely remade to offer new platforming stages. It also sports several improvements to the camera and controls, including all moves being available from the outset. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay of the remaster’s release.

In the meantime, the development team is “currently busy QAing,” finding and fixing bugs while polishing and optimizing the entire experience for all platforms. It still has a “way to go,” so even if a release date was announced, it could be several months off. Nevertheless, Playtonic is promising a lot of content for launch.

Barring a sudden delay, Yooka-Replaylee will be coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 this year. Alongside improved visuals, it introduces several new features, like fast travel and additional Tonics, while revamping the controls and unlocking all moves from the start.

Even Rextro’s Arcade has been overhauled. Instead of simple mini-games, there are now full-fledged platforming stages where players control Rextro directly (complete with unique abilities). Head here for more details and stay tuned for updates.

Meanwhile, a new gameplay trailer has also been released to offer another extended look at Yooka-Replaylee and all the improvements, additions, and changes it will boast. In addition to overhauled visuals, a new control scheme, new in-game challenges (as well as improved versions of pre-existing ones), fully orchestrated music, new currency to hunt down and collect, and much more. Check out the trailer below for more details. 

When Yooka-Replaylee launches later this year, it will be available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and unspecified Nintendo platforms- likely the Switch 2. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks and months.

Rextro has his own mechanics, like extending his head to attack enemies and latch onto platforms for traversing gaps. He’ll collect coins, push keys onto square panels to unlock the way ahead, and jump across dubious hazards. There are eight levels, and completing them bestows medals to trade for Pagies.

Yooka-Replaylee is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo platforms, seemingly indicating a launch on the Switch 2. Though the latter is out this year (with a dedicated Direct scheduled for April 2nd), Playtonic hasn’t confirmed a release window for the remaster.

Stay tuned for more details, and check out the previous trailer highlighting remade stages like Glittergaze Glacier.

As a remaster of 2017’s Yooka-Laylee, Yooka-Replaylee offers vastly improved visuals, overhauled animations and better performance. You’ll still have to stop Capital B from stealing all the world’s books, but there are new challenges, more fluid controls, an improved camera, a new currency for the Vendi, and a world map. The latter also helps track challenges.

Speaking of Vendi, the sentient vending machine offers new tonics and even merchandise to customize Yooka and Laylee with. And if all that isn’t enough, composers Grant Kirkhope and David Wise have turned the game’s music into an orchestral score.

Yooka-Replaylee doesn’t have a release date, but if it’s indeed coming to Nintendo’s next console, we may see it next year. Stay tuned for updates in the meantime.

Yooka-Replayee celebrates a decade of Playtonic (even if Laylee’s name has been butchered in the process). On top of improved visuals and resolution, it revamps the art and animations while improving performance. There are also new challenges and improvements to old ones, a new collectible currency, new outfits, and a new world map and challenge tracker.

If that wasn’t enough, there are also new Tonics, and you can equip multiple of them. The controls have also been made more fluid while the camera sounds more responsive. Finally, the original soundtrack from Grant Kirkhope and David Wise has received an orchestral rearrangement. Stay tuned for more details next week, as a sit-down Q&A session is coming June 11th.