The end of 2012 is nigh. We’ve already recounted our top 10 games of the year, but now it’s that time when we look back on some of our not-so-fond gaming experiences that we’ve endured over the course of the past 365 days.
Here are the top five worst video games of 2012.
In theory, 2012 seemed like it would be a great year for Resident Evil fans. The follow-up to 2009’s middling Resident Evil 5 was on its way and it looked set to right the wrongs of its predecessor (more on that later), while Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City looked to be a fun multiplayer offshoot from the core series. But those hoping that RE: ORC would be a co-op experience in the vein of Left 4 Dead were left sorely disappointed, as clunky controls and repetitive gameplay ensured that, aside from the novelty of essentially playing SOCOM with zombies, the end result was a game that ultimately dealt a huge blow to the credibility of a once beloved series.
Dinosaurs. Jetpacks. How could the combination of these two magnificent things go so horrifically wrong? When Orion: Dino Beatdown was first announced no one touted it as a prospective contender for game of the year, but many were nonetheless excited to play it on account of the aforementioned dinosaurs and jetpacks. An open-world survival shooter where you and your friends have to fend off waves of velociraptors – how could that not be fun?
Unfortunately, it turns out that Orion‘s concept was a great deal better than its execution, with the final product being nothing more than an ugly, glitchy mess. Looks like we’ll all just have to get our dinosaur/jetpack kicks elsewhere.
There’s not a lot for PS Vita owners to get excited about. Since the handheld console’s release, Sony have failed to produce any killer games for it, with declining sales a direct result of this. However, the release of a new Call of Duty game is always a big event, and Black Ops: Declassified seemed primed to be the system seller that the Vita sorely needed. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case, as Declassified was instead a hastily thrown together mess, with clunky controls, lacklustre multiplayer and a campaign that lasted just 40 MINUTES. If the sales of the Vita continue to dwindle, we’ll no doubt look back on Declassified as a nail in its coffin.
No one predicted that Kinect Star Wars would be a good game. From the moment it was announced, fans of the classic sci-fi series met the news with the same trepidation they greet any post-Return of the Jedi announcements with. However, no one anticipated just how bad LucasArts’ first (and hopefully last) foray into motion-controlled gaming would be. Featuring astoundingly dull lightsaber battles and a mini-game where Han Solo shakes his thang to a Jason Derulo song, Kinect Star Wars wasn’t a disappointment in the sense that we were initially expecting great things from it, but disappointing in the sense that it was probably the worst case of George Lucas’ money-grubbing since the Holiday Special.
Resident Evil 6 wasn’t as bad as many critics would lead you to believe, but after the negative reaction to Resident Evil 5‘s emphasis on action over scares, many were hoping that Capcom would appease their fans and go back to their survival-horror roots. However, this was not the case, as RE6 turned out to be little more than your bog standard co-op shooter, albeit with a blockbuster franchise attached to the back of it, thus leading to the largest synchronised groan since the release of Duke Nukem Forever. RE6 was bloated, tedious and mediocre and, alongside Operation Raccoon City, ensured that fans won’t be so quick to leap to their feet with excitement when Resident Evil 7 is inevitably announced.
Paul Tamburro is the UK Editor of Crave Online. Follow him on Twitter @PaulTamburro
