We've all seen the best PS4 games. Here's the list of releases that didn't live up to their expections, the worst games on the PlayStation 4 according to both critics and gamers.
10. ARK Park
Sure, ARK: Survival Evolved is a great MMO game, but this VR take on the Jurassic Park-like experience isn’t as grand as everyone thought it would.
ARK Park has glaring issues. First, it’s obvious development was rushed. Resulting in an unfinished mess. Second, it’s expensive for a glorified tech demo. Intended as a groundbreaking VR title, it disappointed most of the ARK player base with Chinese developer Snail Games’ shady cash-grabbing practices.
Graphics-wise, the game is impressive. Every detail feels like you’re part of a Jurassic Park movie. However, the rest is clunky, controls are wonky and movement is a vertigo-inducing trip. Cubed3’s Drew Hurley criticized the gameplay loop, saying that, “The gathering is grindy, the crafting unrewarding, and the combat boring and repetitive.“ He gave it a 3 out of 10.
It’s devoid of all the great things that made Survival Evolved fun to play at. Performance-wise, compared to the abysmal PC version, this PS4 port is a smoother experience… but that doesn’t mean it’s still good. It receives a playscore of a 5.33.
9. Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma - Volume One
Rare is a game SO BAD the developers decided to cancel every future plan of the project and remove it from the face of the Earth, they even had to issue refunds to those who buy it. It was so terrible they no longer want to complete the next two volumes. It’s based on a very popular manga about afro samurais and hip-hop. It’s a huge downgrade from the first Afro Samurai game from 2009, which received favorable reviews.
Calling this game “bad” is an understatement. To start off, it has no direction. The entire pilgrimage of the hero is never realized. Every time it comes close to major story development, the game completely forgets about it. The blatant sexism, the terrible gameplay and a bit of bug in between, it is an obvious flop. Of all the reviewers, Destructoid hated the game so much they gave it a 1. Reducing its review to two words: ‘Digital Seppuku’ I mean, come on. There’s no reason to seriously consider buying this game, even the devs are removing it from most major video game stores.
At least the soundtrack is a banger. It has a playscore of 5.16.
8. Left Alive
Considered as a spin-off for Front Mission, Square’s brand-new action-survival game feels like a hot topic version of Metal Gear.
The game takes you to the dark and gritty future where technology is rampant and mechs are a thing. You take control of three protagonists with different perspectives, sounds cool, right? But no. According to most players, the game is ‘complete garbage’. The game’s lackluster content makes you feel that the devs knew what they were doing when they named it Left Alive.
Most of the game’s issues come from its performance issues that come alongside a triple-A price tag. There’s no good reason to purchase this title in its current state, or maybe forever. Push Square gave it a 2 out of 10. Disappointed by everything the game delivered. Saying that, “Left Alive categorically fails at everything it sets out to accomplish”. It’s a shame since a lot of talented people from popular video game franchises extended their help only to produce this… abomination.
It’s better off dead, really. It receives a playscore of 5.13.
7. Tennis World Tour
Sports games can be bad too, especially when the developers don’t bother trying. Tennis World Tour was supposed to be the new standard for Tennis. You could choose from a wide variety of iconic professional players and even experience a career mode.
You might be asking, “How is it bad when it follows the same formula as other sports titles?!” The answer is, like most games on this list, it is an incomplete mess. Even after a year since its release, no major improvements were made to the game regarding its slow movement and game-breaking bugs. Not to mention the shady practice from the developers.
Dual Shockers gave it a 3 out of 10. Attacking the game’s terrible marketing and presentation. They said, “It’s one thing to not have key features at launch, but the absence of solid gameplay puts the final nail in the coffin.”. The game might appease some casual players, but those who spend the full price would think it to be a waste of their money and their time. Other Foreign reviewers, such as Multiplayer and IGN Italy both gave it a 5 out of 10. At least they’re a bit forgiving, but still share the same concerns from most people. It has a playscore of a 5.04.
6. Bravo Team
This is an unexpected disappointment from the company that gave us the horrifying Until Dawn and even The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan. Bravo Team is a VR shooter and another victim of rushed development. Only created within 13 months, it gave a bad rep for Supermassive Games considering that they should know better.
It was intended to be this groundbreaking VR shooter but unfortunately, it was far from that. Its cover-shooter elements are broken and it doesn’t feel like it’s a 2018 game. Aside from that, the enemies are bullet sponges that make no sense. Their AI is so bad it feels like they wanted to die with the game too.
TechRaptor was furious and confused by the game’s design. Giving it a 2 out of 10. Saying that “It is absolutely baffling how truly bad Bravo Team really is. Nothing about this game screams “this is a final product ready for release”.” It is marred by numerous bugs and various performance issues resulting from the rushed development. It is as expected.
Bravo Team is FUBAR and it has a playscore of a 5.04.
5. THE QUIET MAN
Another example of ambitious titles that failed to thrive. The Quiet Man is Square Enix’s immersive narrative-driven story accompanied by an energetic combat and live-action sequences. They even had the gall to hire actors for this one but to be fair, they’re kinda good, the game is just bad. It has a really interesting concept, but horrible execution. The entire game is set within ‘one night’ and it showcases Square’s seamless mix of Live-Action elements and CGI… but it all boils down to one thing: IT’S BORING.
Cultured Vulture’s Ashley Bates gave it a 2 out of 10, saying that, “...consider it a fairly cheap palette cleanser that’ll make you appreciate the much better games on the market.” Most of the major concerns come from its ‘silent world’ since you take control of a deaf protagonist. You literally can’t hear anything at all. There are no subtitles even when other people are talking.
It’s a conceptual catastrophe that failed to capture the real intention of the creators for the players. Even GameSpot gave it a 2 out of 10. Criticizing the boring combat. Saying that the“Simplistic, ungainly combat is all the more surprising given that it is The Quiet Man's only gameplay mechanic.”
It receives a playscore of a 5.02
4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5
It’s heartbreaking to see one of our favorite childhood games get sequels that don’t even compare to the original. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 is a sad and disappointing follow-up to a legendary series. To make the long story short, it’s a technical mess. Most of the controls don’t even work as intended and the classic attitude that made Pro Skater great was gone.
Jimquisition’s Jim Sterling gave it a 2 out of 10. Saying that, “Tony Hawk 5 looks like the burned corpse of a three-legged sheep and plays like the results of teaching a chimpanzee how to code.” Even with an online mode, it’s better you’re doing it offline on your own as it adds no variety to the gameplay. The lack of social features make multiplayer tedious, jarring and could cause some performance drops to your gameplay. GamesRadar gave it a 1.5 out of 5, citing that “..it's a constant reminder of how much greater the originals were, and how much you'd rather be playing them instead.”
Purchasing this game at its full retail price is a terrible idea. Just like most of the criticisms from this game, you’re better off playing the classics instead. It has a playscore of a 4.90
3. Weeping Doll
Horror games are a unique bunch. As long as they scare the crap out of us, they have the pass to be ‘okay’ and we’d recommend it to our friends. Weeping Doll is unlike any other horror game. It’s a cheap pandering for the fans of the genre with its uninspired and generic designs.
It’s a VR title that tries to accomplish something great with its haunting atmosphere, but fails to retain its consistency in its short game time. ZTGD gave it a 3, citing that, “...it’s not even terrifying; the only thing scary is how disappointingly mediocre this experience is.”
There’s a lot of horror games on the market and Weeping Doll shares no distinctiveness to the other great titles. It’s a shame, considering the visuals are really top-notch. GameSpew disliked the game’s presentation, giving it a 4 out of 10. Saying that “The confusing set pieces, empty story, and rough dialogue will distract you from enjoying the experience.”
It sets a lesson that horror games don’t always have to be played in Virtual Reality. It has a playscore of a 4.78.
2. Road Rage
Also another example of a game that you’re better off playing with its original version. Road Rage is a shoddy racing game with open-world elements. As a rider, it is your job to own the streets and smack those who stand in your way. But underneath it… testosterone-fueled presentation, it’s an underwhelming game with no reason to play. Everything is monotonous and it gets pretty repetitive doing the same missions again and again.
TSA was so annoyed at its gameplay loop, especially the unfulfilling combat and ‘road raging’. They gave it a 2 out of 10. Saying that the game has “...become harder to tolerate knowing just how deeply unfulfilling the core gameplay is, even when you factor in the budget price tag.”
It is a terrible title that leaves no satisfaction at the end of the road. It’s a shame since the PS1 classic was so well-received. It has a playscore of a 4.56.
1. Basement Crawl
This pathetic excuse of a Bomberman inspired game is still the reigning champion of Whatoplay’s worst PlayStation 4 games. It is so terrible the devs decided to remake the game from the ground up, giving it free for the poor players who purchased it. Just like Bomberman, you blow up your enemies to smithereens. But Basement Crawl isn’t just that… it also has major horror elements and it’s sad nobody gets to feel its bone-chilling atmosphere due to its… abysmal performance issues.
In addition to that, the game’s other major concern comes from its easily exploitable online mode. Hacks and game-breaking bugs plague its servers, ruining the entire experience. There is no sense going back to this already broken title so it’s best we leave it in the basement. PS Universe gave it a 4 out of 10, saying that, the game “...tries hard to recapture the magic of Bomberman but has a hard time with its horror theme, lack of a real tutorial, and online connectivity issues.“
There’s no saving this one and it sets another lesson to the developers that games should be polished before its release. There’s no point releasing unfinished products only to issue refunds. The rest of the reviewers, including IGN, GameSpot, GamesRadar, Polygon and Destructoid all had one thing in common to say about this trainwreck: It’s best we play the original Bomberman instead.
It has a playscore of a 4.26