Ah 2016… You brought us some real gems in video games, but you also carted in some poop at the same time. Check out the Girls on Games team’s disappointments of the year for 2016. Here’s hoping 2017 doesn’t make the same mistakes.

Catherine

Pokémon GO. It took the world by storm; it was the game that Pokémon fans always wanted to play yet it got butchered. It’s funny how a few months after release, Niantic managed to suck the fun out of one of my most anticipated games. I even uninstalled it from my phone.

Pokemon Go logo

Pokemon Go logo

Leah

Talk about putting the nail in the Wii U’s coffin. I think it is well known that Star Fox Zero was by far the worst game I played this year. Want to know why? Read this.

Star Fox Zero Key Art - from Nintendo

Star Fox Zero Key Art – from Nintendo

Alicia

Tom Clancy’s The Division. I don’t believe any further details are necessary.

Tom Clancy's The Division - Cover Art - from Ubisoft

Tom Clancy’s The Division – Cover Art – from Ubisoft

Simon

Northern Arena at Fan Expo. What was supposed to be the first premium esport event in Canada turned out to be a complete mess. Delays, bad stream quality and Tier 2/3 teams disappointed me.

Northern Arena - Credit TSN.ca

Northern Arena – Credit TSN.ca

Sarah

Dreamhack Montreal. I expected to see the same kind of event I saw in Austin, and it was nowhere near that. Let’s see what this year will look like, but I’m not getting my hopes up.

Starcraft II at Dreamhack Montreal 2016

Scarlett interview at the Starcrat II stage at Dreamhack Montreal 2016 (photo by GoG / CatSD)

Kathless

The Steam version of Batman: The Telltale Series. This game was not playable at all for me (I’m on windows 10). I find it very sad that in 2016, games are released even if they are not working properly. (I have it on PS4 and it’s working fine.)

Batman: The Telltale Series

Batman: The Telltale Series

Devin

Sadly this tin-coated medal has to go to Battleborn. What kills me is that I love the game. I know I’m one of about 23 people in the world that love it (the wait times in the lobby certainly make it seem that way), but it’s an amazing gem that I absolutely adore.

Seriously thought Gearbox, what happened? Pushing for a release right next to gaming overlord Blizzard’s new shiny powerhouse Overwatch, which everyone immediately responded to more positively, and which everyone clearly expressed more interest in? How did that seem like a good idea?

Since then every rebate and marketing attempt has seemed deflated and weak, as though the game has given up despite Gearbox’s efforts to pump it full of life.

Battleborn is a perfect example of how a little hubris and a lot of stupid decisions can break a great game, and that just makes me sad.

Battleborn at Fan Expo 2015

Battleborn booth at Fan Expo 2015. Photo © Girls on Games / Jordan Alexander

Bianca

Xbox E3 Conference. There really wasn’t much there.

Kelsey

Star Fox Zero.

Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Fox McCloud, & Peppy Hare from Star Fox Zero - from Nintendo

Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, Fox McCloud, & Peppy Hare from Star Fox Zero – from Nintendo

Shauna

No Man’s Sky. After all the hype I truly expected something amazing… suffice it to say this was the first game I ever returned on Steam.

Freighters - No Man's Sky

Freighters – No Man’s Sky

GrahfShiro

Probably the current state of VR. After so much marketing and fanfare, it looks like VR is going the way of the dodo, with some sites already calling it dead in the water. The problem, it seems, is that while VR is magical for immersion, it’s actually kind of terrible for actual gameplay. They just haven’t found a way to make gameplay work seamlessly with it, and gamers just want games to ‘work’. Nobody wants to have to be constantly twisting their heads behind them in order to look to see if enemies are creeping around them, that’s awkward in the long run. Also, the price of entry is still steep, the installed base is low, and thus it is a big risk to make VR games at the moment. All of this makes VR not so great for gaming, but might give it life in other interactive entertainment realms. Another thing that could work great on VR are games where you don’t have 360 degrees vision, games that could give you a truly immersive experience with the full range of gameplay experience that is expected, like racing games, or flight sims. It remains to be seen!

PS VR Set up

The VR set-up: PS Camera, Move Controller, Dual Shock 4 (not pictured) PS VR headset and converter unit (Photo by Girls on Games)

Shannon

Games in general. For the most part only a narrow spectrum of games in certain genres catch my eye. When games in other genres are well-made I can appreciate it, but am not usually drawn to them. The games I was excited for this year disappointed me. (I should have played more Dark Souls III)

Xbox One Controller Xbox One controller with headset plugged in. Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games

Xbox One Controller Xbox One controller with headset plugged in. Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games

What were your disappointments in video games from 2016?! Let us know on twitter @thegirlsongames or in the comments below!