Open World, Zero Depth
Content has always been king when it comes to video games, with the the open world sub-genre serving as the ideal format when it comes to crafting an awesome experience. Unfortunately, some developers choose to cut too many corners, leaving their games barren and totally devoid of fun. We can’t wait until Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out to show these sub-par ventures how it’s done!
#5: “Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon†(2008)
Speaking of games with good ideas but terrible results, here’s one about aliens in the 70s. “Path of the Furon†picks up a decade after the events of Destroy All Humans! 2, with the latest clone of Cryptosporidium setting out to investigate the return of once-extinct alien warriors. It’s n interesting premise, undermined by the game’s repetitive missions, glitch-filled play, rather simplistic visuals and a script that never quite rises above cringe-worthy stereotypes and low-grade humour. Equal parts embarassing in quality and unpleasant in tone, this is one close encounter none of us ever wants to have.
#4: “Homefront: The Revolution†(2016)
A reboot of the Homefront series, The Revolution tackles the (absurd) prospect of a North Korean occupation of the US city of Philadelphia. The game allows you to explore the city in-between missions, with weapon customization and scavenging offered as some semblance of variety. Unfortunately, the promise of these mechanics is thoroughly ruined by the game’s poor mechanical and creative design, making the world less-than-appealing to engage with. Players can look forward to a paint-by-numbers storyline with uninspiring characters, uncomfortable gunplay and stealth elements, and a laundry list of frustrating technical issues. That this is also an aesthetically underwhelming game with no visual flair or energy should not be surprising.
#3: “Infestation: Survivor Stories†(2012)
Oh, how the shame just built up in regards to this one. Originally known as The War Z, this open-world survival game had more than a little in common with the DayZ mod. It relied upon similar elements – food and thirst management, combatting zombies, working with other players to survive – but in a less refined manner. Among other issues, reviewers noted its plentiful bugs, the ease with which hacking could occur, the absence of promised features like a levelling system, and its reliance on microtransactions. And let’s not even get into the legal troubles with the US Patent and Trademark Office or the problematic remarks made by the game’s producer…
#2: “Day One: Garry’s Incident†(2013)
Goodness, where to begin? This first-person shooter puts players in the shoes of Garry Friedman (we see what you did there), a cargo aircraft pilot who ends up in the Amazon and discovers a lost civilization. Resorting to tired cliches in its establishment of plot and setting, Garry’s Incident has the larger issue of being incompentently made. Weapons fired in close-quarters can just straight-up fail to harm enemies, the world is riddled with textureless surfaces, and the AI for enemies is blissfully ignorant of sounds and actions. Apparently, the developer didn’t take criticism very well and filed a copyright claim to take down TotalBiscuit’s video.
#1: “Raven’s Cry†(2015)
Everything that can go wrong, has gone wrong here. First released under the name Raven’s Cry, this pirate-themed sandbox game established itself out of the gate to be a sub-par game; it suffered from game-ending crashes and was clearly dated in terms of visual design. Digging deeper, however, reveals a content-light product plagued by glitches, undermined by its unwieldly combat mechanics and atrocious in the realms of writing and voice acting. Facing overwhelming negativity, the game was eventually rebranded as Vendetta: Curse of Raven’s Cry… only for this version to also get lambasted in reviews and eventually being pulled from sale.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Underrated Open World Games.
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