The 10 Worst Video Games of 2015

| More Articles: Gaming & Comics
Published on
May 16, 2016

Let’s get this out of the way: 2015 was a banner year for video games. You’d be hard pressed to find much to complain about if you look at the 10 best games to release this year. But if you look past those terrific games and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the barrel on Metacritic, you’ll see that 2015 had its share of bad games, too. So if you’re curious about which games received the worst reviews of 2015, read on. We have you covered.

10. Enki

Metacritic score: 43

Horror games are tough to get right, as Enki proves beyond any reasonable doubt. The idea behind this crash course in bad horror gaming is that it changes each time you play it. That may sound well and good, but the game is so frustrating that you wouldn’t want to play it more than once. And since it only takes a half hour to beat, you’re not getting much gameplay for your buck. And even if you do play it again, you’ll discover that not much has changed, so there’s no good reason to keep going. Even horror fans should steer clear of this dud.

9. MX Vs. ATV Supercross Encore

Metacritic score: 42

From Forza Motorsport 6 to Need for Speed, top-tier racing games were plentiful in 2015. Which means there’s no reason for anyone to play a racer as bad as MX Vs. ATV Supercross Encore. This eyesore of a game looks like it was made for last-gen consoles, and it controls even worse, with your vehicle careening off the road due to no fault of your own. With so many other great racers out there, don’t waste your time or money on this one.

8. Project Root

Metacritic score: 38

When done right, bullet-hell shooters can deliver teeth-grinding, edge-of-your-seat thrills. Unfortunately, Project Root doesn’t do it right. Instead of offering a tight selection of levels peppered with projectiles, this sprawling game tosses uninspired enemies in levels that seem like they’ll never end. In short, it’s a slog.

7. Godzilla

Metacritic score: 38

In a game that lets you play as a skyscraper-sized beast that terrorizes cities, what could possibly go wrong? A lot, apparently. While the scale of Godzilla is great, the rest of the game leaves a lot to be desired. It’s a highly repetitive experience, with clunky controls and seriously underwhelming monster battles. Whether you’re a fan of the movies or not, leave this game on the shelf.

6. Zombeer

Metacritic score: 32

The zombie apocalypse is in full force in this game, and the only way to avoid turning into a mindless monster is by drinking beer. It’s a premise that might work in a horror comedy movie, but it definitely doesn’t work in this game. The writing is painfully uninspired, with jokes that fall flatter than week-old Budweiser. The controls are awful, the graphics are lacking, and the fun factor is nonexistent. The best thing about it may be its short running time.

5. Giana Sisters: Dream Runners

Metacritic score: 32

The original Giana Sisters game came out back in the ’80s and was a shameless ripoff of Super Mario Bros. This installment tries to freshen things up by adding a multiplayer racing element to the 2D platforming levels. It may sound fun, but the awful controls, repetitive level design, and punishingly difficult AI stomp out any possible enjoyment. Calling this game bad is an understatement.

4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5

Metacritic score: 32

How the mighty have fallen. In the early 2000s, the first four Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games were (and still are) some of the best skating games ever made. After a long dormancy, Activision decided to resurrect the Pro Skater franchise, promising to deliver the kind of streamlined skating game players crave. Unfortunately, the finished product failed to deliver on that promise, with bland levels, pointless multiplayer, and bugs galore. Will there ever be another great Tony Hawk game? Maybe, but this isn’t it.

3. Raven’s Cry

Metacritic score: 27

Some games sound promising on paper but faceplant on execution. That’s Raven’s Cry in a nutshell. This game wants to be a swashbuckling action adventure that lets you kill villainous pirates as you sail around the Caribbean in the 18th century. It might have been an interesting historical romp if not for the dull gameplay and ludicrous number of bugs that sap any enjoyment you might have found. Avoid this one at all costs.

2. Afro Samurai 2: Revenge of Kuma Volume One

Metacritic score: 21

The original 2008 Afro Samurai game was a respectable brawler based on a popular anime series. This sequel is a hollow shell of the original, complete with bad graphics and unresponsive controls — two things that completely ruin a fast-paced brawler like this. Throw in a heap of bugs, laggy input, and constant slowdown, and you’ve got a game that no one should waste their hard-earned cash on.

1. Alone in the Dark: Illumination

Metacritic score: 19

Once upon a time, Alone in the Dark was a respectable series. That time is long gone, as illustrated by this miserable excuse for a video game. With mind-numbingly repetitive gameplay and so many bugs that the game feels unfinished, there’s no reason at all to waste your time with this one. There’s virtually nothing connecting this installment to previous ones, so even if you used to like the series, you can rest assured that you’ll be missing nothing by skipping this one.

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