2014 was a fun year. There were some great moments for me, and some good games came out that I enjoyed quite a bit. But there were also some pretty crappy moments that just left me feeling like I wanted more. Without further ado, I present my three greatest disappoints from 2014.
1. Game Delays
Every year, games get delayed. And while I’m always in the camp of “awesome, more time for developers to get it right”, that doesn’t mean I don’t feel a tad bit disappointed when I hear “x game” isn’t coming out this year. The first major delay was Tom Clancy’s The Division. In January of this year, it sat at coveted spot number two on my Power Rankings. An online-only shooter RPG with tactical combat? I was salivating just thinking about the game. Alas, it was delayed. Another delay that left me flat was Payday 2: The Heist Crimewave Edition on Xbox One. I loved the PS3 version, and was ready to experience all the love the PC players have gotten since it’s release (and hopefully with more with my Xbox One friends). Battlefield: Hard Line was pushed as well. There was no internal do-I-buy-Call-of Duty-or-Battlefield feud this year, which was kind of nice. But this was also depressing, as I tend to favor those Battlefield games.
2. Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns
Lightning Returns was my number one most anticipated game of 2014. But, after one sitting, I was disgusted. After the second sitting, I promptly sealed the game up and booted it out the door. Lightning was my favorite character from the Final Fantasy series, and I really enjoyed both of the games before Lightning Returns. But Lightning Returns was so terrible that I must have suppressed my memories. I had honestly forgotten I had played it until I was looking at our Power Rankings spreadsheet at the close of the year. I have blocked that horrible experience from my mind, and, seeing it sitting there at the top of my early year rankings, I opened Pandora’s box. I’m honestly pissed off all over again. In short, the pacing was crap, the dresses were ugly and ill-conceived, the game made you run around and do the stupidest things, and there was a timer at the top of screen constantly counting down. The whole time, I was thinking, “I am not going to get a good ending, because I am taking too long to find this stupid number on a wall that I have ran by several times and it was not there until I plugged my internet in and patched the game. >:| ”
3. The “New” 3DS
I absolutely mean this: I was more than a little disappointed when Nintendo announced a more powerful handheld system. Why? They had just released the 2DS a year prior, they have a 3DS XL on the market, and I just bought a 2DS for myself finally this fall. And it’s not just a variant; the “New 3DS” a replacement. Within a few years after release, if not less, first-party Nintendo games (you know, the best ones) will not longer be released on the “old” 3DS. And, once again, the awesomely-original naming from Nintendo (almost a Nintendo exclusive at this point, their fantastic naming ability) will confuse parents and grandparents from around the world. I was face-palming myself at the announcement. But, Nintendo does as Nintendo does, and there’s nothing I can do about it but cry.
So, what are your most disappointing moments of 2014? Let us know in the comments below.
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