As the end of the year approaches, we take a look back at the releases throughout the course of the year as part of our Game Of The Year Awards. Join us as we track the best (and worst) of 2011 on our
GOTY index. Today, we take a look at the most disappointing game of 2011.
In any year Duke Nukem Forever actually came out, one would expect the conventional wisdom to be that Duke would take home the years Most Disappointing prize. But with DNFs unfortunate development history, expectations were set pretty low to begin with. Our years Biggest Disappointment prize instead goes to a game we thought was going to be great, but never lived up to the expectations BRINK.
TeamXbox Biggest Disappointment of 2011:
BRINK
Publisher: Bethesda | Developer: Splash Damage
From its initial unveiling, Bethesda promoted BRINK as the next big thing in online shooters. Trailers carried taglines like Revolution Begins, touted the SMART movement system, developers promised no two games would play alike, the games graphical style and customization were highlighted, and the eight vs eight team-based gameplay was described as
the new way to play team-based FPS games.
Then BRINK came out. The story-based experience meant that the single-player campaign and the multiplayer mode were played on the same 8 maps, handing out the same objectives over and over. The online system was initially broken, and the unique graphical style was a blurry, muddled mess. And the gunplay never really felt satisfying, with the different weapons and unlocks rarely feeling like they made a difference in playstyle.
Not all of BRINK was done poorly, though. The SMART movement system allowed you jump over obstacles and leap off walls, helping keep the maps and gameplay a bit more interesting. And the customization system was as robust as promised, allowing you to create a unique character. Unless you wanted to create a female character, as they were left out. But for all of developer Splash Damages experience in creating tight team-based shooters, the few things BRINK did decently isnt enough to cover up the uninspired gameplay, and strange development decisions, like the lack of a pregame lobby.
Truth is, BRINK isnt a horrible game. If you managed to play with a good team, the game started to come together and youd get some exhilarating matches in. Problem is, those experiences were few and far between. BRINK promised a lot, and let us down in nearly every single one of those categories. With more time in the development oven, BRINK could have been a good game. Instead, it was unfinished, messy, and lackluster. For all the hype and promise, this makes BRINK our most disappointing game of 2011.
Biggest Disappointment of 2011 Dishonorable Mention:
Duke Nukem Forever
Lets not deny it -- most people expected Duke Nukem Forever to be some degree of bad. Its disastrous development phase made it the stuff of legend. Some may have been tempted to buy it just to see what a game looks like after a decade of development, or perhaps because they thought itd have a few redeeming features that would send them on a nostalgia trip to the days of Duke Nukem 3D. They should have saved their money.
DNF is painfully unfunny, tedious, horribly dated, and an all-around mess. The biggest disappointment with DNF lies in the fact that the games infamous development period was more exciting than the actual finished product. DNF isnt just a bad game; it is the type of game you give people you hate when you want them to know that you hate them.
Click here to return to the 2011 GOTY Awards Index!
