20 Reasons 2016’s Biggest Games Might Disappoint

10. Gears of War 4 – Fans Missing Marcus Fenix

The Hype: The first core Gears of War game since 2011 seeks to deliver the same brutal, visually stunning and beautiful gameplay, with new set of characters, including ‘JD’ son of Marcus Fenix.

Why It Might Disappoint: Gear of War’s fans have already revealed their disapproval of the fact that Marcus Fenix apparently will not appear in the latest game, and many feel that JD may simply end up being a pointless and limp substitute.

Then there is this feeling that Gears 4 may be too much of the same in terms of art style, gameplay and so on. It is not like anyone play these games for the story, so a little variety in terms of bosses and set-pieces would be nice.

And finally, there is the fact that the main campaign only supports 2-player co-op, when 4-player co-op has been a recent franchise staple. New games should not be making steps back like this game.

9. Dead Island 2 – Does not Build On The Original

The Hype: The acclaimed 2011’s open-world zombie game finally gets its long-awaited sequel, shifting the setting to California and presenting new, fantastic combat mechanics.

Why It Might Disappoint: It is really hard to ignore Dead Island 2’s puzzled production history: Techland the original game’s (Dead island) developer, bailed to work on Dying Light game instead, while Deep Silver the new developer were dropped after 3 years of development, and recently, Sumo Digital were appointed as the new developers for this game.

Even if Dead Island 2 somehow makes it out in 2016, there is one big question that gameplay videos so far have not been able to answer: aside from its setting, how does this game build on and differ from the first Dead Island? Dead Island felt like such a missed opportunity in different areas, and if Dead Island 2 is just more of the same, gamers and critics likely will not be forgiving this time.

8. Star Citizen – Victim Of Its Own Hype

The Hype: Star Citizen is a space simulation and the most crowd-funded project in the history, having accumulated an crazy $109+ million to this date. It is amazing like gaming industry has never seen before, consisting of massively multiplayer persistent universe featuring exploration, trading, combat and a campaign mode allowing both co-op multiplayer and single player.

Why It Might Disappoint: Simply, Star Citizen has been in development for so long, costing so much money and is so foolishly ambitious that nothing short of a great masterpiece will please its fans and the gaming industry. It may eventually end up as an ambitious failure, or at the very least a victim of its own hype, serving up a decent yet flawed title that possibly did not justify all the ceaseless mighty hype.

We all want to be wrong, but it’ll be nothing short of a miracle if this game is everything it promises to be.

7. Battlefield 5 – Plagued By Another Awful EA Launch

The Hype: Rumours have prevailed over the last few weeks that the latest Battlefield 5 will be set during the World War I, a shocking move considering the modern setting of recent games, and how few video games have tried to tackle The Great War. If nothing else, it will hopefully be something new and different.

Why It Might Disappoint: Though the World War I setting is sure to be dissenting if true, the bigger obstacle is actually releasing the video game with a solid launch. Who can forget Battlefield 4’s lousy start, where players on all platforms were encumbered with performance issues and huge netcode problems for months after its release?

Taking into account that Battlefield Hardline is also launched with different problems, should we really expect Battlefield 5 to have a smooth start right from the get-go? Again, maybe wait and see how players and critics handle the launch before you spend your money.

6. Horizon Zero Dawn – Beautiful But Empty New IP

The Hype: The new IP from Guerrilla Games (known for Killzone) is an action role playing game in which the player travel a gorgeous, post-apocalyptic land filled with mechanical dinosaurs. Guerrilla Games have also promised that Horizon Zero Dawn will boast a vast open world and without any single loading screen.

Why It Might Disappoint: Any new IP is a huge gamble, and though Horizon Zero Dawn certainly looks stunning, it remains to be seen whether it can actually support much substance to accompany this lush style. If there is not much more to the game than chopping down these monsters and collecting loot, it could get monotonous pretty quickly, and considering that the Killzone games were not exactly admired for their stunning characters and plots, this could be where Horizon Zero Dawn majorly falls down.