As a dedicated gamer, I’ve got to say that the first half of 2025 has been quite the rollercoaster ride – some games have truly shone, while others… well, not so much. Yet, amidst the hits and misses, there are a handful of titles that, despite their flaws, hold immense potential. If you’re like me and a few other die-hard gamers who always root for the underdog, these games could offer some unique experiences worth exploring. Remember, though, opinions are subjective – what might not work for one player, could be gold for another!
However, despite our initial anticipation, certain games released this year fell short of delivering the expected value to players. Let’s delve into the 2025 games that left us feeling underwhelmed and explore the reasons behind our disappointment.
Let’s get started.
Deliver At All Costs
Titled “Deliver At All Costs“, this game was jointly created by Far Out Games and published by Konami. The game appeared to promise an enjoyable experience with its distinctive concept – Winston Green’s relentless pursuit as the ultimate courier, where nothing could stand between him, his cargo, and the destination. However, the overall gaming experience was disappointing due to a repetitive gameplay mechanic that lacked inspiration.
Although the isometric design and distinctive gameplay might hold your interest initially, you’ll soon find the game becoming monotonous, offering minimal storyline beyond a handful of ‘fetch and deliver’ tasks.
Instead of enhancing significantly, the upgrades for the We Deliver pickup truck are rather minimal, and the only repercussions for your reckless behavior are some routine police chases, which aren’t particularly memorable. This game, unfortunately, may not linger long in the memories or game libraries of its players after the initial excitement subsides.
Monster Energy Supercross 25 – The Official Video Game
Although the impressive graphics from Unreal Engine 5, an abundance of music tracks, and the renowned Ricky Carmichael providing in-game commentary were key features, Monster Energy Supercross 25 failed to fully capitalize on these advantages due to a learning curve that many players might find challenging.
The tutorials aren’t very effective at helping you understand the rhythm of a race, an oversight that might find you crashing spectacularly in front of a packed stadium. It seems that Milestone S.r.l. may have presumed that anyone playing the game was already an enthusiast of dirt-bike racing and designed the experience with that assumption in mind.
As a gamer, I’d say this game is a must-play for sports enthusiasts, but for those of us who aren’t as familiar with the genre, it might feel like an unexpectedly challenging hike uphill – in other words, it’s surprisingly tough, yet ironically enjoyable.
JDM: Japanese Drift Master
This indie game developed by Gaming Factory based in Warsaw showcased promise as an engaging drifting simulator for racing enthusiasts who appreciate a touch of style while navigating turns. While its in-game physics and story-driven open world were standout features, the overall experience was somewhat spoiled by inconsistencies found on the streets of Guntama Prefecture and its winding mountain roads.
Challenges that a swift vehicle would effortlessly overcome in the physical world might cause you to halt unexpectedly. Imperfect lighting disrupts the seamless transition between day and night, potentially thrusting you into collisions with non-player characters (NPCs) who are simply trying to return home after a tiring day.
The delivery tasks it undertakes are rather unimpressive, and frequent issues with the appropriate vehicle for its various events lead to inconveniences such as having to refuel at the nearest garage and drive back to the original location in a different car.
We recommend rewatching Tokyo Drift a couple of times while you wait for a sale on this one.
STAR WARS: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles Remastered
We can’t hide our enthusiasm about delving back into Anakin Skywalker’s (aka Darth Vader) initial tale, which is being reimagined in this remake of the 2000 LucasArts title. The prospect of gathering all its original content in a single collection, along with Aspyr’s additional features like playing as various enemies you defeated earlier during New Game+, certainly makes for an appealing offer.
As a devoted fan, I’ve got to say that while the visual upgrade is stunning, many of the issues that players faced with the original game persist in this remaster, and they can be quite frustrating, tempting you to embrace the Dark Side. It’s hard to understand why these unpolished elements remain, as they threaten to spoil what could have been a delightful journey back to the golden age of Star Wars.
Perhaps Qui Gon would be happy to let Darth Maul stab him to death if he were to try this one out.
TRON Catalyst
Bithell Games attempted to introduce the enchanting political themes and captivating elements from the original TRON movies to modern-day gamers through their adaptation of the sci-fi series. Nevertheless, the narrative journey of Exo and the ensuing struggle between Automata and Core fell flat for many, due largely to a weak storyline and insufficient application of its intriguing mechanics.
The Glitch system, which allows you to revert your character’s state on the server back to a safer, previous time, is commendable. However, the game’s lore falls short in providing a satisfactory explanation of the different factions you interact with. Regrettably, despite doing many things well, this game could have, and arguably should have been much more impressive overall – a disappointing outcome given its potential.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter
While Arlo’s storyline as the avenger and Warden of the West, skillfully penned and brought to life powerfully through Doug Cockle’s narration, was captivating, the side-scrolling Soulslike game development fell short due to its conflicting tones.
It was quite startling to witness the boss mercilessly killing innocent characters, followed by a rather bland joke from another character shortly after. Despite the impressive combat sequences, the healing system felt more frustrating than groundbreaking, particularly during the later stages of the story and boss battles.
Enthusiasts of challenging Soulslike games might appreciate
La Quimera
It seems there are many potential issues with a first-person shooter game that immerses you in the turmoil of a war between nations in a chaotic world. Indeed, Reburn’s approach to cooperative play, where you join forces with friends to tackle a dangerous world accompanied by an AI ally, did not leave a positive impact on any front.
On the day it launched, there was an unwelcome setback when the game was postponed, which undoubtedly created disappointment among the studio and those eagerly anticipating it. However, the game’s unclear and underwhelming narrative along with its mediocre combat might lead to a title that gamers will be glad to forget about.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster
In recent days, there’s been a surge of interest in Oda Nobunaga and his deeds. However, some newer games may not be aware that this Japanese warlord was once the primary adversary in a highly acclaimed action series by Capcom from the past.
The updated version of Onimusha 2 from the studio retains the elements that made the original game iconic, yet lacks fresh additions apart from an enhanced weapon-swapping feature for convenience and a few challenging difficulty settings to complement its graphical enhancement.
Despite having a stoic and sometimes sarcastic personality that made him less favored compared to Dante and Leon, there’s no denying that Jubei Yagyu truly merited more recognition.
The Precinct
On Mick Cordell Jr’s initial day at Avernus City PD headquarters, the police-simulated scenario initiated by the fallen tree offered an exciting beginning to his career. Unfortunately, his days quickly became monotonous, with his duties largely consisting of patrolling the city streets. The glimmer of promise he initially showcased seldom materialized during his tenure, leaving many hoping for a more eventful experience throughout its duration.
Despite having substandard driving mechanics, The Precinct was an intriguing title that fell short in delivering the thrilling car chases and intense gunfights it suggested, focusing instead on the mundane aspects of police work. Although it occasionally excels and its main plot might appeal to certain individuals, we soon grew tired of this game due to its mediocre narrative and repetitive gameplay.
Splitgate 2
Despite its contentious promotional efforts, Splitgate 2 didn’t achieve the same level of success as its predecessor due to a limited variety of playable characters and a gameplay design that some found repetitive, even though it aimed to introduce fresh concepts.
While it’s undeniable that the game boasts an impressive array of weapons, maps, and modes, its overall experience was marred by a limited number of playable classes with rigid roles. This is particularly disappointing given the large team working on it compared to the original version’s development.
Atomfall: Wicked Isle DLC
While Wicked Isle enriched the main narrative of Atomfall, it failed to compensate for the absence of novel enemy types and noticeable gaps that extended the game’s playtime beyond what was necessary.
It’s quite disappointing given how the main game constantly kept us guessing, and while the DLC offers new weapons, abilities, and characters, the lack of sufficient content makes its price seem unjustified. Similarly, Wicked Isle had the potential to be something extraordinary but fell short of meeting the high expectations it created for itself.
Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest
Experiencing the return to the primary game’s narrative and uncovering additional details about the events leading to Beira D’s demise was indeed thrilling, but Mhairi’s quest for its data logger fell flat due to a reduced playtime and technical glitches that significantly diminished its appeal compared to the main game.
While it offered an engaging storyline, its flaws outweighed the praise it deserved compared to the original game. This was primarily due to The Chinese Room’s efforts to address the linearity of the main game, but they encountered complications with pathfinding and technical issues that hindered a complete experience in the DLC.
That’s a paradox many studios would rather avoid.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Following a 26-year hiatus, fans of the Fatal Fury series were buzzing with anticipation as they eagerly awaited a fresh addition to the renowned SNK franchise. Offering groundbreaking new gameplay features and stunning graphics, it’s somewhat astonishing that KOF Studios didn’t fully capitalize on the excitement surrounding a franchise that had many players eager to revisit the 2D fighting experience it provided.
Unfortunately, it didn’t gain much popularity due to a rather dull role-playing game (RPG) mode and a limited number of notable characters in its playable lineup. However, it boasted impressive fighting systems that offered challenges for both beginners and experienced players. Despite this, fans were left feeling let down.
FBC Firebreak
We were eagerly anticipating a team-based shooter game set in the universe of Control, as we believed it would be another outstanding production from Remedy Entertainment. Unfortunately, Firebreak didn’t meet our high expectations, as its gameplay loop grew monotonous quickly and the influences from other games were mostly sidelined, with only a few exceptions that stood out.
As an enthusiast, I found myself immersed in a thrilling, high-octane experience, but the game’s arsenal felt somewhat constrained, offering few weapon choices and repetitive environments. The enemy types also lacked diversity, which made the gameplay loop feel monotonous at times. However, the allure of unlockables kept me going, only to discover that they demanded an excessive amount of grinding for the average gamer like myself.
Even though things aren’t perfect right now, there’s still hope because Remedy might make adjustments to get this thrilling but imperfect shooter back on the right path.
MindsEye
Oh, “MindsEye”. It’s a real shame that Build a Rocket Boy wasn’t able to fully realize this game’s potential, considering the great anticipation surrounding it – not just from us, but from the broader gaming community. Originally, we were looking forward to it as a fitting distraction while waiting for the release of GTA 6. On the surface, “MindsEye” seems to have all the elements of a contemporary blockbuster: an engaging storyline combined with a visually stunning open-world that challenges the boundaries between man, technology, and artificial intelligence.
Redrock’s vacant streets and unresponsive characters, coupled with its monotonous mission structure, dull narrative, and glitchy performance, left us yearning for a far superior game. Regrettably, what could have been one of the standout titles this year was not a pleasant experience, leaning more towards disappointment rather than enjoyment.
Did any games disappoint you by not meeting your expectations? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!
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2025-07-19 18:42