Boss Rush Banter: What Was 2022’s Most Disappointing Game?

Every year, gamers are spoiled with a slew of incredible titles to dig their thumbs into. Whether it’s the next AAA blockbuster, or a charming indie title that scratches that niche itch, gamers everywhere have a lot to choose from when declaring what their favorite annual gaming experience has been.

In contrast, there are also plenty of games that us gamers look forward to, only to sorely disappoint once they’ve released. Perhaps they are alright games, but fail to live up to our high expectations, or maybe–just maybe–they are buggy messes that should never have been placed on store shelves in the first place.

2022 of course was no different from any other year, and for every Elden Ring or God of War Ragnarök, there are even more clunkers that we would place on our “Do Not Buy” lists.

The Callisto Protocol

The Callisto Protocol is one such title. Heralded as a tribute to the incredible Dead Space franchise, players have been enamored with this game from Striking Distance Studios since getting a reveal trailer in December 2020. Upon release however, many reviewers claimed that the scariest thing about the title wasn’t the hideous space felons infected with an extraterrestrial disease, but the numerous performance issues and unremarkable combat.

Overwatch has been one of the most popular competitive FPS games ever since it released in 2016, so you can only imagine how hyped gamers were for a sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s hero-based shooter. Promising even more characters, more arenas, more game modes, and even a full PVE campaign, all at a free-to-play price, Overwatch 2 was shaping up to be a massive upgrade to the original title. However, when the game went live in October of last year, most fans saw it as a minor adjustment of the first game. While it did deliver on bringing several new heroes for players to choose from, the game fell short on providing many new game modes and levels to duke it out in. What’s more is that the PVE campaign was nowhere to be found, with it being pushed back to “sometime in 2023.” Add to that numerous connectivity issues, long queues, and even some severely glitched heroes at launch, and you have a recipe for a hugely disappointing game.

Fans of the Pokémon franchise aren’t strangers to disappointment. Whether it be with the art style of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, or the exclusion of fan favorites in the Sword and Shield games, it often seems that no matter what developer Game Freak does it cannot please everyone. 2022’s Scarlet and Violet seemed to let down more gamers than usual however, as the games’ poor performance, countless glitches, and lackluster graphics have been some of the most noteworthy details about the dual titles. Although patches have corrected many of the launch issues, and most gamers have proclaimed that it is still an addictively fun experience despite its shortcomings, Scarlet and Violet ultimately failed to meet most fans’ lofty expectations.

These titles of course aren’t the only ones that left players feeling lukewarm: Babylon’s Fall came and went with nary a whimper; the Saints Row revamp was overwhelmingly average; Diablo Immortal‘s reliance on microtransactions led to accusations of “pay-to-win” mechanics; and Mario Strikers: Battle League offered a shallow soccer experience that could have done with much more depth.

What do you say? Which game let you down the most in 2022? Did one of the games mentioned above leave you heartbroken? Or perhaps one of the more acclaimed titles this year just didn’t click for you? Sound off in the comments below and on our social media platforms!

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The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, LeRon, Stephanie, Edward, and their friends from around the internet come together to talk their week in games, entertainment, and more while also bringing topics for conversation, answer listener and community questions, and cover major news and events happening in the video game industry. Watch The Boss Rush Podcast live on Wednesday Nights on Twitch at 8:30PM ET / 5:30PM PT or on Friday mornings at 7AM ET on YouTube and podcast services everywhere. Thanks for listening! You can also get this episode one week early on Patreon.