Mikes Rant Christmas Edition – The 5 Worst Games Of 2022

Is Christmas officially over today? Well, I’m already thinking of taking all the lights and decorations down and getting back to normal, but maybe that’s because I’m a bit of a Grinch. Speaking of being mean though, while you found out my top 5 games of 2022 yesterday, I bet you’re all wondering which titles made my metaphorical sh*t list…

Well, wait no longer as in today’s Christmas Edition of Mike’s Rants, I name my 5 worst games of 2022.

Rainbow Six Extraction

Rainbow Six Extraction is basically a more fleshed-out version of a massively popular seasonal event in Rainbow Six Seige. And, at that point, this pretty much sums the entire game up. Rather than a whole new innovative title, Rainbow Six Extraction feels more like a lazy reskinned spin-off. In something which I suspect will be a recurring theme in this list, Rainbow Six Extraction is not a bad game, but given that this was released 7 years after the infinitely better ‘Seige’, the fact that the original title still has a huge player base whereas this does not, it really does kind of highlight, or at least make you like like, Ubisoft phoned this one in a little.

Diablo Immortal

I daresay I don’t have to do too much explaining here, but for those of you that were fortunate enough to avoid this, let me start by making it clear that on the surface of things Diablo Immortal is a fun game. It’s free to play and does so exceptionally well on mobile devices. The only problem is that, possibly under the influence of Activision, this has very little to do with killing the demons of the underworld and significantly more to do with getting your card information for in-game microtransactions.

This has led the game to be alternatively dubbed Diablo Immoral for the hideous nature of effectively almost requiring payment to get your character suitable for the highest levels. Oh sure, you can grind it out, if you have maybe 10,000 hours. – And this aspect of its ‘gem’ mechanics is incredibly insidious. It tempts you in with being free and then finds people addicted enough to actually start throwing serious amounts of money at it.

Yes, I get that Blizzard is a business and businesses need to make money. Regardless of what you think of the gameplay though, Diablo Immortal is, in my opinion at least, 10% about the players, and 90% about attempting to bleed them dry.

Overwatch 2

The fact that I’m featuring another Blizzard title on this list clearly indicates just how far this once-beloved developer has fallen. Again, Overwatch 2 on the surface is not a bad game. Let’s be honest though, for as much as Blizzard might want to call this a sequel, Overwatch 2 is more like a heavily patched update which has introduced more characters, and, by proxy, more skins to try and sell loot boxes. That does pretty succinctly cover this game and for how amazing the original was, I felt nothing but disappointment for this so-called sequel.

I do take note that criticising ‘free to play’ games is a bit of a tricky subject. It is free, and you don’t have to spend money if you don’t want to. I just feel that this and Diablo Immortal just highlight the predatory nature of microtransactions in games. They don’t target 9 out of 10 people to spend a little money, they target the 1 in 10 who will spend a bloody fortune because they have problems!

With Diablo IV set for release in the new year, lordy lordy do I have my concerns!

Saints Row

After an explosive start, the Saints Row franchise had run out of steam and giving it the reboot treatment did seem to be a very sensible decision. With this in mind though, we do have to consider the exact point of what a reboot is (or should be).

A reboot should act as a shot in the arm. Something to revitalise a tiring franchise. When done correctly, this can lead to some excellent results (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Resident Evil 7, DOOM, you get the idea). When done poorly, however, what you get is Saints Row 2022.

In fact, on this point, it almost has the same unfortunate distinction now of having to be called Saints Row 2022 in the same way that we also have Ghostbusters 2016. It’s so bad that the fans want it to be completely removed from the main franchise.

Why is Saints Row 2022 so bad though? Well, largely because it does everything a reboot shouldn’t. It repeats the exact same formula of the original 4 titles but completely loses its soul. It’s not funny, it’s not wacky, it commits the worst sin possible for a game, and particularly one from this series…

It’s just so damn boring!!!

Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition

Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition is, hands down, the worst game I’ve played this year! – When it was originally announced around 3 years ago, I had huge hopes for this. I actually purchased this game when it was originally released in 1997 so, admittedly, I’m biased. I still have the disc box in my cupboard (as well as a spare).

At the time though, the vector graphics utilised within it were incredible. And more so the fact that for masses of apparent 3D rendering, this game didn’t require a ‘3D accelerator’ (ie. a dedicated graphics card). – The original Blade Runner 1997 was a game and this so-called “Enhanced Edition” just shat all over that legacy.

In terms of graphics? Barely better. Things are smoothed out but with the glaringly obvious issue of being done so cheaply and lazily that every just looks like it’s been smeared with vasoline. The gameplay? Pretty much exactly the same (faults and all). – The fact that storefronts like GOG actually give people the option of buying this or the ScummVM fan-made (actually enhanced) version is all you need to know about this “Enhanced Edition” and which one you should actually play!

Mikes Rant Christmas Edition – What Do You Think?

Picking my five worst games of the year is never an easy task. I mean, while I don’t mind ruffling feathers, I do try to pick what I honestly believe has been pretty terrible. This year though, rather than awful, I think it’s mostly just been a year of sad disappointment. Nothing outright hideous, but so much missed potential!

Again though, you’re free to differ in your opinion and in this regard, I can only pick the games I’ve actually encountered. What do you think though? What’s your worst game of 2022? – Let us know in the comments!

For more of Mike’s Christmas-related rantiness, check out the link here! They’ll be a new rant (nearly) every day between Christmas and New Year!