As the last 12 months have proven once again, the wild world of video game development is an insanely unpredictable one.

Could anyone have expected Fallout 76 to end up one of the worst-reviewed AAA games of the last few years, or one of the year's most acclaimed games to be Celeste, an indie platformer developed by just a small handful of people?

As 2019 looms and the cycle begins all over again, it's fair to say that some of next year's most anticipated AAA titles have been raising some red flags as of late.

While it's entirely possible that every single one of these games ends up a pleasant surprise if not a stonking success, the numbers game says that at least some of them will fail to meet expectations.

As ever, it'd be wonderful to be wrong, but you'd be smart to cancel those standing pre-orders and wait for reviews in each case...
http://whatculture.com/gaming/13-reasons-2019s-biggest-video-games-might-suck?page=13
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13: It's Style Over Substance - Kingdom Hearts III

Why It Might Suck: Despite being one of the most closely-guarded AAA releases of 2019, Kingdom Hearts III was extensively previewed to the press at an invite-only event last summer, and the general consensus coming away was pretty mixed.

Though there was praise for the visuals and how the game has incorporated various Disney IP - especially Toy Story - some critics also noted a feeling that it was an exercise in style over substance.

The age-old complaints about the series' pesky controls and camera issues have been raised once again, and this is especially problematic as combat can be so chaotic, making it tougher to keep up with the enemy onslaught than it surely should be.

Why It Might Not: While 6 months probably isn't enough time to completely overhaul KH3's issues, it certainly gives Square Enix time to somewhat refine the floaty controls and dodgy camera.

Plus, it's easy to imagine fans and critics alike being so bowled over by the game's overall heft and sweep that these complaints end up more of a footnote than a defining characteristic.

And after all, Final Fantasy XV received overwhelming praise despite its glaring launch problems, so wait and see.

12. Open-World Fatigue - Anthem

Why It Might Suck: Doesn't Anthem just look a bit, well, boring?

Given the utter lack of trust EA and BioWare have earned in recent years, it's incredibly tough to imagine this open-world multiplayer shooter being anything more than a shiny but soulless AAA offering centred around a tedious loot grind.

Basically, with just a few months left until its release, EA has curiously downplayed what you can actually do in the game, rousing suspicions that it's set to be another Destiny: stylish, but vapid and lacking a compelling, lived-in world for you and your friends to inhabit.

Why It Might Not: BioWare may have stumbled recently with the Mass Effect: Andromeda debacle, but is that enough to write off all their prior successes?

They know how to put together vibrant worlds on a epic scale, so it ultimately just comes down to how much rein EA has given them.

The Low-Budget Development - Shenmue III

Why It Might Suck: If you forget the fact that Shenmue III is one of the most agonisingly awaited video game sequels of all time, there are a ton of red flags suggesting it's going to disappoint a lot of people.

Aside from the rather underwhelming smattering of clips and images released so far, the game is obviously being built on a far smaller budget than its AAA-tier predecessors. As such, it's sensible to expect a more linear, low-key experience than the gigantic sandboxes which are very much the norm today.

There's no denying the passion series creator Yu Suzuki is pouring into Shenmue III, but with such scant resources to work from, it's best to expect mediocrity and be pleasantly surprised if it's anything more.

Why It Might Not: Suzuki is at least taking his time with the game, which suggests it won't be a rushed cash-grab. Plus, if Shenmue III ends up feeling like a throwback, there will be many who will firmly embrace it as a charming nostalgia trip.

And maybe, just maybe, Suzuki will be able to find a delicate balance by delivering a smaller-scale project that nevertheless provides a heartfelt, nostalgic continuation of Ryo's quest for revenge.

10. EA Is Involved With It - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Why It Might Suck: It takes a special kind of incompetence to win the illustrious Star Wars license and, after three projects, have desperately little to show for it.

Star Wars Battlefront was a piecemeal disappointment, its sequel was somehow even worse, and despite having the most promise of the lot, Visceral Games' single-player Star Wars title ended up cancelled last year.

So, it's easy to be extremely sceptical about EA's new third-person, campaign-based Star Wars game, because no matter the developmental pedigree behind it, the publisher has an infuriating knack for making gross business decisions which impact the quality of the end product.

The odds aren't in their favour, and again, this is a case where it's best to protect yourself against being burned. Don't pre-order and wait for the reviews to come out.

Why It Might Not: The flicker of promise comes from the game being developed by Titanfall devs Respawn Entertainment, who delivered one of the best first-person shooter campaigns of recent years with Titanfall 2.

Plus, there's a slight possibility that EA maybe learned something following the hostile response to both Battlefront games? Probably not, but stranger things have happened.

9. So. Many. Reasons. - Crackdown 3

Why It Might Suck: If you've been even remotely following the development of Crackdown 3, this should be obvious.

First announced back at E3 2014, the game has suffered through a laboured production, with numerous delays, the curious downplaying of its much-hyped cloud destruction tech and even rumours of its cancellation.

While Microsoft should be vaguely commended for not just dumping the game and moving on, clearly it's been a rough time getting Crackdown 3 in ship shape, and from the pretty middling scraps of gameplay we've been shown, there's little reason to expect anything above heavily mixed reviews.

Why It Might Not: In total fairness, the more recent gameplay footage did boast stronger visuals than in previous trailers, and it looks kinda fun?

Obviously it helps that Microsoft is sensibly releasing the game on their Xbox Game Pass service, which will likely soften the fan and critical response at least a little.

After all, if it's a moderately enjoyable but technically roughshod game, it's far easier to forgive if you haven't just thrown down £45 for it.

Basically, there's virtually zero chance at this stage that Crackdown 3 is a great game, but it could be entertainingly disposable multiplayer mayhem, warts and all.

8. It's Trying Too Hard To Be "Edgy" - Rage 2

Why It Might Suck: Aside from being a wildly unexpected sequel to an indifferently-received 2011 first-person shooter, Rage 2's marketing so far suggests it's trying way too hard to appeal to hyperactive teenage boys.

Its bright, striking aesthetic is accompanied by a strong whiff of cynicism, as though dreamt up by a middle-aged marketing executive and then passed along to the dev team.

To most people over the age of 18, it's fair to say that Rage 2 probably seems a bit exhausting, like your over-eager nephew jumping up and down in front of you when you just want to enjoy a cuppa and watch some Netflix.

Why It Might Not: Its wilfully obnoxious style and tone aside, Rage 2's beat-to-beat gameplay actually looks quite robust and, dare one say, entertaining.

It just depends on whether the gunplay and exploration are persuasive enough for players to put up with its more grating window-dressing

7. There Might Be No Campaign (Again) - Call Of Duty 2019


Why It Might Suck: Despite introducing a well-crafted Battle Royale mode, Blackout, to the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 4 was widely criticised for scrapping a traditional single-player campaign mid-development, presumably to pour more resources into Blackout.

Naturally, fans are wondering whether or not next year's CoD game, presumed to be Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 4, will in fact feature a campaign.

A job listing posted to Infinity Ward's website earlier this year does suggest the game may have a story component, but the lack of a confirmation in light of the Black Ops 4 controversy is still a little worrying.

Even if Infinity Ward has started work on a campaign for MW4, don't be surprised if Activision scraps it in order to focus on the next iteration of Blackout. Considering that BO4 had the best-ever digital sales the franchise has ever seen without a campaign, there's probably not much incentive to bring it back.

Why It Might Not: There's a lot of value in ensuring that each of the three CoD developers - Treyarch, Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games - gives players a unique and distinct experience, so it's entirely possible at least one of these teams will still be commissioned to release a campaign for their game.

There probably won't be clarification on this for quite some time - Black Ops 4 was officially unveiled in March - but if Infinity Ward's game does indeed feature a campaign, it makes good PR sense to announce it ASAP.

6. It Looks Like A Lazy Assassin's Creed Rip-Off - Skull & Bones


Why It Might Suck: Ubisoft's new pirate actioner Skull and Bones has the unmistakable whiff of being a not-so-subtle rip-off of Assassin's Creed's much-praised naval combat, as was first popularised in 2013's Black Flag.

That's not to say that the game doesn't look fun - to a point - but from what's been shown off so far, the mechanics just seem too indebted to Assassin's Creed without bringing enough new or intriguing to the table.

Simply, it's tough to imagine how this can sustain an entire experience apparently worth a full AAA price tag.

Why It Might Not: Ubisoft has confirmed that Skull and Bones will feature a narrative single-player campaign, which at least calms fears this could be another Sea of Thieves (that is, overly reliant on "emergent gameplay".

With the game due to ship at an unspecified 2019 date, the developer at least has time to mount a marketing campaign to convince there's truly enough material here to justify a day-one purchase. But again, this is one worth waiting on reviews for

5. The Closed Beta Was Terrible - Trials Rising


Why It Might Suck: As brilliant as the previous Trials games have been, the closed beta for Trial Rising, uh, didn't go so well. In addition to the surprisingly juddery framerate and repulsive user interface, fans were outraged by the discovery that the final game will feature loot boxes.

With barely two months to go until Trials Rising hits stores, it's not a good look, and for many fans the game has no doubt gone from a day-one purchase to waiting for a sale.

If Ubisoft can't sort the technical issues or resolve the PR kerfuffle surrounding loot boxes, fans at least won't have to wait too long for said sale.

Why It Might Not: The beta took place back in September, so it's not totally outside the realm of possibility that the performance issues could be ironed out by February, and at least the microtransactions are said to be purely cosmetic (for now, anyway).

Given the infuriatingly addictive consistency of the previous games in the series, the odds seem in its favour to succeed, which will only make it all the more crushing if Ubisoft can't fix these nagging issues in time.

4. The Zombie Genre Is Wildly Over-Saturated - Days Gone

Why It Might Suck: The PS4's exclusives output has been on fire as of late, but it's tough to be much enthusiastic about this open-world zombie shooter from SIE Bend Studio, who haven't released a firmly-acclaimed AAA game since 2000's Syphon Filter 2.

From the extensive gameplay shown off, Days Gone doesn't seem like much more than your typical open-world survival game, and numerous press previews from this year's E3 point to a game that's sorely in need of polishing and refinement.

More than anything there appears to be precious little personality to the characters or the world, which would be fatal flaws in a game which wants you to invest dozens of hours exploring it.

Why It Might Not: A lot can happen by the time Days Gone releases in late-April, namely that the technical jank can be cleaned up almost a year removed from those divisive press previews. As for the actual fun factor? That's a little tougher to re-jig once the spine of the experience has been set in place.

It is absolutely a "wait for reviews" game, and even if it's hard to imagine Days Gone scoring raves, it could potentially be hammered into shape and land a respectable 75-80 Metascore.

3. It Might Not Learn From The Original's Mistakes - Tom Clancy's The Division 2

Why It Might Suck: Though Tom Clancy's The Division was generally well-received by critics, once the honeymoon period wore off, boredom quickly set in.

With a visually stunning but soullessly empty open world and an abject lack of compelling post-game content, the name of the game quickly became rote repetition in the pursuit of shinier loot. As such, many played the game for a few weeks, jumped ship and never looked back (this player included).

Though Ubisoft insists that they've learned from the first game's mistakes, it's still incredibly difficult to be completely trusting when it comes to The Division 2.

Given that it's going to sell like hotcakes regardless of its quality, one has to question if it'll simply end up like Star Wars Battlefront II: paying lip-service to the notion of consumer-friendly practises, but actually doubling down on the total opposite.

Why It Might Not: It's already been announced that The Division 2 will give players a year's worth of free DLC, which is definitely an encouraging step in the right direction.

What's been shown certainly looks fun, but like its predecessor, we won't really know if it's a game worth buying for the long haul until reviews are out and the first wave of players are experiencing the post-game content for themselves.

2. It Looks Like A Totally Forgettable Sequel - Gears 5

Why It Might Suck: This might be a controversial opinion, but wasn't Gears of War 4 a bit boring?

Yes, it was visually impressive and boasted slick cover-shooter gameplay, but there was little inventive or original under the surface, resulting in an efficient but shockingly bland, forgettable campaign. The multiplayer was fine, of course.

As such it's hard to be particularly hype for Gears 5, which basically looks like it's going to spoon-feed fans another giant serving of the same old thing. It'll review well, for sure, but for anyone hoping the series might demonstrate any growth, creativity or innovation, you're likely to be sorely disappointed.

Why It Might Not: The single morsel of intrigue is that Gears 5 will shift protagonists from dullard JD Fenix to the far more interesting Kait Diaz, and though the gameplay is likely remain mostly unchanged, the gender shift could maybe prove just the update the series needs.

1. The Community Could Die Out Quickly - Dreams

Why It Might Suck: Back when Media Molecule's ambitious sandbox adventure game was still due out this year, we predicted that it could end up being 2018's No Man's Sky.

A year later, Dreams has slid to 2019, and while the extensive gameplay footage has sold many on the depth of its creativity, there is one further hurdle: the community.

Dreams is absolutely a game that will live and die on the enthusiasm of its fans, because it's players who will create the most mind-bogglingly imaginative worlds for others to explore.

While the early days of Dreams are sure to be flooded with glorious creations, it's also easy to imagine the novelty wearing off quickly, especially once players discover the technical limitations.

While the user-created maps will presumably remain persistently uploaded for future players to explore, Dreams could potentially become a years-long service if the user-base holds firm. It's just a shame that, as history dictates, niche games of this kind tend to suffer a violent population shrinkage after the initial honeymoon period.

Why It Might Not: It's not unheard of for online gaming communities to thrive far longer than anyone would reasonably expect, even if these examples are firm outliers.

For instance, Halo 2 still had people playing until 2010, some six years after its initial release, and one can only hope that Dreams resonates deeply enough with players to keep them coming back for years.

Fingers are most certainly crossed for this one.

vasaratti:
The Low-Budget Development - Shenmue III

Why It Might Suck: If you forget the fact that Shenmue III is one of the most agonisingly awaited video game sequels of all time, there are a ton of red flags suggesting it's going to disappoint a lot of people.

Aside from the rather underwhelming smattering of clips and images released so far, the game is obviously being built on a far smaller budget than its AAA-tier predecessors. As such, it's sensible to expect a more linear, low-key experience than the gigantic sandboxes which are very much the norm today.

There's no denying the passion series creator Yu Suzuki is pouring into Shenmue III, but with such scant resources to work from, it's best to expect mediocrity and be pleasantly surprised if it's anything more.

Why It Might Not: Suzuki is at least taking his time with the game, which suggests it won't be a rushed cash-grab. Plus, if Shenmue III ends up feeling like a throwback, there will be many who will firmly embrace it as a charming nostalgia trip.

And maybe, just maybe, Suzuki will be able to find a delicate balance by delivering a smaller-scale project that nevertheless provides a heartfelt, nostalgic continuation of Ryo's quest for revenge.

This one that I actually paid money on Kickstarter for it. Oh my, after they delayed it, I started questioning my fond memories of the original game.