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2024 has been a fantastic year for gaming, with a plethora of incredible titles gracing our Xbox consoles. But amidst the triumphs and masterpieces, there have been some unfortunate misfires that left us scratching our heads and reaching for the uninstall button.
In this article, we’re taking a look at 10 of the worst Xbox games of 2024 – the ones that failed to deliver on their promises, were plagued by bugs, or simply left us feeling bored and unfulfilled. We may not have dished out any 0.5/5 or ⅕ scores as in previous years, but these games still need ignoring.
Consider this your warning sign to steer clear of these gaming mishaps.
The following six games all received 1.5/5 scores in our review from us.
Kiki – A Vibrant 3D Patformer
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/kiki-a-vibrant-3d-platformer-review/
Kiki – A Vibrant 3D Platformer is a tragically bland and repetitive platformer that fails to live up to its name. Coming from the super prolific Eastasiasoft, the gameplay is simplistic and uninspired, with tedious key-carrying puzzles and recycled level design that quickly becomes tiresome.
While the visuals are colourful, they lack creativity and feel generic. The platforming itself is clunky, with noticeable input lag that leads to frustrating falls and restarts. The difficulty curve is erratic, with the game becoming inexplicably easy in the latter half.
The only redeeming quality is the potential for easy Gamerscore, but even that is marred by the repetitive and uninspired gameplay required to collect all the stars and trophies.
Billy’s Game Show
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/billys-game-show-review/
Billy’s Game Show – a puzzle horror game that fails to deliver on both puzzles and horror. How is that even possible?
The premise is simple: escape a strange game show by finding three heads while avoiding the titular Billy. However, the execution is riddled with flaws and questionable design choices.
The puzzles are simplistic and often pointless, like the redundant generators and the bizarre collection of items. Billy himself is more annoying than frightening, with predictable appearances and an easily exploitable AI. The game’s short length and lack of replayability further compound its shortcomings.
Again, much like Kiki, the easy Gamerscore might be tempting for achievement hunters, but the overall experience is frustrating and underwhelming. Billy’s Game Show is a poorly designed and forgettable horror game that is best avoided.
Cilla
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/cilla-review/
Cilla is a shoot ’em up that tries to be different by incorporating a story, but unfortunately, it misses the mark on almost every level. The narrative is poorly written, riddled with clichés, and delivered through lengthy, disruptive cutscenes that kill any sense of pacing or flow.
The gameplay itself is simplistic and uninspired, lacking the intensity and challenge that define the genre. Enemies follow predictable patterns, and the infrequent bosses are poorly designed and frustrating to fight. The “pixel art style” is dull and repetitive, with uninspired backdrops and generic enemies.
While the attempt to introduce a narrative to the shoot ’em up formula is admirable, the execution is disastrous. And that means Cilla is a tedious and forgettable experience that fails to capture the excitement or challenge of a good shoot ’em up.
Avoid this one unless you’re a die-hard fan of the genre desperate for something new, no matter how bad.
Mr Trials
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/mr-trials-review/
Mr Trials is a budget-priced trials bike game that, while initially promising, is ultimately marred by a plethora of game-breaking bugs. The core gameplay, which involves navigating obstacle courses and performing stunts, is decent enough, and the voxel-based visuals are charming.
However, the constant crashing and forced restarts render the game nearly unplayable.
The game features 50 levels with collectible coins, target scores, and a three-star completion system. Unfortunately, every time an achievement unlocks, the game crashes to the Xbox dashboard, forcing players to start from the beginning. This frustrating bug, coupled with a finicky level select screen, makes it nearly impossible to progress through the game.
While the low price point might be tempting, Mr Trials is simply not worth the frustration.
Master Maker 3D Ultimate
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/master-maker-3d-ultimate-review/
What you’re looking at in Master Maker 3D Ultimate is a disappointing action-adventure game that fails to live up to its “ultimate” title.
The game boasts a blocky, low-poly visual style reminiscent of Minecraft, but lacks any semblance of a story or engaging narrative. It doesn’t help that the repetitive soundtrack quickly becomes grating, and the overall presentation feels uninspired.
The gameplay is equally underwhelming. The camera angles are awkward and make it difficult to navigate the 3D environments, while the combat is clunky and frustrating. The level editor offers some potential for creativity, but the poor controls and lackluster gameplay make even player-created levels a chore to play.
Master Maker 3D Ultimate is a dull and forgettable experience that offers little in the way of excitement or challenge. With its poor controls, repetitive gameplay, and lack of a compelling narrative, this is a game best left untouched.
Highway Police Simulator
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/highway-police-simulator-review/
A late entry into this list, but Highway Police Simulator from Z-Software is another disappointing attempt at a law enforcement simulation; another that fails to deliver on its promises.
Plagued by a multitude of technical issues, clunky gameplay, and questionable design choices, this game is more likely to induce frustration than fulfil any policing fantasies.
The driving mechanics are abysmal, the gunplay is unreliable, and even simple tasks like inspecting vehicles are riddled with bugs. The game world is bland and lifeless, populated by stiff character models and plagued by performance issues.
While the variety of missions and the skill tree system offer some potential, the poor execution and overwhelming glitches make it difficult to appreciate any redeeming qualities.
Highway Police Simulator is a prime example of a game that should have spent more time in development before release. Until significant improvements are made, it’s best to steer clear…
Do you think a ⅖ score is better? The next four all struggled to pick up too much acclaim…
15in1 Solitaire
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/15in1-solitaire-review/
15in1 Solitaire offers an abundance of card games for an incredibly low price, but unfortunately, quantity doesn’t translate to quality.
While the collection boasts 15 different Solitaire variations (the clue is in the name), including both classics and lesser-known games, the execution is plagued by frustrating controls, inadequate tutorials, and questionable game logic.
The interface is spartan, and the tutorials are too brief to be helpful, leaving players to decipher the rules on their own. Throw in controls which are sluggish and imprecise, and it makes even simple card movements a chore. And some games are outright broken or have rules implemented incorrectly, rendering them impossible to win.
While the value proposition is undeniable, the frustrating gameplay and technical issues overshadow any potential enjoyment found in 15in1 Solitaire on Xbox.
Duck Run
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/duck-run-review/
Ah, Duck Run – how we dislike you.
A precision platformer that quickly descends into frustrating tedium, Duck Run is super frustrating. And while the premise is simple – guide a duck through levels of obstacle-filled courses – the execution is marred by clunky mechanics, questionable hitboxes, and repetitive gameplay.
The game’s visuals and audio are unremarkable, and the lack of any narrative leaves players with little motivation beyond simply reaching the end of each level. However, the unforgiving difficulty and frustrating deaths quickly sap any enjoyment from the experience.
Duck Run’s only redeeming quality is its potential for easy Gamerscore (much like many on this list), but even that is overshadowed by the frustrating and repetitive gameplay. Afil Games really do need to do better.
Bouncy Chicken
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/bouncy-chicken-review/
The premise is straightforward: launch a chicken across the screen to collect corn. However, the physics found in Bouncy Chicken are unpredictable, and the gameplay quickly becomes a repetitive exercise in trial and error.
While the early levels offer a fleeting sense of enjoyment, the difficulty ramps up significantly in the later stages, demanding pixel-perfect precision and a heavy dose of luck.
Even the addition of new obstacles and mechanics fails to inject much excitement into the gameplay and so Bouncy Chicken is ultimately a forgettable puzzle game that offers little in the way of challenge or entertainment.
I Am Your President
Our Review – https://www.thexboxhub.com/i-am-your-president-review/
I am Your President from Ultimate Games attempts to simulate the challenges and triumphs of being the leader of the free world, but ultimately falls flat.
The gameplay is largely a dry and repetitive point-and-click affair, confined to the Oval Office and consisting mostly of answering questions and managing statistics. And while the game touches upon real-world political events and offers some satirical elements, the tone is often jarring and inconsistent, veering from tongue-in-cheek humour to absurd and outlandish scenarios.
Technical issues further mar the experience, with glitches, unresponsive menus, and discrepancies in the statistics. In all, and despite some interesting ideas, I am Your President fails to capture the excitement and complexity of presidential leadership, leaving players with a dull and forgettable experience.
So, there you have it – 10 Xbox games that failed to impress in 2024.
From frustrating platformers and broken simulators to tedious puzzle games and disappointing horror experiences, these Xbox games serve as a reminder that not every gaming experience can be a winner.
Hopefully, this list will help you avoid wasting your time and money on these lacklustre releases. Here’s to hoping that 2025 brings us more gaming gems and fewer disappointments!
Get into the comments and let us know what the worst games you’ve played this year have been.