Summary
Creating a leaderboard of disastrous game releases for a change,Metacritichas put together a list of the lowest-rated games that came out in 2024. Ranging from titles belonging to major IPs to some very obscure releases,Metacritic’s rankings include a variety of games developed for a variety of platforms.
Much like any given year in gaming, 2024 has seen its fair share of highly successful games likePalworldas well as totally disastrous releases like theinfamousConcord. While the majority of best-rated games naturally become popular among gamers, the majority of poorly received ones go under the radar more often than not, owing to the forgettable experience they offer. For identifying the best and the worst games, players generally refer to review aggregator sites, such as Metacritic and OpenCritic. Among these two,Metacritic uses a weighted average systemfor giving games a “Metascore,” from zero to a hundred. In other words, this means that the reviews by certain major publications carry more influence on the Metascore compared to others. Similar to 2023, Metacritic has once again shared a list of games with the lowest scores obtained throughout the year.
Metacritichas revealed the list of the lowest-rated games of 2024, which surprisingly features some top IPs, includingDevil May Cry,Transformers,Stranger Things, andJujutsu Kaisen. It’s worth noting that, for compiling the entries, the source considered the game releases in North America that received at least four reviews. On top of that, to avoid duplicate entries, only the most poorly-rated version of the game was chosen for multi-platform titles. The worst-rated among these low-scoring entries is a 23-rated, obscure PC title calledUtopia City, asci-fi FPS gamethat rolled out in North America in 2024 after originally being released to an overall poor reception in Europe back in 2006. Taking the second spot isDevil May Cry: Peak of Combat, a mobile game with a Metascore of 41, which was panned for its underwhelming combat and excessive monetization. At number three is the 41-rated PlayStation VR2 gameHappyFunland, which was criticized for its repetitive gameplay and many technical issues.
10 Lowest-Rated Games of 2024 on Metacritic
Coming in at number four and number five areFood Truck Simulatorfor Xbox One andJujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clashfor PS5, respectively. While the simulation game has a Metascore of 43 due to numerous bugs, the anime-based fighting game received a slightly higher weighted average of 44 and received flak for its “uninspired” combat.Stranger Things VRfor the Meta Quest with its “lacking” narrative andTransformers: Galactic Trialsfor PS5 with its unimpressive gameplay capture the sixth and seventh spots. Numbers eight, nine, and ten on the list arePO’ed: Definitive Editionon PC,Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sportson PS5, andMetal Slug Attack Reloadedon Switch, respectively. Despite being a “great remaster,“PO’edmakes this list due to the original game being “not-so-great.” Moreover, theLooney Tunesgamescored low for its “lack of depth” and “poor” controls, whereas theMetal Sluggame received negative reviews for its “brutal” difficulty spikes.
Compared to2023’s lowest-rated Metacritic games, the 2024 list seems marginally better as it features only one game rated below 40 compared to three from last year. Meanwhile, it’s also worth reiterating that the list only ranks games released in North America that meet specific criteria, meaning there’s always a chance that certain titles that may have been possibly worse were not even considered for the list in the first place.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash
WHERE TO PLAY
For the first time ever, the highly acclaimed series from Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, JUJUTSU KAISEN, is expanding into the domain of console games!2 vs. 2 Cursed Technique Battles: Aim to become the strongest together by taking advantage of the characteristics of each technique, aiming for a Joint Attack that is triggered by combining attacks, and working together in harmony to assess the battle situation!Characters with their own unique Cursed Technique: Familiar members such as Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, and Satoru Gojo, as well as Cursed Spirits such as Jogo and Hanami, will also participate in the game. Each character has his or her own unique Cursed Technique and actions.Master a New Domain in the Battle! As you grow in battle, more powerful techniques and latent abilities blossom. Embrace the core of the Cursed Energy and win in the intensifying battle situation! Unleash the super dreadnought Cursed Technique and seize the victory!At the end of the game, when both players are fully developed, powerful techniques clash with each other. The player must overwhelm his or her opponent dynamically, just as in the anime!
