2019 delivered some stellar gaming performances the way of Xbox One players, with the likes of Control, A Plague Tale: Innocence, Arise, Civilization VI and Gears 5 right up there among the very best. But on the other end of the scale, 2019 has seen additions to the Xbox Store that are so dismal, so out-of-touch and so utterly crap that we’d have struggled to recommend them had they launched a decade back. And here, in this article, we’ll be touching on just 5 of the very worst Xbox One games that arrived in 2019.
- 6 of the Worst Xbox One Games of 2018
- 5 of the worst Xbox One games of 2017!
- 5 of the worst Xbox One games of 2016
Police Chase
Police Chase on Xbox One promises thrilling missions, powerful cars and the chance to prove yourself as a top crime fighter. All the ingredients for a pretty damn intense experience, eh? Well yeah, but unfortunately this is one game that proves you should never take the marketing hype as read.
Released in October 2019, Police Chase sees you embarking on a new career, one in which you take on the role of a police officer looking to climb the ranks as you experience a campaign which delivers 15 tense missions, all set in a large open world. With a freeplay mode sitting pretty alongside that, and 80 different side quests to enjoy, for the £24.99 asking price it initially seems like there is plenty of content.
But you’d be wrong. For instead what we’re treated to is a game full of bugs and glitches, a lack of excitement, and some missions which basically put you up against the clock time and time again. Throw in the fact that there is no in-game sound and just a crappy dialogue to push things along and this is one of the most boring titles to release on Xbox One in 2019.
As our review states, should you be looking for a poorly conceived rush job, then fill your boots here and now, but otherwise steer well clear of this utterly dire, utterly boring police chase.
Street Outlaws: The List
It seems like October was a great time to release crappy racers, as following on from the rubbish that is Police Chase GameMill Entertainment looked to the Discovery Channel and their Street Outlaws show, in an attempt to recreate the fun and enjoyment found in the TV series over in the land of the video game. They failed.
Street Outlaws: The List is one of the worst racing titles we’ve ever played, and goes against everything that a petrolhead would be looking for in a new racer. It’s got embarrassing visuals that would still look bad should we have been writing this article decades back, it’s got seriously woeful sound effects, and it’s got some of the worst racing opportunities to ever have released on Xbox One.
With The List giving us the chance to take on 10 of the meanest drag racers the streets of Oklahoma City have ever seen, and then for everything after that to provide a terrible experience, there is no chance on this earth you should be taking in Street Outlaws for the cool £33.49 asking price. In fact, even if it was free we’d struggle to recommend it.
This is another racer to pass by.
Petoons Party
Oh look, another game that released in the latter half of 2019, and another that should you be avoiding like the plague.
Party games are meant to be fun. In fact, that’s the overarching premise of any party experience – get some mates together, have a laugh and see if someone can take home the bragging rights.
With Petoons Party though, that is all far from the truth. Instead what we are treated to here with this mini-game fuelled affair is something that would just about look at home on a PS2 as players get the opportunity to roll dice, move around a board and play through some mini-games in the hope that they can be crowned the Petoons Party champion.
But whether you get that far or not is another question as this is one of the most mundane party games you can take in, with those poor visuals accompanied by uninspiring games, a huge lack of content and an AI system that is just downright unfair.
Should you be looking to bring your family and friends together this holiday season, then don’t bother wasting your time with Petoons Party, for it’s not a party you’ll want to involve yourself in.
Tanky Tanks
Tanky Tanks comes to the Xbox Store with a delightfully fun name. However that’s pretty much the only real fun you’ll get from this self-proclaimed intense fast-pace tank shooter.
Priced at just £4.99 you could possibly just about get away with purchasing Tanky Tanks and then forgetting all about it, but if you’re looking for something that will really let you sink your teeth into the experience, this isn’t a game for you.
Promising a single player campaign which should allow you to hone your skills, and then a 4-player Vs Mode, first signs are encouraging. However it all soon falls flat and starts firing blanks as the short solo options run out of steam quickly, with overly sensitive, hugely clunky controls. The entire experience also comes pushing glitches, bugs and all manner of oddities throughout.
Rough and ready games can sometimes be fun, but Tanky Tanks is a bit of a mess and would feel much more at home on the mobile scene as opposed to the all-powerful Xbox One. And that means this is a battle that should be avoided.
World Enduro Rally
Whilst everything before it on this list rocked up in the second half of 2019, for a while we were thinking that the year would kick off in style, with all manner of great games to enjoy. And then we had the pleasure of taking in World Enduro Rally. And from that moment on, the year was ruined. It was only February!
World Enduro Rally sells itself on the back of awesome graphics, very realistic physics and amazing worldwide locations. But much like some of the other promises made by the Xbox Store this calendar year, that’s completely wide of the mark.
In reality you’ll be put astride a throbbing machine and tasked with working your way across multiple stages full of jumps, flips and tricks, as you try and reach the finish line as quickly as possible. However no matter whether you do well or poorly you’ll pass on to the next stage and the test of your skills that is required in a game like this never arises. And it doesn’t help that you’ll have to put up with Windows XP styled low-res wallpapers to accompany your ride.
Thankfully this rubbish will only set you back £0.79, and in the grand scheme of things that in itself could mean this is worth a shot. But personally we’d be all over the brilliant Trials Rising for our motocross fix.
Honorable mentions for utter rubbish from 2019 should also go out to the likes of Blood Waves, Crimson Keep, Tetsumo Party and Aerternoblade II. If you’re considering a purchase of any of those, do yourself a favour and steer well clear.
Should you have a bit of spare money hanging around and you’re looking to add a new game or two to your digital games library, then whatever you do don’t buy any of the games on this list, for you’ll be left in despair at what they deliver. But as always, let us know what you think the worst Xbox One games of 2019 have been – the comments section is down below.
Let’s hope 2020 is better!
