1. Cyberpunk 2077
Yo, remember Cyberpunk 2077? That launch was a whole meme, fam. Bugs everywhere, console versions were straight up unplayable; people paid full price for that, thinking they were getting the next big thing. Nah, it was more like the next big glitch compilation. CDPR eventually fixed it, mostly, but the initial price for that experience? Wild, especially on last-gen. Definitely felt like I got scammed at launch, no cap. The glow-up was real, but the starting point was rough.
2. No Man's Sky
No Man's Sky had everyone hyped beyond belief, talking about infinite galaxies and pure exploration. Then it dropped, and it was... empty. Like, really empty. People felt super cheated after dropping full price for what felt like an early access demo. Credit where credit's due, Hello Games pulled off an insane redemption arc. But for what we paid Day 1? Straight-up robbery, felt like. Definitely a game that tested the patience of early adopters with that price tag.
3. Anthem
Anthem was supposed to be BioWare's next epic, right? Iron Man suits, cool flying, big action. But it dropped and felt like a shell of a game, totally incomplete with zero endgame content. The grind was real, and not in a fun way. Paying full price for that was a tough pill to swallow for many. It just never found its footing, and now it's basically gone. Big L for the price point, honestly, felt like a bad investment from the jump.
4. Marvel’s Avengers
Marvel’s Avengers felt like a dream for comic fans, you know? Playing as Iron Man or Captain America, smashing baddies. But it launched with a full price tag and was just... kinda boring. Repetitive missions, weird gear, and a live-service model that nobody asked for. It never truly found its groove, and eventually, they just pulled the plug on new content. Paying premium for that experience was wild, especially when it felt like a mobile game sometimes.
5. Fallout 76
Okay, Fallout 76. The hype for an online Fallout was real, but what we got at launch was a buggy, empty mess. Full price for a game that felt like a beta, with broken mechanics and a general sense of 'what even is this?' Bethesda had to do some serious damage control. It's way better now, but the early days? Paying top dollar for that was absolutely wild. A true test of patience, and a lesson in managing expectations for sure.
6. Redfall
Redfall came out swinging with a full price, even though it looked kinda dated from the jump. Arkane makes bangers, so everyone was like, 'Okay, trust the process.' But then it dropped, and it was a buggy, bland, and seriously underperforming mess. No offline mode, AI that just stood there. Paying sixty or seventy bucks for that felt like a personal attack. Big yikes on the price-to-quality ratio, it definitely felt like a scam for its launch state.
