The 10 Worst Games Of 2013

It's the time of year when everyone is talking about the most spectacular and impressive games of the year...but not every game in 2013 was worth celebrating. As a counterpoint to all of the "best of" lists, this is a look at the most broken and abysmal gaming experiences the year had to offer. The games below all scored 4 or lower, and are accompanied by excerpts from their reviews (and videos, where applicable). The text says it all; these are real stinkers. If you're lucky, you were so busy with awesome games like The Last of Us, GTA V, and BioShock Infinite that you barely even knew they existed until now.

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Score: 4 (review)
Release Date: February 12
"I was stunned at how ineffective my squadmates were, particularly my pal O’Neil. I don’t know how this mouth-breather managed to squeak through basic training. He’d routinely sweep a room by darting into the nearest corner and keeping a close eye on both walls. There were moments where I’d glance at him in a firefight, and he’d just be staring off at nothing, the tip of his Smartgun clipping through a snarling xeno’s domed head." – Jeff Cork

MLB 2K13

Score: 4 (review)
Release Date: March 5
"MLB 2K13 is one of the most embarrassing whiffs I’ve seen. Whether I was playing CPU or human opponents, games frequently hinged on something that shouldn’t have happened on the diamond. Only play it if you have a YouTube account dedicated to archiving video game glitches." – Andrew Reiner

Ride to Hell: Retribution

Score: 2 (review)
Release Date: June 25
"Checkpoints will activate fractions of a second before dynamite instantly kills you. Instructions on hand-to-hand fighting are sometimes displayed while you’re in a racing level. The legs of enemy motorcyclists magically grow ten feet, causing you to compete against a freakish, convulsing giant. At one point, my entire body disappeared and I was nothing but a floating miner’s cap that could fire a gun. Oh, and there’s a tutorial screen that basically explains that any woman that you help out will automatically have sex with you and restore your health. Incidentally, when these sex scenes occur, all characters involved go through the motions fully clothed." – Dan Ryckert

Dark

Score: 2 (review)
Release Date: July 9
"I’ve played a lot of bad Xbox 360 games for achievements, but hardly any are as unpolished and poorly executed as Dark. It’s easily one of this generation’s worst titles. Even when the stealth is working moderately well, the slow pacing is a killer, and no amount of blood sucking brings satisfaction. Most levels were completed through trial and error, failure after failure, and then success coming from exploiting an AI bug or an odd design decision." – Andrew Reiner

Flashback

Score: 3 (review)
Release Date: August 20
"It would be an easy joke to say I wish I could erase my memories of playing this game and stow them in my own ocean-bound holocube. But I need to remember; someday, someone might ask if that Flashback remake was any good, and I’ll have to draw on those memories before responding with a 30-second-long 'No.'" – Jeff Cork

TMNT: Out of the Shadows

Score: 2 (review)
Release Date: August 28
"TMNT: Out of the Shadows is terrible, and offers nothing as a video game or even as a piece of nostalgia. The ugly turtle models didn’t bring back any memories of the fun cartoon of my youth, and the gameplay is among the most unenjoyable experiences I’ve had during my time as a gamer." – Dan Ryckert 

Deadfall Adventures

Score: 4 (review)
Release Date: November 15
"During one shootout, I came across an invincible soldier who was immobile and holding an invisible gun. Later, I shot a bad guy whose leg flattened out and wrapped around railing, suspending the rest of his body in the air. At one point, my character reloaded the pistols he was dual-wielding with an inexplicable third hand." – Jeff Marchiafava

NBA Live 14

Score: 4 (review)
Release Date: November 19
"The vast gulf in quality between NBA 2K and NBA Live right now makes this a tough matchup to watch. Like an old player attempting a comeback after multiple knee reconstructions and several years away from the game, NBA Live 14 doesn't have enough skill or composure to keep up with the competition." – Matt Bertz

Mario Party: Island Tour

Score: 4 (review)
Release Date: November 22
"Nintendo has managed to dumb down the already-basic formula Mario Party has featured since 1998. Island Tour eliminates stars and coins on most boards, instead tasking players with simply reaching the end of a course before others." – Dan Ryckert

Fighter Within

Score: 1 (review)
Release Date: November 22
"In theory, it’s a fighting game that features trademarks of the genre like throws, counters, and combos. In practice, it’s a whole lot of flailing at your television as you watch your character perform approximately zero of the things you want him to." – Dan Ryckert