1) Aliens: Colonial Marines
Number one on this list could be no other game, and signals a dubious 1-2 slam dunk for Gearbox Software. Aliens: Colonial Marines deserves to be shamed because, quite simply, it was a lie.
We were promised a game that would be the “true’ sequel” to James Cameron’s classic delivered by a team that had reportedly even consulted with Ridley Scott on the game and seen work-in-progress scripts of Prometheus.
A trailer soon emerged, showing off a beautiful experience with complex volumetric lighting and advanced environmental effects. Excitement was building – then the game came out. Slapped with a full price-tag, well-meaning gamers shelled out for it only to discover it was a different experience entirely; barebones, ugly, shorn of value.
Reviewers were quick to heap vitriol on Gearbox, but it was too late. Many of us had been scammed. A lawsuit was levied at Gearbox but they escaped unpunished, leaving thousands out of pocket.
Shameful, really.