2019 may not have been the best year for video games, but there is one sure-fire positive to take away from that fact: Push Square's annual list of the PlayStation 4 games you've already forgotten about has never been longer! That's right, while staff members and contributors put together their lists of what they thought was the year's greatest titles, these are the games that probably won't crop up on any of those pieces.
These are the experiences that slipped your mind if they ever managed to penetrate your brain in the first place. The ones so generic that they failed to hook you into their offerings to keep on playing. These are the PS4 games you've already forgotten about despite releasing less than 365 days ago.
Far Cry: New Dawn
Release Date: 15th February 2019
Far Cry: New Dawn was a pretty okay game, but that's not good enough anymore in the AAA space. Considerably similar to its predecessors, Ubisoft didn't manage to make this vibrant, colourful spin-off stand out from the crowd despite launching in a reasonably quiet period of the year. The Far Cry formula has grown stale over the past few years, meaning that another one of those is an easy pass for most.
Rewind a few years and Far Cry: New Dawn would probably have been a worthy follow-up to any one of the numbered entries, but in 2019, it feels incredibly out-of-date. Ubisoft needs to give this series a serious re-think before a sixth mainline game comes along.
Metro: Exodus
Release Date: 15th February 2019
Metro: Exodus should have been the entry which really put the series on the map, but the final product did anything but that. Ditching its linear routes, the open world structure didn't work in the game's favour -- turning what could have been something special into a rather forgettable trek across Russia.
Much better games have come along since to cement that, too. The victim of hype hasn't entirely destroyed the franchise's chances of becoming something much bigger, but developer 4A Games will have to head back to the drawing board if it still wants a true coming-out party. Metro: Exodus may have been decent, but it most certainly did not make the splash the studio would have been hoping for.
Left Alive
Release Date: 5th March 2019
Ouch, Left Alive is up there with the absolute worst games of 2019. The utterly baffling stealth experience turned mech fighter received an absolute pasting when reviews hit, meaning that almost every interested party very quickly added the game to the skip pile. Described as "an enraging, unfair, and lifeless stain" in the 2/10 Push Square review, having to remind ourselves of this one only brings back negative memories.
Left Alive is a game which should be avoided like the plague so it's probably a good job that it was forgotten about pretty much instantly. A title which probably shouldn't have drawn breath in the first place.
The Division 2
Release Date: 15th March 2019
The Division 2 felt like it was one of the biggest PS4 games of 2019 for about two months. Everyone was loving Ubisoft's latest iteration on the looter shooter after it launched with a seemingly robust endgame and a lengthy single player campaign which got you there. And then, across the summer months, it pretty much fell off the face of the planet.
The game's first raid was unfairly hard on consoles, meaning that only the absolute best squads of eight players could make any progress at the time. Then its DLC drops came and went like a wet fart, making for a live game which pretty much seems to be dead in the water. Various patches, updates, and content drops may have improved the experience since, but the community that's still around to care has dwindled significantly since we were playing it day and night for a hot second.
RAGE 2
Release Date: 14th May 2019
A sequel to RAGE was released earlier this year. Remember that one? Probably not. The sheer audacity of Bethesda to develop a sequel to the previous-gen title aside, RAGE 2 was forgotten about all too quickly. We happened to like just enough about the game to give it a recommendation, but that must have fallen on deaf ears because we have to continually remind ourselves that it even exists six months later.
Two entire pieces of DLC have supposedly come and gone since then, but you wouldn't know it. Criticised for a generic and boring open world, RAGE 2 stuck to the tried and true formula we all moved on from a few years back.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
Release Date: 26th July 2019
After the excellent Wolfenstein: The New Order was followed up by the not quite as good Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, it was on the shoulders of B.J Blazkowicz's daughters to pick up the pieces. However, Wolfenstein: Youngblood couldn't have dropped the ball harder. What could be the most generic game of the year was no fun whatsoever -- making it an incredibly easy pass for those interested in the spin-off.
Criticised for its difficulty, bullet-sponge enemies, and a boring open world, the tale of sisters Jessie and Zofia was quickly forgotten about despite the fact it launched during a very quiet summer period. If that's not the most damning statement purchasers can make, we don't know what is.
Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot
Release Date: 26th July 2019
That's right -- not one, but two entries in the Wolfenstein franchise made their way to market this year. They both even released on the very same day! The virtual reality exclusive didn't exactly set PlayStation VR on fire, despite receiving a fairly warm welcome from ourselves in the Push Square review. If you thought Wolfenstein: Youngblood had been forgotten about, then Cyberpilot probably didn't enter anyone's mind whatsoever.
Released for a VR headset on the same day as a counterpart that actually had some buzz about it, despite how mediocre it ended up being, meant that Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot had all the odds stacked against it as soon as it launched. It doesn't sound like we missed out on too much, however.
Wreckfest
Release Date: 27th August 2019
Wreckfest's PS4 release was always going to be put on the back foot thanks to launching years after its PC counterpart, but it feels like hardly anyone registered its arrival on consoles in the first place. It didn't even have the chance to be forgotten about despite being a genuinely good racer -- a rarity this generation. Combining traditional racing with the unpredictable nature of destruction derbies, it's a game which didn't mind getting down and dirty when it was sick of being stuck in second place.
Unfortunately, that didn't translate into sales. Wreckfest has already been overtaken by Need for Speed Heat as the big driving experience of 2019, meaning a small online community will probably never have the chance to grow. It deserves that shot, but it's not going to happen when most forgot about its existence entirely.
GreedFall
Release date - 10th September 2019
GreedFall had a surprising amount of hype going into its early September launch, and even we played a part in that. It looked really quite good in the footage leading up to launch, and while it was most definitely Spiders' best game yet, it wasn't quite that good. The developer announced that it wouldn't be putting out any DLC after its release, which may be one of the biggest factors in it being all but forgotten about three months later.
It's definitely an RPG worth playing if you're a fan of the genre thanks to "an intriguing world, likeable characters, and rock solid gameplay", but the amount of anticipation that came with it might have been more of a curse than a blessing. A good game indeed, but one that isn't particularly memorable.
The Surge 2
Release Date: 24th September 2019
The Surge 2 was almost a good video game, but even if that had come to fruition, it probably wouldn't have done much for its chances of success. The Souls-like is better than its predecessor, but releasing in one of the busiest September months we've had for quite some time probably wasn't the best idea. Some DLC is trying to put it back on the map as we head into 2020, but surely only those already with a copy of the game would consider picking it up.
We praised it for "a genius take on health regeneration and brutal, gory takedowns that are just as satisfying to perform as it is to whittle an enemy into submission", but that clearly wasn't enough to turn the release into something we remember with fondness just a few months down the line.
How many of these PS4 games had you forgotten about? Is there a title so vague that even we missed it off our list? Remind us in the comments below.
Comments 46
What about Monkey King? I remember people getting hyped for it just for the fact that it was Sony's first china developed game, only for it to garner a rather lukewarm reception.
I can't say I had forgotten about most on this list - a few like Greedfall, Cyberpilot and Wreckfast were never on my list of games of interest and therefore hadn't given them any thought at all but the rest I knew were released this year and a couple I actually own...
Kingdom Hearts 3 is probably the biggest game released this year that I keep forgetting exists... But then I've never been the biggest fan of the series either
I personally really enjoy Rage 2. I get the criticism, I really do. But I really do like all the gameplay mechanics, the visuals and the fluid combat. I just really had fun with it.
@SoulsBourne128 I don't think anyone was hyped for that one.
I completely forgot New Dawn released this year.
And the two Wolfenstein games.
Let's all make a new year's resolution.
Never have as bad a year as 2019 ever again.
Rubbish games, worse politics and even worse ladbaby as Xmas number 1. Come on FF7 remake, Cyberpunk and The Last of Us 2...
Give me faith in humanity again.
(2019 was good for other things related to games though. Thanks for keeping me sane Pushsquare community. You are all the best)
@BrettAwesome agreed. The first dlc was disappointing tho. The gunplay is fantastic but most of the gimmick weapons were unused (pistol with incendiary bullets that light when snapping fingers is fun but in a shootout you always soak up a chunk of damage before ignition). Will attempt new game plus at some point
Left Alive is at the top of my wishlist! The PC version, in particular, which I’ve played, since it has an exclusive crobar that you start out with, which i find absolutely hilarious to hit people with from behind. From what I played, it was more fun than my brief experience with MGS5, honestly.
Might be in the minority here, but I really enjoyed far cry new Dawn. In fact it is in my top 5 from 2019...
Fair list to be honest.
I agree on KH3, too. Although I only really got that to play the Toy Story world anyway.
GreedFall and Wreckfest I didn't forget about, just haven't gotten around to playing them The others I never had interest in in the first place
@kyleforrester87 I finished Kingdom Hearts III two days ago and I've already forgot about it. And to think I waited over 10 years for it...
@nessisonett fingers crossed FF7 fairs better!!
far cry 4 was dreadful, so it's been easy to ignore, and forget that three games in the franchise have actually released since then..
probably should forget anthem was released this year, as it's only remembered for all the wrong reasons.
@leucocyte true Anthem is a good shout too.
Theres a few games on this list I'd like to forget about 😂
Another I'd add is Team Sonic Racing. Was forgotten about as soon as Crash Team Racing came out.
@nessisonett I'm playing it at the moment and don't get what the fuss over the franchise is, I'm having fun but I have very little idea what's going on and for the most part the game doesn't seem to care what's happening either. It just kind of goes don't worry about it and here's another fairground ride
@nessisonett Yep. KH 3 was the biggest disapointment of the year imo. Cutscene after cutscene with little of substance in between. Poorly told story and a press button to win feature with the theme park ride special attacks constantly spawning.
I say this as someone who loved the first two games too! Couldnt tell you anything about the story of the third game. An incomprehensible mess
Id forgotten until now but Greedfall is on my Christmas List..
@themcnoisy 2019 was a weird one, it started brilliantly with Resident Evil 2 and ended in a similar fashion with Death Stranding. In between is just a long list of games I can barely remember and for the most part I didn't finish. However March and April are looking insane next year, so hopefully they will all hit the mark
I played many of those and Metro was my favorite followed by Wreckfest.
@Octane While I have to admit that it wasn't highly overhyped, especially when it was barely marketed outside of China, saying that there weren't people excited for the game would be like saying that we should forget about the people that were praising Sony's support on chinese games or ignore the people who were excited for the game during the time Sony announced China Hero Project. Heck, weren't there people here who were also interested on the game?
Honestly, while as bad as some said it was (if you want a real bad chinese game, then play Reborn Samurai Awakens), for a game that was made for the sole purpose to attract the chinese audience, it could have been a lot better. And just seeing Sony's first attempt on the chinese market kinda failing their expectations is kinda disappointing.
Out of all of those, the one I have played was Greedfall and while not amazing, it was a real gem and definitely Spider's best title yet. Also, about Left Alive, the game is no longer bad anymore. I mean, yeah it's still very flawed but it's more mediocre now thanks to its updates. Plus, I have played worse game like it, such as Gene Rain.
@AdamNovice Ouch. Now that game was a real bummer. Did that game recieved any DLCs? Even Sonic Forces recieved some. Really felt like they had little faith in it
@Octane That's kinda funny cause whenever I go to any of the Push Square articles about the game or even on any other sites (like Gematsu) or youtube videos, there were definitely people interested in the game. I recall one guy praising it for looking like a PS2 platformer or something like that. I wonder what those people think of the game now?
@leucocyte Yeah, Anthem is a good contender. The only good thing that game had was the customization with the mechs.
I strongly disagree about Metro Exodus. The game received a lot of praise. This site is one of the only places to give it a negative score.
@Octane I was...sadly enough lol Oh well. Maybe next time they'll do better. Though, I would like to correct @SoulsBourne128 that Monkey King isn't entirely a Sony game. Maybe half of it but it's mostly a Hexadrive game, and their first to be developed on the house, considering their other games were mostly ports or such. Plus, I guess it's worth noting that Sony had no interest on publishing the game themselves, which is why they hired THQ Nordic (known for publishing B-tier games) to do it themselves. I think there articles in regards to the what happened to the game during development but that's another story .
@Nerdfather1 Glad I'm wasn't the only one! Really enjoyed Metro Exodus. It's not without issues but I really loved the atmosphere as well as the enemies themselves.
All these big budget games come with lots of praise and hype. Then they suck. Then I go back to loving my indies. There are so many awesome games that came out this year that never got any run at all but are far more fun than any of these.
@Powerpellet Disco Elysium is probably GOTY and it’s a shame console gamers haven’t had the chance to experience it yet. There really are a wide variety of incredible indies out there and they try to at least be different than your bog-standard AAA. I think that was the problem with Rage 2, while perfectly serviceable, it wasn’t really doing anything different or new and nowadays the market’s so crowded that you really have to stand out.
I remembered most of these. I mean, Left Alice was the most forgettable. The Division 2 and Greedfall had enough limelight that they’re easy to remember. I would say that they’re not GOTY candidates, but don’t quite belong on the list. I mean maybe D2 does since it should have been easier to remember, but I think greedfall had it’s generally expected course. For me, it just dialed to deliver the choice aspect promised and that killed my interest.
Where's anthem, the fact that I just check google to make sure anthem is released on this year means anthem should be on the list 😁
@Danloaded
Yeah, some of the weapons are downright annoying. But most feel great. Traversal, vehicle controls and lighting are also fantastic. I just don't get why they left out HDR. I haven't played any DLC yet 🙂
@themcnoisy
Don't forget DOOM eternal and Ghost of Tsushima
@nessisonett
Yes exactly. I'll look into the game you mentioned.
And I dont need another paramilitary survival zombie apocalyptic open world where I watch the cutscene then kill everything. If I were making a big budget game I'd want to make a super realistic Trainwreck Simulator where you fine tune your train to cause the most wreckage and casualties and has an online vs mode. Alternatively you could play solo in giant monster mode. I want a deep sea game with leviathan sized fish and underwater civilizations, and finally I want a boxing game. In other words something different
Most of them are shooters
Wreckfest is the most fun I’ve had with a racer in years. In fact it’s become my favourite racing game this gen!
Is tragic if it sold badly as it deserves much better...
Wreckfest is still tops in my house. It may not get played daily, as it was released now four months ago, but 3 or 4 times a week either my son or I will boot it up. Players are always plentiful and the mayhem never seems to get old. They add tracks and fixed some physics. It has been played so much, I had to mute out the music because for us, that's the worst part. The heavy metal was fine the first 50 times or so, but after 4 months... it's just too much now.
@wiiware Yes, where's Anthem? I recently saw a sales report for 2019 and Anthem still was in the top 10 for 2019, believe it or not. I was an early adopter and the flying never got old. The rest did, but that flying was fantastic. It should be on this list though.
@BrettAwesome Roger that
@carlos82 It was just disappointing. The games I bought other than dreams and DS were all average at best. DMC5, Sonic Racing, Apex legends just bang average. Hopefully all the big games next year will be amazing.
Shooters really are the most generic and forgettable games and this list shows that.
@orionreplay Ea should make respawn copy that flying mechanic and told them to make single player boba fett/mandalorian games
@wiiware Now you are talking! That would be pretty good.
This reminds me I have to play Metro: Exodus. Downloaded it from Xbox Game Pass but still have a couple other games I want to complete first.
Shame to hear Metro wasnt a hit. Im playing through it right now and Im very much enjoying it. Just like I did the redux version of the first 2 games.
Its incredibly tense but there are also moments of relaxation. The difficulty is spot on for me. You have to really approach situations carefully and conserve your ammo and not just go in guns blazing. Also the art direction is absolutely phenomenal. Allmost every single sight could be a wallpaper of its own. The voice acting is terrible though..
Greedfall, The Surge 2, Wolfenstein Youngblood.
I’ve got to admit I love Wreckfest. I was a little late to the party picking it up, but I’ve been having an absolute blast with it. The damage modeling is phenomenal, and occasionally side-splittingly funny.
I have to confess, I actually had forgotten about the Division 2. Just like this article says, it seems as if it essentially plummeted out of sight a few months after release. Between it and Breakpoint, it doesn’t seem to have been the best of years for the Tom Clancy franchise.
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