Review bombing has become an increasingly prevalent trend within the gaming community as aggregator sites like Metacritic and OpenCritic allow any user the opportunity to voice their opinion on a game. While this allows for more community input aside from dedicated reviewers, it can end up skewing a game's perception when players swarm to leave harsh reviews out of frustration with a particular aspect of a game, regardless of its platform - be it Xbox, PlayStation, PC, or else. Although the company is no stranger to negative user scores, the recent release of Redfall has once again put Microsoft and Xbox in the review-bombing hot seat.
There are a variety of reasons a game may be review bombed that don't necessarily reflect the game's quality. Sometimes players will leave negative reviews expressing their dislike of a game's console exclusivity, or other times it could simply be the gameplay wasn't what players were expecting. Often times fans hold high standards for the franchises they love, and when new entries in a popular series like Halo fail to meet those expectations, fans end up expressing their disappointment on these review sites en masse.
Redfall - Bugs and Performance Issues
Arkane Studios' latest title is the recent target of a review bombing campaign as Redfall launched in a disappointing state. Many players are unhappy with the performance of Redfall and the game's overall graphical quality for a title priced at $70. Beyond performance issues, the game has also been plagued by a series of bugs and its lackluster open world has many fans criticizing it as unfinished. With high expectations for a studio known for quality titles like Dishonored and Prey, the poor state in which Redfall launched has left many players frustrated.
Halo 5: Guardians - Lack of Content at Launch
As Xbox's flagship series, Halo has a massive base of fans who hold the franchise in very high regard, so when an entry like Halo 5: Guardians doesn't live up to expectations it's not surprising to see disgruntled fans review bomb it. Halo 5: Guardians controversy plagued this 343 Industries game since its launch in 2015 for the Xbox One, with many fans disappointed by the lack of franchise-staple features such as split-screen co-op, especially for a campaign designed for up to 4-player co-op. Many also did not appreciate the narrative choices made with Master Chief's character and when coupled with a relatively short campaign, the game was underwhelming for series veterans.
Halo Infinite - Lack of Content at Launch and Microtransactions
The Halo series has had a rough time pleasing fans in recent years, and the review bombing of its last two entries makes that clear. 2021's Halo Infinite was set to be the must-have title for Xbox Series X/S owners, but like Halo 5: Guardians before it, the game was missing some key pieces of content players were expecting at launch. Features like co-op, Forge Mode, and Elimination Mode were all absent at launch and when coupled with the game's live-service elements, many players felt that Halo Infinite was an unfinished cash-grab for their beloved franchise.
Pentiment - Player Expectations
Sometimes games are reviewed bombed not because they are bad games or include unsavory monetization elements, but simply because they weren't the type of game players were expecting. When Obsidian Entertainment announced its newest title Pentiment, many fans of the developer's other titles like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity assumed the game would feature similar RPG elements. However, many were disappointed to realize that despite continuing Obsidian's history of strong writing, the game played more like a visual novel than the RPG many expected, leading to Pentiment review bombing.
Forza Horizon 5 - Pricing and Lack of Innovation
The Forza series is known for its beautiful environments and tight racing-sim gameplay, and despite Forza Horizon 5 being the biggest Xbox release at the time, it left a bad taste in some players' mouths due to its price point coming off the heels of Forza Horizon 4. Many players felt that the game didn't change enough from its predecessor to warrant a full-price release, resulting in the game being criticized as a simple cash-grab. While the fundamental gameplay was as solid as ever, many didn't think the price was justified given the lack of meaningful changes from previous entries.
Microsoft Flight Simulator - Microtransactions
While a visually stunning game, Microsoft Flight Simulator is a somewhat niche title that tried to break into the mainstream Xbox space with mixed results. While the series is a classic among PC players, some Xbox Series X/S owners were underwhelmed by its low-key gameplay. However, the biggest source of negative reviews came from Microsoft Flight Simulator's microtransactions the game was littered with that seemed to be priced too high for what was offered, primarily cosmetics like new airplanes and airports, putting off many new players who ventured to give the game a try.
CrossfireX - Performance and Microtransactions
As a free-to-play title, CrossfireX billed itself as a competitor to other multiplayer FPS titles available on the console, but its poor graphical quality, host of performance issues, and aggressive monetization system were all issues listed when it was review bombed. Players hoping for a free-to-play competitor to a series like Call of Duty lamented the game's lackluster performance and how it seemed to prioritize its microtransactions and battle pass over its gameplay. It was so poorly received by players that CrossfireX is shutting down on May 18, 2023, just over a year after launch.
Scorn - Player Expectations
Scorn is another title that suffered from an identity crisis that resulted in mismanaged player expectations. While the marketing for the game made it look like an H.R. Giger-inspired Doom clone, the gameplay was much more akin to the cryptic puzzles of a title like Myst. Players who expected typical FPS gameplay were disappointed on release by the game's slow pace and challenging puzzles, which translated to a frustrated wave of negative reviews despite others finding the game solid for what it was.
Redfall is available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.