These Are The Worst Xbox One Games Of 2020

The Xbox Series X has finally taken over as Microsoft's latest system, leaving the Xbox One in the shadows as fans gravitate toward the ninth gaming console generation. The Xbox One did have an impressive seven years, as global sales of the console reached over an estimated 48.34 million units as of September 2020, according to Statista. The eighth-generation system was also home to popular releases like Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Overwatch.

The Xbox One continued to gain new releases leading up to the Series X's debut in November 2020, and Microsoft Studio head Matt Booty confirmed that many Series X releases will also be available on its predecessor. Now that the Xbox One's reign has ended, it's an excellent time to take a look at how the console fared in its final year as top gun. According to Metacritic, the best Xbox One titles of 2020 were F1 2020, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, and Ori and the Will of Wisps. Now, let's take a look at some of the worst.

Outright Games' Gigantosaurus: The Game, which came out in March, is based on an eponymous French-American preschool cartoon series and book. This cutesy multiplayer racing game follows dinosaurs named Rocky, Tiny, Mazu, and Bill as players solve puzzles and explore the game's world. Gigantosaurus: The Game is also available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. 

As Game Rant's Tanner Kinney noted, Gigantosaurus is a nice activity for young children who enjoy the television show, but it's not one of the greatest licensed games out there. The Sixth Axis mentioned the game's poor mechanics, some of which seemed too difficult for a preschool-age child to grasp, and repetitive fetch quests. The short races between zones added some fun but not enough to make up for the rest of the frustrations. The Sixth Axis compared Gigantosaurus: The Game's concept to the Lego series, albeit with poor gameplay design, resulting in a 5/10 rating.

G.I. Joe returns to video games in GameMill Entertainment's Operation Blackout, based on Hasbro's G.I. Joe toys and the titular cartoons. This third-person team-based shooter is the first console video game installment since 2009's G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra. Players choose from 12 characters on the G.I. Joe team or the enemy team, Cobra Command, as well as two story modes: the antagonist side and the protagonist side.

Operation Blackout received a Metascore of 56, meaning some fairly mixed reviews. According to Screen Rant, this take on the classic '80s cartoon had a ton of potential, but a "lack of polish" made the game suffer. The guns are said to have finicky aim, which makes for some frustrating enemy takedowns. Plus, Operation Blackout gets repetitive with endlessly spawning soldiers. Beyond the gameplay, Screen Rant lauded the voice acting and the sense of nostalgia that comes to longtime G.I. Joe fans. Still, for the most part, Operation Blackout is another mediocre licensed game attempt.

Excalibur Games' Road to Guangdong is a colorful indie adventure that takes players on a road trip beside Sunny, a recent college graduate, and Guu Ma as they travel across China in their old family car and work to save the family restaurant. In addition to driving, players must keep an eye on the well-being of the vehicle and make moral choices that affect the development of Sunny's character.

Reviewers did applaud the developers for creating a beautiful visual novel with detailed narratives that made for an overall emotionally compelling story. However, for GameSpot, the praises seemed to end there. Road to Guangdong is said to feature mind-numbing linear driving and only two stations on the radio, making for a boring road trip. When players do leave the run-down vehicle to interact with Sunny's distant relatives, the emotions and expressions are mechanical and ingenuine, even for an estranged family member. This isn't a road trip that players will want to be on.

Another poorly-carried-out licensed game in 2020 comes from the Fast & Furious film franchise. Bandai Namco's Fast & Furious Crossroads combines racing and action roleplay across several global locations, featuring characters from the popular films. Although most of the game centers around racing, players can defeat enemies and avoid traps using tools and adaptations on the cars.

According to Metacritic, reviews for Fast & Furious Crossroads were mostly unfavorable, resulting in a low 35 Metascore. IGN noted that the game is too short and simple to live up to its action-packed and thrilling movie counterparts, calling Crossroads a "crashing disappointment in virtually every department." The missions are said to have no challenge to them, while the racing is filled with linear movements that offer no excitement. Fast & Furious Crossroads was announced and hyped up at The Game Awards in 2019, but unfortunately, it seems the game did not deliver a need for speed as promised.