I know there's already a "worst games you've ever played" thread on here, but I'd argue this is different. I've played some real frustrating or awful games that thankfully didn't eat into my wallet, but there's a different emotion that comes with realizing I spent money on something that left me feeling nothing (if not exactly the same as a worse game).
ex) I spent $8 on Rollergames for the NES years ago at a secondhand store and I was pissed. It's a beat-em-up/platformer where you're moving forward way more often than you're standing still, so it's a big adjustment even compared to other tough as nails Konami NES games. I couldn't tell you if it's a bad game with my current perspective but I probably would've said so at the time.
I had a worse feeling after spending $30 on SpongeBob: The Cosmic Shake. Best Buy had it for $10 less than MSRP, even... at the cost of it coming absurdly late in the mail. This one, I had some stake in since it was off the heels of the BfBB remaster. I wasn't expecting Mario Odyssey but I was expecting a solid platformer. It functioned well enough, but it was bland, repetitive, way too linear and the writing (everything from one-liners to the whole dimension hopping gimmick) was so reliant on references that it made me remember why I don't hate the newest episodes as much as others do. The current artists/writers regularly try new things with the show while this game feels like it's actively attempting to do the opposite. The kicker was when Purple Lamp came back with an Epic Mickey remaster that looked way better visually than either of their SpongeBob titles; I'm convinced working with Viacom is some sort of curse.
ex) I spent $8 on Rollergames for the NES years ago at a secondhand store and I was pissed. It's a beat-em-up/platformer where you're moving forward way more often than you're standing still, so it's a big adjustment even compared to other tough as nails Konami NES games. I couldn't tell you if it's a bad game with my current perspective but I probably would've said so at the time.
I had a worse feeling after spending $30 on SpongeBob: The Cosmic Shake. Best Buy had it for $10 less than MSRP, even... at the cost of it coming absurdly late in the mail. This one, I had some stake in since it was off the heels of the BfBB remaster. I wasn't expecting Mario Odyssey but I was expecting a solid platformer. It functioned well enough, but it was bland, repetitive, way too linear and the writing (everything from one-liners to the whole dimension hopping gimmick) was so reliant on references that it made me remember why I don't hate the newest episodes as much as others do. The current artists/writers regularly try new things with the show while this game feels like it's actively attempting to do the opposite. The kicker was when Purple Lamp came back with an Epic Mickey remaster that looked way better visually than either of their SpongeBob titles; I'm convinced working with Viacom is some sort of curse.