Video games have brought to life countless tales of adventure, heroic acts, and the fulfillment of grand quests through immersive storytelling and ground-breaking mechanics. Every year, millions of fans eagerly anticipate the release of new and innovative games, seeking thrill, enrichment, and entertainment. Yet not all deliver on their promises. Over the last two decades, a handful of high-profile titles have fallen noticeably short in meeting player expectations due to various issues ranging from faulty game mechanics to poorly executed stories. Here we look at ten such games which, despite their potential, left players feeling distinctly underwhelmed.

1. No Man’s Sky (2016)

No Man's Sky by Hello Games was one of the highly anticipated titles of 2016, boasting an open-world adventure with near-infinite procedurally generated galaxies waiting to be explored. However, upon release, gamers were met with a shell of these ambitious promises - a repetitive, monotonous grind punctuated by technical issues. It lacked multiplayer elements, and its promised planetary diversity and complex animal behavior fell impressively short. These unfulfilled expectations led to significant player disappointment despite later improvements through updates.

2. Duke Nukem Forever (2011)

In development for over ten years, Duke Nukem Forever was expected to mark the triumphant return of machismo-embodied Duke Nukem. Instead, it became a clear example of how dated humor, witless writing, and antiquated game mechanics can ruin a legendary franchise as it failed to live up to both the hype and its predecessors' legacy, leaving fans dejected at this missed opportunity to revitalize an iconic character.

3. Mighty No. 9 (2016)

Raised through Kickstarter backing by Keiji Inafune - an esteemed designer credited for Mega Man- Mighty No.9 raised excitement levels amongst fans of platform genre games before dismal launch reviews quelled that excitement promptly. What should have been a spiritual successor to Mega Man turned into an unpolished product plagued with performance issues and lackluster design, significantly under-gunning fan expectations.

4. SimCity (2013)

The SimCity launch debacle stands as a testament to how not to revolutionize a beloved franchise while trying online experimentation merely for the sake of it. The always-online requirement was this game's Achilles heel forcing users into multiplayer interactions while curbing creativity by implementing city-size restrictions, thereby shriveling expectations in this much-loved series and causing fan disappointment that lingers on today.

5. Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017)

The Mass Effect series struck a chord with many gamers thanks due its richly-detailed universe and engaging storylines until Andromeda entered stages laying waste to preceding goodwill through broken game mechanics, mediocre writing, and laughable facial animations reversing hard-earned series reputation while disappointing franchise fans universally.

6. Anthem (2019)

Anthem promised a revolutionary cooperative multiplayer experience but unfortunately delivered something that felt wholly underwhelming due to shallow mission design, mediocre storytelling, and excessive emphasis on microtransactions – effectively short-changing EA’s loyal fan base resulting in widespread player disillusionment.

7. Fallout 76 (2018)

Fallout 76 extended profound disappointment throughout its players through its launch, marred by bugs galore accompanied by server instability besides lacking incentives present in previous single-player Fallout games proving Bethesda took their experiment too far at players' expense leading to loud gamer outcry, which propagated consumer distrust resoundingly.

8. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 (2015)

Gleefully anticipated as a potential revival of former skating glory days, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 ended up being little more than a shoddily cobbled-together sequel comprising bland level design supported by unresponsive controls, disappointing ardent fanbase who nostalgically yearned for reinvigorating familiar skate-park fun experiences known from preceding THPS games.

9. Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)>

Tarnishing Star Wars' good name further, EA used Battlefront II as a greedy cash-grab exercise employing predatory loot box business models sapping all enjoyment out of what could've been a fantastic video-game adaptation of the beloved film franchise and dealing a significant blow on player trust in EA whilst triggering significant backlash within gaming community across the globe.'

10. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)>

Rise Of Lyric tried reinventing the Sonic formula, but fundamental shifts resulted in disastrous degrading overall gameplay experience due to clumsy controls coupled with slow-paced exploration, hurting pace gravely, thereby earning ire amongst Sonic devotees. Thankfully SEGA learned these hard lessons ensuring subsequent titles retreated back towards Sonic roots, faithfully recreating momentum-focused platforming players cherish.

To recap past two decades witnessed some high-profile flops within the gaming world, evidence major publishers sometimes fumble the ball, hurting the customer sentiment process. However, continued passion gamers ensure that they deservedly hold developers accountable, ensuring quality is not undermined. Short-term gains remain of undeniable importance medium's artistic evolution future, thereby keeping potential disappointments like the ones above comfortably exception rather than the norm.