Disappointing games of this Year

[indigo0086]

What is on your list of most/generally disappointing games this year.

Mine starts off with God Hand. At first I just didn't like it, I saw some vids and it looked like crap, wasn't interesting. Then I saw the videos on the Clover website and did a total 180, I wanted it so bad after that. Then I bought it. Returned it within a week. It just lacked so much that could make it good. The fight system was so basic, it had no diverse combos, you had each button that was mapped to a particular move, and that's it, no string activated combos or anything.

I wasn't expecting a fighter, but I was expecting a little more fluidity in the gameplay. It would have been nice if they had a few built in button combos, even basic brawlers have it. The brawling aspect was there, but it lacked the necessary upgrade for a modern game. Not to mention dying (and you will a lot) and not being able to jump back in via multiple lives it was pretty bad choice. The camera system(if you call lack of camera control a camera system) was also part of it's personal demise.

The game had so much potential and it was just wasted.

Another game is Ghost Recon: Advanced War. The single player was fantastic, and the multiplayer is great, but there are the smaller things about the multiplayer/lobby system that just totally turns me off to the game sometimes. Most games do, but it's just so bad sometimes that it's unbearable to play.

Also Chromehounds wasn't my favorite. I was hoping it would be better than Armored Core which I personally don't care for, but it's similar to it, only slower. The consistent war is great but it's just not my thing. That part I won't knock on since so many people enjoy it. It would just be great if you could freelance online without going in unbalanced skirmishes.

[TnAdct1]

I definitely have to put Mortal Kombat: Armageddon on this list. While it's cool to have a huge cast of fighters this time, the basic storyline, new fatality system (I prefer each character having their own unique fatality), and weak "ending sequences" definitely brought this game down big time.

[lostnomad84]

I can think of one big one, Sonic The Hedgehog for the Xbox360 and PS3. We all knew it wasn't going to be an A title, but I don't think any of us knew it was going to be this horrible.

[Chacranajxy]

Chromehounds, 99 Nights, Tales of Legendia, Grandia III, Sonic the Hedgehog, and King of Fighters: Neowave all stood out as being really disappointing for me. Grandia III in particular, simply because it had a lot of potential and the battle system was great.

[ADC]

Grandia III in particular, simply because it had a lot of potential and the battle system was great.
Word up to your grandma. The battle system was awesome, the graphics were quite good, the magic synthesis was neat … but the game kind of sucked. Shame, that, as the desert princess belly dancer chick was :bignosebleed:, but what can you do?

[indigo0086]

I can think of one big one, Sonic The Hedgehog for the Xbox360 and PS3. We all knew it wasn't going to be an A title, but I don't think any of us knew it was going to be this horrible.

I did, sonic team just can't make a great sonic game anymore. SA1 and to a lesser extent SA2 were the best in the sonic 3d series. The train has passed.

[martod]

Grandia III in particular, simply because it had a lot of potential and the battle system was great.
Word up to your grandma. The battle system was awesome, the graphics were quite good, the magic synthesis was neat … but the game kind of sucked. Shame, that, as the desert princess belly dancer chick was :bignosebleed:, but what can you do?

I thought Grandia III was a fine game. Sure the story kind of fell apart in the second half, but that happens in a lot of RPGs, and if the core of the gamplay(the battle system) is good, how can the game suck?

[ADC]

I thought Grandia III was a fine game. Sure the story kind of fell apart in the second half, but that happens in a lot of RPGs, and if the core of the gamplay(the battle system) is good, how can the game suck?
Story's an integral part of RPGs. You can ignore it to a degree in a Castlevania, say, but Grandia III's story was mediocre from the first hour. That's not a recipe for awesomeness.

[GHardin]

I thought Grandia III was a fine game. Sure the story kind of fell apart in the second half, but that happens in a lot of RPGs, and if the core of the gamplay(the battle system) is good, how can the game suck?
Story's an integral part of RPGs. You can ignore it to a degree in a Castlevania, say, but Grandia III's story was mediocre from the first hour. That's not a recipe for awesomeness.
Eh, I liked it, despite the cliched story. I don't really remember playing anything that disappointed me per se. Chromehounds was more than I was expecting (okay, so that wasn't much). 99 Nights was mindless fun...though the voice acting really killed it for me. And so far, Neverwinter Nights 2 isn't exactly lighting my fires. For a game that looks decent but dated at the same time, I wouldn't expect such a terrible framerate. :tired:

[AbeChinchilla]

My list:

Kingdom Hearts II.

So many years of anticipation went down the drain and I felt very unimpressed with the game after I completed it. Even the final bosses were an extreme chore. Reaction Commands are horrible. The gameplay is boring. You could go through the game pressing only X and Triangle. The storyline dragged, especially since Chain of Memories was building up on so much potential. The worlds were too straightforward, there was no point in exploring as they removed the platforming element from the first game. The treasure chests were always right there in front of you. The "Information" box at the start of boss fights were annoying and always stated the obvious. The list goes on.

[Noodle]

My list:

Kingdom Hearts II.

So many years of anticipation went down the drain and I felt very unimpressed with the game after I completed it. Even the final bosses were an extreme chore. Reaction Commands are horrible. The gameplay is boring. You could go through the game pressing only X and Triangle. The storyline dragged, especially since Chain of Memories was building up on so much potential. The worlds were too straightforward, there was no point in exploring as they removed the platforming element from the first game. The treasure chests were always right there in front of you. The "Information" box at the start of boss fights were annoying and always stated the obvious. The list goes on.

Unpopular opinion, woo!

I'm going to agree with Kingdom Hearts 2 and add .. *ducks* Final Fantasy XII.

I know - this feels weird to me too - massive FF and KH fangirl that I am. This is NOT to say that I don't still find enjoyment in these games or anything, but they definitely come away as "disappointing" for various reasons. I'll blame all the hype I guess ... had my expectations way, way too high.

KH2 lost what made KH so awesome to me. And it doesn't feel RPGish at all anymore, which is something I loved so much about it. In #2, everything was so straightforward (except the story, hey?), had totally unoriginal platformer-style elements all over it, and the reaction commands were interesting at first but became a crutch. The story could be streamlined and overall, it was also ridiculously easy. I felt like wanting to do "every little thing" was a chore, rather than enjoying .......... which brings me to my reason for FFXII as well. Well, that and the story is lacking - a lot - and I really, really dislike Ashe. This game looks hot, (and I love me some Sky Pirate), has some interesting new concepts and battle techniques, but.... isn't blowing me away. A lot of it feels kind of like a chore.

[ADC]

which brings me to my reason for FFXII as well. Well, that and the story is lacking - a lot - and I really, really dislike Ashe. This game looks hot, (and I love me some Sky Pirate), has some interesting new concepts and battle techniques, but.... isn't blowing me away. A lot of it feels kind of like a chore.
Actually, I understand this completely, and I think FF12 is the best game of 2006. (Maybe that says more about the rest of the games out there?) Making the game in the style they did makes for a very tricky balance — the world has to be big and immersive without being tedious. There were times when the sheer size of the stages began to get on my nerves, particularly Giruvegan. I did feel, though, that the sheer amount of things to do justified the size of the game's areas. The story … yeah, it's not as strong, and I think that's artifact of the amount of game you have to play between story arcs.

[Nosredna]

which brings me to my reason for FFXII as well. Well, that and the story is lacking - a lot - and I really, really dislike Ashe. This game looks hot, (and I love me some Sky Pirate), has some interesting new concepts and battle techniques, but.... isn't blowing me away. A lot of it feels kind of like a chore.

Agreed. The story of the game is awful. It seems SquareEnix was more concerned with it looking good (which of course it does) than coming up with a story that captivates everyone. The biggest chore for me in the game, is constantly going back and getting LPs and EPs. Of course it's a bit easier to do with the right accessories, but in the beginning it was quite monotonous.

Now I'm not saying it's the most disappointing game of the year, but I do agree with the points you made (well except about Ashe :-P).

[Kikaroo]

The biggest chore for me in the game, is constantly going back and getting LPs and EPs. Of course it's a bit easier to do with the right accessories, but in the beginning it was quite monotonous.

Wow, really? Thus far I've always had "more" LP's than I could use at the time. Now they're just flowing like nobody's business, but even early in the game I didn't have problems with having points for stuff whatever when I needed it.

I think the story was "less focused" because it's more an ensemble cast than before. While previous games had a lot of characters to use, it seemed like they focused on either one person or a "couple" in the story. This time everybody's got time in the spotlight, more or less.

I can't really give anything for "disappointing game of the year" since I've only played uh 3 games (WoW, FXII, and a little Wii Sports). :nervous:

[AbeChinchilla]

My list:

Kingdom Hearts II.

So many years of anticipation went down the drain and I felt very unimpressed with the game after I completed it. Even the final bosses were an extreme chore. Reaction Commands are horrible. The gameplay is boring. You could go through the game pressing only X and Triangle. The storyline dragged, especially since Chain of Memories was building up on so much potential. The worlds were too straightforward, there was no point in exploring as they removed the platforming element from the first game. The treasure chests were always right there in front of you. The "Information" box at the start of boss fights were annoying and always stated the obvious. The list goes on.

Unpopular opinion, woo!

I'm going to agree with Kingdom Hearts 2 and add .. *ducks* Final Fantasy XII.

I know - this feels weird to me too - massive FF and KH fangirl that I am. This is NOT to say that I don't still find enjoyment in these games or anything, but they definitely come away as "disappointing" for various reasons. I'll blame all the hype I guess ... had my expectations way, way too high.

KH2 lost what made KH so awesome to me. And it doesn't feel RPGish at all anymore, which is something I loved so much about it. In #2, everything was so straightforward (except the story, hey?), had totally unoriginal platformer-style elements all over it, and the reaction commands were interesting at first but became a crutch. The story could be streamlined and overall, it was also ridiculously easy. I felt like wanting to do "every little thing" was a chore, rather than enjoying .......... which brings me to my reason for FFXII as well. Well, that and the story is lacking - a lot - and I really, really dislike Ashe. This game looks hot, (and I love me some Sky Pirate), has some interesting new concepts and battle techniques, but.... isn't blowing me away. A lot of it feels kind of like a chore.


Yeah, I'd like to complete KH2 100%, but I -can't-. There's almost no point anymore, if I can't enjoy it.

I'm a big KH fan, it was thanks to KH that I got back into gaming (and got into RPGs!). So this was really disappointing.

I will admit that I'm a bit interested in KH:FM+, but it makes me wonder:

1. Why did KH2 take so long if it ended up not being complete? The first KH:FM came out because they rushed the production.

2. How could Nomura be so full of shit?

Anyways, I really dislike Tetsuya Nomura now. He said there would be no new Kingdom Hearts projects for atleast a number of years now (with FFXIII -yawn- and such). But guess what? Three new Kingdom Hearts projects to be announced next year.

*sigh*

[Lego]

Anyways, I really dislike Tetsuya Nomura now. He said there would be no new Kingdom Hearts projects for atleast a number of years now (with FFXIII -yawn- and such). But guess what? Three new Kingdom Hearts projects to be announced next year.


Two words: Cash Cow

[ADC]

Anyways, I really dislike Tetsuya Nomura now. He said there would be no new Kingdom Hearts projects for atleast a number of years now (with FFXIII -yawn- and such). But guess what? Three new Kingdom Hearts projects to be announced next year.
Two words: Cash Cow
Does Square green-light it, or does Disney? It could be that Nomura doesn't control the project and has to go along with whatever the bosses tell him.

[christianlf]

which brings me to my reason for FFXII as well. Well, that and the story is lacking - a lot - and I really, really dislike Ashe. This game looks hot, (and I love me some Sky Pirate), has some interesting new concepts and battle techniques, but.... isn't blowing me away. A lot of it feels kind of like a chore.

Agreed. The story of the game is awful. It seems SquareEnix was more concerned with it looking good (which of course it does) than coming up with a story that captivates everyone. The biggest chore for me in the game, is constantly going back and getting LPs and EPs. Of course it's a bit easier to do with the right accessories, but in the beginning it was quite monotonous.

I'm another one very dissatisfied with FFXII. I play FF games for story, because to be blunt, none of them have particularly novel or challenging gameplay. Now, I would say that the gameplay was a definite step up in some ways from the previous FFs, but since it apparently came at the expense of having a good story, I don't feel it was worth it. I found myself continually waiting for something to happen, and when it (being the twist that all FF games throw at you at some point) finally did, it was pretty awful. Not to mention that the Espers were completely superfluous. I went through the entire game and only used 'em when the story required me to use them.

So yeah, since I didn't buy many games this year, it would definitely be the most disappointing game of the year for me.

[tuffy]

I thought Grandia III was a fine game. Sure the story kind of fell apart in the second half, but that happens in a lot of RPGs, and if the core of the gamplay(the battle system) is good, how can the game suck?
Story's an integral part of RPGs. You can ignore it to a degree in a Castlevania, say, but Grandia III's story was mediocre from the first hour. That's not a recipe for awesomeness.
So just like Grandia II, then.

It's depressing to see those dire stories and characters attached to such a superior battle system.

[Lovely]

I found the characters rather likable in 2 though. In 3... I just couldn't take them. It was corny, dry characters played seriously. (So unlike WildArms4 which was corny in many places too-- it at least had a sense of humor with it.)

So, I shall be another to say Grandia 3 was a disapointment. I couldn't even make it through the first disk before placing the disk aside. I just got bored. *is an rpg gamer who plays more for characters than battle system.*

[DanielJr]

You people are nuts! FFXII and KHII? Come on!!

Despite the lack of a teenage-soap story in FFXII, the game held remarkably addictive gameplay. It was very easy to log in over 100 hours just doing the hunts and sidequests on top of the main quest. And KHII might have been on the easy side, but I'll be damned if I said I didn't enjoyed it. Those bosses were great, the new forms were a lot of fun to level up, and the ending was very memorable I thought.

Why don't you try NBA Live 07! Yikes! T_T (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvnv4rCtm2Y)

Or Genji for the PS3. Hell, that Mobile Suit Gundam game for the PS3 was total garbage!! Now those are some disappointing games.

[Suwako Moriya]

Story's an integral part of RPGs.

Granted I can't speak for Grandia 3. I have yet to play it. Heck I have not even so much as rented it. I just don't have the motivation to right now. Possibly because of how long it took me to get around to finishing Grandia 1 and Grandi 2. However in terms of story being integral, I think it really depends. Simply because the focus on story varies by RPG.

Some are heavy, some are medium, and some are light. Light RPGs can get by with a medicore story because it's often just there to give a goal. Medium RPGs can go either way. While Heavy require the story to be very good because they've invested a lot of focus on it. Thus it becomes much harder to ignore if bad as opposed to a light or even a medium story focused RPG.

As for which Grandia 3 falls under I can't say. Although to be honest Grandia 1 and Grandia 2 both seemed to on the medium side at least from what I remember. Especially given the super linear and straight forward nature of the two games. If Grandia 3 is the same way that it's probably medium too.

As for the topic at hand, I'm kind of behind on playing 2006 games in general. I've really only completed Wild Arms 4th Detonator and Suikoden V. Neither of which I'm disappointed with. I have not finished/dropped Tales of the Abyss yet so I can't say on that either.

However if I were to at least mention some form of disappointment in this thread. It would be the fact I wish Wild Arms 4th Detonator had kept the on screen character switch thing. It's not fair extra chances to stare at Yulie and Raquel ruined because Jude is vain and has an ego. Yeah I'll probably never let that go. Ah well at least Wild Arms 2nd Ignition lets me stare at Lilka. I think I'll stop there.

Edit: I forgot that Tales of Legendia came out in 2006 and I completed that as well. Heh three games instead of two. I'm a roll or not...

[HitokiriShadow]

Final Fantasy 12

Its pretty good in terms of gameplay, though I think the License Board could have worked a bit better and the randomized chests SUCK when you are trying to get a rare weapon that you already beat an optional boss to get.

The story and characters are the big disappointment though. The story isn't very good. It tries to be 'political' but it doesn't work very well and is overall just uninteresting. The characters are pretty underdeveloped and uninteresting and I just can't really care what happens to them. The fact that only two (Basche an Ashe) are particularly relevant to the plot doesn't help.

This is the first FF game that I've just lost interest and stopped playing before the final dungeon. I never beat FFIV or V on the PS1, but I at least got the Final Dungeon. I just lost interest in this game and I'm currently somewhere around 1/2 to 2/3 of the way finished on FF12, and I haven't played it in about a month. Now that I finally have time, I'm going to finish Tales of the Abyss instead.

Which brings me to my other big disappointment:

Tales of Legendia

The main story was decent, and the Character Quests was a nice idea. Unfortunately, the battle system blows. Its fine at the beginning, but it doesn't take long to get tedious. The crappy ally AI doesn't help. My buddies should not be casting spells that heal the enemies. I shouldn't have to turn off all spells of certain elements just so I'm not healing the enemies. The dungeons were, with a few exceptions, boring and uninspired. Going through every single one of them AGAIN for the character questsion was pure tedium. The character quests are a nice idea, but they were executed poorly.

[Zorak]

Scarface: The World Is Yours

It's pretty much "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" without the fun. Thank God I rented it!

[DeadlyMessiah]

Oblivion - it was one of the most boring video games I hae ever played.

Dead Rising - interesting concept, but the saving system completely ruined the game for me. There is no reason why I should have had to restart the entire game from scratch after selecting "Save and Quit" from the menu.

And while it did not come out this year, I played Jade Empire and that too sucked. I expected it to be like Onimusha, but instead I got another game of boredom with dialog. They didn't even make it worth while to give your character a voice, and everything seemed to move in slooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ttttiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooooooooooonnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

[GHardin]

I found the characters rather likable in 2 though. In 3... I just couldn't take them. It was corny, dry characters played seriously.

It's funny, because I thought the exact opposite. And I'm still trying to figure that out. Eh, I guess I'm a sucker for the series either way it goes. :nervous:

[Azumangaman]

Did Shadow The Hedgehog come out this year? Its one of the first games I've ever played that I turned it off around 25 minutes into the game. Easily one of the worst games I've ever played.

After doing some relativley serious thinking, I'm going to have to agree with Monsieur Abe and Noodle, and I'll pick Kingdom Hearts II as a dissapointing game this year.
It just didn't even somewhat live up to the greatness of the first Kingdom Hearts. As said previously, while the Reaction Commands seem cool at the begining they get tiresome and redundandt throughout the game. The story kinda sucks too. The game is absolutley BEAUTIFUL but is just too easy. The gameplay just doesn't feel challenging anymore. Overall it feels like a crazy hack-n-slash that needs work. Its not really TERRIBLE though. It's fun, but it IS dissapointing.

[ic14]

The XBLA version of Street Fighther 2. Delay after delay, and when it came it out it still had a glitched multiplayer and buggy one player.

Id rather play the SNES version when it arrives on Wii's VC over this.