220°

Top 10 Most Disappointing Games of 2008

MarkyX from TrueGameHeadz writes:

"With the awful Spike TV VGA concluded, us gamers are now able to reflect back on a rather interesting year for video games. Long awaited sequels like "Gears of War 2" curb-stomped their way into our homes, and the shareholders at Rockstar celebrated the release of "Grand Theft Auto 4." But, much like any kid who waited months for that special toy on their birthday only to be disappointed once they got it, gamers also follow the same path.

So, here is the Top 10 Most Disappointing Games of 2008. The rules are quite simple: any game that I, Marky X, was personally hyped about, and then it didn't meet my standards will be on here. This means games like "Crysis," "Far Cry 2," "Dead Space," "Metal Gear Solid 4," and "Tomb Raider" won't be on this list, because I didn't care about them in the first place.

10 – Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix

I won't give a history lesson on this game, as I'm sure if you're reading this, you know about the franchise's impact on not only the arcade scene but organized gaming competitions as well.

When Capcom announced a "Street Fighter" "HD Remix" with online play, balance changes, and easier controls, I couldn't wait. I really enjoyed the concept and character designs of the "Street Fighter," but couldn't really get into it because controls were such a pain in the ass.

That wasn't the case. The game is still unbalanced, as Ryu and Ken are grossly overused, but now the ex-banned Akuma breaks into the scene as the third most used character in the game. Controls are still horrid, as some moves are still hard to execute, especially with some of the charge characters being harder than it was on the SNES D-pad days. At least the netcode is pretty damn good.

9 – Mario Kart Wii

When the Wii version was announced with the Wheel and online play, I couldn't wait. I have a MOMO Steering Wheel, and it does add to the experience of any racing game, and playing "Mario Kart" against people around the world was something I've dreamed about since the SNES days.

Unfortunately, what I got was a game that had way too many players on the track, and a broken balancing system. Even the pointless drifting is still here, but instead of waggling the stick left and right, while giving the player the illusion of "skill", all you have to do is hold down a button. The tracks are overcrowded with 12 players, making it nearly impossible..."
unit - contributor
Published: 345 days 20 hours ago | Article | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii | Gaming
 
 

Showing: 1 - 33 of 33 Comments
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123456789 - 345 days 20 hours ago
1 - what the hell
I disagree with every game on that list.

burnout
left 4 dead
gta4
mario cart
smash brothers

Now these games dissapointed

HAZE
TOO HUMAN
STAR WARS
MADDEN 09
Gears of war 2 was kind of dissapointing but that is because it was hyped, every hyped game this GEN was "dissapointing" (halo3,gta4, now gears2) what next killzone2? resident evil 5? cod4mw2?
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Monchichi025 - 345 days 19 hours ago
1.1 - Agreed....100!!!
This guy is a total douchebag and knows nothing about gaming. EVERY game he mentions is actually an awesome game! I mean, GOW2, GTA4, L4D are freakin Game of the Year candidates by mostly every other site! NG2 is pretty much a next gen copy of one of the greatest games ever...And Burnout Paradise, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros were just straight up FUN games!!!

Then to make it worse,....he mentions nothing about those games that were dissappointments....HAZE, TOO HUMAN, STAR WARS.

TruGameHeadz...Yea right!!! Prime example for censorship, that's what they are!
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ohnoTheRancor - 345 days 17 hours ago
1.2 - Top 1 Most Disappointing Web Sites I've Never Heard of....
www.truegameheadz.com

for me, HAZE tops the list. despite the AWFUL demo, i still don't think i could've more more excited about that game. i feel the need to shower every time i look at that yellow box art sitting in my collection (no, i didn't sell it back - it now serves as my albatross, reminding me that release-date purchases aren't always a good idea)

its no wonder Free Radical is cooked!
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aebriscoejr - 345 days 17 hours ago
1.3 -
This list is a disappointment, most of the games on the list we're great.
1.4 LightningPS3PS3 | 345 days 17 hours ago - comment has been reported as offensive -
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callahan09 - 345 days 16 hours ago
1.5 -
I can see why most people don't agree with the list. I suppose it should have been called "most overrated" not "most disappointing." However, from the perspective of a gamer, I guess the list DOES make sense, because you almost never get to play a game before you see some reviews on it.

Me, for instance, I played Haze long after I knew the game was scoring 4's, 5's and 6's, and according to my expectations, I was far from disappointed, I was actually somewhat impressed and flabbergasted at the beating it took in reviews. With Grand Theft Auto IV, disappointed is kind of an understatement because the game was so universally praised that when I actually got the chance to play it, I saw a game that took most of the childish, immature fun out of the past entries in the series and significantly reduced the freedom of the world and the RPG elements that you had in San Andreas, and I was felt that the game was just a prettier Grand Theft Auto III (a step back in terms of gameplay, in other words) with less humor.

So, yeah, I can see how over-rated but well-done games can be more disappointing to the player than under-rated but not-so-well-done games.
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vhero - 345 days 15 hours ago
1.6 -
I agree with all but burnout however if you used burnout when it first launched yeah it was a disappointment but with updates it is a great game proving it was released unfinished therefore a joke! It should have been released with the updates! The fact it wasn't shows the developers were lazy! GTA IV and mario kart definitely deserve to be on that list anybody who thinks otherwise have been taken over by the hype the games had as they sucked compared to previous games.
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shovelbum - 345 days 13 hours ago
1.7 -
Uh what? Toke, toke, pass dude. I wouldn't even know where to start so I'll leave it alone.
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emazzuca - 345 days ago
1.8 - Troll Article
This guy is an idiot,

Never really played the smash brother series.

Thinks drifting in Mario Kart in pointless.

puts left 4 dead, GOW2 , GTA,

With that amount of negativity, this guy isn't a true gamer.

He is just a (Best Seller,, i only like what ign gives a 9.5 or greater gamer)
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dachiefsman - 345 days 19 hours ago
2 -
this list sucks. GTA IV, GEARS 2, and NGII should not have been on this list.

Look at it this way. What if all those games were not released? What would have you put on your list? MGS4, Smash Brothers, Fable II.

Most of the games listed were enjoyable to say the least. Maybe they didn't live up to the hype, but they still offers hours of fun unlike some games.
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jsoncip38 - 345 days 18 hours ago
2.1 - the hype
I think that was the point - it seemed like he was talking about games that didnt live up to their hype, or up to his standards
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mintaro - 345 days 19 hours ago
3 -
What a terrible list. Excluding Gta 4...
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ustayclassyn4g - 345 days 17 hours ago
4 - this is what happens..
when you expect a serious article by someone with a name like MarkyX
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Blink_44 - 345 days 17 hours ago
4.1 -
hahahahahah and from a site called TrueGameHeadz
5 CViper | 345 days 17 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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poindat - 345 days 17 hours ago
6 -
I've played all of the games on that list except for Gears of War 2, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Mario Kart Wii, and Ninja Gaiden 2.

I can safely say that none of them disappointed me in the slightest.

For GTA, his argument (and many other gamers who have been spoilt by San Andreas) is that there is nothing to do outside the storyline? There is a whole simulated world out there, use your imagination. It's a sandbox game. What did you do in a sandbox when you were a kid? You used your imagination to have fun. Same applies here; you don't have to be spoonfed everything, you know.

I do agree that they should have left guns out of Condemned 2, but there is only a couple of times when the use of a gun is necessary.
6.1 CViper | 345 days 17 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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poindat - 345 days 16 hours ago
6.2 -
No I have not played San Andreas. I went from GTA 3 to Vice City to IV. Maybe that is why I am the only person in (seemingly) the world still enjoying IV. I don't need "SIMS-esque" features to have fun.

If you prefer San Andreas, that is all fine and good, but I don't see where all the unfounded hate for IV is coming from.
6.3 CViper | 345 days 16 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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poindat - 345 days 16 hours ago
6.4 -
Please. Do you really think I spend my time in the game taking Roman out to eat? No. I'm sure owning a gang was great, and I know about buying property - you could do it in Vice City - but I'm not letting any of those past features get in the way of my enjoyment.

And I wasn't knocking on San Andreas by saying 'sims-esque.' I'm sure if I was to go pick it up today, I would enjoy the hell out of it, but that is not the point.

My argument was, you don't need extras to have fun in IV. I make my own fun, and that's how it is. Like I said, if you need plenty of features to have fun, that is fine. But if you look deeper and find creative ways to accomplish things or as I said, make your own fun, GTA IV becomes a lot more enjoyable.
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Gun_Senshi - 345 days 17 hours ago
7 -
i disagree with everything except GTAIV
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Cheeseknight28 - 345 days 17 hours ago
8 -
No Spore?
9 onomix | 345 days 17 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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hotrider12 - 345 days 15 hours ago
10 - they should have
add need for speed "undercover" to that list of worst game of 2008
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farhsa2008 - 345 days 15 hours ago
11 -
gta 4 was god awful, what am i supposed to do with the game once i have completed it? go on dates? hang out with those annoying idiots on my cell phone? watch tv?
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ClockworkSatan - 345 days 13 hours ago
12 -
Good to see some hate for GTA4 - I was worried that it was just me who thought that it was crap.
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AriesFury - 345 days 13 hours ago
13 -
This list list truly laughable.
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Dpa - 345 days 13 hours ago
14 -
I couldn't agree more with most of the games on this list:
- GoW2 was the same as gears 1, NOTHING CHANGED.
- L4D was ridiculously lacking in content
- Mario Kart and Brawl were nothing really special, no new gameplay there.
- NG2 was one of the most laughable excuses for a supposed AAA title i ever saw

GTA4 however, yes it was lacking the full sandbox stuff like san andreas, but thats not what it was aiming for. People have missed the point, the game was aiming for realism and it achieved that with flying colors, the gameplay is pretty much brilliant.
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ptmidos - 345 days 12 hours ago
15 - ...f.u.
Ive seen really bad top 10 list but this takes the cake...get a life!!!
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yojoe26 - 345 days 10 hours ago
16 - I have to say I haven't really played
most of the games on that list, but I did rent burnout and GTA4 and I hated them both. I am the kind of guy that HATES wandering around with no real sense of purpose so both of these types of games were really just bad choices for me to play. Not that they are bad, but I absolutely detest just driving around or whatever. I played mariokart at a friends house and I didn't care for it either, but that was probably because I had to use the wheel the whole time and I hated that thing. Other than that, I haven't played anything else on that list.
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davedagamer - 345 days 8 hours ago
17 - Does anybody read?
The first thing he states are his rules to the list, so why are people saying x game should be on the list? It's the 10 that he personally feels were disappointing.
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davedagamer - 345 days 8 hours ago
18 - Our very first post says why we speak out minds.
July 27, 2006

Hello all you real gamers out there.

You know who i’m talking about. The group of us that actually appreciate videogames and the whole industry behind it. We were down from day one and are still going strong.

We are a group of gamers just like you, that want to bring to light the good things about games that bigger “corporate” spots over look. Our opinion is the unbiasedÂÂ  true story behind games. By true we mean we’ll point out the big picture of a game and tell you about the impefections that prevented (from being) or made it classic.
19 Agent VX | 345 days 2 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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