Biggest Disappointment of 2009

[Daniel]

Keep your posts clean and to the point. If you would like your comments to appear in the magazine, please keep comments to under 100 words.

The Reader's Game of the Year special will appear in issue 198.

[AranchineD]

Scribblenauts

Idea = good. Every single other thing about the game = bad. Promised so much, delivered so little.

[Stevorooni]

Super Mario Bros Wii - Past Mario games have all been played to death the instant they were ripped from the shackles of their case, this one however just isn't doing it for me and still remains uncompleted.

[FrozenSoul80]

Scribblenauts - When I first heard you could summon whatever the **** you wanted, I thought it'd be fun and exciting, you know, like that movie... Spaceballs. But instead it was painful and disturbing like an English exam you hadn't studied for.

[FX-GTZ]

Gran Turismo - Why couldnt they cut arcade mode instead of Campaign mode? Nearly everyone would've wanted it this way.

[TAT]

How Borderlands Ended

Enough said.

[aubergine]

Changing mine to "Lack of matchmaking in ODST Firefight"

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

The Last Guardian wasn't released

[Lazlow]

The Secret of Monkey Island (iPhone)

Where Revolution put some effort into their BASS port, no effort was put into this. The SCUMM interface doesn't bode well with a 3.5in screen.

[dalmatian]

After playing Resistance 2, Killzone 2 left me pretty disappointed. Good shooter, nothing technically wrong with it, just so generic and forgettable that I havent even finished it yet. Then again I would always take a good RPG over a FPS anyday so meh

[adam_91vn]

Halo ODST

Lack of matchmaking for firefight

[Nic Xtreme]

Shadow Complex

EDIT: Now you can do what you like WhyMe, but what you can't do is post that without a line of justification.

Now now, this isn't the place. I've posted twice now in the Xbox forum about how shit and uninspired and repetitive and bland and devoid of any decent soundtrack and empty and without heart the whole game is.

Every game needs a heart.

Only XBLA purchase I regret. Fortunately Arkham Asylum was there to fill my Metroid void this year - when I wasn't in combat in that game, I might as well have been playing Metroid Prime 4 with all the slow-paced environmental scanning and puzzle solving I was doing (complete with "visor change").

[Jay]

Now you can do what you like WhyMe, but what you can't do is post that without a line of justification.

[JubeiSaotome]

Borderlands

It felt like playing a game engine with next to no content.

[BB2K]

Scribblenauts

At first it was a lot of fun to just muck around and try to summon outlandish things, then when you get into the actual game and try the puzzles too many of the objects don't work as they should and just spoil the whole experience.

[RunningMild]

Now I don't want to sound like a poor man's version of Aubergine, but my biggest disappointment of 2009 is...


Sony

- Worst new hardware (PSP Go)

- Worst hardware launch ever (again, PSP Go)

- Worst new gaming peripheral announcement (that poor man's Wiimote/Natal combo. And no, Wii Vitality Sensor doesn't count as a 'gaming' peripheral ;))

- Worst online functionality (in terms of reliability and ease-of-use)

- Worst customer service of all time

- Worst smug bullshit

- Show way more contempt for their customers than the other console makers

- Home is still in limbo

- The entire PSP format has been in limbo since Go launched


If that doesn't float your boat, how about these runners-up:

MTV Games- A non-release of Rock Band 2, a non-release of Rock Band Unplugged, failure to fulfill pre-orders for Rock Band Beatles, and the only game they bothered releasing properly was the one no-one wanted (LEGO Rock Band). Trust MTV to take something good and make it shit.

Scribblenauts (DS)- 5th Cell's greatest achievement with this game is that they took the concept of being able to summon and use any object in the universe... and somehow made it restrictive and boring.

New Super Mario Bros Wii- Bland, boring, too easy, horrible music.

AFL Challenge (PSP)- Why do I waste my time getting hyped up for these AFL games? Move over Live 2004, AFL Challenge is now the worst AFL game ever.

Grand Slam Tennis (Wii)- So it's got Wii MotionPlus, but the controls are less accurate and less realistic than Wii Sports Tennis? Okay then.

The GO3 Convention- Only one big-name game on display and it was hidden. Whoop dee doo.

[Cian]

FIFA 10

Most Hyperians know that I'm a huge fan of the series, but this was a broken mess. First impressions were positive, however once you really get stuck into the online modes you'll notice far too many flaws in the gameplay (goalkeepers in particular). Also features the laggiest menus known to man.

[Jay]

Grand Slam Tennis (Wii)- So it's got Wii MotionPlus, but the controls are less accurate and less realistic than Wii Sports Tennis? Okay then.


You and I must have played different games.

As for a nomination, I'm going to plump for Halo ODST. Until I think of something better (or worse, as the case may be).

[Filthy Old Drunk]

The Saboteur

The Nazis can have France.

[Jay]

The Saboteur

The Nazis can have France.

Really? I'd heard some vaguely positive things the last few days and was maybe going to pick it up after Christmas. Might keep researching if you think it's that bad...

[Dynomite]

Lack of private servers in Modern Warfare 2 PC

[Filthy Old Drunk]

Really? I'd heard some vaguely positive things the last few days and was maybe going to pick it up after Christmas. Might keep researching if you think it's that bad...

It's my biggest disappointment because I was actually really looking forward to it. It's not a bad game, it's just painfully mediocre and it lacks polish. The biggest thing it's got going for it is the setting, but even that is fairly uninteresting for a good portion of the game.

[Jay]

I thought the concept was great when I first saw it, and I've been waiting for a game to truly address the Resistance and their work during the 2nd World War (there was one with a female lead on the way, what was that?). Might wait for it to hit the bargain bins.

[Mr.Mew]

Halo ODST I was guaranteed it would be different for people less intruiged by the franchise.

The Saboteur lacks polish for a reason, it would have been more cleaned up had *publishers name I can't remember* not sent it out to die. It's really a good game and shouldn't be blamed for where it lacks. Although, Jay, I can't say it would be an accurate representation of the resistance during the 2nd World War. (The other game you're thinking of could be Violet Assassin, which has been and gone; I heard that's a dud though. [Maybe the biggest dissapointment vote should go towards that... mmm, it isn't on the same scale as Halo though.])

[Jay]

Yeah, that was it. That's right, it turned out to be a dud. Shame. Oh well, someone will nail that period of history, and that particular story, eventually I guess.

[RunningMild]

Yeah, that was it. That's right, it turned out to be a dud. Shame.

Actually, it was called Velvet Assassin. ;)

You and I must have played different games.

Well, last time I played real tennis I don't recall my racquet having a special button which let me hit a perfect lob or drop shot no matter how I swung the racquet. Also, there wasn't 2 years of lag when I swung. :p


While I'm here, I may as well throw in a runner up vote for WET, because...

I was actually really looking forward to it. It's not a bad game, it's just painfully mediocre and it lacks polish.

Only positive from that game is it introduced me to Knock Galley West and The Arkhams. :p

[fleshtea]

Scribblenauts

Despite the initial instinctive determination to love it ("you can summon *anything*?!"), Scribblenauts has given us the ENTIRE UNIVERSE to play with and magically made everything in it completely useless.

[Slippery]

Bordemlands

[T Strife]

Resident Evil 5

I've always had an on again / off again relationship with the Resident Evil franchise. However, the way that 5 left me cold helped me recall just how 'on' things were with its predecessor. I also came to terms with the thought that Dead Space may have had more innovation than I initially gave it credit for.

By no means a terrible game, but disappointments seldom are.


Fortunately Arkham Asylum was there to fill my Metroid void this year.

Download Aquaria (http://www.bit-blot.com/aquaria/). Do it now.

[Xanafalgue]

Star Ocean: The Last Hope, also the last time I buy a Star Ocean game.

[StorminNorman]

PSPGo
To many, the PSP seemed like a bold step forward, ushering a new wave of disc-less, download-only game consoles. The reality never quite lived up to that, with flimsy hardware, and an extremely limited content selection at launch. The worst part, however, is that there was already a perfectly good download-only gaming platform on the market, cleverly disguised as a humble mobile phone.

[casual_pedestrian]

Not having enough time to sit down and complete all of the great games of 2009..

[buckstwits]

lack of Best Story category

[Hyperblau]

Scribblenauts

So much promise, so boring in practice.

Special mention to Assassins Creed 2 for freezing and damaging my save game 16 hours into it, havent gone back to it yet.

[Citizen Erased]

Brutal Legend

[drzaius]

scribblenauts.

only because the anticipation was so high.

[concrete donkey]

Dragon age origins. total rubbish

[Surgeon.]

Borderlands

What starts out fresh and innovative quickly becomes tired and repetitive. "Hey, check me out everybody! I'm uninstalling, I'm uninstalling!"

[immol8]

Wet

Promised backflipping, acrobatic firefights and buckets of style. Almost delivered on both but just feels underdone. Also, QTE's make me reach for the power button every time. That said I still have Rubi as my wallpaper.

[SOX]

Borderlands

What starts out fresh and innovative quickly becomes tired and repetitive. "Hey, check me out everybody! I'm uninstalling, I'm uninstalling!"

You guys really turned on that game, last I knew you were right into it!

[AranchineD]

They're just rebelling because the PC version was the inferior version.

[dinopoke]

TT_TT

I loved Borderlands. Probably not GOTY material but a great game nonetheless.

[Australian Ninja]

Gran Tourismo - PSP

[Cicada]

I nominate the delaying of countless fourth quarter titles into next year to avoid competition with Modern Warfare 2. Sure, a lot of them will probably be more polished because of it, but the Christmas period looked so much more exciting 6 months ago.

[Space_Monkey]

Gran Turismo

My main memory of playing Gran Turismo is staring at a black screen with a silver GT icon, listening to a churning UMD, boredom and frustration. For a game that was meant to be all about short bursts of gameplay it took it's sweet time in doing almost everything. Want a new car? Loading. Want a new track? Loading. Want to go to a new menu? Loading. I gave up after waiting at the thirty millionth slugglish menu screen. There's something wrong when you're spending more time preparing a race than actually racing.

[RunningMild]

Gran Turismo

My main memory of playing Gran Turismo is staring at a black screen with a silver GT icon, listening to a churning UMD, boredom and frustration. For a game that was meant to be all about short bursts of gameplay it took it's sweet time in doing almost everything. Want a new car? Loading. Want a new track? Loading. Want to go to a new menu? Loading. I gave up after waiting at the thirty millionth slugglish menu screen. There's something wrong when you're spending more time preparing a race than actually racing.

I had no problems with the loading in that game. Maybe it's because I got the digital version instead of the UMD...

Still, doesn't the UMD have a data install?

[Space_Monkey]

I thought the digital copy might elevate these problems but the UMD copy I had was atrocious for loadings and as far as know there isn't a data install option.

[Clockw0rk]

Fight Night Round 4
Unresponsive, slow, confusing mini games, confusing career calendar, controls that were changed from FNR3 for no good reason... After the brilliance of 3 this was a huge letdown.

Graphics were incredible though.

Dishonourable mention: Scribblenauts

[Gee_Yai_Bro]

Everything. Wasn't anything that stood out this year that made me want to part with my cash

[aubergine]

I nominate the delaying of countless fourth quarter titles into next year to avoid competition with Modern Warfare 2. Sure, a lot of them will probably be more polished because of it, but the Christmas period looked so much more exciting 6 months ago.

I said this at first too, but changed the nomination to ODST's lack of matchmaking for Firefight, which completely sucks.

The PSP-GO could be another nomination except that I never had any expectations of it in the first place so felt no disappointment that it was everything it was.

[Munky]

Killzone 2.

I bought a PS3 to play this and was so dissapointed. More generic than an isle at Franklins.

Special mention to MGS4, sure it came out last year, however I only played it in 2009 and it was boring.

[Citizen Erased]

Im going to vote for Modern Warfare 2.

Not for the multi player aspect since I dont play MP, but because the single player game was disappointing. The developers cound of just replaced the Russians with Nazi zombies and it would properly been a better game.

Also hate'n becasue it pushed all the really good games to 2010.

[REQUIEM]

Gran Turismo 5 not being released STILL.

[RunningMild]

Also hate'n becasue it pushed all the really good games to 2010.

Ditto.

I'd also like to nominate Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. I had really low expectations for it and was still disappointed.

[Hyperblau]

Gran Turismo 5 not being released STILL.

You actually expected it this year?

[9warbane]

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - haven't played it but I know it can't be as good as Symphonia on gamecube.

[ElPresidente]

Gotta go with Scribblenauts but I don't actually hold anything against the developers. It is important games like this are made. Unfortunately such experiments will occasionally fail.

[Watchers]

I was going to say Scribblenauts, but instead I'll go with L4D2 (as intended) being banned here, and the fact that we are still yet to have an R18+ classification for games.

[RunningMild]

Gotta go with Scribblenauts but I don't actually hold anything against the developers.

Of course not. You can't stay mad at the makers of Lock's Quest. :p

[RunningMild]

A runner-up vote for Mad World. Started off well, but was too samey and petered out after a while. Trying to set up elaborate, high-scoring kills was almost as clunky and frustrating as setting up something in Scribblenauts. :p

[borgster101]

Resident Evil Darkside Chronicles.

The trailers made it look like it was going to be better than Umbrella Chonicles, sadly it was worse :(

Still a fun game though.

[dinnerordie17]

Modern Warefare 2:

Now c'mon no dedicated servers isnt that- wait a minute... No dedicated server? You are kidding me!

[Zan]

Starcraft no LAN announcement.

[AQUIL0]

Gamer Sacrilege?! But this game tried to be too many things and failed in most

[Sweating Bullets]

The Great Gaming Delay of 2010 gets my vote.

Bayonetta, Dark Void, Splinter Cell, God Of War, Bioshock 2 and the rest of you hang your heads in shame!

[grimace06]

Resident Evil 5

While Resident Evil 4 is one of my favourite games of all time, Resident Evil 5 is a collective spit in the face from Capcom as they did away with any element of atmosphere, puzzles or actual survival and instead attempted to emulate the "blockbuster" titles that had come a few months before.

[Spudzilla]

spore

[johnny sac]

Ashes Cricket

Andrew Strauss hitting 5 sixes off the first over of an Ashes series? Um, no.

[RunningMild]

Forgot to mention:

Invizimals

This game is essentially 'Making the worst possible game out of the best possible concept 101'.

[Silverwolf]

spore

This, spore was awful.

[Watchers]

Wasn't Spore the year before?

[dinopoke]

The disappointment is the fact that it hasn't come down to a decent price so I can try it.

[william h. cosby II]

Game: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Reasonable multiplayer overshadowed by flaccid, uninspired single-player mode. Have to say I expected a lot more.

General: Wii Virtual Console / WiiWare

Where are the games, guys? XBLA and PSN are leaving you in their wake, despite VC having a shedload of games that could have been released.

[Shaftoe]

Brutal Legend, even though I love it to death and it's some of the best fun I had all year with a game... The MP is broken, the SP ends prematurely on a WTF that's it? note, another 6 months dev time and playtesting this would've been a 10/10. Not really all that disappointing I guess, but I didn't have high hopes for anything else at all. Seems like they rushed it to release in the end when I would've happily waited til mid 2010 for a more polished experience.

[Australian Ninja]

I was going to say Scribblenauts, but instead I'll go with L4D2 (as intended) being banned here, and the fact that we are still yet to have an R18+ classification for games.

Hmmm definitely my biggest disappointment of the year is the lack of proper ratings for games, not that I expected it to actually change this year. But at least the topic has not died.

[Tom Campbell]

No one is going to agree with me but I just found everything in the game to full on. The storyline was stupid and the game was so repeative. I keep on giving it a second chance just to find myself hating it more. One thing good about the game was the graphics but thats it.:mad:

[fleshtea]

:mad: Grrrrrr! :mad:

hehe.

[AyatollaofRocknRolla]

Scribblenauts

On paper the concept sounded like the most awesome thing ever. However it rang hollow in its execution. It was too limited to be fun for much more than an hour or two.

[JC Henderson]

Brutal Legend- It makes me have a super sad face to say this but that game just fizzled and burned out for me after the first 30 minutes. Tim I will still love you to the end though.

[Argeaux]

Dear Scribblenauts

Why oh WHY must the camera always flick back to Maxwell?

Yours sincerely

Disappointed

[Rion1]

Brutal Legend

I played the game non-stop for 8 hours, just trying to get it to make me love it. I so badly wanted to love it. It's like watching the best animated show ever, but constantly having to wait 30 minutes between scenes so you can fly around a battlefield and not understand ANYTHING.

[bigbarry]

Gran Turismo
on the psp

[someguy45]

sacred 2. could of been soo much better

[Starscream]

Halo 3: ODST

No matchmaking in firefight.
Should have been called Halo 3.1.
Shame Bungie.

Resident Evil 5

Nice graphic upgrades.
Irritating sidekick. Ashley in RE4 was far more helpful.

[Second]

Brutal Legend

I played the game non-stop for 8 hours, just trying to get it to make me love it. I so badly wanted to love it. It's like watching the best animated show ever, but constantly having to wait 30 minutes between scenes so you can fly around a battlefield and not understand ANYTHING.

I also tried. I really WANTED to like it. I loved the setting, but the gameplay just... it was disappointing.

[xander_cade]

This should have been a successful return of a franchise that was celebrated back in the 8bit era. Unfortunately it turned out to be a "What not to do" guide when reinventing a franchise. I think the inability to create a good 2D to 3D game should now be called the "Spencer Syndrome".

[lastitachionearth]

Fable 2, i hate it, i hate it, i hate it.

[Tonez]

Fable 2 was 2008.

[9warbane]

My new disappointment: Fallout 3 GOTY for crashing every 30 seconds.

[jawsy]

The death of Duke Nukem: Forever.

Sometimes easy jokes are the best, and we lost one of our best sources for them.