30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[Gregzilla]

Day 12 - Fondest Next Gen Experience

 

 

Luigi's Mansion and the launch of the Gamecube

 

The more I think about it, there are few games I spent as much time with in my childhood than good ol' Luigi's Mansion.  Before this point, most games I just played to have a high-octane good time, with action testing my skills and fast-paced stuff flying at you.  It was about adventure.  Luigi's Mansion was probably one of my first gaming experiences that made me appreciate slower, more atmospheric journeys.  Granted, it's still a fun Nintendo game with plenty of action, but it was totally different from anything I'd experienced before.  The graphics were incredible (and still hold up great), the music was ominous, Luigi didn't run very fast, and - get this - there wasn't even a jump button!  This was a carefully paced trek through a spooky mansion, and it was beautifully crafted.  It just sucked me in, to the point where I'm pretty sure I completed it about 7 times by the time I was in the 4th grade.

 

And thus the Gamecube was upon us, and it brought on some really killer and creative games that would remain with me forever.  And a particularly nostalgic shout out goes to the extra menu in Luigi's Mansion that gave us a very early look at Pikmin, another one of my fondest gaming experiences.  

[Goldenlink64]

Day 12: Fondest Next Gen Experience

 

Perfect Dark's easily my Next Gen Experience Waifu. Even despite the fact that I owned a Nintendo 64 my entire life and even had a GameCube after I got this game, Perfect Dark still felt "Next Gen" to me. Maybe not in terms of graphical fidelity, but content-wise, no shooter at the time ever put as much content and effort into both Single and Multi-Player as Rare did.

 

"WHAT?! PEOPLE ACTUALLY TALK TO ME IN THIS GAME AND IT'S NOT JUST A CUTSCENE? WAIT, DID MY MAIN CHARACTER JUST RESPOND TO THEM?! THIS IS AMAZINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG"

 

I was also pretty new to Scripted Events at the time and the very fact that they put in non-story recorded dialogue in the completely optional overworld ALONE just amazed me considering the amount of limited space that's on the N64 cartridge (normally you would save those extra bells and whistles and focus on everything else that's mandatory).

 

Favorite Game of all time aside, I should probably choose something else I haven't gushed about already. Hmm, let's see... Super Smash Bros. Melee's Intro FMV has already been said a huge amount of times, but that's definitely another cherished moment as my first GameCube game along with SA2B. Speaking of Sonic... 

 

Sonic Unleashed was my first 360 game I got with the system a couple years ago, and what an experience that was... It has its flaws, sure, but as a stand alone one-off game, I still highly enjoyed Sonic Unleashed for the coherent experience I could compare with the Adventure series and the Day Stages I could simply describe as "Exhilarating" and "Next Gen".

 

Really, there was nothing else like it, and I still don't know many games that play like it. People compare Sonic Unleashed to that of a "racing game", but I don't see it. All I see is a high speed platformer starring my favorite hedgehog. While the Day Stages aren't perfect by any means, it's still cool as hell to go blasting through these realistic cities, towns, across the oceans and with fantastic and fitting music to boot.

 

It's cinematic, great fun and while I don't want the series to necessarily do this for the rest of its lifetime, I think it was incredibly fun for what it did for its duration from Unleashed to Generations. 

 

Previously on Day 11:

Next time on Day 13:

[Starman Swift]

Day 12: Fondest Next-Gen Experience

 

 

Our first home console was an N64, but we never actually got many multiplayer games that I could play with my brothers on it. The games we had with multiplayer usually had it as a side-thing, minigames and stuff like that. I blame both my lack of video game store browsing and having no magazine like Nintendo Power to look through at that point in my life for not having the classics that others grew up with. But once we got the Gamecube, that's when things really started turning around. We finally got games we could play together like Super Smash Brothers and Mario Party that we had never gotten to play before. These games were incredibly fun to play with family and friends. Plus, this was when we started renting stuff, when Blockbuster was still a thing, so we got to try out a lot of games on it that I remember fondly, like Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and Custom Robo. The Gamecube was really a game changer for me and my brothers. 

[KHCast]

I'm gonna say Melee. Oh Melee...

That game seriously consumed a ton of my time. Getting characters, scores,trophies, and the MULTIPLAYER! I spent hours with friends, HOURS, playing this with family and friends. It just never got old, and it still doesn't feel dated today! (I'm actually secretly hoping for either a Wii U or 3DS port of Melee.)

[DemonShad716]

Day 12: Fondest "Next Gen Experience"

 

I've had quite a few Next Gen experiences, but Unleashed takes the cake on this one, mainly because the Hedgehog Engine made Sonic awesome in this game by showing us real speed. It is my most played Sonic game on the 360 and I have it in my disc try almost all the time (it still is as I'm writing this lol) Not only that, but the game looks amazing, even when going at super speed. It gave me more of a realistic feel as if I was actually there in those towns on a vacation, I was blown away. The music was fantastic, especially Apotos at night, very relaxing. The game even made me hungry when you are going around eating all the food at each town, even the hotdog stands. Everything looked so delicious, even that Eggman sandwhich. I had to pause the game and grab something to eat because it looked so good on screen.

 

 

All of the DLC packs made the experience more spicier with the amount of parkour and quicktime events. In one of them, you are flying through the air popping balloons trying not to fall; its like playing Don't Let the Balloon (or in this case, Hedgehog) Touch the Floor game with Sonic. Aside from the Werehog levels, the Day levels are fun as hell to play.

 

That experience will also carry over with the Unleashed Project mod for Sonic Generations PC with all the fan made levels. Its all so well made that I end up playing for hours, even all day.

[Nepenthe]

Day 12: Fondest Next-Gen Experience

 

I'm first going to echo a lot of people and say the N64, although to be honest my memories of playing Mario 64 at the time of release have severely faded. And indeed, it wasn't the first console with 3D capabilities I had experienced either; the Sega Saturn and Playstation were already in my home. Rather, it was the variety of memorable games we indulged in and the memories created that made it personally matter to me. Platformers, racers, adventure games, shooting games, all running the gamut from cartoony and realistic. To me, the N64 was a veritable smorgasbord of high-quality games, and it's undoubtedly the Nintendo console I've gotten the most use out of.

 

Second would probably be the launch of the original Xbox, because I do actually remember my brother getting one for Christmas. Getting a new console for Christmas had become the family tradition of sorts, and while 3D gaming had been around long by then the graphical fidelity was still unlike anything we'd seen at the time. Naturally the first game we had for it was Halo, of which even the main menu- with that drifting shot of the planet amidst the haunting chorus- was something magical. Everyone in my family played it Halo extensively- even my mom. xD

[The Deleter]

Day 12: Fondest Next Gen Experience

 

 

Velocity X

 

I've always been a fan of racers. Arcade, simulation, above-view, you name it. However, there were two features that I felt the genre was lacking in a lot of ways: an open world city to race through, and tracks that are a lot more exciting, more like roller coasters than horse tracks made of asphalt.

 

My jaw dropped when this game met me on both fronts.

 

A town that I could run through whichever way I wanted, routes going up walls, roofs, and literal rollercoasters, awesome Hotwheels cars with weapons of destruction attached to them, and an actual story with rivals, missions, and boss battles... It was like something out of a wet dream for 10-year-old me. Definitely a step up from NASCAR and dirt track games.

 

To this day, the only game that has come close to surpassing this game is Burnout Paradise, and it'll probably be the only one to do so. My copy of this game is currently broken, so I don't know how it would hold up nowadays, but I can safely say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the "next gen" PC gaming memory that is engraved into my head as the most technically awesome thing ever.

 

Day 12: Complete

[BakingBluePotatoe]

Wooooah, I almost forgot about this.

 

Day 12 - Fondest "Next Gen Experience"

 

 

Ah, the original Phat DS. How I remember begging my dad to get this for me Christmas of 06... namely for Sonic Rush (I had yet to desire a Pokemon game for a few more months)

 

and then I got it, and I played the game, and it just BLEW. ME. AWAY. 2 screens, double the fun! and I eventually discovered all the other fun and amazing games for it. It introduced SO many unique concepts for a handheld gaming system- 2 screens, a TOUCH SCREEN, and even a MICROPHONE, and of course, it had WiFi... that was a new and cool thing at the time, right?

 

---

 

Then in more recent times, when I got my Xbox 360 for my birthday following Sonic Generation's release. Playing Gens was just like... holy fuck. The gameplay itself was AWESOME, and the graphics where SO PRETTY, especially once I got my hands on an HDMI cord. 

 

---

 

and the most recent thing, when Pokemon X&Y came out, and being able to pick whatevr language you want, and sitting on benches, and customization. All the cool shit.

 

And shortly after I got the game, I went back to play Soul Silver and I went "..... gee, these graphics look so primitive" I knew they really weren't, but, compared to X&Y...

[Soniman]

Well I when I got a PS1 I played  a bunch of Demos that were fun but weren't life changing, when I got my PS2 all I had was a boring ass ATV game, when I got the Wii it was of course Wii Sports which was fun for one day, then finally we have the Wii U with Nintendoland....guess ill go with that one.

 

 

 

So I got this at christmas and when I got to boot it up my two other younger cousins were around to also have their hans on a Wii U for the first time ever.

 

So I spent my first Wii U experience playing this with my two younger kid cousins, it was a very fun time, seeing my little cousins trying to figure out the controls and just be enthralled by the system in general, as was I with me trying to figure out all the kinks of the console. It was just a fun time to be had and a great moment of bonding between the three of us in general.

[Jolt_TH]

Day 12: fondest next gen experience

For this one I'm going to have to go with...

Super Mario Galaxy

This game seriously blew me away when I played it, sure it wasn't Wii Sports or Zelda, but when I bought it and put in my in my Wii I had to sit through a system update, adding to the suspense. My dad had allowed me the use of the huge family TV and so I started it up and right from the title screen the game makes a presence.

I started to play. Mario moved and jumped so smoothly, te controls were responsive, the graphics were amazing, the music, top notch, the whole premise of the game just blew me away, then I got the spin power and it just fitted like the last piece of the puzzle. A simple mechanic that works perfectly with the Wii, but doesn't seem tacked on, didn't seem gimmicky, wasn't just "waggle". Tat entire game blew me away EVERY time I played it, and it still does now

[Jeffhog]

ON THE TWELTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS
~ This Next Gen Gave to Me... ~

Day 12: Fondest "Next Gen" Experience

Game Selected: Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Platform: Nintendo Wii

 

"To save your special one, you'll need the power to travel through space."

~Rosalina

–and a Super Mario Galaxyyyyy~!

Definitely have to hand this one to Mario.

 

This was one of the biggest titles the Wii had to look forward to in its early days, and one of the biggest things to get hype about for the Christmas season, and holy hell, when I finally got my hands on it, Super Mario Galaxy was a masterpiece. The visuals were unlike any Mario game in the past, the memorable music was gloriously scored by an orchestra unlike previous titles, and the gameplay? Out of this world! Never before, at that time, had a game broke ground like that for me before. Twilight Princess, sure, it was amazing, but it played like other The Legend of Zelda games. This one? It looked and felt all new, and I felt compelled to collect every single Power Star and complete the game. Rosalina? Awesome backstory and a welcome addition to an already expansive universe.

This game made the Wii for me, and gave the impression that this new gen was going to be amazing. It was going to be promising. It was going to be ambitious.

 

And you know what? It was.

Briefer answer compared to previous days, but my sentiments are still as grand. Galaxy was an epic through and through, and I can pass such praise to its stellar sequel with full conviction. Awesome job, Nintendo EAD.

[Carbo]

Day 12: Fondest Next-Gen Experience

This is a bit of a special exception to me as in a normal circumstance I would say Super Mario 64, or even Mario Kart 64 for being the first generational shift game I ever experienced. But truth be told I associate Melee with something a bit more than that, and that's my memory of first getting a Gamecube.

Back when I was a kid learning of the new generational jump after having a content gaming life with my N64, I never really got the chance to ask for a new console. It was pretty heartbreaking for me not to get a Gamecube the year I wished for one during Christmas, so after that a very arduous process began for me - saving up for one using my own money, which became the first time which I, as a kid, decided to hold off on simple pleasures in order to aim for something bigger. This was an incredibly daunting task for me to do as my allowance wasn't the most impressive, but I toughened out months and abstained from just about anything imaginable in order to finally purchase my own, next-gen console, and I came out successful. I didn't have any games to go along with it and I didn't even have a memory card, I just bought the console knowing that the price shot down so much for the Cube that I could get it relatively cheap in an electronics store, and for the first few days I would just spend time wistfully enjoying the splash screen and menu. Despite the fact that my mother tended to often downplay me getting new consoles, she usually tells me how this was one purchase she was proud that I could accomplish as I had saved money long enough to fulfill that need. She ended up buying me Super Mario Sunshine a few days later, which I'd play on repeat multiple times as I didn't have a memory card then, and my dad eventually bought me Star Fox Adventure a few weeks after.

But none of that ended up paying off to the degree that Super Smash Bros. Melee did, a game which I had never seen once in action beyond the promotional still that had all of the characters standing in a group shot. I remember it being pretty surreal to me that a second one was ever made as it really seemed like something of a fan's dream to have more of these characters come together. The original Super Smash Bros. was a game I never actually owned, mostly because my parents at the time were really wary about all the stuff happening on screen hurting eyes and other conservative crap like that, but I got to play the game a deal at my friend's. Somehow I managed to convince my mom then, years after that fact, to buy me Melee around the time when I had gotten my Gamecube. It kind of blew my mind how it was actually happening; how I at first managed to buy a console on my own and how I now was about to receive a game which I had never imagined I'd be allowed to play, things I considered to be impossible to achieve. It was an amazing memory for me at the time as I was insanely impatient to hurry up home and get to play the game to see what the sequel to Super Smash Bros. would be like.
 

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Still the singularly most exciting opening to a video game ever, an instant reminder of what's in store, nothing has ever overwhelmed me to this day as when this CG sequence played about every fanboy dream I could possibly conjure of my childhood memories playing Nintendo games. And all of that was topped off with the incredible title card. It defied every expectation, everything was prominent and overall, I have never had a bigger smile on my face as much as this when it ended up becoming the defining moment of gaming for me. It was the culmination of everything I could have possibly anticipated and it came at the perfect turning point of my life.

[Kamicciolo]

Day 12 - Fond Next Gen "your reasons are as lousy as your choice's specs, Ninja~" Experience

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_efv7ZGAdjo

 

I can't see any other option but this game I'm afraid. This is just THE defining "next gen" moment for me. Having grown up with the classic games on the Mega Drive and playing them to death, that one cutscene alone made the impression on young me right off the bat that this was gonna be a hell of an experience.

 

Obviously now the game and all it's CGI looks incredibly dated and all, but back then it was new, it was cutting edge, it was sleek, and it was gorgeous. Seeing Sonic rendered so 'brilliantly' was breath taking (and funnily enough I don't think I even recognised that his design was updated :V). I just knew I had to have this game.

 

...Sadly that didn't quite happen (not til long after anyways...), but I did have a friend at the time who let me play it for a bit, and lemme tell you I was just as awed by the ingame graphics as I was by the intro. The stages were so bright, colourful, and detailed. Emerald Coast was just jaw-dropping for the graphics and the sheer size of it, since it made Sonic himself look so small.

 

It was an experience....

 

I'll also throw Super Smash Bros. Melee in as an honorary mention too. The sheer jump between that and Super Smash Bros. on the N64 is enough to make your head spin. The amount of extra content, packed in was, and still is a bit, amazing. So many extra characters and stages. Adventure Mode, Trophies, Event Modes, and even some brand new moves for the veteran characters (since they added the side special attacks). Man it was spectacular

[Kaabiitorori]

Day 12: Fondest Next-Gen Experience

 

   

 

Mario & Sonic's First Step Into 3D Platforming

 

Growing up with Nintendo and Sega during the 90s was one of the greatest moments I've had during my childhood, having the best of both worlds in the form of the NES & Master System and the Super Nintendo & Mega Drive with their great amount of games to play and, especially, with their respective mascots pulling out impressive games. Being a die-hard Mario and Sonic fan, I enjoyed their adventures during the 8-bit and 16-bit era, and the idea of playing two of my all-time favourite franchises in 3D was something I was looking forward to experience.

 

Super Mario 64 was to me (and for millions of people) the first contact I had with the Nintendo 64. As I mentioned back in Day 1: Most Nostalgic Game, Super Mario World was an amazing step forward in the franchise after Mario's also incredible endeavor on the NES. Super Mario 64, however, not only was an amazing step forward, but an unmissable mind-blowing experience. The day I got my hands on the console thanks to an old friend of mine allowed me to take part into the generational jump from 2D to 3D gaming for the first time ever, and Super Mario 64 was the perfect boarding pass to get into such generational leap. Jaw-dropped at the full 3D environments and seeing Mario run and jump, the secrets behind Princess Peach's castle and the vast worlds to explore, the amazing 3D graphics at the time and the majestic composition of the music by Koji Kondo... everything from that game was one wonderful treat after another. Even to this day I still keep going back to this game and enjoy all of its platforming goodness, which is still acclaimed as the most revolutionary step taken not only in the genre but in the video game industry. In other words, an unmissable experience and, truth be told, must consider myself lucky to experience it back on the day. =)

 

As for Sonic's platforming endeavor into the 3D world, the release of the Sega Saturn had the potential to see a real Sonic platformer in 3D but as we all know it became an incredibly missed opportunity (let's face it, Sonic 3D Blast nor Sonic R weren't enough games to make justice of the Blue Blur). At the time when the Sega Saturn was around, I was really looking forward to see the coolest video game character step into the 3D realm. Years later when the Dreamcast came out, Sonic Adventure was, much like the N64 and Super Mario 64, the perfect way to step into Sega's newest console at the time and to experience the next leap in video games. Sonic Adventure was an incredible transition from the classic Mega Drive games, and seeing the Blue Blur running at incredible speeds throughout 3D environments, blasting away robots while freeing little animals just like in the good ol' classic series, the story and all the mysteries to uncover throughout each of the character's story segments, the enhanced 3D graphics pulled by the Dreamcast and the incredibly crafted soundtrack by Jun Senoue... so many incredible moments, so mind-blowing that even the whole generational await the character took in order to release this masterpiece was worthy.

 

All in all, I can say that both Mario and Sonic brought me the best experiences I've ever had with their respective first 3D platform entries. Both games were incredible experiences and very joyous treats for a young boy at the time who spent hours and hours playing with their past entries and enjoyed the best of both characters' universes.

 

(I'll leave my introduction to the post a bit later on. I had to hurry up composing this post before the next day started!)

[Dejimon11]

Day 12

I'm going with Paper Mario the thousand year door. I got this game back in 2012 so yeah I'm late to the party. The last 2 years prior to this game I was playing the hell out of the original paper mario and I thought for N64 standards the game looked great. Then when I bought thousand year door from my friend I was amazed how different it looked. The presentation was great and the fact that they used the paper gimmick to the full extent wowed me.

[Sami]

Day 13 - Most Disappointing Game

you all saw this coming

 
Let's set the stage here. 
 
I've owned this game for years. Almost five years at this point, I think. One of my dad's coworkers gave it to him when he found out we'd gotten a PS3 (he probably just wanted the piece of shit off his hands - can't say I blame him). I played for a few hours when I got it, up to near the end of Act 2 (which is, ironically enough, exactly where the quality of the game falls off a fucking cliff) but eventually stopped because I had no idea what was happening. I'd been told that it only really makes any sense to Metal Gear fans, and it's a really good game if you're experienced with the series. I wasn't, though, so I shelved it for a later day.
 
Five years later, my curiosity pushed me to get MGS1 on my Vita about a month before Ground Zeroes was released. I've told the story.
 
So after burning through three of the most amazing games I've ever played, I was extremely pumped up to play the most up-to-date, modern version of it. 
 
I got through the first two acts without too many problems. The game was really exposition heavy, far too much so (fucking christ, it's even worse than before), and the story had some cringe-worthy stuff already, but I got through it. Act 3. Again, I've written about it. It's all shit. The opening part is shit, the Wikipedia exposition you're rewarded with is shit (even if I did enjoy some of the fanservice sprinkled in between), the following section is shit, and the boss is shit. It's bad. It sucks.
 
Act 4 literally had to be better. It was back to a traditional stealth setup, and in a really nostalgic place, too! But alas. No. It sucked too. Really disappointing, as well. They overran the one place I was actually really excited to see with a shit ton of annoying and frustrating robots that weren't fun to sneak around or shoot. Great. 
 
Act 5 had two good moments - the five minutes you were actually playing it, and the microwave scene. Won't go into more detail just in case you for some reason want to play this game (seriously though, don't). 
 
The gameplay is mechanically solid but not as well designed as MGS3 before it for the first two acts,  but then takes a nosedive, and the story is such an insulting and infuriatingly awful fucking mess that it instantly throws the game into "fuck this shit" territory for me, especially considering the fact that it's following up on three masterpieces. 
 
 
MGS4 is a bad game. If you're a fan of the series you'll get to see a game that shits all over its predecessor's legacies, and if you're not you'll just be confused as shit as these boring and lifeless characters drone on and on about bullshit you don't know or care about. 
 
I can't think of a game I've played in the past few years I've hated more than this one.
 
Play the others and pretend this stain on their legacy doesn't exist.

 

 

Fake edit -

You know what? No. I'm not done ranting about this. I wrote this entry in advance and let it sit for a day or two but I decided that there's more shit I want to talk about because I really genuinely passionately despise everything this game represents and what it does to a series of my favorite games of all time.

 

1. Metal Gear Solid is a series that is known for having incredible boss fights, ever since MGS1. Even before playing the game I'd already heard about Psycho Mantis, The End, The Sorrow, and The Boss. The rest of the bosses are no slouches either.

 

Problem - MGS4's bosses are shit. Every single one of the characters you fight are poorly slapped together rehashes of the bosses that came before, and the fights themselves are very rarely anything special. The best of the bunch was the very first boss, who wasn't that good either. There's a climactic final fight at the end that caps off the whole series quite well, but that was more a triumph of the characterization from older games than the gameplay or plot. 

 

2. People like to criticize Metal Gear for being too heavy on exposition and having far too many cutscenes in relation to the gameplay. This never bothered me. I thought most of the cutscenes were interesting and well written enough to justify their inclusion and it was very rare that I got put off by one being too long or badly written.

 

Problem - MGS4's cutscenes are far too fucking long and exposition heavy. They're also bad. MGS4 takes all the jokes and criticisms about this series that I initially brushed off as hyperbole, such as the "nanomachines" meme, and suddenly jerked them into reality. Everything is fucking nanomachines. Everything. Even the fucking character whose only purpose in every game since MGS1 is to have a joke where he poops his pants as a long-running tradition has had his bladder problems indirectly explained by nanomachines. Seriously.

 

3. Speaking of the guy who poops his pants, Johnny Sasaki is a pretty funny running gag.

 

Problem - MGS4 takes the running gag and turns him into a major character. Fuck this. Seriously. Fuck this idea, fuck its execution, fuck everything about it. Slap Kojima on the face for even thinking about this. Johnny ShitsHisPants is now a major character, and Meryl's new love interest. He is even brought up into the image of a handsome, dashing young hero fitting of an action thriller, not unlike what people commonly mistook Snake to be in MGS1.

 

It's fucking dumb. Literally all this character has ever done is shit his pants. And he does that in this game too. Yet suddenly after he takes off his mask and is revealed to be this chiseled, handsome blonde dude who Meryl falls in love with, he mysteriously never poops again. Hm.

 

4. Metal Gear is commonly known for having really great, memorable characters, and does a very good job of developing all of them well.

 

Problem - Snake has experienced severe character degradation. Raiden too. Pretty much, everyone in fact.

 

 

 

Oh yeah also Raiden being a poor Gray Fox wannabe in MGS4 reminds me of another problem

 

the game never stops cramming forced and awful fanservice down your throat

 

ok so like, you know how the name EVA kind of sounds like Eve? MGS3 played with the Biblical reference in about one or two lines. It was subtle and relevant to the context. Cool. EVA is in MGS4 as well. She carries an apple everywhere and makes Biblical references where they make no sense. Because she had a line of that in MGS3. Cool.

 

Naomi had a monologue about genes and destiny in MGS1. It was relevant to the context of the scene and quite powerful when you hear it. So, obviously, she has to never shut the fuck up about genes and destiny when she comes back in MGS4.

 

The ending is literally an extremely blatant and poor rehash of MGS1's.

 

Ok. Ok I think that's it. 

 

I think.

 

But just to be sure - 

 

- Not enough stealth, too much emphasis on gunplay

- Story is garbage

- Characters are trashed

- Bosses suck

- Dialogue is horrible

- nanomachinesnanomachinesnanomachines 

 

there's probably more I forgot.

 

Oh wait, there is. This is a thing that exists - 

 

 

Liquid's base has a Mt. Snakemore. With all the Snakes and Big Boss.

 

I'm fucking done. Peace.

 

[Willsy]

Day 13: Most Disappointing Game

This game is exactly why I should keep my hype levels moderate for a Sonic game. I was so hyped for this, it looked like it would be something that would carry Generations' success and be the best 3D Sonic in years. Boy, was I in for an unpleasant surprise. I woke up on release day and found mixed to negative reviews from critics, and I kept saying to myself, it can't be true, it can't really be as bad as they're making it out to be. But then my copy of the game arrived and I was shocked at how much of a step down from Generations it was. I could see what some of the critics meant. It was inconsistent, had some very questionable controls (my gosh did Sonic handle like ass in 2D), and had a generic story and villains.

It wasn't a bad game, but it certainly wasn't great, and made me want the boost formula back. "You don't know what you have until it's gone" is a phrase that rings in my head constantly when I think of the transition from Generations to Lost World. There were some fun moments, but it was too swamped by flaws and inconsistency to win me over properly. I still pop the game into my Wii U every now and then to have a quick play of some of the levels that I like, but I've found myself playing Unleashed and Generations more.

Overall, it was a very disappointing experience for me, which is why I now try to contain my hype. I'm staying cautious about Boom for good reasons, so I can't be terribly disappointed if it's not up to scratch or so I can be surprised if it's surpassed my expectations.

The 3DS version lived up to my expectations pretty much as I kept them moderate. It was an okay version, but Dimps have done better and their quality seems to be stagnant at 'okay' at the moment.

I guess it's partly my fault for getting too hyped for the game, but Sonic Team's fault as they were responsible for the quality of the game and the gameplay in general. Though I have seen people who had moderate hyped levels who were still disappointed by it, so I guess I might have still been somewhat disappointed if I kept calm about the game. I don't really know.

NOTE: Lost World was really my first 'hype train' experience for a Sonic game, so I can't comment on 06 as I wasn't as massively into Sonic back then as I am now and I wasn't really on the internet much at all.

[KrazyBean]

Day 13: Most Disappointing Game

 

 

When I first saw this game in action I was so excited. I was like "Wow, a handheld Paper Mario game, and the game is turn based like The Thousand Year Door!". It was looking like a great game! Granted, I haven't played The Thousand Year Door before but I do have a lot of knowledge of how it plays. It's very akin to the Mario and Luigi series, and I've played all the games for that series.

 

I started playing it, it was going well...but it just got to a point where the game REALLY started to fall flat on its face. The whole sticker aspect was really getting annoying, map navigation was confusing, the story was bland as all hell with no witty writing and your sidekick Kersti (I think that was her name) was absolutely useless and just plain boring. 

 

I got to the first boss battle (I think it was the goomba group who can combine into a giant goomba) and I thought it would be decently easy, since he's the first boss after all. I got my ass handed to me. Why? Because I didn't know about using specific thing stickers to beat the boss! This is the main aspect which pissed me off about this game. Beating bosses shouldn't be based on a system like this!

 

I reached World 3, and I just gave up on the game. There was no instance in this game were I really enjoyed it. It was horrible, it's missing everything which made the Paper Mario games great and it's a shameful excuse of an RPG. I'm so glad that I got it as a present because if I bought this game for full price, I would be very angry. This game is scrap paper and it belongs in the bin!

[BakingBluePotatoe]

Day 13: WTF is this shit? Most Disappointing Game

Hate to pull out the Sonic Card, but... UHG, nothing compares.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

I love Sonic. I love RPGs. I heard the game was going to be awesome.

Was it Sonic? Yes. Was it an RPG? I guess. Was it awesome? Oh hell no, not by a longshot.

The graphics... oh god, those where horrible! and why the HELL is a Sonic RPG turn-based!? It should be in real time. and the music was... well, the tunes where kinda sorta okay, but the music itself was awful and forgettable. And I remember the dialouge and the story didn't really flow as well as they should have.

And I was promised Big would be smarter. He was even more stupider than in the history of... ever.

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

Most disappointing game? I can think of a couple. Both licensed, too:



Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack (DS)

I was REALLY hyped when I heard about this. A NEW Turtles game that harkened back to the original arcade formula, complete with screen-throwing and such? With a story set in the world of the 2003 series and cutscenes done in the original Mirage comic book style? It was like a TMNT fan smorgasbord! However, then I played the game...*shudders*

The simple clean-house gameplay of the arcade games was completely missed by Ubisoft with enemies taking FAR too long to kill, the combat being too overcomplicated with combo attacks/partner attacks/super attacks and such, none of the environments being particularly interesting to look at, bosses being limited to once in a blue moon rather than taking full advantage of the 2003 show's rogues gallery, and all in all just being REALLY boring to play. People like to give Re-shelled a lot of flack, but at least I can ENJOY that. It's still fast, clean-house arcade action with my four favorite terrapins backed a cool art style and a lot of distinct environments. This is NOTHING! The cutscenes are cool to look at and there's some neat stuff like seeing Fast Forward Leonardo in Mirage style, but having to play the game again just to see them just makes the whole thing not worth it in the end.

Sometimes, I think about giving it another play, considering that maybe I just didn't give myself enough of a chance to appreciate the gameplay since it was so different...but every time, I just end up playing it for three minutes, getting bored, and placing it back on my shelf. Honestly, the game would've been a lot better if it was just the Re-shelled engine reskinned, but nope, they had to go and try to fix a system that wasn't broken in the first place by trying to make it "deeper." But that's not why I enjoy Turtles in Time. Never while beating Slash or Rahzar down did I think "Wow, I could definitely use six different kinds of combos." or "The enemies could stand to be a lot tougher!" I just enjoyed playing because it was quick, fun, and made great use of the Turtles license. This does none of those things and is probably the blackest spot game-wise on the Bros' 25th anniversary.

Runner-Up:



Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS)

I'm not as disappointed by this one because I actually had some fun with it, but regardless of what you think of it, there's no denying that this is a game that should've stayed in the oven a bit longer. A throwback to the 16-bit Mickey Mouse platformers that also makes use of Disney's entire film library? Surely, this would have a TON of interesting worlds to explore! There are three. Yes, THREE. Peter Pan, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid. That's IT. Disney characters from A LOT of OTHER movies are just randomly tossed into the levels. Heck, there was even going to be a FOURTH Alice in Wonderland-themed world that was teased in Nintendo Power with level art, but they cut it out! The Queen of Hearts was with the other villains on the original boxart and everything! With only three worlds to play and most of the game taken up by meager fetch quests, the whole thing just comes off as "rushed to market" as possible and there was a lot of missed potential. I think if they had delayed it a month or two to add maybe two more worlds, it would've been a lot more satisfying, but as it stands, it's a disappointingly short game with beautiful sprite art and music. Thank Kero that the Castle of Illusion remake came out shortly after this to give me a better dose of old school Mickey platforming.
 

[Celestia]

Day 13: Most Disappointing Game

 

...

 

 

Spider-Man 3

(specifically the Wii version, though what I've played of the HD version wasn't exactly amazing either)

 

I've thankfully repressed most memories of this game, but I clearly remember that, after Spider-Man 2, this game was just a huge disappointment. I didn't find it fun to go around the city, the controls were awkward, and the story didn't really interest me. I'm pretty sure a lot of the crimes were more annoying (and considering SM2's could be bad at times as well...), too.

 

I played through the game to the end due to finding some small amount of enjoyment, but that's about it. Unlike most Spideys I wasn't really that invested in doing the extra stuff; with games like Ultimate or Shattered Dimensions, I put a lot of time into finding all the hidden stuff I could. Spider-Man 3? Naaaah.

 

It did have some cool bosses from what I can remember. The thing is, I enjoy bosses in the majority of Spidey games, so it doesn't really outweigh how little I was enjoying the rest of the game.

[Sami]

Day 13: Most Disappointing Game

 

...

 

 

Spider-Man 3

(specifically the Wii version, though what I've played of the HD version wasn't exactly amazing either)

 

I've thankfully repressed most memories of this game, but I clearly remember that, after Spider-Man 2, this game was just a huge disappointment. I didn't find it fun to go around the city, the controls were awkward, and the story didn't really interest me. I'm pretty sure a lot of the crimes were more annoying (and considering SM2's could be bad at times as well...), too.

 

I played through the game to the end due to finding some small amount of enjoyment, but that's about it. Unlike most Spideys I wasn't really that invested in doing the extra stuff; with games like Ultimate or Shattered Dimensions, I put a lot of time into finding all the hidden stuff I could. Spider-Man 3? Naaaah.

 

It did have some cool bosses from what I can remember. The thing is, I enjoy bosses in the majority of Spidey games, so it doesn't really outweigh how little I was enjoying the rest of the game.

 

lol, I remember this game. I bought it when I was in Syria and only played for about an hour or two, I think. Hated it so much I returned it right then and there. 

[Willsy]

Day 13: Most Disappointing Game

 

...

 

 

Spider-Man 3

(specifically the Wii version, though what I've played of the HD version wasn't exactly amazing either)

 

I've thankfully repressed most memories of this game, but I clearly remember that, after Spider-Man 2, this game was just a huge disappointment. I didn't find it fun to go around the city, the controls were awkward, and the story didn't really interest me. I'm pretty sure a lot of the crimes were more annoying (and considering SM2's could be bad at times as well...), too.

 

I played through the game to the end due to finding some small amount of enjoyment, but that's about it. Unlike most Spideys I wasn't really that invested in doing the extra stuff; with games like Ultimate or Shattered Dimensions, I put a lot of time into finding all the hidden stuff I could. Spider-Man 3? Naaaah.

 

It did have some cool bosses from what I can remember. The thing is, I enjoy bosses in the majority of Spidey games, so it doesn't really outweigh how little I was enjoying the rest of the game.

I had this on PS2. I can only remember The Lizard boss fight and the final boss which I got stuck on. It was that forgettable.

[JezMM]

 

Now let me start by stressing - this is not a bad game.  You should play this game.

 

But BioShock Infinite was just not the kind of game I wanted or expected from a BioShock sequel.  It got so many things right - the visuals, the story, the music, the story, the sense of wonder and uniqueness the story omg the story is so good and it's the one thing that makes me want to play this game over and over again before I remember I dislike the gameplay.

 

To me, combat in BioShock was always about being thoughtful.  You could sneak up on enemies, plan ahead, and all that jazz.  Infinite took this idea and applied it to thinking on your feet - a noble idea, one they did very well, but it just wasn't for me.  I got fatigued of the complete lack of middle ground in Infinite's pacing - the game was either all out blam blam blam or quiet pensive exploring.  BioShock flowed these two extremes around each other carefully and nicely.  Infinite just literally goes back and forth between them, and it made the gameplay seem repetitive and formulaic.  "There isn't music playing so it's explorey time with Elizabeth".  "BOM-BOM BOM-BOM..."  "Okay fighting time."

 

It unfortunately also had the effect of breaking up the world for me because I didn't feel like this place was living and breathing and carrying on around me.  I felt like I was just going through a series of challenges set up by the developers, like every enemy encounter was waiting for me to get there and they would just stand there forever if I didn't turn up.  It's a shame because some things just come with the territory - for example, there's nothing you can do about the fact that living, sane NPCs and a player character with a voice will eventually run out of things to say and just stand around silently, but the lack of these things in BioShock did help make the world that bit more believable.

 

BioShock 2 may have had a weaker story and tried too hard to "do BioShock again", but I still enjoy it more than Infinite.

 

Fortunately, Burial at Sea perfectly uses the best of both games to great advantage and I'm really glad we got to go back to Rapture and enjoy BioShock 1-esque gameplay one last time before the series concluded.  Just a shame you need to play Infinite to fully appreciate Burial at Sea's story.

 

 

 

(Dis)Honourable Mentions:

 

Sonic Colours

Expected a sequel to Unleashed, got a 2D platformer which is repeatedly interrupted by un-Sonicy platforming.  Generations healed the wounds though, and I still enjoy Colours enough to give it another playthrough on occasion.

 

Sonic Lost World

I went into this with a completely open mind, expecting something new, I hold this game no grudge for abandoning the Unleashed gameplay.  But what they replaced it with was crap to me.

 

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

I enjoyed this enough to finish it, but they literally took out 90% of what I love about Paper Mario 64 and TTYD.  No plans to ever play this again.

 

Left 4 Dead: The Sacrifice DLC

Not a game so kinda cheating, but after all the build-up, the amazing comic and FMV trailer, I was so ready for this to be a campaign with a totally different vibe to the others.  We did get that aesthetically and gameplay-wise, but in-game I was hugely disappointed by how unceremoniously they handled the finale.  Same finale music as always, and the ending cut-scene is literally less than 10 seconds long.  I didn't expect anything long, Left 4 Dead is designed to be played over and over again and it would get tiresome, but I expected a little more than a character falling over, heartfelt character dialogue being drowned out by zombie yelling, and cutting straight to the statistics roll.  They cut the intro sequence out of vs mode, they could've done the same with the ending.  The way the entire saga was handled was disappointing generally though - I feel The Sacrifice should've come before The Passing and the character's death should've been treated as a dramatic surprise rather than a marketing gimmick that was announced as going to happen in a freakin' official blog post.

[Indigo Rush]

Day 13: Most Disappointing Game

 

Hrm. 

 

I seriously hope there isn't a bonus badge for those who do not use Sonic in their posts, because I kind of have to pick ...

 

 

Now... it's no secret that I do not like Sonic 06. But... why? Is it just because I'm obligated as a gamer, and a Sonic fan at that, to hate this with every fiber of my being? Well, not necessarily.

 

Sonic 06 is not only my most hated Sonic game because of its glitches, poor storyline, uninspiring art style, boring premise and subpar presentation... it's my most hated because it's also my most disappointing.

 

Let me explain.

 

It's late 2005, and then this comes out:

 

 

And soon after, next year....

 

 

I was hyped. Hyped beyond compare. This looked like it was going to be the most incredible, epic Sonic game ever produced. It looked like it was going to go back to the action-adventure 3D platforming roots that the Adventure games were known for.  It had Sonic, Shadow, and now a new cool looking hedgehog called "Silver." I was so hyped.

 

And I waited so long to get my hands on it - I defended it blindly on these very forums when I joined in 2006 when I was only 16 years old... and then it happened. By way of someone who had an Xbox 360, I rented Sonic 06 from Blockbuster (RIP) and completed the entire game. Not 100%, mind you, but I finished all of the stories and beat Solaris.

 

I didn't smile once. I didn't feel any sense of joy, surprise or excitement.  By this time, I already knew that Sonic died, so there was no shock there either.  I worked to complete every story gritting my teeth through every loading screen, every mission, and that bloody ball puzzle that took me hours to complete.  I was humbled. I was broken. I was mad.

 

I had been burned hard.  Here's this big 15th anniversary game that looked like it would revive everyone's excitement for Sonic, and as it turns out, it ended up being one of the worst games ever made, right there with Bubsy 3D, ET for Atari 2600, Superman 64 and Bomberman Act Zero.

 

This was legendary suck.

 

My disappointment was so great, you could feel it.

Do not bring up Sonic 06 around me unless you want to see me cringe, pop a vein and then take out my anger on some innocent creature.

 

This game is terrible, and it disappointed me more than anything else out there, including Lost World 3DS.