I guess I could do this by picking a bunch of sequels that didn't live up, but I think in most every franchise there are a few sequels that don't live up, so that could get boring. Instead I'm going to try to choose some original games that I was super excited about before they released, but then they released and just... weren't that great? though I'll also throw in some sequels. I admit that for most of these I'm going off of what others have said about them, so if I'm wrong maybe someone can set me straight. But I'm willing to take a chance and assume these games didn't live up.



I remember getting so psyched for this game. Who wouldn't want to play a game where you get to be Boba Fett?! Ok so it was about Jango Fett but essentially, it is the same idea. Flying around on jetpacks, busting suckers with lasers, capturing people with grapple beams, shooting a big ass rocket out of your back... it was a huge Star Wars wet dream come true. But when it released it reviewed in the mediocre to poor range, my hype disappeared, and I never bothered checking it out.



Apparently Anand thinks this is one of the worst ideas ever, but I liked the idea. A bright, colorful platformer from Team Sonic (before I finally accepted they had nothing left) that seemed to have it's own little unique niche. But I guess it wasn't really any good?



I'm a huge, huge Mega Man X fan so the idea of an RPG using those characters sounded super cool. But then, the game apparently sucks. Boo.



This game sounded so weird and cool... kind of an RPG, except the battles took place in the form of a SHMUP? I was pretty excited for it, but um... again, it came out, and apparently sucks, so I never bothered.



Another Sonic Team game. The thing that frustrates me most about Sonic Team (and Sega as a whole, to some degree) is that they're still making the type of games I really want to see in an industry where few people are. BUT... their games mostly suck. It's a huge cock tease. I picked this even though it's a sequel because I haven't played the original, so it's not like "oh a sequel that didn't live up to my expectations based on playing the previous game" it would have been totally new to me. But I heard it really sucks, so I didn't bother.



I've actually played this game, I own it. And it's not terrible, it's just not very good. But the idea sounded so cool. Combine Mario Party with an RPG and a bunch of crazy stuff like getting to screw with people when you kill them by changing their names and such? But really, it's just not that great of a game.



I really, really love this series. Like, a lot. So when the Wii debuted with an exclusive Monkey Ball game, I was sold. The hype was up there with Zelda for me. And it seemed like something that would work very well with the Wii remote. But the mini-games mostly all sucked, and the single player was ok though not up to the standards of the old games. Meh.



Super Excited for Camelot's return to consoles. And I loved the Mario Golf games so this seemed like a sure thing. But I guess it wasn't that great? Oh well, there is always Golden Sun 3, their true return.



It's hard to put a finger on what is wrong with this game. It's very playable, sometimes creative, and follows the design of the original Yoshi's Island fairly closely. But it's just plain nowhere near as good. Maybe this is the difference between having all of the elements in place, and actually designing a great game around those elements?



I was super into this game on pretty much every level, until I started playing it. And I still love the story, characters, and presentation. But the core gameplay just doesn't work for me, at all.

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Deadly Creatures. THQ was hyping up how they put so much effort into the story. I kinda want to see where that all went.

I still can't get into killer7. I'll try again soon.

Bob's Game was also a big let down.

Does Bob's Game exist? I thought it was never released.

Deadly Creatures seemed like an interesting title too, but that was probably just a case of the IGN hype train getting out of hand a bit. I mean, I don't think any source outside of IGN was hyping it up all that much.

Saw that one coming from a mile away. Now all we need is Anand posting Metroid Prime.

I kind of tried to stick to games that are just straight up mediocre/bad, although Yoshi's Island DS is still ok, just a huge letdown next to the first. Not that I expected the developer of Blinx to beat out Nintendo's classic, but I think it could have been a lot better.

I can second the Wii's Monkey Ball game. I also wanna add,

and and

Holy cow, you realize that Shake It! is adored around here, right? This might get ugly.

Oh yes, I know it is. But I'm not afraid to say it. I'm not saying it's a shit game, but for me, it could have been a lot better. I don't really know how to explain why, so I'm not going to bother trying to justify my feelings for those who find this blasphemous, but it's how I feel! I'm pretty sure Z&W is beloved around here too. I own both games mind you too, but I'm certainly glad I got both for such a low price.

Zero said:

Does Bob's Game exist? I thought it was never released.

Deadly Creatures seemed like an interesting title too, but that was probably just a case of the IGN hype train getting out of hand a bit. I mean, I don't think any source outside of IGN was hyping it up all that much.

Nah, Bob's Game never got released. Probably never will.

And there's no doubt that IGN made too big of a deal out of Deadly Creatures, but they were mostly just THQ's main conduit for pimping their ga-

@Zero Could it get any uglier than Super Mario Galaxy 2? :(

Anyway,

@GelatinousEncore

That sonic game is real? Has it released yet?

@DrFinkelstein It came out in 2006, and is considered to be really terrible, even by Sonic standards.



I also wish Deadly Creatures was better. While I'm at it, I also wish Manhunt 2, MadWorld, and Fragile Dreams were better games.

Metroid: Other M BY FAR. I was so excited about this game before I finally jumped into the abyss.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (PC)
Graphically and performance-wise, TFU was good. However the game design was just bland. It does have some "high" points, specifically I enjoyed the story and the ability to use so many Force powers. But the execution was just off. The phsyics engine, doing Force combos, and chaining together moves could have all been fleshed out, tightened, and given us a really seemless Jedi/Sith experience. Some of the cutscenes also just felt very abrupt and didn't seem to fit, so the transition between story elements definitely needed refined although the overarching plot was interesting enough. Also this was just one lazy PC port. Whoever did this did not have custom, modular icons for keymaps. So when I naturally changed my key bindings to better suite how I use the keyboard/mouse, the onscreen guide during the game showed the default ones. And yes, that means even during the QTEs, which I failed more often than I should have.

No More Heroes
Yeah, I know a lot of people like this game but I see why Bozon scored it the way he did. It has a nice idea, but the execution definitely isn't refined. What needs updated? Basically everything you do that isn't fighting.

Zero said:

I'm a huge, huge Mega Man X fan so the idea of an RPG using those characters sounded super cool. But then, the game apparently sucks. Boo.

I wouldn't say it sucked. I remembered enjoying it...some. I had lower standards then, though.

Agreed on Red Steel, The Conduit, and Sonic 2006.

The Force Unleashed infuriates me. I hate the gameplay, it's ridiculously buggy, and the story is a canon killer. And it sells so damn well...I was really hoping for an awesome Jedi game since the Jedi Knight series got dropped, but now seeing TFU makes me long for the days of Jedi Outcast...

Also wasn't a big fan of No More Heroes, it's an interesting game but I wouldn't call it a great one.

I'd say Other M, since it was like seeing a dream come true at E3 2009, but my hype was in check by launch after hearing all the news about Wiimote-only, the story focus and such.

When it was first announced, the screenshots and descriptions led me to believe Star Fox Command would be on-rails, only you could DRAW the rails on the touch-screen, planning your path through the stage. Then it turned out to be a crappy strategy game...

Shadow of the Colossus was kind of a let down for me. It got some things right, but ultimately I wasn't that impressed outside of the presentation.

Bionic Commando 2009 could have been an awesome Spider-Man shooter. It wasn't.

Mirror's Edge is a pretty good game, but it has some flaws and quirks that make it less than a must-play even though it's so unique.

@nate38

How is it even possible for SoTC to even get any better? It's by far one of the best games I've ever played!

Anyway, that said:



This game had so much going for it. The presentation, the gameplay, the music. But ultimately, it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be because not once did I care for what I was doing. I felt no connection to any of the characters, and I aside from the awesome combat, there was no real motivator for me to keep moving forward. I enjoyed my time with it, but it could have been so much better if Ubisoft had really put their all into this game.

Hopefully Red Steel 3 fleshes out a story and makes us care.




ALSO:



Don't get me wrong, the game was good. But in no way was it able to deliver on my expectations for it. I really wanted to be blown away by this game, but ultimately wasn't. To date, this and Spirit Tracks are the only Zelda games I haven't completed at least twice.

@GelatinousEncore Yes, because Galaxy 2 is a big dog and people assume it can hold its own. But a game like Wario Land well... fans will want to support it more because they will feel it needs more support.

It's the difference between ripping on a popular band versus an indie band. Indie bands have more diehard fans.

DrFinkelstein said:

I can second the Wii's Monkey Ball game. I also wanna add,

and and

I agree with the second two and add NSMBW and HL2. I'll add Other M just for the few negatives the game had.

LoZ: Twilight Princess (nobody needs to hear me denigrate this game more)

Red Steel (not as bad as many made it out to be, but still nowhere as great as Ubi Soft's advertising made it seem)

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz (WTF JUMPING? and the maps were nowhere near as fun as previous titles)

Gears of War (i thought the concept of a multiplayer 3rd person shooter was cool with cover mechanics, but it was a tremendous let down)

Doom 3 (the graphics were awesome, but... meh)

Shadow Hearts 2 (i think i let Penny Arcade influence my expectations too much... this RPG had terrible dialogue and voice acting, unremarkable characters, and a combat system that made it impossible for me to play when i was sleepy and about to go to bed-- the time when i like to play RPGs)

Diddy Kong Racing (not Mario Kart64. there was just something missing. it had no soul or something)

Final Fantasy X (a boring, long tird)

@autokymatic
I'll be damned if Ima sit here and let someone talk Doom 3 down. That game warrants respect for the fact it was the complete inspiration for Dead Space alone. It created a subgenre of games, the graphics were and still are ahead of their time, the atmosphere is still up there with the greatest, the sound and art design were world class, and the gameplay was damn fun. I love Doom 3 to death.

I agree with DKR though. I hated the overly tight controls of that game.

carlosrox said:

@autokymatic
I'll be damned if Ima sit here and let someone talk Doom 3 down. That game warrants respect for the fact it was the complete inspiration for Dead Space alone. It created a subgenre of games, the graphics were and still are ahead of their time, the atmosphere is still up there with the greatest, the sound and art design were world class, and the gameplay was damn fun. I love Doom 3 to death.

I agree with DKR though. I hated the overly tight controls of that game.

it was alright... i just found it lacking given the hype and i actually got disinterested as i played. Doom and Quake were atmospheric and scary to play many years prior, and there were other games (of the same genre or not) that did as well or better too. i honestly don't remember the sound design, so i can't speak for that. opinions, mate. lol

Red Steel 2 for sure. Hey Ubi, how bout a story with somewhat developed characters and some varied missions. What shit, I can't believe I actually had the will to finish that game.

Turok Evolution: Being such a huge Turok fan, it was sad to see this game, just absolute no direction or soul. Don't even get me started on the most recent Turok game.

Sonic Unleashed: People said it was pretty good, turns out they were just desperate Sonic fans fooled by an oasis.

The Conduit: I found the story and characters much more interesting than in Red Steel 2, but with a bland ass art style and ho-hum visuals(DOOD, it totally looks like a 360 game sometimes! lol) along with some stale gameplay elements, it turned out to be a decent game.

Too Human: I still enjoyed it, but holy shit the level design and art style in that game is atrocious(not to mention the minute long death sequence lol).

Thats it for now.