Most disappointing games you really wanted... then hated.

[greedostick]

Thanks for sharing that information about Exile 2. I had no idea they said you probably had to cheat. Guess that's why it was so hard. But I did eventually beat it.

I just didn't think Beyond Shadowgate was that good. I definitely don't think it's the worst game on the console. It was just one of the most disappointing games for me. I loved the original Shadowgate on NES. I was expecting something of that nature. When I purchased that game there wasn't a ton of information online on it. So I had no idea what I was getting into. There are much worse games on the console for sure. Shadowgate just doesn't hold a special place in my video game past like some of the other Turbo titles like Bonk 2, Lords of Thunder, Legendary Axe, and Dynastic Hero. I guess saying it is a bad game earlier was pushing it a bit. It's OK but for me really only a one time play through type of game.

[_joshuaTurbo]

Super Air Zonk had to be the one i was most disappointed with.  Especially with GamePro's review of it saying it was better than the original and had better graphics/sound.  I couldn't wait to see ZILLIONS of waves of parrallax scrolling smattering my eyes.....


I got none.  However, the level select canon thingy was pretty cool.

But, THATS... IT!

[johnnykonami]

For me, the only one that comes to mind right now is Space Harrier.  I loved the arcade game so I thought it was a lock, but I was incredibly disappointed with the port.  The voice I remember being particularly bad.

ya agreed, but i think it was better then a lot of other systems, the sms versions was so rough looking... i wonder what system had the best space harrier port.

Later on I got Sega Ages (The Working Designs published one) on the Saturn, which had pretty accurate ports of Outrun, Afterburner II, and Space Harrier included, so I was happy with that.  And I heard good things about the 32x port, too.

[fragmare]

For me, the only one that comes to mind right now is Space Harrier.  I loved the arcade game so I thought it was a lock, but I was incredibly disappointed with the port.  The voice I remember being particularly bad.

ya agreed, but i think it was better then a lot of other systems, the sms versions was so rough looking... i wonder what system had the best space harrier port.

Yea, I'd say I was pretty disappointed with Space Harrier on the PCE.  I played Space Harrier 2 on the Genesis and it was so silky smooth, then I ran out and got Space Harrier on the PCE expecting arcade awesomeness, but it was... meh.  The ground scaling on the Genesis SH2 looks 10x better than SH1 on the PCE.  :/

[nodtveidt]

Shape Shifter. From the TurboDuo promo VHS, it looked mad awesome. Then I finally got to play it. I was wowed by the voices and the awesome scrolling... but hated the gameplay and very American-like rigidity to the game progression. Not only that, but people whined about how "hard" it is... it's not hard, it's broken. Challenge due to technical flaws doesn't count as "hard". Exile WP has the same problem, but I wasn't ever disappointed by that game... I just figured out how to exploit its many technical shortcomings. Both of these games seriously disrupt the suspension of disbelief with their many issues, but only Shape Shifter was a serious disappointment.

The Legendary Axe. I did not play this game back in the day, but back then, it had won a "game of the year" award, and its "sequel" was hardcore cool. So, the first game must be awesome, right? Right?? Nope. I was seriously let down by its horrible collision issues, copy-and-paste level design with way too many recolored enemies, and music that sounds straight out of a later NES game. I can't like this game no matter how many times I try to.

Shadow Of The Beast. Yeah, I shouldn't have expected much to begin with. I was first introduced to this game on the Lynx, where I conquered it in short order. I was hoping the obey version would be 10x better! It isn't. I just chalked it up to a eurotrash game and moved along.

Impossamole. The cool comic book intro made it seem like it'd be an epic adventure! But it's a poorly-made heap o' crap. This game has a laundry list of issues. Eurotrash again. Moving right along.

Turrican. Yeah, I defend this game from time to time, but even I admit that it was a serious letdown. It was hyped up to be this crazy robotic murderfest of a game, but in the end, it was a ridiculous tin man running through boring environments while his health disappeared for even looking at one of the "wtf is this stupid thing"-looking enemies. I was so looking forward to that "web of circuitry" at the end... but just spent 5 minutes blasting through blue blocks. A disappointment from the first time I turned it on, but I stuck with it anyway and conquered it because that's just how we did shit back in the day.

Riot Zone. I sooooo wanted this to be even half as good as Final Fight. It's not bad, but nowhere near as good as the promo VHS made it out to be, and doesn't hold a candle to older beat-em-ups from more competent developers. Plus... Tony and Hawk? Gimme a f*cking break. And I find Tony's character about as offensive as that stereotypical Chief Thunder character from Killer Instinct.

Super Air Zonk. Whereas Air Zonk wowed me with its colorful, original designs, Super Air Zonk just felt stale in comparison, and 10x easier. I can replay the soundtrack from Air Zonk in my head on demand, but I can't remember a single track from Super Air Zonk. There was nothing about it that even equaled its prequel, let alone surpassed it.

Ys III. To me, this is a serious stain on the Ys legacy, and they must have agreed since Ys 4 went back to the original formula. Much like The Legendary Axe, I can't like this game no matter how many times I try. A lot of people complain about the scrolling issues, and then you have people who tell them to stop their whining. In reality, it's those scrolling issues that make this game difficult to enjoy. The visuals on this game are hard on the eyes, and this game is all about the visuals. Don't f*ck up the one factor your game relies on the most, eh? Fix the scrolling and this could be a very enjoyable game... but as it stands, it's like an early MSX game coded by a high school kid in comp-sci class as his class project. Throw in some shitty voice acting that doesn't come anywhere near the level of amazing talent the first game had and it's a mishmash of suck that only has fans among Falcom fanboys or those who hold fond memories of it from their youth.

Magical Chase. 'nuff said.

[technozombie]

For me it's Final Fantasy 8. Pre-ordered 7 and played it 200+ hours. I pre-ordered 8 and never beat it.  The story was convoluted and boring, the enemies leveled up with you which negated the point of even leveling.The magic draw system made you not want to use magic because it was tied to your stats. Lastly, the card game was boring, too random and not enough skill based and too easy to miss characters that had good cards and not be able to go back and get them. In my mind the only redeeming thing was the mini-game type sessions over pre-rendered cut scenes looked really awesome at the time.

I only had Ninja Spirit and Fantasy Zone for the TG when I was a kid. As I'm starting to buy more TG games I'm sure I'll find something I don't like......or not, OBEY.

[nodtveidt]

Oh yeah, I forgot non-obey examples... I guess I only have one: Dirge Of Cerberus. How can you f*ck up a Final Fantasy game? Simple... make it play like a first-person shooter. Damage done. What a load of crap.

[Bernie]

Oh yeah, I forgot non-obey examples... I guess I only have one: Dirge Of Cerberus. How can you f*ck up a Final Fantasy game? Simple... make it play like a first-person shooter. Damage done. What a load of crap.

Agreed!

[420GOAT]

indiana jones for atari 2600

[InfraMan]

For me it's Final Fantasy 8. Pre-ordered 7 and played it 200+ hours. I pre-ordered 8 and never beat it.

OMG, yessssss... FF8 was so bad that it almost made me retroactively hate the entire series. FF9 made up for it, though. 

[nodtveidt]

FF9 would almost make my list... except I didn't actually hate it. It was hyped all to hell but wasn't all that interesting after awhile. It had a cool opening and the story was interesting for awhile but just got more and more contrived and boring as it dragged on. I quit playing after you pick up that character that eats things. As for FF8... well, I never had high expectations of it to begin with. Cloud 2.0 (Squall) was one-dimensional and predictable, especially if you've already played FF7. His constant whining was so obnoxious. I never finished the game, despite forcing myself to play it for as long as possible. I got to the part where Cid makes Squall the leader of things... and, predictably, Squall whined like a bitch as a result. I couldn't take his emo bullshit anymore and stopped playing. So neither of those games would really fit the criteria for me, since I didn't ultimately hate FF9 and I didn't really want FF8 to begin with.

[roflmao]

I loved FFIX! FFX was a letdown for me.  I never finished it and haven't played any of the sequels since.

[jordan_hillman]

I am probably going to get a little bit of crap for this, but I was disappointed after finally getting my hands on Raiden. I absolutely love damn near every shoot 'em up on the system, but I cannot, for the life of me, have a good time while playing Raiden.

[technozombie]

FF9 would almost make my list... except I didn't actually hate it. It was hyped all to hell but wasn't all that interesting after awhile. It had a cool opening and the story was interesting for awhile but just got more and more contrived and boring as it dragged on. I quit playing after you pick up that character that eats things. As for FF8... well, I never had high expectations of it to begin with. Cloud 2.0 (Squall) was one-dimensional and predictable, especially if you've already played FF7. His constant whining was so obnoxious. I never finished the game, despite forcing myself to play it for as long as possible. I got to the part where Cid makes Squall the leader of things... and, predictably, Squall whined like a bitch as a result. I couldn't take his emo bullshit anymore and stopped playing. So neither of those games would really fit the criteria for me, since I didn't ultimately hate FF9 and I didn't really want FF8 to begin with.

FF9 was OK, I actually beat it but like 7 I never went back to play it after finishing it. Unlike, FF6 I seem to play through like once a year.

[esteban]

For me, the only one that comes to mind right now is Space Harrier.  I loved the arcade game so I thought it was a lock, but I was incredibly disappointed with the port.  The voice I remember being particularly bad.

ya agreed, but i think it was better then a lot of other systems, the sms versions was so rough looking... i wonder what system had the best space harrier port.

Yea, I'd say I was pretty disappointed with Space Harrier on the PCE.  I played Space Harrier 2 on the Genesis and it was so silky smooth, then I ran out and got Space Harrier on the PCE expecting arcade awesomeness, but it was... meh.  The ground scaling on the Genesis SH2 looks 10x better than SH1 on the PCE.  :/

I know a bunch of folks have been knocking Space Harrier (not just you three), but you're crazy!

Space Harrier 2 on Genesis was a disappointment, as far as I am concerned. 

Sure, I wish the TG-16/PCE version had a bit more visual/aural flair, but that's superficial—it was a damn solid game. I was never let down by the actual gameplay...I don't want to speak ill of SH2 on Genesis, but when I played it (upon release), I don't recall it fully capturing the gameplay of the original arcade version, or even the TG-16/PCE port. Maybe I'm wrong, it's been so long since I've played Genny version.


MY DISAPPOINTMENTS:
(-2) Strider (ACD). I loved Strider (arcade, Genny). I didn't know about the PCE ACD version until later, after spending a long time exploring the PCE library, reading about it occasionally on PCE forums, etc. I knew the game had been criticized, but I was convinced everyone else was wrong and I would find some enjoyment! Sadly, I was wrong: Strider ACD is totally meh and it's a goddamn SIN that this isn't a GEM in the PCE legacy. DID I MENTION THAT THIS IS AN ARCADE CD?  Oh, to be tormented by the squandered potential here. Trü storie.

(-1) Vasteel 2. I really enjoyed the first installment and, like Strider (ACD), I didn't even know it existed until a few years into my PCE exploration. WHY HAS NOBODY TALKED ABOUT THIS GAME ON THE FORUMS!!?? I asked myself. Well, it's a completely different game that in NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM resembles the charming, neat elements of the original Vasteel. Trü storie.

(1) Exile 2—'Nuff said.

(2) Kaze Kiri—I usually support games like this (hell, I have championed the subtle mechanics of games like Vigilante), but Kaze Kiri has always rubbed me the wrong way. I have always explained it thus: I swallowed the hype surrounding the game on message boards over a decade ago and I must have had unrealistic expectations. I honestly hope I'll be able to revisit this game and appreciate it at some point. Trü storie.

(3) ShapeShifter—This was a big tease. I had seen screenshots for so long and the setting/description of the game itself seemed like a guaranteed enjoyable game, even if it wasn't perfect. As Rover already explained, this game had so much potential and my heart aches every time I think about the needless frustration caused by easily fixed flaws. A little more play testing and refinement and this could have been a real gem. Trü storie.

(4) I'm disappointed that Rover will never experience the glory of Legendary Axe. He's been grinding this Axe for years now, and I rarely let him get away with it. Trü storie. DUDE, you hyper-over-exaggerate the  "flaws" (coldet collision detection) as if it's a deal-breaker. In reality, it's far from a deal-breaker. Most folks slightly adjust their offensive/defensive strategies and completely enjoy this game (hint: like COUNTLESS games, you're not supposed to recklessly charge forward in this game—some sections require you to slow down and methodically pick off opponents)! THE MUSIC IS TRULY FANTASTIC and IMHO it is one of the all-time greats out if the entire PCE legacy of great chiptunes. My heart aches for you, dear Rover.