RSS
Home
Holiday 2008-Big turkeys in video game history
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
.jpg)
To all readers, happy thanksgiving! I hope you're not too full from all the grub you had because there are more turkeys to feast on.
For this article, these are some games that arrived with so much hype and advertising and it was bought quickly...then the reviews came. Games full of promise and fluff with gameplay that never matched it. And this isn't to say that the games you see here are irredeemably bad, but it just left a twinge of dissapointment that can never be forgotten.
Shenmue (2000)-Dreamcast, Sega
After undergoing a hardware shift from Saturn to Dreamcast and cost upwards of nearly $70 million, highly expensive in the video game market, did this three disc deliver on its epic promise? Well if you call six battles and playing Space Harrier in between some lame dialogue and a bunch of quick time events epic. Did it really take three discs for the to drive some forklifts at job you got fired from? And to practice some sick martial arts you barely got to use? Is it a complete turkey? No. Having a game take place in real-time setting with a focus on everyday life takes some brass ones to pull off. And it looked impressive to boot. Too bad Ryo Hazuki's life was so boring and full of sailors. And too bad for fans who never found out how it all ends and what those mirrors are actually for.
BMX XXX (2002)-Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube;Acclaim
Since the juggernaut-like success of 'Grand Theft Auto III', publishers were just ready to flood the market with 'adult' games. Acclaim was taking its Dave Mirra franchise, which actualy contained some respectable gameplay for the budding extreme sports market, and gave it a makeover full of boobs and poop humor. Dave Mirra smartly took his name off the franchise for good. Is it a complete turkey? Yes! It ran with the nudity gimmick, even going as far to include unlockable videos of strippers from Scores. But, the gameplay was full of glitches and other people saw through the gimmick and it got ignored at retail.
Battle Arena Toshinden (1995)-Playstation, Sony
Sony couldn't wait to show off how games looked in 3D and Toshinden was one of the poster boys for Sony's launch, giving them an early blockbuster fighting game and one of the first 3D weapon-based fighters. Is it a complete turkey? Yes. You probably don't even remember it. After 1995, 3D fighting games made huge leaps and bounds in terms of gameplay and graphics, leaving the Toshinden franchise in the dust. That's right-there were 3 more games after the first one. And all of them had nothing memorable about the gameplay.
Mortal Kombat 4 (1997)-Arcade,Playstation, N64, Dreamcast, PC;Midway
How this franchise is still around is quite baffling. It started off as a bloodier rival of Street Fighter II and its popularity flourished in the '90s. It even had the honor of having one of the few, if not, only decent game-to-movie adaptations around. But Street Fighter II's legacy was built on its gameplay and Mortal Kombat survived on gimmicks. The gimmick this time was 3D with weapons. Is it a complete turkey? Even by MK standards, yes. It used 2D gameplay in a 3D setting and it was still cheap. Even the weapons added a layer of 'unnecessary' to the franchise. And on the Dreamcast, the deficient gameplay was even more apparent compared to Soul Calibur. And it hasn't gotten any better to this day. (But Mortal Kombat II rocked, just so one thinks I totally hate the MK franchise).
Luigi's Mansion (2001)-Gamecube, Nintendo
Nintendo had such a rough ride in the Gamecube/Nintendo 64 days. It never was the darlings the NES, SNES, Game Boy, DS, and Wii were. Even though it had some of the best showings as far as software goes. Their launches are usually spectacular with a triple-A franchise leading the charge for the hardware, showing off timeless and groundbreaking gameplay and showing just how creative the minds at Nintendo were. Luigi's Mansion wasn't one of the timeless games. Is it a complete turkey? Not really. It was different than a usual Mario game but it sold well. The ghost busting gameplay was solid. But it got repetitive and boring. And there's a reason it's called Super Mario-fans just wanted a platformer that lived up to the standards of past classic Marios (which seems easy for Nintendo and Miyamoto).
Yoshi's Story (1998)-Nintendo 64,Virtual Console;Nintendo
Just like Luigi's Mansion, when players play anything Mario related, it's has a huge standard to live up to. And with it's unengaing gameplay, simple level design, and lack of anything challenge, Yoshi's Story just never came close. Blame it on Nintendo's incredible pedigree for creating unique and engaging platformers. Is it a complete turkey? Yes. Most of that is due to this game being the sequel or at least a successor to the excellent Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (why is that game not on the Virtual Console yet?). Subsequent sequels to Yoshi's Island have more followed the SNES classic than N64 version.
.jpg)
Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)-Playstation 3, Xbox 360;Sega
Pity the poor blue blur. The franchise just seemed to fall off the tracks after Sonic Adventure. Each game just further slipped into mediocrity with gimmick after gimmick and the gameplay seemed to force the fast parts. This was supposed to be a back-to-basics platform game all about speed...if it ever got done loading correctly. Is it a complete turkey? Yes, this may be the worst Sonic of them all and that's a competitive field. With so many glitches and bugs, this is not what you'd expect from a top-notch studio and not how you bring a franchise into the next-generation of consoles.
Driv3r (2004)-Playstation 2, Xbox;Reflections
There was a time a that the Driver franchise was consider better than the GTA franchise. When the first two games debuted on the Playstation, critics and gamers were wowed with the driving and gameplay in a persistent 3D world. So when Grand Theft Auto III came out and rocked the world, expectations were raised for the next-gen debut of the crime-riddled driving series. It was relatively successful, despite the stupid title. Is it a complete turkey? By every definition. While the driving was good and the visuals were okay, everything else was just a repetitive mess. The Grand Theft Auto developers even got some shots with by joking about the games animations and walking mechanics.
Sudeki (2004)-Xbox, Microsoft
The Xbox had a nice list of memorable RPGs, like Knights of the Old Republic and Fable. In it's early days, Sudeki was highly touted with its real-time combat and luscious graphics. It turned about to be a little better than average with its boring dungeons and laughable dialogue and voice acting. Is it a complete turkey? Look at the picture above. As soon as the game got closer to release, it relied on T&Advertising to garner any attention. And when a games goes for the crotch to get a buyer's attention, it's not a good sign for your gameplay, which wasn't all that bad.
Red Steel (2006)-Wii;Ubisoft
Never is the hype machine running at full speed than at launch time and Red Steel was supposed to be THE game that showed that the Wii can run a great first-person shooter. Nintendo even showed it off at their E3 press conference in 2006. It ended up selling a million copies. Is it a complete turkey? Yes. While aiming and shooting was possible, the motion controls, stages, AI, and level design were just a insult to anyone looking for a complete action thrill from day one. The Wii was able to shake it off and go on to be one of the best-selling console in this generation.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (2008)-Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii;Lucasarts
This was supposed to be a stellar game. Being able to control a Jedi with upgradeable Force powers that allows players to rip TIE Destroyers out the sky and just tear apart the Imperial Forces? A story approved by George Lucas? It sold a million copies in September, how can that be a turkey? Well, playing it was such a chore. And all the cool moments from the trailers? That was about as thrilling as it got. Is it a complete turkey? The storyline and plot was better than expected with enough twist and turns to be firmly placed in the Episode I-VI canon, but the action was pure hack and slash. The design became glitchy at times as well. But for this to be a turkey, Episodes I-III had to have been awesome to begin with.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
