View Full Version : Greatest games that didn't work
there are so many games and franchises i can think of that had awesome plots, concepts or ideas but failed to realise their potential, or just suffered from stuff like bad controls or a lack of planning. are there any games you would like to see remade or improved and what would you change about them.
a few of mine, for example:
martian gothic: unification. great atmosphere and gameplay concept but i'm baffled as to how it ever got past the testing stage, the controls are just beyond atrocious. it is literally impossible to avoid some enemies because you can't even run around them. let alone when you have to take care of three protagonists in different locations all in real-time. unforgivable
shadow of the colossus. a superb, visionary game hampered by seriously unhelpful camera angles and a lack of depth. this is totally arguable and i appreciate the game as it is, but it would have been so much more engaging if they just threw a few puzzles and some item collection into the mix. dare i say the boss strategies could have been a bit more varied too? stabbing their brains out lost its appeal pretty quickly for me, whats wrong with a good old wrecking ball or a Jaws' propane sandwich?
Oni- cool Ghost in the Shell inspired story with a solid plot, but the controls are so illogical and annoying (all 5 pre-set modes). i love clinical, futuristic enviroments but i'm guessing the "architects" hired to design the levels here were unemployed, cause every damn level is so vacuous and dull. give it some soul and a good battle system and you've got a great action game. similar things could be said for PN03, but whereas that had reasonably workable gameplay and a sleek sci-fi aesthetic, the whole thing was just so damn repetitive and the levels didn't for one moment suggest an actually habitable space colony, as they were supposed to be. instead they were just vast, totally empty techno-chambers and sterile corridors with no visible purpose. don't get me started on the lazy plotting and the "twist" at the end. pff
Primal Rage- perhaps closest to my heart, THIS WAS A FUCKING AWESOME idea for a game and i still love the way it looks and sounds- the harryhausen-esque dino animations still look really unique. the whole thing had such character and potential. but the game lacked good controls and ai (as most 2d fighters did imo) and there really wasn't much depth here. more dinosaurs to choose from, more locations and gameplay modes, more plot development with alternate endings, better controls and (crucially) more easily-performed finishing moves would make this an absolute classic.
more where this all came from, but i'd like to hear your ideas.
40+ views and not one of you has anything to contribute. give me a break.
fishsandwich
01-05-2008, 03:16 PM
it's a topic that requires a bit of thought and i for one am tired of thinking after the busy week. plus i'm a bit hung over (as are many of you)
I think shining Force is a good series that never developed past its 16-bit roots. SF3 on the Saturn is hard to look at nowadays and the PS2 games totally dropped most of the strategy in favor of banal action and overused special effects. I guess that's not a really good example.
Seamen was a great concept that could have gone alot further than it did.
Kitsune Sniper
01-05-2008, 03:17 PM
... You realize posting picks up later in the day, right?
just keeping you on your toes.
The Bouncer, big announcement for PS2, launch title and all that, and......rubbish.
Rise of the Robots....less said about that the better, see Retro Gamer issue 43
CDi Zelda and Link games, nice try, quite playable, but they just couldn't pull it off
ah, rise of the robots...thats definitely another one i was going to mention. i really liked the idea of the game and the "enemy approaching" cutscenes used to scare me when i was little...i think Rise had definite potential and some interesting robot designs but man what a flop that turned out to be. dreadful gameplay.
the CDi Zeldas were hilarious, if little else: "Oh boy! An adventure! I'll go grab my stuff!!1" / "I'm so hungry I could eat an Octorok!!" FAIL.
Flack
01-05-2008, 05:14 PM
just keeping you on your toes.
You are going to be out on your toes the next time you post and bump it twice within an hour and a half.
oh my, no bumping within an hour and a half! will you look at that, everyone. gosh.
Nukie
01-05-2008, 06:21 PM
The game that never realized it's full potential to me was post whore united.
smork
01-05-2008, 07:03 PM
oh my, no bumping within an hour and a half! will you look at that, everyone. gosh.
You're not really convincing people to spend time thinking about what to post in your thread, you know.
Nebagram
01-05-2008, 07:15 PM
Sonic Adventure and everything that came after it. '3D Sonic? Yay!' 'Hmm, the camera is kinda wonky. 'Very wonky.' 'And the controls are a bit iffy.' 'And when can I actually play as Sonic?' 'Who the hell is Shadow?' etc. etc.
Dreadstar
01-05-2008, 07:19 PM
First thing that leaps to mind for me is American Gladiators on the Genesis. I loved the show but I'm glad I only rented that unplayable hunk of plastic. Maybe now that they've updated the show someone else will take a crack at making a game. *snicker*
Sniderman
01-05-2008, 07:34 PM
oh my, no bumping within an hour and a half! will you look at that, everyone. gosh.
When one of the forum moderators....as well as an administrator...with 11,000+ posts to his credit...and a Join Date of 2003....tells YOU.....with a join date of 2 weeks ago....and 35 posts to his name....to cut it out, I'd certainly STFU, cut the attitude, and listen hard.
Or leap back in with more chest-beating and flashing of your huge brass balls. Either way, it'll be quieter around here soon enough.
PingvinBlueJeans
01-05-2008, 07:50 PM
there are so many games and franchises i can think of that had awesome plots, concepts or ideas but failed to realise their potential, or just suffered from stuff like bad controls or a lack of planning.
Yup.
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11513
calgon
01-05-2008, 07:54 PM
Killer 7
Wind Waker (sorry)
ssjlance
01-05-2008, 08:31 PM
Seriously, first rule of digitpress is don't mess with Flack. He WILL ban you.
And as far as games go that weren't executed incredibly well, I'd have to say Castlevania 2. Brilliant idea for the game, but god was it done badly. The first one where they tried to mix in some adventure/RPG elements, so I cut it some slack. Still, pretty downright bad game.
Nirvana
01-05-2008, 08:39 PM
Killer 7
Wind Waker (sorry)
You know, I heard Killer 7 was actually quite rad. I gotta try it out for myself.
When one of the forum moderators....as well as an administrator...with 11,000+ posts to his credit...and a Join Date of 2003....tells YOU.....with a join date of 2 weeks ago....and 35 posts to his name....to cut it out, I'd certainly STFU, cut the attitude, and listen hard.
Or leap back in with more chest-beating and flashing of your huge brass balls. Either way, it'll be quieter around here soon enough.
ha, this is great. i make an interesting, accessible thread with alot of discussion potential when the board is stone dead and all you hapless whiners can do is complain or smugly offer links to a similar thread from further back than anyone cares to remember. don't tell ME to shut up for wanting to have a worthwhile discussion about games when you've apparently got nothing better to do than stroke your egos and make patronizing, shitty remarks. thanks in advance.
and thanks to anyone who's actually participating here.
Seriously, first rule of digitpress is don't mess with Flack. He WILL ban you.
what have i done exactly? you couldn't possibly justify banning me for anything i've said here. i'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
steeniekins
01-05-2008, 08:53 PM
Final Fantasy X-2...but that is a given everyone knows that...but the dress spheres were fun...annoying at times but fun.
Parasite Eve 2: I don't remember if the controls were the same as in 1 but they threw me off and the targetting was off. The plot wasn't bad though.
parasite eve 2 was awesome! i don't see what was wrong with resident evil-style manual aiming though, the PE auto-aim was just unnecessary.
And as far as games go that weren't executed incredibly well, I'd have to say Castlevania 2. Brilliant idea for the game, but god was it done badly. The first one where they tried to mix in some adventure/RPG elements, so I cut it some slack. Still, pretty downright bad game.
simon's quest is pretty notorious, yeah. i think symphony of the night kindof vindicated all the previous castlevanias though.
Soviet Conscript
01-05-2008, 09:11 PM
what have i done exactly? you couldn't possibly justify banning me for anything i've said here. i'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
since you asked. technicly speaking it was bumping twice in an hour and a half period of time.
i beleive its in the forum rules that its not allowed. you may not agree with the rule and thats fine but it is the rule and you have to follow it if you want to post.
i think you can only "bump" a thread yourself after 24 hours, that is if its only for the purpose of "bumping"
don't think its a bannable offence for your first time though. although being rude to the extent you have won't help your case if you are banned.
ha, this is great. i make an interesting, accessible thread with alot of discussion potential when the board is stone dead and all you hapless whiners can do is complain or smugly offer links to a similar thread from further back than anyone cares to remember. don't tell ME to shut up for wanting to have a worthwhile discussion about games when you've apparently got nothing better to do than stroke your egos and make patronizing, shitty remarks. thanks in advance.
and thanks to anyone who's actually participating here.
Well some of us uh...work and have families, so we can't spend every minute of every day to see if someone responds to a thread. Also, telling key members of a board to shut up is not very wise, your lifespan here will be very short if you keep this attitude up. If you don't like the way this "dead" board works, then please make your way to Gamefaqs, I'm sure you'll find yourself at home there.
Haoie
01-05-2008, 10:12 PM
Actually I just had a game pop into mind, since I took a go at it recently. Sentient, PS1. There was a topic about this a few weeks back.
The whole concept design could've really been improved to 1 of the most innovative games I've ever seen. Right, it's still innovative, but, frankly, there's no fun in it.
Still I'd advise you to play it first beforehand.
Streetball 21
01-05-2008, 11:10 PM
One that pops in my mind Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi-PS1 (either 1997 or 1998). I remember all the hype for this game. Not sure how much it sold, but I remember a majority of people thinking it was not very good.
Red Frowny King
01-05-2008, 11:36 PM
And thus I sic my minions on yet another useless poster.
Mwhahahahaha
PingvinBlueJeans
01-05-2008, 11:56 PM
Holy shit...this Frowny King guy means business! :above me:
Flack
01-06-2008, 08:18 AM
One that pops in my mind Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi-PS1 (either 1997 or 1998). I remember all the hype for this game. Not sure how much it sold, but I remember a majority of people thinking it was not very good.
That's a great example. I remember thinking, "a Star Wars fighting game!? How awesome!!" Of course that game ended up being anything but awesome.
I always thought the same thing about Battle Chess. Don't get me wrong, I thought Battle Chess was really funny and had great graphics, but I never could get into a chess game that loaded for 30 seconds between each move.
Star Wars Chess (which was the same idea) probably reminded me of that.
Sniderman
01-06-2008, 01:15 PM
When one of the forum moderators....as well as an administrator...with 11,000+ posts to his credit...and a Join Date of 2003....tells YOU.....with a join date of 2 weeks ago....and 35 posts to his name....to cut it out, I'd certainly STFU, cut the attitude, and listen hard.
Or leap back in with more chest-beating and flashing of your huge brass balls. Either way, it'll be quieter around here soon enough.
<notices LOL has been banned>
OK, NOW it's truly an L-O-L situation. LOL
8bitgamer
01-06-2008, 01:53 PM
There have been three games based on DC's Flash (one each for the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Sega Master System). None has been particularly good or memorable.
I'd like to see someone do the character right by giving him Sonic the Hedgehog-like speed over side-scrolling courses.
alexkidd2000
01-06-2008, 02:04 PM
Thank god this guy got banned. I have always found this forum to be very friendly and free of the lame attitude 99% of forums have. I really don't want that to change. Aggressive snot nosed punks are not welcome imho.
ssjlance
01-06-2008, 06:05 PM
I hate to be pessimistic where it's not necessarry, but I never really like him that much. Seemed to post a lot to raise his post count.
Graham Mitchell
01-07-2008, 02:08 AM
Actually I just had a game pop into mind, since I took a go at it recently. Sentient, PS1. There was a topic about this a few weeks back.
The whole concept design could've really been improved to 1 of the most innovative games I've ever seen. Right, it's still innovative, but, frankly, there's no fun in it.
Still I'd advise you to play it first beforehand.
Hey, that was my thread!! I posted that right before taking my boards and then forgot about it. I haven't gotten around to nabbing it, but I really ought to. I doubt I'd make it all the way through, but it would be a fun game to learn and critique, I think.
I thought it must have been totally unplayable because that thread got literally NO responses for over a week and after awhile people started to defend it. I haven't played it, but I gather that it's such a unique game that most people SHOULD try it, even if participating in the game can be rather painful.
If the game were more colorful, had some music, I could have seen it being a cult classic like Shenmue.
PsychoCandy
01-07-2008, 02:24 AM
I wanna say Phantom Dust on xbox. I loved the idea, you make a deck of "cards" that let you do various attacks, heal, powerup, speed up etc. You go into a battle with a set of cards, they randomly spawn and you pick em up, you have a set HP. But I dunno it never really caught fire, something seemed to be missing. I played online for awhile but I NEVER saw more then 15-20 people on at once....I still play occasionally with my buddy.
DaBargainHunta
01-07-2008, 02:49 AM
To the OP: You're derailing your own otherwise awesome thread by arguing with everyone about crap.
Beast Wrestler for Genesis comes immediately to mind for me. Super cool concept and (if I'm remembering correctly) some customization elements. Too bad the controls were horrible.
Target Earth on Genesis is another. Would've been a great game if it wasn't so damn impossible.
smork
01-07-2008, 09:29 AM
Well, now that OP is gone, I'll feel free to post :)
I'll go with Psychonauts, for one (dodges flames). Some of the levels were sheer brilliance, others were just collect-a-thons. And that last level, hoo boy, I wanted to punch that kid, so I turned off the sound, was still pissed, and turned off the game. Whata waste.
I'll second that Star Wars fighting game (too drunk to look up the name) -- got that as a gift from my buddy who thought it was a cool idea, as did I, but the execution... Only thing i'll say about the execution is that the designers should have been.
Chainsaw_Charlie
01-07-2008, 09:55 AM
Final fantasy 7
It's one of the most overhyped pieces of crap I have ever touched and is NOT the best FF nor the BEST PS1 rpg. Way too cartoonish and boring characters/plot
Hoshigami Ruining Blue Earth
Came out at the end of the Ps1's run and was way TOO hard even the DS port was hard on EASY mode
Valkryie Proflie
Runs from the flames but I played the PSP version of it and I tried to get into it but coludnt, hated the battle system and plot
Wind Waker (sorry)
:O
What exactly about it wasn't well executed? I thought it was great. Exploration in that game is FUN.
Natty Bumppo
01-07-2008, 06:26 PM
I would have to go with Addam's Family Values for the SNES (I think it was also released for the PAL Genesis).
It was a long and involving (and often very difficult) action RPG that had a lot to offer. It was handicapped by two things - a terrible password system (because it was very hard to read) and the fact that it seemed to have been rushed into production - there are lots of things in the game you can see but can't reach (mostly because of a ladder/ramp iem the instruction book mentions but isn't there). I suspect that the developers overreached what they wanted to do and finally just rushed things to get the game on the market. Too bad, it could have been an terrific game.
Two other mentions - Vandal Hearts II (for the PS) - would have been an awesome game without that godawful battle system.
Swagman (also for the PS) had a lot of potential but just didn't seem to be as polished as it should have been.
cyberfluxor
01-07-2008, 07:57 PM
Final fantasy 7
It's one of the most overhyped pieces of crap I have ever touched and is NOT the best FF nor the BEST PS1 rpg. Way too cartoonish and boring characters/plot
Why do you want to make a particular stance against popular game culture and appear eager to have your voice heard before anyone else on this game as if it's a unique position. Most people enjoyed it, some didn't but it certainly did work and is among one of the greatest games for more than one reason. And speaking of being the most over-hyped, refer to E.T. (VCS), Rise of the Robots (3DO) or Daikatana (N64) to name a few.
FrakAttack
01-07-2008, 10:14 PM
From a technical standpoint, some great games that just didn't work are Fallout 1 & 2 and Morrowind, all 3 of which I enjoyed and still play from time to time, but even with patches are still very buggy. The constant saving gets kind of annoying.
youruglyclone
01-07-2008, 10:30 PM
Wild 9, so much emphasis on the backstory of the characters...and absolutely nothing was done with it. Also the "torture" elements of the game was somewhat lacking. I still beat it though...I just wish they did more with what they set up.
Steven
01-07-2008, 11:57 PM
Grid Runner on Saturn. It has some fans, sure, but I thought its idea was pretty cool. Its execution, not so much. Oh well. We'll always have Bomberman ;)
Valkryie Proflie
Runs from the flames but I played the PSP version of it and I tried to get into it but coludnt, hated the battle system and plot
I agree with you there, I tried several times to get into the game, but I just got annoyed and turned it off after awhile. A few of my friends praise the game and I understand why, but I just couldn't get myself to enjoy it.
Someone here mentioned Martian Gothic, but I'm going to have to defend that game a bit. The game was great considering it was a budget title, the main problem was that they were rushed to complete the game, it resulted in them not being able to polish the controls and cutting out an entire character. Otherwise it had a fantastic story and atmosphere, I'd hope that someday there is a re-make, or an even more likely sequel.
Kevincal
01-08-2008, 01:36 AM
Sonic Adventure and everything that came after it. '3D Sonic? Yay!' 'Hmm, the camera is kinda wonky. 'Very wonky.' 'And the controls are a bit iffy.' 'And when can I actually play as Sonic?' 'Who the hell is Shadow?' etc. etc.
Ya, Sonic Adventure and any 3D Sonics instantly popped into my head when I saw the topic. It's a real pity. It's probably the major reason the Dreamcast failed and then Sega failed. I mean, Sonic IS Sega... And ya, Sonic Adventure had a kickass opening and awesome graphics, but that's about all it had going for it. It makes me think Sonic Team focused way too much on getting the opening perfect (which they did) rather than making the game perfect. Look at Mario 64. The opening is a 3D Mario head... LOL. That said, Sonic Adventure's opening sequence has got to be one of the best ever in videogames.
zemmix
01-08-2008, 02:48 AM
Lair with the sixaxis controls was the first one that popped into my mind. At least from what I've read/seen. Though when it hits $20 I'll probably pick it up.
Chainsaw_Charlie
01-08-2008, 08:35 AM
Why do you want to make a particular stance against popular game culture and appear eager to have your voice heard before anyone else on this game as if it's a unique position. Most people enjoyed it, some didn't but it certainly did work and is among one of the greatest games for more than one reason. And speaking of being the most over-hyped, refer to E.T. (VCS), Rise of the Robots (3DO) or Daikatana (N64) to name a few.
Simple really on the FF7 issue, I am a huge fan of FF3/6 the last FF to be released at that time before 7 which in my mind is the BEST FF ever and then they put out that garbage with shitty characters,plot etc and graphics that made want to puke(note that I played beat it in 2003 not 1997) and I enjoyed 8+9 way more then 7
Kevincal
01-08-2008, 03:52 PM
It seems to me the hardcore RPGers didn't welcome FFVII to open arms for some reason. I think maybe it had to do with the move to 3D... But they are in the minority as RPGs weren't popular at all before FFVII (except Japan) I think people new to the RPG genre at the time loved FFVII, me included. The game has a kickass story line. I don't understand how anyone could dislike it, including hardcore RPGers.
Rob2600
01-08-2008, 05:29 PM
It seems to me the hardcore RPGers didn't welcome FFVII to open arms for some reason. I think maybe it had to do with the move to 3D... But they are in the minority as RPGs weren't popular at all before FFVII (except Japan) I think people new to the RPG genre at the time loved FFVII, me included. The game has a kickass story line. I don't understand how anyone could dislike it, including hardcore RPGers.
Final Fantasy VII was popular for the same reason Myst was popular: they're not great games, but people were impressed with the prerendered video scenes.
Kevincal
01-09-2008, 02:19 AM
Sure the scenes were nice, but are you going to tell me it has a crappy story? It's really a good story. Many, many people obviously think so. Oh and comparing FFVII and MYST. MYST is an absolute BOREFEST compared to FFVII... FFVII story = awesome & easy to follow ~ MYST story = way too confusing and tiresome.
Graham Mitchell
01-09-2008, 09:31 AM
Sure the scenes were nice, but are you going to tell me it has a crappy story? It's really a good story. Many, many people obviously think so. Oh and comparing FFVII and MYST. MYST is an absolute BOREFEST compared to FFVII... FFVII story = awesome & easy to follow ~ MYST story = way too confusing and tiresome.
I really liked FFVII myself. It's my favorite of the series. I think they've all blown since that one (though I haven't played IX so I can't say for sure.) I liked Myst, too. It's all about atmosphere. I think some of the tricks they used to create an engrossing ambience (sounds, lighting, etc.) had an influence on a lot of today's games. Bioshock looks like Myst in real time in parts, for example.
Anyway, thought of some new games to add to the list.
Hydlide in general-almost every incarnation I've played has the potential to be really cool. Hydlide on the NES is clearly based on Y's, which should be tough to screw up. Still pics of Virtual Hydlide on the Saturn look amazing. But there's always bad, lazy programming that mucks these games up. Great concepts, just nearly unplayable due to poor aesthetics.
Flack
01-09-2008, 10:03 AM
I will just mention Dragon's Lair and crawl back in to my stinky old man cave.
Chainsaw_Charlie
01-09-2008, 05:28 PM
I am a hardcore rpger dating back to the FF1/DW 1 days beating rpgs on the nes,snes,scd,ds,psp,ps1,ps2,GC,n64,genesis
IMO the best system for rpgs was the Snes and the Big 5 CT FF3 FF2 SOM Earthbound and then the rest which includes SOE IOG Soul Blazer Bof 1,2 Lufia 1,2 Terrangima etc since then only DW 7 Suikoden 1,2 Parasite eve 2 Rogue Galaxy and Odin Sphere come close
Moo Cow
01-09-2008, 08:18 PM
Dragon Warrior - Maybe for its time it was a great game, but I think by the time I got around to playing it, it was just too archaic.
Super Paper Mario - I was so excited to see a new 2D Mario, but when I got around to playing it it just wasn't challenging. I didn't want the RPG elements, I was expecting something like the first Marios.
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl: I hated this game to no end. I haven't played it in years, but it just felt a bit off.
Marble Madness: I didn't really like the control of the game, despite the interesting premise.
suppafly
01-10-2008, 05:32 PM
there are so many games and franchises i can think of that had awesome plots, concepts or ideas but failed to realise their potential, or just suffered from stuff like bad controls or a lack of planning. are there any games you would like to see remade or improved and what would you change about them.
Here are some Genesis games that I always thought could be much better:
Gaiares: It had great story, grat graphics, great music, but it was way too hard IMHO.
Insector X: What sounds better than a shmup full of insects? well...the final game wasnt really fun and it was quite lame ...
Dynamite headdy: I love gunstar, and everybody praises dinamyte headdy too..am I the only one who feels this game is a little to fast for its own good? I didnt know what was goign on half of the time I played this game..
All FMV Games (Sega cd): There are some *barely* decent games out there, but for 90+% of them theyre pure crap.
Rob2600
01-10-2008, 07:05 PM
How about the ClayFighter series? As a fan of animation, I was looking forward to playing a game based on stop-motion animation where clay characters beat each other up. It was a fun, creative idea with a lot of potential. However, Interplay botched all three games.
PsychoCandy
01-10-2008, 07:18 PM
I liked clay fighter. They should make a new one on next gen consoles. And they should include the feature to make your own character out of clay like mold it :P
<notices LOL has been banned>
OK, NOW it's truly an L-O-L situation. LOL
Wow, fully banned. I would have though he would have gotten a three day or so suspention after the verbal warning. Shame he cought an attitude, because this topic is awesome.
mnbren05
01-11-2008, 01:42 PM
I'll say
Psychonauts,
Indigo Prophecy,
Shadows of Colossus,
Silent Hill: The Room,
Dirge of Cerebus
I suppose some of these older ones:
Ranger X,
Land Stalker,
Brave Fencer Musashi,
Night Trap remade with Jessica Biel (I swear I read it for the articles lol)
jb143
01-11-2008, 02:39 PM
It seems to me the hardcore RPGers didn't welcome FFVII to open arms for some reason. I think maybe it had to do with the move to 3D... But they are in the minority as RPGs weren't popular at all before FFVII (except Japan) I think people new to the RPG genre at the time loved FFVII, me included. The game has a kickass story line. I don't understand how anyone could dislike it, including hardcore RPGers.
That's the way I feel as well. Until FFVII I just could not enjoy RPG's with having to memorize the instruction manual to even start the game and kill about 10,000 blobs before you can even level up to get any further in the game. FFVII (and Chrono Trigger too for that matter) made me give RPG's a second look.