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Gaming Gaffes of 2004

Posted by Zonk on from the just-makes-ya-wanna-spit dept.

jvm writes "It's about time for the "Best Games of 2004" articles to flood the web, and in preparation Curmudgeon Gamer has assembled Gaming Gaffes of 2004 (alternate link), a followup to our 2003 edition. This year we point to the the EA_spouse blog, the Driv3r review scandal, Sony's hardware missteps, and seven other less than impressive moments from the past year."

15 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. STEAM by satanami69 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How about the Steam update from two days ago that disabled logins from Linux/Cedega users?

    --
    I really hate Dan Patrick.
  2. Re:The biggest gaffe of 2004.... by UWC · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Probably so it could, you know, survive with the ever-increasing production costs of a single game.

    --
    Honor Among Slackers. A veri
  3. Re:The biggest gaffe of 2004.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Some of the best games I've ever played this year, like Katamari Damacy, were made on a small budget with very few developers. In fact, with the notable exception of Yu Suzuki's Shenmue, most big budget games have left me extremely cold.

  4. Doom 3 sucked! by supabeast! · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Nice to see another person pointing out that Doom 3 was a hit sleeper -- it was a huge hit that put us all to sleep. Too bad he didn't also point out all the shining reviews given to id Software's latest over-hyped tech demo.

    And on the topic of FPS games with issues, how could he have forgotten all of the copyright stupidity surrounding Half-Life 2, the game that required online authentication, the CD/DVD to be in the drive, and to top it off, the authentication servers weren't built to handle the number of games that actually shipped at launch! Now THAT is a fiasco!

    1. Re:Doom 3 sucked! by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yes, because they are all the same game.

      No they're not. Generously, I could agree that Wolfenstein to Quake2 were the same (in singleplay), and that Quake to Quake3 were the same (multiplay)... but Doom3 is different (and worse!) from any of their previous games.

      It contains far less entertaining gameplay, so in this case the tech-demo accusation is almost accurate (except that it's a bad demo too, of course... no one can watch a demonstration in pitch darkness)

  5. It's still 2004... by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...so I'm going to have to vote for the NFL and NFLPA giving Madden an exclusive license. I don't think that gaffe will be realized this year, but it will in years to come.

  6. How about the fact... by Alkaiser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That it's still 2004 and there's a X of 2004 List already coming out.

    If you want to make a list that truly encompasses the Best/Worst of a Year, wait until the following year.

    --
    Netjak.com independent reviews of domestic & import video ga
  7. Re:The biggest gaffe of 2004.... by generic-man · · Score: 2, Informative

    Strangely, only the American retail price for Katamari Damacy was $20. The Japanese original retailed for about 4000 yen (about $38), a discount from the normal 6980 yen price (about $66) (really) for new games. It's now available in a best sellers edition for about 2400 yen, bringing it closer to the American retail price.

    In fact, Katamari Damacy now costs less in Japan than the Katamari Damacy Soundtrack CD, which amazon.co.jp will sell you for about 2900 yen or $28 American.

    --
    For more information, click here.
  8. Deus Ex Invisible War by CryptoKiller · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A stunning first game and a buggy, glitchy, bastardized, neutered sequel.

    Please someone let Warren Spector make the Deus Ex sequel he actually wished to make!

    Stop ruining potentially good games to make them run on consoles...

    1. Re:Deus Ex Invisible War by Txiasaeia · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Metroid Prime 1 & 2 proved that console shooters *work* (this coming from a PC gamer since Wolfenstein and Blake Stone 3D ;) ), but Deus Ex 2 is an atrocity. If he let Retro handle Deus Ex 3, I'm sure it would be *much* better.

      --
      Condemnant quod non intellegunt.
    2. Re:Deus Ex Invisible War by TheLoneDanger · · Score: 2, Informative

      Absolutely Deus Ex Invisible War was a HUGE fuckup. They had what could've been a hugely profitable franchise with more sequels. They showed off some screenshots that were stunningly pretty. Fans (myself included) were rabid for this game.

      And then... the demo released. It ran so incredibly poorly and with settings geared towards the Xbox version (which seems to have been the project lead) that entire forums were filled with tips on getting just the DEMO to run properly. Instead of gamers clamouring for more (ala Battlefield 1942), they had die-hard fans of the original swearing to never go near the game and new players wondering what the fuss was about in the first place. Xbox owners never cared in the first place and it showed in the sales figures. Harvey Smith (lead designer) eventually quit Ion Storm Austin, and so did Warren Spector. Ion Storm Austin is now just a hollow shell. Most of this can be attributed to the decision to design the game around the limitations of the Xbox. One decision may have cost millions of dollars from future games and gutted an entire dev studio, as well as tarnishing the names of 2 respected game designers (Smith and Spector). That definitely deserves to be on the list.

      --

      "But I trust in the people's capacity for reflection, rage and rebellion." -Oscar Olivera
  9. No DDR for Gamecube by Qrlx · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The biggest failing is no Dance Dance Revolution for GameCube.

    Come on, GameCube is supposedly the "kid's choice" but we're not gonna provide kids with the one video game that has the redeeming quality of making you get your fat ass off the freakin' couch.

    Ooh, Thet get Donkey Kong Bongos instead. What a joke.

    1. Re:No DDR for Gamecube by Headcase88 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, the only reason I bought a PS2 was so I could play DDR. No joke.

      I haven't played Donkey Konga yet. I don't think any rental store bothers with special controller games.

      --
      "When the atomic bomb goes off there's devastation...but when the atomic bong goes off there's celebraaaaation!"
  10. Re:Enough about the stupid PS2 Harddrive by Rico_Suave · · Score: 2

    "The hard drive was used in how many games? Best count I got was 3: the always-mentioned Final Fantasy XI, Resident Evil Outbreak, and SOCOM II. There is a total of one game that requires it: Final Fantasy XI."

    And Sony has insured that no more games will take advantage of it, either. Maybe if they weren't so short-sighted, more developers would have been willing to make the HD a must-have accessory.

  11. Re:#3 on the list... by SetupWeasel · · Score: 4, Informative

    Sony promised customers and Square that they would support the HDD with a "Virtual Jukebox" at the very least. You know... so people wouldn't spend the extra $50 for the PS2 version for nothing. Sony didn't make any games for it, didn't keep any of their promises for it, and decided it wasn't worth supporting.

    Square stepped up to the plate for the HDD. Sony kicked them in the nuts and ran away. That's enough to make a "gaffe of 2004" without even considering the consumer.

    If you ever wonder why Square can't seem to complete Final Fantasy XII and are buddies with Nintendo again, this may be the reason, at least in part.