Hype is a dangerous thing. It can get people excited for a game, but sometimes things fly too close to the sun. Last time, I talked about my bad experiences with The Legend of Alon D'ar and a few other disappointments. Today, I have some more games that didn't take me to where I wanted to go. This time I'm focusing on faults based on reviews, recommendations from others, and my own expectations based on the box art and blurb.
Dragon Ball Origins
[DS, 2008]
When I read about Dragon Ball Origins a few years ago, it sounded very cool. I had wanted a Dragon Ball game for a while, especially after the excellent beat 'em up, Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, on Game Boy Advance. I was surprised that I had missed the game when it came out and also surprised that it had pretty good reviews. It seemed like it would be a great game, but boy was I wrong.
There's so much wrong with Dragon Ball Origins. I've never played them, but this game is apparently like the DS Zelda games. It's not amazingly Zelda-like, as the game utilizes levels. You play through the Dragon Ball story using mostly the touchscreen in this action game. The story is slow, and the controls are awkward. They aren't terrible, but normal controls would have worked better. Beyond that, the graphics have that washed out 3D of some DS and PS1 games, and the screen doesn't work as I expected it to. The dual screens both display the field/dungeon Goku and Bulma are on, but there is a gap between what is displayed between the screens. Basically, when I was moving around, I expected to see, let's say, a cactus and nothing else but actually found an enemy in the way before the cactus. The distance between the screens is greater than what you see when looking at them. This is made even worse with how bland the level design is. This issue with screen-spacing is still present during cutscenes as well, leading to some really goofy stuff. The picture below should show you all you need to know.
Anyway, this game isn't the worst ever, but there are so many that do this kind of thing better. Even though it's 2D, I think that Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure is a similar enough game that's actually fun to play. I'll probably go back and finish this one day, but the slow pace and awkwardness all around really keep me away.
Desire to try again: Low
MediEvil II
[PlayStation, 2000]
I played MediEvil II on a demo disc when it was about to come out. I was not very impressed with the game. It didn't seem as funny (the humor was less clever) and the setting felt anachronistic. There was also a weird little ghost flying around to narrate stuff. I thought I'd maybe get it one day but not anytime soon. That "one day" came 16 or 17 years later, and I was actually excited for the game now. I had realized that, despite the name, MediEvil II took place during the Victorian era. It seemed like an exciting period to play in. I still ended up disappointed. The generic story and linear gameplay ruined a lot of the fun. The controls and camera felt out of my control, ruining a lot of the rest. I beat the game, but I don't see myself going back to it. The first MediEvil felt mystical, magical, and eerie; this game felt cookie cutter, a failed franchise in the vein of Crash Bandicoot but built-to-order. It's a good representative of the most obvious game of the later PlayStation era.
Desire to try again: Very low
Star Fox Command
[DS, 2006]
In a lot of ways, Star Fox Command isn't that different from the first game in this list. Like Dragon Ball Origins, I never heard much of it when it was released on the DS, it has good reviews for some reason, and it suffers from touchscreen controls. I think that this game is a little better than Dragon Ball Origins - at least it's a quick playthrough. Honestly, it kind of feels like the developers didn't know what to really do with this. It's a strategy game where you control Fox and his friends against some fish aliens. You place movement routes for each turn by drawing on the screen, and battles commence when one of your units encounters an enemy. It's cool to have differences in playstyle between Slippy, Fox, Krystal, and others, but the game also suffers because the battles are so similar. You have to collect little medals and maybe destroy a base. The touchscreen controls are responsive but still mean that you cannot be as nimble as with a normal controller. You unlock some extra paths to take after beating the game, but they are displayed even on the first try (just greyed out); it would have been better for these extra paths to always be available. I could play through Star Fox Comman again to see these endings, but there's nothing really here to play or see. Maybe one day...
Desire to try again: Low
Heavy Nova
[Sega Genesis, 1991]
Don't let the cover art fool you, Heavy Nova is horrible. I was fooled when I bought it looking at that cool mech on the front and the claims about 8 mega-bit memory and a free controller (mine was used, so no controller - I just liked that it had that offer). The game opens with a cool cutscene of the mech too. When you actually get into the game, Heavy Nova is ugly, slow, and hard to control. It plays out like a platformer in which you control a molasses-slow mech. It's a ridiculously annoying experience, your mech tripping on rocks and beset by various beams and small robots. You have to carefully turn around to move in the opposite direction, and getting up takes longer and longer as you sustain more damage. Your attacks are also hard to hit with. Now imagine this as a fighting game, and that's the other half of the game. After each awful platformer level, there's an awful one-on-one boss fight. It's a mess. I consider this one of the worst games I've ever played. Here's a video of the travesty of Heavy Nova.
Desire to try again: Very low
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon [GB]
[Game Boy, 1998]
I was disappointed with Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon when I was little. I was expecting something like the N64 game with the same title. This game was more of a top-down Zelda game, akin to the other game's slight resemblance to Ocarina of Time. Anyway, I found this game hard and confusing. I had never really played top-down Zelda. I wanted a longer attack range, easier platforming, larger cities, and easier health recovery. I tried the game again recently, and it's actually pretty fun. The platforming and combat aren't too bad if you are careful. The game is still a little tough due to health recovery items being sparse and their being no continues. I think there are passwords though, so it's not impossible. I plan to complete Mystical Ninja late this year or early next year though. It will be a fun challenge.
Desire to try again: High
Mystical Ninja brings us to a happier ending. Sometimes the first try isn't the last try. The others though, I've certainly had enough with. What games have left you disappointed? Did you fall for some kind of hype, read a review that ensured you of quality, or just come to your own conclusion that turned out wrong? I'll be back with more of my own in the future.
Dragon Ball Origins
[DS, 2008]
When I read about Dragon Ball Origins a few years ago, it sounded very cool. I had wanted a Dragon Ball game for a while, especially after the excellent beat 'em up, Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, on Game Boy Advance. I was surprised that I had missed the game when it came out and also surprised that it had pretty good reviews. It seemed like it would be a great game, but boy was I wrong.
There's so much wrong with Dragon Ball Origins. I've never played them, but this game is apparently like the DS Zelda games. It's not amazingly Zelda-like, as the game utilizes levels. You play through the Dragon Ball story using mostly the touchscreen in this action game. The story is slow, and the controls are awkward. They aren't terrible, but normal controls would have worked better. Beyond that, the graphics have that washed out 3D of some DS and PS1 games, and the screen doesn't work as I expected it to. The dual screens both display the field/dungeon Goku and Bulma are on, but there is a gap between what is displayed between the screens. Basically, when I was moving around, I expected to see, let's say, a cactus and nothing else but actually found an enemy in the way before the cactus. The distance between the screens is greater than what you see when looking at them. This is made even worse with how bland the level design is. This issue with screen-spacing is still present during cutscenes as well, leading to some really goofy stuff. The picture below should show you all you need to know.
Anyway, this game isn't the worst ever, but there are so many that do this kind of thing better. Even though it's 2D, I think that Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure is a similar enough game that's actually fun to play. I'll probably go back and finish this one day, but the slow pace and awkwardness all around really keep me away.
Desire to try again: Low
MediEvil II
[PlayStation, 2000]
I played MediEvil II on a demo disc when it was about to come out. I was not very impressed with the game. It didn't seem as funny (the humor was less clever) and the setting felt anachronistic. There was also a weird little ghost flying around to narrate stuff. I thought I'd maybe get it one day but not anytime soon. That "one day" came 16 or 17 years later, and I was actually excited for the game now. I had realized that, despite the name, MediEvil II took place during the Victorian era. It seemed like an exciting period to play in. I still ended up disappointed. The generic story and linear gameplay ruined a lot of the fun. The controls and camera felt out of my control, ruining a lot of the rest. I beat the game, but I don't see myself going back to it. The first MediEvil felt mystical, magical, and eerie; this game felt cookie cutter, a failed franchise in the vein of Crash Bandicoot but built-to-order. It's a good representative of the most obvious game of the later PlayStation era.
Desire to try again: Very low
Star Fox Command
[DS, 2006]
In a lot of ways, Star Fox Command isn't that different from the first game in this list. Like Dragon Ball Origins, I never heard much of it when it was released on the DS, it has good reviews for some reason, and it suffers from touchscreen controls. I think that this game is a little better than Dragon Ball Origins - at least it's a quick playthrough. Honestly, it kind of feels like the developers didn't know what to really do with this. It's a strategy game where you control Fox and his friends against some fish aliens. You place movement routes for each turn by drawing on the screen, and battles commence when one of your units encounters an enemy. It's cool to have differences in playstyle between Slippy, Fox, Krystal, and others, but the game also suffers because the battles are so similar. You have to collect little medals and maybe destroy a base. The touchscreen controls are responsive but still mean that you cannot be as nimble as with a normal controller. You unlock some extra paths to take after beating the game, but they are displayed even on the first try (just greyed out); it would have been better for these extra paths to always be available. I could play through Star Fox Comman again to see these endings, but there's nothing really here to play or see. Maybe one day...
Desire to try again: Low
Heavy Nova
[Sega Genesis, 1991]
Don't let the cover art fool you, Heavy Nova is horrible. I was fooled when I bought it looking at that cool mech on the front and the claims about 8 mega-bit memory and a free controller (mine was used, so no controller - I just liked that it had that offer). The game opens with a cool cutscene of the mech too. When you actually get into the game, Heavy Nova is ugly, slow, and hard to control. It plays out like a platformer in which you control a molasses-slow mech. It's a ridiculously annoying experience, your mech tripping on rocks and beset by various beams and small robots. You have to carefully turn around to move in the opposite direction, and getting up takes longer and longer as you sustain more damage. Your attacks are also hard to hit with. Now imagine this as a fighting game, and that's the other half of the game. After each awful platformer level, there's an awful one-on-one boss fight. It's a mess. I consider this one of the worst games I've ever played. Here's a video of the travesty of Heavy Nova.
Desire to try again: Very low
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon [GB]
[Game Boy, 1998]
I was disappointed with Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon when I was little. I was expecting something like the N64 game with the same title. This game was more of a top-down Zelda game, akin to the other game's slight resemblance to Ocarina of Time. Anyway, I found this game hard and confusing. I had never really played top-down Zelda. I wanted a longer attack range, easier platforming, larger cities, and easier health recovery. I tried the game again recently, and it's actually pretty fun. The platforming and combat aren't too bad if you are careful. The game is still a little tough due to health recovery items being sparse and their being no continues. I think there are passwords though, so it's not impossible. I plan to complete Mystical Ninja late this year or early next year though. It will be a fun challenge.
Desire to try again: High
Mystical Ninja brings us to a happier ending. Sometimes the first try isn't the last try. The others though, I've certainly had enough with. What games have left you disappointed? Did you fall for some kind of hype, read a review that ensured you of quality, or just come to your own conclusion that turned out wrong? I'll be back with more of my own in the future.
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