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Games Entertainment

Gaming's Biggest Blunders of 2006 184

Posted by Zonk from the there-were-many-to-choose-from dept.
Ground Glass writes "After all of the self-awarding that goes on in the games industry this year, it's nice to be reminded that there were actually some pretty big industry disasters in 2006. Who can forget that timeless Gizmondo car crash story, for example? Or the onset of microtransactions for cheat codes? One of the Curmudgeon Gamers, Matt Matthews, lays out the worst the industry had to offer this year, from game hype to journalistic screwups, and everything in between." From the article: "3. Bill of Rights -- Void Where Prohibited by Law. We should also sit back and enjoy a steaming hot cup of schadenfreude at the expense of those tireless defenders of morality and the souls of our children: the state governments of Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and of course Illinois. Each has passed a law restricting the sales of videogames, and each has been stopped by the courts. Apparently there are things called 'constitutions; which grant 'rights' like 'free speech' which 'activist judges' are using to strike down the very laws which will protect our children from rock and r...videogames." He also offers up some of the cut content that didn't make it into the final article.
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Gaming's Biggest Blunders of 2006 More

Gaming's Biggest Blunders of 2006

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  • Is "Warcraft Expansion missing Xmas 2006" there? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:03PM (#17313394)
    Is "World of Warcraft Expansion missing Christmas 2006" one of the items listed there?
  • Eugh. I saw the pictures from that accident. The Ferrari had 9 miles on it. Nine. One of those miles was the crash itself. My inner manly-man is crying just remembering those pictures.
  • I think #3 should have made top marks on this one. The fact that my tax dollar payed for this political clap trap infuriates me. As much as I love Chicago, the rest of the state can take a flying leap.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Andrew Nagy ( 985144 )
      When some people from Southern Illinois told me about how Chicogans were all self-absorbed snobs I thought it was bias...

      I stand corrected.

      Of course, I shouldn't make hasty generalizations based on one slashdot comment... afer all, most generalizations are wrong.
      • My poorly worded point was that Illinois is hopelessly corrupt and inefficiently run. Despite Mayor Dailey's questionable tactics, he gets the job done. That can't be said for the rest of the state in any area.

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by VWJedi ( 972839 )

          Which questionable tactics? Like closing (and bulldozing) a public airport in the middle of the night with no notice for no good reason? I'd say blatantly disregarding federal law and FAA regulations, spending a large sum of taxpayer money to do so, and then using more taxpayer money to pay the fines are a little more than questionable.

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by rblum ( 211213 )
            Well, yes, that would be questionable.

            Then again, let's not forget the politics behind that. Disneyland bought - excuse me, lobbied the Republicans - for a large no-fly zone over their grounds right after 9/11 and got it almost immediately. Daley tried to get the same over downtown Chicago, to no avail. One might speculate it's because he's a Democrat. Either way, he was pissed at the party in power - Reps. Now, coincidentally a majority of the use of Meigs airfield is by major corporations who like backing
    • I'm with you on this.

      Illinois State tax payers basically paid $520K for the Governor's election campaign.
      • Illinois State tax payers basically paid $520K for the Governor's election campaign.

        That's how a democraticly elected representative government works; make policy to appease those who will reelect you.
        Of course, when you have a disinterested voting populace, hyperbole wins over intelligent debate.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by VWJedi ( 972839 )

      As much as I love the rest of the state, Chicago can take a flying leap.

      But I agree with the rest of your post...

  • PS3 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by HappySqurriel ( 1010623 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:23PM (#17313626)
    PS3 being #1 makes sense ...

    Last year at this time everyone was bashing how poor the XBox 360 launch and how expensive it turned out, many people even said "Why would you spend $400 on an XBox 360 when you can buy the more powerful PS3 (that comes with a Blu-Ray player) for less?"

    It's amazing how much change 12 months can bring ...

    • Sony screwed the pooch sooooo bad... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by trdrstv ( 986999 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:48PM (#17313992)
      Last year at this time everyone was bashing how poor the XBox 360 launch and how expensive it turned out, many people even said "Why would you spend $400 on an XBox 360 when you can buy the more powerful PS3 (that comes with a Blu-Ray player) for less?"



      Let's not forget how Sony Slammed Microsoft for botching a World wide launch (despite MS shipping greater numbers and actually making it world wide), and how they also Slammed the Wii for being 'just a gimmick' before adding tilt functions into their controller. I wonder how Sony's investors, (and executives) keep being "overly optimistic".

      • I wonder how Sony's investors, (and executives) keep being "overly optimistic".

        In their situation it's very easy. If they say "This is gonna be a disaster", they still are overly optimistic.
    • Overpriced console, selling in small quantities, with relatively few games.... Unless Sony does something quickly, they could have a disaster of 3DO-like proportions. I'd say that if they've managed to solve their manufacturing problems, they need to churn those suckers out and cut the price to at least match the 360.

      Even though they've missed the holiday season, for the sake of 3rd parties, they need to get more PS3s into consumer hands asap. Even the large 3rd parties can only sit on unsold PS3 games and

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by GeckoX ( 259575 )
        FUD. I already responded at the same level as your post, so read that for a lot of why, but I will respond directly to a couple of points.

        Does anyone remember the PS2 launch? Anyone at all? Same pile of shit, different console. Ahh, and look at how the PS2 crashed and burned...riiight.

        As well, and I'll state this again...if you also buy the addons required for the 360 to match what the PS3 comes with out of the box...they're almost identical in price!!! Nevermind that if you look at the PS2 launch price, th
        • Fanboism. Let me respond to a couple of your points. All the add ons for the Xbox360, which, I might add, are not forced upon the consumer. Who cares if it 'matches what the PS3' costs if you get all the add ons. I for one don't care about high-def DVD, and could care less if my console is WiFi enabled. At least with the 360, it is not being forced on me, I can choose to add those items on if I want. And for all extent and purposes, I can easily put together a PC with the same features for the same pri

          • So maybe you can put together a decent set-top PC for 600 USD. But will it have a large library of native games that are designed specifically for set-top play? Are there any party favorites similar to Bomberman and Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Melee that allow four players to use four USB gamepads connected to one PC? Or do you have to buy four set-top PCs for four players?

        • Re:Disaster of 3DO Proportions (Score:5, Informative)

          by HappySqurriel ( 1010623 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @02:01PM (#17314960)
          Nevermind that if you look at the PS2 launch price, throw in inflation, and oh looky there! PS3 launch price.

          PS2 Launch Price 2000 dollars = $300, adjusted for inflation $348.08 ...

          Then you try to compare it to 3D0. How many games play on the PS3? Care to hazard a guess? Anyone? Lets just say that it is, right now, exponentially more than 3D0 EVER had.

          List of 3DO games: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_3DO_games [wikipedia.org]

          Does anyone remember the PS2 launch? Anyone at all? Same pile of shit, different console. Ahh, and look at how the PS2 crashed and burned...riiight.

          The PS2 launched with over 700,000 systems in Japan on day one and had sold over 1 Million by the end of its first month (March 00); in North America there were 500,000 systems at launch and they sold over 1 Million by the end of 2000 (2.5 months). The PS2 was unavailable largely because the demand was so great that Sony could not produce them fast enough; the PS3 is unavailable because Sony has produced too few of units.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by 7Prime ( 871679 )

            So what you're saying is the PS2 launch was actually more similar to the Wii launch, right?

            And look how the PS2 crashed and burned... riiiiight.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Omestes ( 471991 )
              Who mentioned the Wii? The topic was the PS2 vs. the PS3, the Wii might be closer to the PS2, but the PS3 is still a rather large disappointment, and has a real risk of failing (to the fanboys, I said risk, not inevitability). The Wii might be like the PS2 (doubtful), I personally think that we have enough history to start predicting that it will repeat itself. We only have two truly modern launches for comparison, the PS1/N64/DC launch, and the PS2/GC/Xbox launch, both of which had very different result

          • How many games play on the PS3? Care to hazard a guess? Anyone? Lets just say that it is, right now, exponentially more than 3D0 EVER had.

            List of 3DO games [wikipedia.org]

            The PLAYSTATION 3 console plays well over 90 percent of PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games, allowing converts from the Xbox and GameCube systems to choose from hundreds of by now value-priced titles while waiting for the PS3 killer app. It's like buying a $370 console and getting a $130 PS2 free. Did the 3DO console play any previous console's games or any previous home computer's games?

        • "Does anyone remember the PS2 launch? Anyone at all? Same pile of shit, different console. Ahh, and look at how the PS2 crashed and burned...riiight"
          Actually, comparing the two launches and reactions is a complete red herring. PS2 launched first of that generation, by a considerable margin. The comparison you mean to make is PS2 and 360. That is apples to apples. Everybody bitched about the launch price of the 360, and how horribly its launch sales were, but now its the dominant next-gen console, and wi
    • It's amazing how much change 12 months can bring ...

      In 12 months, remember you said that :)

  • Gaming's Biggest Blunder of 2006? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Penguin's Advocate ( 126803 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:23PM (#17313632)
    Neverwinter Nights 2

  • Gamespot also has decent coverage (Score:4, Interesting)

    by The-Bus ( 138060 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:24PM (#17313642)
    I also enjoyed GameSpot's coverage ( Dubious Honors 2006 [gamespot.com]). If anyone's keeping track, the biggest "loser" this year was EA who was mentioned several times in both articles. I'd have to agree. Next year, everyone can get their hand on whatever hardware they want. Bad games will stay bad and be lost to history. But we're still going to be dealing with overuse of in-game ads and microtransactions for in-game cheats thanks to EA.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gmezero ( 4448 )
      If I remember right, wasn't EA also the company that brought us "Retail box with no game inside of it"?
  • Despite all the Nintendo PR cover-up about the defective Wii controllers (e.g., SlashDot's "it's a replacement program, not a recall" wuss-out), it looks like the flaks missed one guy. Take a look at #7:

    7. Nintendo Says 'when hand gets sweaty, simply wipe 'em' The Nintendo Wii, current darling of the videogame press, has a dark side: it can kill unexpectedly. Kill televisions, that is, especially expensive HDTVs. With a flick of the wrist. The Wii remote straps that shipped with the first systems were w

    • Re:Looks like Nintendo's PR department missed one. (Score:4, Funny)

      by Chris Burke ( 6130 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:35PM (#17313790) Homepage
      Looks like Mario and Luigi may have to pay this gentleman a friendly visit.
    • The controllers are not defective. PEBWAC.

    • Stupid Nintendo (Score:5, Insightful)

      by LikeTheSearchEngine ( 995759 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @12:37PM (#17313840)

      Yes, as I was about to say :

      From TFA:

      "7. Nintendo Says 'when hand gets sweaty, simply wipe 'em'

      The Nintendo Wii, current darling of the videogame press, has a dark side...

      It's really inexcusable. If your commercials show beautiful people thrashing about in the throes of videogame ecstasy, you have to expect that consumers are going to want to do the same. But those models in your commercials are trained professionals working in a controlled environment. As soon as you take that lethal Wii remote out into the Real World, accidents are possible, even likely. "

      Yes, Nintendo made a huge blunder by showing professionals using their console. We all made the same mistake: we assumed these were professional models and/or actors. In reality, they were professional "hold'er-on'er"s, who had abundant professional experience which allowed them to maintain a grasp, however tenuous, on the wiimote, instead of letting go like blithering retar... I mean, your average user.

      No disclaimer Nintendo? For shame.

      • If your commercials show beautiful people thrashing about in the throes of videogame ecstasy, you have to expect that consumers are going to want to do the same. But those models in your commercials are trained professionals working in a controlled environment. As soon as you take that lethal Wii remote out into the Real World, accidents are possible, even likely.

        Does this mean I can sue beer companies when I go drinking, hit-on women and get slapped?
    • I have the wii console; it still amazes me that someone could break the strap that comes with the controller. It looks and feels just as strong as the one on my digital camera. I've never let go of the controller myself, nor has any one of the approximately two dozen people who have tried the system since I bought it. My wife did smack our television once while playing tennis, but she was just too close to the screen and neither the TV nor the controller sustained any real damage.

      I'd be willing to bet that

    • Despite all the Nintendo PR cover-up about the defective Wii controllers (e.g., SlashDot's "it's a replacement program, not a recall" wuss-out), it looks like the flaks missed one guy. Take a look at #7:

      Actually, Nintendo's biggest F*up was to include a strap in the first place. If they didn't include a strap, the blame would be on the user of the remote for letting go. Because they included a strap, and display numerous 'safety' messages that you should use it, it makes people feel that it's Nintendo's

  • What's the deal with this title? It was supposed to be out in April, then August, then November, and now Amazon has April 2007 as the release date. I have a strong personal interest in seeing this title since I was the lead tester for the first Backyard Baseball GC (2004). That was a fun title since the developer tried to sneak in various phallic symbols and the middle finger into a kids game. Does Atari/Infogrames only have enough money to release one title at a time?
    • maybe because by the time it comes out in 2007, it won't be Backyard Baseball 2007 GameCube anymore. or maybe it will be, but it will be simultaneously released with Backyard Baseball 2007 Wii. just a hunch.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by roskakori ( 447739 )
      What's the deal with this title? It was supposed to be out in April, then August, then November, and now Amazon has April 2007 as the release date.
      I heard they changed its name to "Backyard Baseball Forever" and moved the release date to early 2008.

  • Blast from the Past (Score:4, Insightful)

    by InfinityWpi ( 175421 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2006 @01:19PM (#17314400)
    Last year's #5? Nintendo's Revolution's big thing was being a Gamecube with a motion-sensing controller. In 2005, derided for being underpowered and gimmicky. ... yeah, looks like that -really- screwed up Nintendo there. They made a terrible mistake, making a system that out-sold the PS3 (Yeah, yeah, they had more available... still counts!).

    Makes me wonder, at the end of 2007, which item from this list will we look back on and say, "Y'know, that really wasn't a bad thing..."
  • Oblivion.

    Not because it wasn't a beautiful game. It was.

    But, sadly, I never completed the main quest line. An NPC bugged out on me and I could find no console commands to fix it. Add to that I had no recent saved games I could continue from and I just gave up entirely.

    I do plan to go back and play it through again.. Maybe soon. I might even get that Knights of the Nine add-on.

    TLF
    • A minor point, but any quest or NPC flag should be command-line fixable. The UESP Wiki has every quest documented quite well, most of them with item/flag command-line information. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Oblivion [uesp.net]
      • "no console commands"

        I suspect he played it on the X360, not on a PC. Personally, I stopped playing because I couldn't be arsed to trudge through a wide-open, yet completely unchanging world. Oh, and the entire leveling system pissed me off too much as well.
        • That's what the "fast travel" functionality is for.
          • I wasn't referring to the fact that travel through the world took a long time. I was referring to the fact that nothing ever changed. Though I have to admit that the fast travel function could have been a little clearer... I was about to give up on the game before I figured out the fast travel button.
  • Seriously, WTF? An average rating of 56.9% for the PC. The 360 version looks slightly more promising with an average rating of 78%. I may just pick it up as a rental.

  • Gaming mistakes? Try supporting real geeks (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Where is the support for the real hard core gamers. The ones that run linux?
  • Anyone releasing anything that could remotely compete with World of Warcraft. Which is anything. So basically everything.
  • This is the single most buggy program (let alone game) I've ever seen. Ridiculous bugs that should have been fixed before release.

    Just read the Ubi forums [ubi.com] to see how bad it is (of course, the forums seem to be down right now--go figure).

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