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Portables (Games)

The 10 Worst Games Made For The PSP and DS 82

Posted by Zonk from the get-thee-from-my-sight-for-you-offend-me dept.
VonSnouty writes "With the DS and PSP now out of their 'early years', handheld specialist Pocket Gamer has taken the innovative approach of warning readers off of the 10 worst games for the PSP released so far, as well as the and 10 worst games for the DS. The latter piece notes that: 'The DS has suffered from as many bad games as its Sony rival. Indeed, according to this unbiased evaluation of the PSP and DS game reviews on MetaCritic, DS has played host to even more dreadful, money-sucking stinkers. The reason? Probably the same things we love the DS for — its unique features, such as the dual-screens and the stylus. A lazy PlayStation 2 port might at least result in a mediocre game on PSP, but DS games done on the cheap are likely to be pure evil.'"
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The 10 Worst Games Made For The PSP and DS More

The 10 Worst Games Made For The PSP and DS

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  • Game library size (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sciros ( 986030 ) on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:07PM (#17652346) Journal
    I think the DS also has a more extensive library of games. This almost guarantees that there will be more poorly designed/developed games available for it than for the PSP. It's the same as with the PS2 -- that console has *a lot* of games out for it, so it's much easier (and funnier) to put together a "worst PS2 games" list than a "worst Gamecube games" list or whatever.
    • I think the DS also has a more extensive library of games. This almost guarantees that there will be more poorly designed/developed games available for it than for the PSP.

      I thought so too, but then I had to ask, how come the DS doesn't have a higher number of highly rated games than PSP?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Sciros ( 986030 )
        Well, for one you have to look at the people giving out the ratings, and see what their relative standards are. A game that scores a 9/10 on PSP might only warrant a 7/10 on the DS if compared to some game that isn't available for PSP (for instance).

        Also, there are only so many good developers out there. Far fewer than there are poor developers.

        But my personal take on it is that in fact, the DS does have more good games than the PSP. I mean, if the PSP has a library to match Mario Kart DS, New Super M

        • Re: (Score:1, Flamebait)

          by walnutmon ( 988223 )
          I mean, if the PSP has a library to match Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros, Animal Crossing DS, the two Castlevania titles, Wario Ware, Nintendogs, and Metroid Prime Hunters, then I have made a big mistake not getting a PSP ^_^

          I have a DS and not a PSP... Animal crossing and nintendogs? You can continue to weed your village and raise money doing one of the not quite superfluous... uh... three ways of making money in the over-rated Animal Crossing... I haven't played nintendogs, but I am pretty sure
          • Just because a game isn't for you doesn't mean it isn't good. Or, just because you don't like a game doesn't mean it's terrible. In fact, that's the great thing about the DS. There are a LOT of great games for virtually anyone's tastes. I don't think you could say the same thing about the PSP. Don't like FPS games? There are RPGs. Don't like those? How about platformers? Educational games? Racing games? Mini games? Rhythm games?

            You obviously don't like games that require constant care or are centered around

            • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

              by walnutmon ( 988223 )
              While I accept anyones opinion, the one voice about Animal Crossing, is just wrong.

              You seriously are left in a state of perpetual rent paying, and collecting things through VERY linear means. There is fishing, digging, and catching bugs. You can also plant things. That's it!

              I'm sorry, but the amount of intellect it takes to draw pleasure from such narrow activities, which are all incredibly boring to actually do, is low.

              Want to fish? Click in the water near a fish that will almost always come and bite.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by hexix ( 9514 )

                I don't know man. I like Animal Crossing. The entire point of the game is just to collect weird things and find rare items. There's no end goal, it's just a nice relaxing game I can play for 10-20 minutes and then put it back down. Having the local animals come up to me and say ridiculous things, or buying some crazy item like a pimp's hat at the store is all I really need to laugh and have a good time during my short play session.

                But yeah, it's not for everyone. People at my work definitely think

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by LKM ( 227954 )

                To you, it sucks. My girlfriend loves it, and I used to play it regularly, too. There's no grand goal (just some smaller things you can achieve). That doesn't bother me. I just liked to "hang out" and relax. Write letters and see how the animals react, try to breed fruit, search for paintings, make clothes, collect music, make stars... There's a lot to do. It did get boring after a few months, but it actually held up longer than most other games I own.

                I missed the Cube's NES games, though.

              • Re: (Score:1)

                by yanos ( 633109 )
                I don't think you should say that people are 'pissing away hours of life'. You don't like the game, it's your opinion and, like you, I accept anyones opinion. What makes us 'ticks' is not as easy to explain as you seem to think. I really, really like katamari damacy. I don't know why, it's pure brainless fun. They're ain't no strategy either and it's arguably even more brainless than animal crossing. You just roll your ball of things everywhere. I'm not sure why I like katamary or animal crossing so much

          • (I own both a DS and a PSP)

            Animal Crossing is one of these love/hate games. Americans mostly seem to hate it, while the Japanese seem to love it. The fact that you don't like it doesn't mean that it's a bad game. Just means that it's not for you.

            Nintendogs is a great game, by the way. I played this for hours a day when it came out. Same applies to Animal Crossing, for that matter. Both very good games, but both not suited for everyone.

      • Probably because Sony forced PSP-owners to wait longer for good games? [/sarcasm]

        Most reviews for PSP I have seen - they are all made as if the game in question was for real console. DS is really more portable one. IMHO DS is much more portable than PSP. In some sense, PSP and DS are incomparable.

        My friends have PSP and I have DS. Most PSP games are very spectacular - but do not have that much of "portable" aspect. Most DS games are easy and often fit to fill a 5/10/15 minute gap one might happened t

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by aikouka ( 932902 )

          My friends have PSP and I have DS. Most PSP games are very spectacular - but do not have that much of "portable" aspect. Most DS games are easy and often fit to fill a 5/10/15 minute gap one might happened to have - regardless of where you are. Pausing game on DS is as easy as closing lid - PSP's "hold" takes more effort. After closing lid, you can put DS in pocket and forget it - that's also plus. By contrast, PSP needs to be put in protective case since its screen is open.

          I can agree that some PSP games are not designed well enough to be portable. Lumines is a great example of this. It's a very good PSP game (the first one, not the second one... stupid hyped up MTV TRL trash), but a single run through on challenge mode (where you unlock a good majority of the skins) can take 40-60 minutes for a decent player! Great for long trips... bad for short trips.

          Also, the hold feature works just fine, but I'm a bit spoiled, because I have a case that my PSP goes into and I can p

          • One thing you get with a PSP is a nice homebrew scene. You can play PS1 games on a PSP or almost any other pre-N64 console with ease. It's actually quite a versatile little system once you get around Sony's manhandling of it ;).

            Sony politicizing of PSP is one of its biggest minuses. I didn't wanted to end-up with locked down device like their Mylo - potentially powerful, but by Sony's corporate will turned into calculator.

            On other side, DS has no additional capabilities - IOW, nothing Nintendo can b

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by 3on3 ( 1007539 )
        Because the psp standards are lower.
      • The DS has less high-profile 3D games. Those are the games that get the good ratings. Fun little time-wasters like Pac Pix, or "non-games" will score lower. It's just a bias which most game reviewers have.

    • so it's much easier (and funnier) to put together a "worst PS2 games" list

      Link?

    • PSP actually has a larger game library than DS.
      • Yes, but the DS also has the entire Game Boy Advance library at it's disposal.
        • That really has nothing to do with what the grandparent was getting a. If you want to get technical, I can play all Atari 2600 - 7800, Intelivision, Colecovision, NES, Master System, Genesis, SNES, Neo Geo, PS1, Gameboy [Color], Gamegear, Gameboy Advance and more games on my PSP... doesn't really change the fact that left alone the PSP's library is significantly larger than DS', and continuing to grow more rapidly than DS'.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by trdrstv ( 986999 )
        PSP actually has a larger game library than DS.

        In America, yes. In Japan, no.

  • Subjective (Score:2, Interesting)

    by pieisgood ( 841871 )
    As much as I would like to trust reviews and what people say about games. I can't anymore. Especially since Dark Messiah. 4/10 by some gaming site. I played it my self. It was amazing! Just don't believe what you read, try the games first.

    • Re:Subjective (Score:4, Insightful)

      by rootofevil ( 188401 ) on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:37PM (#17653024) Homepage Journal
      Just don't believe what you read, try the games first.

      doesnt that defeat the purpose of review sites/magazines?

      • Re:Subjective (Score:4, Insightful)

        by steveo777 ( 183629 ) on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:52PM (#17653432) Homepage Journal

        doesnt that defeat the purpose of review sites/magazines?
        Exactly.

        You can't read an unbiased opinion in the media these days. The best you will get is to find an editor or two who share your opinion and stick with them. But good luck because it's going to cost you hundreds to find out if you're right. And at $50+ a pop, it's not worth it. The only thing they're good for is showing screen shots or in-game footage. On occasion you can rely on them to tell you how well a game controls.

        The only way to know how well a game will entertain you.. is to play it. So it's borrowing from a friend or renting it before you buy it if you're into that sort of thing. It sucks, but I can't afford to buy more than 3-4 games a year at full price, so if I can't borrow it or at least just know it's going to be good, I probably won't pick it up.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by xtracto ( 837672 )
          The best you will get is to find an editor or two who share your opinion and stick with them.

          Nah, the best you can do is to go to one of those review aggregate sites an look at the overall score (like metacritic.com or gamerankings.com ).

          Of course sometimes I just do not understand why people like some kind of games... I got Wario Ware for GBA because It was supposed to be gggrrreat but I really dislike it, I find it to be a half assed game which *I* cold have done using BASICA...

          And now with the wii you ha

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by hexix ( 9514 )

            WarioWare Smooth Moves is definitely just as stupid as the others.

            I really enjoy it.

            • ZING! (Score:2)

              by LKM ( 227954 )
              and I fully agree. The only issue is that multiplayer mode needs to be unlocked. Fortunately, I unlocked it when I quickly wanted to see how the game works, and inadvertently played it for four hours.
      • Not necessarily. They can be good entertainment.

        About the DS Version of King Kong:
        A murky horrible mess, imagine if a 50-foot high monkey sat on you and by some quirk you found yourself up his ass. Yes, you'd be lucky you hadn't be killed. But would you call yourself lucky, really? You're up a monkey's ass, man!>

        That's pure magic (sniff).

        But about the ratings. They're useless unless you know something about the reviewer. If you don't know I love FPSs, don't like long storylines, and go gaga over anyt
    • I wish I had mod points to second that notion.

      My experience was with Jet Moto 3. I absolutely loved the first one, and the second one only made it better. So naturally I assumed the third one must be excellent. Instead it was completely different, and quite stupid. It was made by a different developer than the first two, same route that Guitar Hero seems to be taking...

    • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      That's why you read reviews that contain detailed writeups and not just the number. But if everyone is giving it low numbers, then maybe there's just something to it. Even IGN only gave it a 7.

      I played a demo and thought the designers fell so much in love with the Havok physics engine that they forgot to make the actual combat interesting -- even Oblivion's slashfest seems more interesting. And what was it with the spikes everywhere? These evil henchmen need to sic OSHA on their overlord's ass.
    • Maybe the review took into account the horrible bugs it had when shipped. I couldn't play it at an acceptible frame rate till it was patched and to this day I havent been able to get the multiplayer portion of the game working. My machine should be able to handle this game no problems but it still doesn't run as smoothly as any other source title even with all features turned off or low. And I'm not the only one who has had problems with the game, the publishers forums were littered with complaints the day
    • I wouldn't jump in with 2 feet - I also wouldn't go off 'one gaming site' that gives a low score.
       
      It's better in my opinion to go a site like metacritic to get a wider range of reviews and see what pros and cons are consistant between each review.
    • I use http://www.gamerankings.com/ [gamerankings.com] they're way better than those annoying review sites like IGN or Gamespy. They compile the scores from all the various review websites (like IGN or Gamespy) in an easily readable format. It's by far the best site for game reviews, you can see what all the different review sites are saying in one place, and find user reviews, etc..

      See the gamerankings page for Dark Messiah [gamerankings.com]

      Avg Ratio: 74%
      Based On 43 Media Outlets

  • DS... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by n00854180t ( 866096 ) on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:21PM (#17652686)
    The DS also has a far greater chance of "bad" games due to improper or poorly thought out use of the touch screen, where as the PSP doesn't need "innovation" or specific concern put to such a feature. Also, games that are classic in style (and thus use the touch screen for maps or something equally lame) might also be judged poorer due to lack of input use of the touch screen.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by ThePhilips ( 752041 )

      OMG. You do not seem to actually own DS?

      Worst ever feat DS games are trying to pull - is using mic. "Whistle" or even worse "Say that" - followed "try again" hell. By far I found that feature of DS being most terrifying.

      Luckily few games use it by now.

      In contrast, DS touch-screen does miracles. Just check Metroid or Brain Age. E.g. Lost Magic - mage oriented RPG - does uses touch screen for actually drawing a spell on arcane circle to cast it: player really experience all the tire of casting compl

      • Yes, I do own a DS (though, not for very long yet). Your mention of the mic is the same exact issue as the one I raised, merely applied to a different piece of the DS "non-standard" (historically, for handheld game systems, at least) hardware. The point is that the fact that the DS has these features at all means that customers will expect games that take advantage of them in interesting ways, and games that don't are given a lesser rating by default.

        Lost Magic is actually quite fun, but it just illustrat
    • I don't know that that's entirely true. The PSP suffers a lot from poorly thought out ports from the PS2 that aren't really well designed for the PSP itself.
    • Almost no game suffers from a bad control scheme, most games suffer from the cheaply released shovelware syndrome on the DS platform.
  • That is the only game for the DS that I just had to put down in disgust. I usually like JRPGs(I bought all the FF remakes for gba and the ds) but it was just so incredibly boring and well stupid. Maybe the game gets more rewarding later on, but I certainly found no value in it.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by safiel ( 1016237 )
      Yea, I second that. I bought the game quite a while ago and hated it so much I sold it on ebay. The whole game was having to put up with one bad thing after another: bad targeting system, loosing life if you ran around on the map. and just when they give you your third character (though they start at level 1) and I start to think the game might pick up they disable your main damage dealer.. that was the final straw for me. Every other game i've picked up for the ds i've liked (though with a few minor co
    • Eh. It isn't as much as the game was bad, but the game lasted way too long and was annoying to travel.

      I think I sunk 30 hours in it before I just felt that I really didn't need to spend 10 more to see the ending.
  • The best list for DS linked to from the worse, has one of the worst on it. Children of Mana does not belong on a "best of" list at all, it's repetitive with little depth. I don't know if I'll even bother finishing it.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Rycross ( 836649 )
      Its not worth finishing. I agree with your assessment, its basically repetitive dungeon crawling with a lame plot halfheartedly thrown in there. About the only possible redeeming factor might be the multiplayer, but I haven't had a chance to try that out yet.
      • The multiplayer is absolutely Not Redeeming. Each person needs to have a copy of the game, and then they use a character from one of their own save files. Unless your friend is at approximately the same point in the story that you are, one of you is going to be far more powerful than the other, so one of you will be cowering from all the monsters while the other steamrolls them. So basically you'd need to sit down and just play through the whole damn thing with a friend over the weekend. Renting it from

        • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

          by 7Prime ( 871679 )
          They did, it's called "Seiken Densetsu 3", only released in Japan... and it is AMAZING. Better than Secret of Mana? Without question. Think Secret of Mana with about 10x the depth, 3 completely different storylines, depending upon who you choose to be in your party, much more flushed-out characters, and a similar, but more in-depth fighting system. I kinda laugh every time I hear about how Secret of Mana is such a classic... sure, it is, but the sequel is so much better, it's bearly even worth talking about
    • I'm a mana fan and I'm bored of it by the 4th mission. Square dropped the ball this time that's for sure.

      Basicly it tried to take Dawn of mana amd make it a normal mana game.. instead it became massacres and pinballs.

      I'll finish it for the story but thats about it.
    • Children of Mana is very disappointing, but that's a top ten of 2006- not of all time.
    • What, like Tetris?
  • The 10 Worst Games Made For The PSP and DS

    Is this roundup accurate? "Daikatana 2: Daikatana Harder, DS Platinum Edition" didn't even make the list.

  • The real story: (Score:5, Insightful)

    by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:39PM (#17653082) Homepage Journal
    Did you look at the ratings they gave these games? There's not a single title with a rating under 2 on either list. The median rating is 4 and the second most common rating is 5. The ten worst games ever made for the PSP and DS put together are typically 40 to 50% good? I think not. If I want inflated ratings, I can just go check out IGNorant.

    • Re:The real story: (Score:4, Insightful)

      by AuMatar ( 183847 ) on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:56PM (#17653516)
      I noticed the same thing. If a game is really one of the 10 worst for a system, it should have a 2 tops. Thats why I don't read gaming mags anymore- the reviews are horrible.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tepples ( 727027 )

        If a game is really one of the 10 worst for a system, it should have a 2 tops.

        That's true in the PC world. In the console world, it's in the console maker's best interest not to approve titles that make the console look bad.

      • I used to have a subscription to some sort of home theater magazine. Their review ratings -- and I am not making this up -- were "on a scale from 75 to 99".
    • Yeah, I hope this is the last time slashdot posts any articles from this "Pocket Gamer" website. The reviews totally suck ass. If you read the review, they are very unclear about WHY the game sucks. The reviews are all pretty mangled and unorganized. I could write better essays when I was in highschool.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Wordplay ( 54438 )
      I think most of these rating systems are from the standpoint that 0% is a total waste of bytes. The thing is that console games don't tend to get published until they're around the 30 or 40% level because of licensing and duplication costs. You see more true stinkers for the PC, where the startup is much lower.

      Same goes for music and movie reviews. By the time you've gone pro, and at least have a professional production job, that's a free 25% or so right there.
    • I think it was Ebert who had a rant on the star system. But I back him up. Most review sites, and gaming mags only use the number/star system because that's what people expect for quick information and for comparison. For example, maybe all these scores are averaged by judging different areas, maybe's KAzook's sound was entirely bitching, I don't know. But I always read reviews, because generally you can find an *informed* opinion on the game. A good example of this is Gamepro(not their print mag, their onl

  • How many games have these people played? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Perseid ( 660451 ) on Wednesday January 17, 2007 @04:43PM (#17653198)
    A lot of these games aren't that bad. Especially on the DS side. I guess they missed Elf Bowling.
  • I can imagine a bad idea for those games. Dance Dance Revolution!
        OOPS.
  • Can we please issue a moratorium on linking to these stupid "Top X" lists? They are simply the current flavour of the moment in pages that get you onto del.icio.us, et al. They are deliberately crap in order to generate controversy.
    • I agree, this top 10 is for Digg an del.icio.us, Slashdot must differentiate somehow from them, that's what the editors are supposed to be for.
  • Although it may be somewhat interesting or entertaining to read those reviews, all they seem to do is trash on the game, insulting it. (you expect the next line to start out something intelligent and informative like "yo momma's so fat that...") Very few details, very shallow on the reasons why we should hate the game. These reviews are more of a rant on how much the author hates the games, rather than why we should feel the same way. Not worth the read unless you are looking for not-so-creative general

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sigma 7 ( 266129 )

      Although it may be somewhat interesting or entertaining to read those reviews, all they seem to do is trash on the game, insulting it. (you expect the next line to start out something intelligent and informative like "yo momma's so fat that...") Very few details, very shallow on the reasons why we should hate the game.

      More often than not, those reviewers are simply looking for the graphics rather than the game.

      If you want to learn how to write or recognize quality reviews for games, you may want to look at

  • I will admit, buying Burnout: Legends for DS soley on the fact that their home-console predecessors are amazing games, only to get such awful trash, has turned me onto reviewing every single game I wish to buy.

    It really seems like certain game companies are looking to make a quick buck out of the DS and standards of gaming suffer because of that.
  • It was so bad that I traded it sight-unseen for one of the DS Need for Speed games and didn't regret it.
  • pocketgamer can go to hell, Guilty Gear DS is fun, we need more classic style fighter games.
  • I have Tomb Raider DS and I currently play the gamecube version on the wii. The funny thing is I think it is an excellent title on both platforms, the DS version sacrificed the real 3d environments but besides that it is one of the best jump and run titles on the platform, I do not know why everyone hates it. (Probably out of dissapointment due to the alterations) What I really would consider bad on the DS, is the shovelware which has been pushed into the platform mainly the last half year. Basically with

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