What game do you wish you'd not bought in 2009?

[GilloD]

For me? Borderlands. It never clicked. It was fun enough, but the lousy PC port coupled with character-wiping bugs (I lost SEVEN characters) and the tech-demoy feel of it all just. I never got into it and I haven't played since the 2nd or 3rd day after release. Bummer.

[bork]

Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2 on the PS2.  Biggest stinking piece of putrid, nauseating, steaming shit of a port job I have ever seen.  Awful, awful graphics that get incredibly blurry and super-ugly when you move, plus slowdown and lag.

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

Examu had some real balls to release this game in the shape its in.

[EmCeeGrammar]

Major Minor's Majestic March.  I played the parappa demo alot on my brother's playstation, and heard good things about it and unjammer lammy.  So I get all excited that the guy behind it is making a new game. Its arguably one of the most broken experiences I've had this year.  Bad controls and not a modicum of fun to be found.  Worst part is I had to search around for it.

[brawndolicious]

Gears 2.  It came out in 2008 but I bought it in 2009 and I don't know, I liked it but it just felt too sequelly.  The gameplay didn't feel so fresh and the story just dragged way too much in parts.  Honestly, I just felt that the campaign was TOO long.  It had an amazing Horde mode but I wish that I just rent it instead.

[demi]

Boy and his Blob

It's a wii game GOD DAMNIT regret regret

It pushed me to set up USB Loading though, never have to make that mistake again

[The Fake Shemp]

All of you guys suck, except for demi, who listed an actual game worth regretting.

I bought Shadow Complex.

[Human Snorenado]

Unless I buy something in the next week or so (likely given the monies I got for Jesus-day) and it sucks (not so likely, as I've got discriminating taste) I'd probably have to say Brutal Legend.  It wasn't BAD per se but it was unfocused and really fell apart in the last half or so.  I wish Double Fine would just start churning out some awesome XBLA adventure games instead of trying to do stuff they're obviously not very good at.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Well I bought TV Show King off PSN for some unknown fucking reason.  Screw Sony for not mandating demos for all their PSN games.

For retail, I really could've done without Brutal Legend.  After Psychonauts I thought I'd buy whatever Double Fine put out sight unseen but Brutal Legend burned almost all of that good faith.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Dragon Age.  Bleah.  At least I was able to trade it for something fun.

This, except I bought it on Steam and am stuck with it. What a disaster.

[Akala]

Brutal Legend for me too. I knew it tried to be a bit jack-of-all-trades going in, but I didn't find the story funny enough to get past how boring I found most of the various gameplay.

[cool breeze]

Too many to list.  Brutal Legend is one, Ratchet and Clank Future 2 is another (I enjoyed it but there will probably be a new Ratchet game before I care to replay it), Punch Out Wii, Prototype, Scribblenauts, etc.  2009 was the year that I decided I should stop spending so much on games.

[Stoney Mason]

Too many to list.  Brutal Legend is one, Ratchet and Clank Future 2 is another (I enjoyed it but there will probably be a new Ratchet game before I care to replay it), Punch Out Wii, Prototype, Scribblenauts, etc.  2009 was the year that I decided I should stop spending so much on games.

Honestly anyone who buys a bunch of games a year and doesn't use Gamefly or a similar service is a mystery to me. Outside of digital distribution stuff, I bought very little this year. It just doesn't make sense to waste $60 dollars on something I'm not sure about.

EDIT: If I had to pick one game I was dissappointed in this year it was Brutal Legend. I was very psyched for this one as I love Schaefer and I loved Psychonauts. But I just don't like the rts stuff.  This is partially my fault as I knew about those elements going in and I'm not a big rts fan but I was hoping this was the game that would change my mind. There are a lot of elements in it that I really like, like the atmosphere and the story, and I haven't finished it yet, but I found myself just wishing it was a simple action and racing game like the demo.

[Third]

We don't have game rental services here. That's like forcing us to become pirates.

[duckman2000]

ODST. Didn't mesh well with Bungie had said about it, and the SP felt like a collection of deleted scenes from previous Halo games. Then again, I made a profit off of it, so I guess I can't really say that I regret it. Had I bought it at full price and sold it for less, I would have felt jilted. Sort of wish I hadn't bought KZ2, would have been better as a rental. I thought I'd like MP a lot more than I did. But I lost very little on it, so whatever.

[cool breeze]

Too many to list.  Brutal Legend is one, Ratchet and Clank Future 2 is another (I enjoyed it but there will probably be a new Ratchet game before I care to replay it), Punch Out Wii, Prototype, Scribblenauts, etc.  2009 was the year that I decided I should stop spending so much on games.

Honestly anyone who buys a bunch of games a year and doesn't use Gamefly or a similar service is a mystery to me. Outside of digital distribution stuff, I bought very little this year. It just doesn't make sense to waste $60 dollars on something I'm not sure about.

In general my way of thinking was "That was entertaining and I might want to play it in the future" but it's easier to just rent now, buy it for good when it's cheap in the future.  This is only with single player games, though.  Multiplayer games are different.

I need to get on Gamefly eventually.  My other problem is that a lot of these games I'd want to play on PC, and the closest thing to PC renting is piracy.

[duckman2000]

Yeah, I'd like to start buying PC games again now that I have one that can play games well enough, but those would have to be mighty special games to qualify for the lack of resale value that comes with the format. Then again, I think I appreciated individual titles more when I couldn't rent them and didn't know how to work the resale market, and instead had to pick and choose select titles to own.

Piracy is legal in the Netherlands.

Is it "legal" in the same way as it is "legal" in Sweden? That is to say, the law hasn't really caught up with the times? I don't know how prices are in the Netherlands, but there are some laws in place that makes the Swedish rental market a pain, and a new console game in Sweden costs nearly $100.

[Third]

Piracy is legal in the Netherlands.

As long as you don't sell the copies, it's fine. BREIN is getting fucking annoying, though.

[Himu]

Brutal Legend.

[duckman2000]

I will miss the current situation when I move. Right now, I have 5-6 other trusted dudes that tend to buy new games, so we just trade within the circle. Works better than a rental system. ODST was the anomaly, since the dude who first bought it was so mad at the game that he rage-sold it for like $40, I think.

[Joe Molotov]

I bought Raven Squad. Easily Worst Game of the Year 2009.

[cool breeze]

I will miss the current situation when I move. Right now, I have 5-6 other trusted dudes that tend to buy new games, so we just trade within the circle. Works better than a rental system. ODST was the anomaly, since the dude who first bought it was so mad at the game that he rage-sold it for like $40, I think.

I used to have that when younger.  Well, it was more that my friend tricked me into buying Devil May Cry 1 instead of Spy Hunter because he wanted to play DMC1 (good choice in the end) and I tricked him into buying an Xbox and Halo 1 at launch instead of a Gamecube because I bought a Gamecube myself and I still wanted to play Halo.

[Trent Dole]

X-Blades
Worst game ever.

[Bebpo]

Borderlands on PC.  It's just kind of boring in SP after a while and the online is non-existent.  Might have been worth it for $5-10 to play for a few hours and then drop, but for $25 it wasn't worth it.

Otherwise I've been pretty happy with everything I've bought on consoles this year.  yay

[Rman]

None.  I gamefly most of my games these days.

[cool breeze]

I was thinking about q1 next year when posting that (Bioshock 2, Mass Effect 2, Dark Void, Splinter Cell, Just Cause 2, etc.)

[Brehvolution]

Nothing. I let The Bore influence my buying decisions and it didn't fail me all year.

The Bore

[drew]

odst

[The Sceneman]

fucking Monkey Island remake xbla. Appaling pile of shit

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Yep, Monkey Island Remake, THQ Pack on Steam, Red Faction Guerilla PC, Borderlands PC, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Ass Creed 2, Brutal Legend, NBA Live 10, Modern Warfare 2, Katamari Forever, Guitar Hero 5

[Fragamemnon]

borderlands ( nice concept, but the execution is really weak ) and Serious Sam HD

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I don't regret Borderlands as much as DA:O, but it is definitely underwhelming compared to its sales/praise.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Oh yeah I regret DA also, but thats because I havent put any time into it.

[Fragamemnon]

I don't regret Borderlands as much as DA:O, but it is definitely underwhelming compared to its sales/praise.

I imagine the game would be pretty cool if , say, you were a bro sort of gamer and had never played Diablo 2.

[Cormacaroni]

Killzone 2 (think that was this year, in Japan at least). I gave it a honest try because I like me some splosions and killins but ugh. The control issues are just inexcusable in a sequel.

[cool breeze]

I don't regret Borderlands as much as DA:O, but it is definitely underwhelming compared to its sales/praise.

I imagine the game would be pretty cool if , say, you were a bro sort of gamer and had never played Diablo 2.

I think it's more people that played Diablo 2 years ago and have since moved to console gaming where they've been saturated with so many shooters that a shooter mixed with a loot game is a revelation.  And Borderlands is a successful hybrid in that it doesn't feel like you're daft with firearms until you've leveled up for a couple hours and gained the ability to shoot straight.  I still enjoyed the game for what it was.  Though, I might agree that it's a game that I wish I didn't buy.  It's one of those cases where I played it and thought it was functional, but couldn't stop thinking about how I wanted more from the concept, either from Gearbox or another dev that took what worked and expanded on it.

[Stoney Mason]

I think it's more people that played Diablo 2 years ago and have since moved to console gaming where they've been saturated with so many shooters that a shooter mixed with a loot game is a revelation.  And Borderlands is a successful hybrid in that it doesn't feel like you're daft with firearms until you've leveled up for a couple hours and gained the ability to shoot straight.  I still enjoyed the game for what it was.

I never understood the Diablo 2 comparisons to Borderlands other than as a pure reference point sort of thing for expanding the fps genre. If someone was expecting Diablo 2 when they bought Borderlands then that error is on them imo.

Now you can question how successfully Borderlands incorporated the RPG elements in some aspects but comparing it directly to Diablo 2 means a person fell for marketing talk.

[Van Cruncheon]

killzone 2

[Third]

Killzone 2? Definitely. I totally forgot about the game. €55 down the drain. Played it a few times, but just couldn't get into it.
The graphics are nice, but the game is a total bore.

[cool breeze]

I think it's more people that played Diablo 2 years ago and have since moved to console gaming where they've been saturated with so many shooters that a shooter mixed with a loot game is a revelation.  And Borderlands is a successful hybrid in that it doesn't feel like you're daft with firearms until you've leveled up for a couple hours and gained the ability to shoot straight.  I still enjoyed the game for what it was.

I never understood the Diablo 2 comparisons to Borderlands other than as a pure reference point sort of thing for expanding the fps genre. If someone was expecting Diablo 2 when they bought Borderlands then that error is on them imo.

Now you can question how successfully Borderlands incorporated the RPG elements in some aspects but comparing it directly to Diablo 2 means a person fell for marketing talk.

Diablo 2 is a really good loot game.  Borderlands is a capable loot game made enjoyable because it's a capable shooter too.  I don't think it's unfair to want a loot-shooter that doesn't sacrifice make major sacrifices on either end.  At least that's how I break it down. 

[Stoney Mason]

I never understood the Diablo 2 comparisons to Borderlands other than as a pure reference
Diablo 2 is a really good loot game.  Borderlands is a capable loot game made enjoyable because it's a capable shooter too.  I don't think it's unfair to want a loot-shooter that doesn't sacrifice make major sacrifices on either end.  At least that's how I break it down. 

It totally depends I suppose on what which angle you are coming from. As an expansion of the shooter genre rather than an expansion of the Diablo genre into a shooter. Either way I stand by the idea that if somebody was expecting Diablo 2 in Borderlands in a game that has no true body inventory or many of the aspects traditional in games like Titan Quest, Diablo, etc then they had the wrong idea. Ignoring marketing talk and simply looking at their track record of their games, it was always pretty clear to me that the loot stuff was a way of expanding a traditional genre (the fps) rather than a true loot game in the sense of Diablo. Borderlands is a fps first and foremost with Diablo elements or loot game elements. It's a shooter first and foremost though which I always pretty much expected. 

EDIT: The comparison I guess I would use is Brutal Legend. I knew what it was coming in with the RTS stuff but I let my own projections sort of blind me to what I knew the game experience was going to be.

[cool breeze]

I never understood the Diablo 2 comparisons to Borderlands other than as a pure reference
Diablo 2 is a really good loot game.  Borderlands is a capable loot game made enjoyable because it's a capable shooter too.  I don't think it's unfair to want a loot-shooter that doesn't sacrifice make major sacrifices on either end.  At least that's how I break it down. 

It totally depends I suppose on what which angle you are coming from. As an expansion of the shooter genre rather than an expansion of the Diablo genre into a shooter. Either way I stand by the idea that if somebody was expecting Diablo 2 in Borderlands in a game that has no true body inventory or many of the aspects traditional in games like Titan Quest, Diablo, etc. Ignoring marketing talk and simply looking at their track record of games, it was always pretty clear to me that the loot stuff was a way of expanding a traditional genre (the fps) rather than a true loot game in the sense of Diablo.

But like I said, I don't think Borderlands was a good shooter either.  The rpg/loot stuff made it it enjoyable, and the reverse is true too.  Also, I don't know what marketing you're talking about.  All I remember from the marketing was the claptrap stuff.

I'd say look at Mass Effect.  I can't say this for sure since I didn't play ME2 yet, but ME1 tried to be a shooter and RPG and I don't think it was good at either.  The sequel is trying to more of a shooter and it looks a lot more interesting because it's at least trying to be strong in one area rather than capable at two.  I still don't think it's wrong to want a good shooter mixed with a good loot game.  I don't care if the intention was to have a shooter with elements from another genre when the shooter elements aren't on par with what I've come to expect from a good shooter.

[Stoney Mason]

SCREW YOU! BORDERLANDS GOTY 2009!   

spoiler (click to show/hide)

just kidding. I have my own issues with Borderlands but I just disagree about the Diablo 2 comparison

[close]

[Eel O'Brian]

wii sports resort

it's a better "game" than wii sports, but i realized about 30 minutes after i bought it that it's only fun once for a single player, and no one comes over to my house to play wii games

[cool breeze]

SCREW YOU! BORDERLANDS GOTY 2009!   

spoiler (click to show/hide)

just kidding. I have my own issues with Borderlands but I just disagree about the Diablo 2 comparison

[close]

Fair enough.  And I think borderlands is a lot of fun too, maybe not as much as others, but that doesn't really matter.  The fact that I want to see more like it is a good thing, I think.

[Enl]

King of the Fighters XII- This was more like a giant cocktease. The fighting mechanics are great but means nothing when you have an awful online, distinguished mentally-challenged computer AI (probably the worse I've seen in a fighter), and a bare bones package. Traded it in after the loooong delayed patch that was "supposed" to fix the online.

TMNT:Reshelled- A lesson in how to strip a classic of all its personality.

A Boy and His Blob- A lesson in how to give a classic loads of personality but strip it of its challenge and original structure.

[muckhole]

For me, it was Demon Souls. Dunno if I got too sucked up in all the hype, but it never really grabbed me.

That said, I'll give it another proper go later in the new year, so the jury is still out.

[Eric P]

assassin's creed

the first one

bleh

[drew]

oh and peggle xbla

[Akala]

For me, it was Demon Souls. Dunno if I got too sucked up in all the hype, but it never really grabbed me.

That said, I'll give it another proper go later in the new year, so the jury is still out.

give it another shot!

[muckhole]

give it another shot!

Yeah, it's coming. I really just don't think I was in the right headspace for that game when I tried it. I need to wait until I can devote some time to really playing it.

[Agent Whiskers]

Demon's Souls definitely. I didn't have the patience to play it after beating Phalanx. And as soon as Uncharted 2 came out I never bothered with it again.

[pilonv1]

Madden 2010

[Stoney Mason]

Madden 2010

I stopped playing Madden once the 2K football series went down and because I was burned out on how little they innovated Madden by comparison but I heard this year was supposedly the best Madden in awhile. What was your issue with it out of curiosity?

[cool breeze]

I bought Madden 09 because the demo was fun enough.  Brought it home, went into a game and was totally confused.  It's like they make it for existing madden fans and don't bother with us that aren't already into it.  Last Madden I played before it was Madden 04 with the broken offense, last football game in general was the last NFL 2k that sold for $20, and the last football game I really got into was Blitz on the N64.  I enjoy football but the games on the market are too complicated.

[Stoney Mason]

I bought Madden 09 because the demo was fun enough.  Brought it home, went into a game and was totally confused.  It's like they make it for existing madden fans and don't bother with us that aren't already into it.  Last Madden I played before it was Madden 04 with the broken offense, last football game in general was the last NFL 2k that sold for $20, and the last football game I really got into was Blitz on the N64.  I enjoy football but the games on the market are too complicated.

The reality is with sports games, they are appealing to a dedicated group that buys their products every year. That is precisely who they are targeting the game towards. Same as with fighting games for example and some other genres (RTS games are another example which have evolved to be incomprehensible to normal people and I count myself among the normal people when it comes to that genre) The only difference is that the market that buys sports games is much more mainstream and larger than the group that buys fighting games for the most part.

The "extreme" sports games like the Street series and the arcade spin-offs of the other sports are the ones that are aimed at a casual crowd.

[pilonv1]

Madden 2010

I stopped playing Madden once the 2K football series went down and because I was burned out on how little they innovated Madden by comparison but I heard this year was supposedly the best Madden in awhile. What was your issue with it out of curiosity?

There were a laundry list of issues at launch, including things like terrible coverage in the flats (anyone in the flats would be open all the time), horrible pursuit coverage (took wrong angles), CPU never took a sack and would always throw away the ball, team facts would show the wrong team fact (eg playing as Bengals you'd get a Bears fact) franchise mode is a very dry affair.

Stadium sounds were listed as a feature, and didn't work out of the box. One of the developers mentioned this on the forum and said it was working in a build he played. 2 patches later and it hasn't been mentioned since.

Those two patches have improved the game but the majority of things they worked on for the patches were shit like putting memorial logos on helmets and not fixing the gameplay.

I think the biggest issue was the lead producer being on the Operation Sports forums constantly before launch promising the world, and then after launch was never seen again.

There's issues that still remain like man align not working - I used it in an online franchise game the other night and it took my nickel back AWAY from his man over the defensive line. Needless to say his man was wide open and they scored.

It's the best version of madden since 04/05. It plays well on the field but there's still plenty of work left to do.

[cool breeze]

what's wrong with 3D dot hero?

[twerd]

I bought Deadly Creatures.

For money.

[Jansen]

killzone 2

shitty controls ruined this game and no amount of fanboy spin can change the fact that guerilla fucked them up.

[bork]

killzone 2

shitty controls ruined this game and no amount of fanboy spin can change the fact that guerilla fucked them up.

Yes, this was another overhyped stinker.