25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming

[Ze_ro]

Gamespy is running an article on The 25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming. They're putting out a new section each day. Discussion?

 

I'm waiting for Custer's Revenge to take #1... boy was that a dumb idea. The 5200 controllers, and Atari's fiasco with "I, Robot" probably won't show up (Since their E.T. fiasco was worse, and that didn't make it very high), but I think they deserve a mention.

 

Daikatana should show up soon too, although it's up against some stiff "competition"...

 

--Zero

[Room 34]

Hmmm... Custer's Revenge is more "shameful" or "repulsive" than "dumb." But I guess it was pretty dumb, too.

[Miqorz]

I think shelveing the 7800 and the re-releaseing so late in the game was pretty f*in' stupid..

[PuddWakkr]

The release of the Nintendo "Power Glove" had better rank pretty high up there.

 

 

 

Or was this a third party device? I had one and thought it would be the coolest thing ever but it was just dumb.

[MegaManFan]

Atari passing on the Famicom better be in the top 5.

[Raijin Z]

The power glove rocked ass. I had one, but I forget how I came by it. It was impossible to play most games with, but there was one exception.

 

PREDATOR.

 

I found out that if you curled your fingers into a fist while swinging up to the left, you'd skip one of the "small mode" stages, but you had to play through the "big mode" stages on your own. It was the only way I could beat that repulsive pile of shit. It sounds like a lame hoax, but I swear on... well, being an atheist, I have to swear on... my internet reputation as a stand-up fellow.

[Xot]

Mybet is the Virtual Boy is number one.

[liveinabin]

I think Nintendos "No Mr Sony, we don't want your SNES CD add-on, bugger off!" fiasco will be somewhere near the top.

[Xot]

Somewhere in an old issue of Nintendo Power there's an article on why the Super FX was better than CD-ROM. I gotta dig THAT up!

[JagMX]

Sony releasing the Playstation 2

 

 

 

 

[sku_u]

I didn't get a chance to see the entire thing yet, but knowing gamespy, ET will probably roll in at #1.

[somePUNK]

wrong it's already up there

[bergbros]

No. ET clocked in at 21. I'm definitely in the crazy minority but I actually thought ET was not an absolutely horrible game and the fact that it was developed in five weeks was astounding. It had some good elements to it and it was challenging as you played it. The pits were really annoying/ It definitely has to be on the list just by the sheer number of carts produced more than actual number of consoles bought. The fact that Atari though that people would buy the 2600 just to get ET was the height of ludicrous.

My worthless two cents: I think the Battlecruiser debacle will be in the top 10.

[bergbros]

No. ET clocked in at 21. I'm definitely in the crazy minority but I actually thought ET was not an absolutely horrible game and the fact that it was developed in five weeks was astounding. It had some good elements to it and it was challenging as you played it. The pits were really annoying/ It definitely has to be on the list just by the sheer number of carts produced more than actual number of consoles bought. The fact that Atari though that people would buy the 2600 just to get ET was the height of ludicrous.

My worthless two cents: I think the Battlecruiser debacle will be in the top 10.

[chrisbid]

this is a fairly amusing list, as its not just based on bad games, but bad decsiions in general. I think that the Atari/Nintendo famicom decision may very well make this list, as may the Sony/Nintendo Playstaion fiasco. hopefully the game.com will pop up there too

[Ze_ro]

Sony releasing the Playstation 2

 

Yeah, was that ever a mistake... I mean, selling all those systems and making lots of money? Geez, what a bad move that was!

 

Virtual Boy should make it in, and the 32X really should too. Perhaps the Saturn surprise launch will show up.

 

Glad to see Sewer Shark and Night Trap get a mention. FMV gaming is just awful. I'm very glad that people generally don't make these kinds of games anymore.

 

--Zero

[moycon]

Yeah, was that ever a mistake... I mean, selling all those systems and making lots of money? Geez, what a bad move that was!

 

 

When ever I see slams against any console I immediately conjure up memories of Adrian M .... GAH!!!

 

I think ending production of the Dreamcast as soon as they did was a dumb move. Of course what do I know, maybe Sega was really losing their ass at the time and was forced into it.

 

U-Force for the NES was another dumb moment.

 

I kinda feel the MindLink for the Atari 2600 was a pretty dumb moment, to think they actually wasted money developing that thing.

[JagMX]

Sony releasing the Playstation 2

 

Yeah' date=' was that ever a mistake... I mean, selling all those systems and making lots of money? Geez, what a bad move that was!

 

--Zero[/quote']

 

 

 

Glad to see Sewer Shark and Night Trap get a mention. FMV gaming is just awful. I'm very glad that people generally don't make these kinds of games anymore.

 

i miss those games thats why im glad the saturn have some and the 3do have lots

[Ze_ro]

Well, looks like the article is all finished. I think they actually did quite a good job on it. They covered most of the major screw-ups, and I'm quite glad to see that they didn't bash the Jaguar too badly (I was certainly expecting it). Kudos to GameSpy.

 

I don't think they went through the whole 3Dfx problem in very much detail though... although the Dreamcast fiasco was pretty tough for them, they completely dropped the ball after owning the PC video card market for quite a while. If they had only relented on their "16 bit color is enough" policy, maybe they'd be around today.

 

I also would have liked to see them tear apart the 32X more than they did. This system was a really bad idea, and was a major factor in the death of Sega. I actually own the system, but I thoroughly believe that it deserves all the bad things said about it. In my opinion, this thing was an even worse idea than the Virtual Boy... 1) The VB didn't really compete directly with anything else Nintendo had, except maybe the GB. 2) Nintendo realized their mistake, and corrected it fairly quickly. Hell, there was even a page on Nintendo's web page that explained their own failure, although it's not there anymore for some reason. 3) There was no confusion as to what the VB was, whereas many people didn't know where the 32X ended and the Saturn began.

 

--Zero

[AtariDude]

Did anyone read the comments about the Atari Jaguar and the interview with one of the Tramiels (I think it was Samuel)? I wouldn't have called creating the Atari Jaguar one of the dumbest moments in gaming.

 

I would have it called it a tragedy because the system could have been so good but there were not a lot of good games out when it was released and that kept it from catching on with the buying public.

[Vic George 2K3]

Glad to see Sewer Shark and Night Trap get a mention. FMV gaming is just awful. I'm very glad that people generally don't make these kinds of games anymore.

 

They got a mention only because it was the idea of making VHS a standard for videogaming (in that case, the unreleased Hasbro/Isix Project N.E.M.O.) that was one of the 25 dumbest moments of videogaming. But the games themselves, in my opinion, weren't dumb ideas. I would rather see at least those two games -- and probably Ground Zero Texas and Double Switch -- redone using the DVD-ROM format (if possible).

[Ze_ro]

I wouldn't have called creating the Atari Jaguar one of the dumbest moments in gaming.

 

I don't think that was their point... I think the dumb moment was the actual interview with Sam Tramiel. I actually have that issue, and it's a bad interview... $500 for a PSX? Okay Sam, whatever...

 

The interview wouldn't have been as dumb if the Jaguar hadn't failed, but I don't think they were directly calling the Jaguar a bad idea... just the marketing I guess. In fact, some of their comments were that they actually wanted the Jaguar to do well.

 

--Zero

[Dauber]

The worst moment in gaming: Nintendo putting their games out LEFT-HANDED. Because Donkey Kong, Popeye, et al were left handed, the NES was left-handed. When the NES caught on, all the competing consoles were left-handed. You know how hard it is to find a right-handed or ambidextrous controller now? Heck, [as I posted in another thread] because of all this crap if I want to play Galaga at my laundromat, I have to hit the fire button with my right hand. grrrr....

[Room 34]

Ha! I just posted a message with an almost identical rant (even mentioning Galaga and Donkey Kong) in another thread!

[tom2600]

The 5200 controllers, and Atari's fiasco with "I, Robot" probably won't show up (Since their E.T. fiasco was worse, and that didn't make it very high), but I think they deserve a mention.

 

--Zero

 

Can you please explain the fiasco with "I, Robot"? I've never heard anything regarding this and would love to hear the story.