Gaming Biggest Disappointment-Hardware

[Morpheus]

I was really sad when Dreamcast died. I'd played with it more than playstation and was really looking forward to a lot. It just couldn't keep up in quantity. But it had quality.

[satan665]

Dreamcast should have kept going, it would have been very cool especially because of all the weird titles it had that sort of defy normal games (Shenmue, Seaman). The graphics were just as good as PS2. I think people expected it to fail so didn't buy it, thus causing it to fail.

My biggest disappointment though it the PS2 HDD. I buy the thing with Final Fantasy 11, then after a couple of months I realize I'm wasting my time with FF11 because its so dull to constantly level up. I figured that the HDD would at least be useful but the only thing it does is give you Halftime highlights in ESPN NFL 2K5 and basically serve as a big *** memory card backup.

[The Vampire: Ed]

[COLOR=Red][FONT=Comic Sans MS]There were a number of reasons why the Dreamcast failed. Firstly, it was just poorly timed. It's advertising hadn't been running all that long before Sony announced the PS2. So the PS2 always loomed over the Dreamcast, even before the Dreamcast was released. People were anticipating the PS2 more so right off the bat that hurt sales. Finally, when the Dreamcast was released in Japan there were reportedly hardware problems and the Dreamcast had to be recalled and fixed up by it's American release. This cost SEGA both time, and money. So by the time it was released the PS2 was set be released shortly afterwards. It was selling, but apparently the sales pretty much ceased completely after PS2 was released. Not to mention the hardware in the PS2 was much better, the only reason early Dreamcast titles looked better than early PS2 titles was because PS2 is a more difficult system to develop for. As the developers got use to the PS2 and began to gain experience with the system the games' graphics began to look much better. It's release was just bad timing, and it's hardware was practically obsolete because of the bigger and better consoles coming out. It was a good console, but it was just overshadowed by it's bigger and badder competition.

Anyway, the biggest disappointment ever has to be the Virtual Boy. My god was that thing terrible. The way it was set up just hurt you on some many levels. The way you had to sit with your neck bent and your eyes planted in the viewer just kill it right away. Man, after using that thing from about ten minutes I had a sore neck and I was nearly blind! That thing was an abomination in video game history.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Erika]

[size=1][color=royalblue]Yeah, I was upset that the Dreamcast "died". I liked how the RPGs on it at least made an attempt at being original to an extent. :3 And the console/games felt more..."imported" than the others, y'know? Like, well, "non-Americanized" or whatever.

My disappointment....hrm...GameGear, too. I mean, I figured they'd have big titles/favorable RPGs on it or something. All I have for it is Sonic II--I can never find anything else as worth as much as Sonic. :([/color][/size]

[James]

[color=#811C3A]The Dreamcast is just an awesome system. It's a great example of one company bucking industry trends -- rather than be a copycat, Sega pushed Dreamcast even further into left field, by creating games that were both highly innovative and highly fun.

Some of my fondest gaming memories ever are definitely with Dreamcast. Frankly, I think it's worth owning just for the likes of Jet Set Radio and Daytona USA.

So it's a huge shame that it died. Remember, though, it had a very successful launch in the United States. But it suffered at home, in Japan. In Europe and Australia, it had very little advertising support. Sega Ozisoft (the now-dead local Sega distributor) absolutely killed Dreamcast by coming in extremely late with online support (and then announcing that no [i]games[/i] would be playable online -- you'd only be able to use the Dreamcast browser). Sega Ozisoft also killed it by stocking an extremely low amount of VMUs (I had to wait about three months to get one after I bought the system, which in turn prevented me from purchasing quite a few games). And it keeps going from there -- total lack of marketing support, certain games being unreleased or coming out in very limited numbers, etc etc.

A brilliant system, handled terribly by Sega. The story wasn't as bad in America, but Sega of America had its problems too.

So I'd say that was my biggest disappointment.[/color]

[Chaos]

Oh, come on, Ed. Who doesn't like contorted spines and damaged retinas as a result from harsh, varying shades of red?

Surprisingly, I'm not going to say Dreamcast was my biggest disappointment. I saw failure on that already. SEGA was and somewhat still is in a bit of a slump, and they tried too hard to put out the Dreamcast early. They figured it'd be better to shove it on the market with little hype and six months before the first of the next-generation consoles. It just did not fit at the time it came out.

My biggest disappointment would have to be XBOX. The system is great, don't get me wrong, and the graphics are by far the best in the world outside of a major motion picture, but Microsoft just went so wrong with so many things. First of all, the size. That's just a giant "duh". A pile of bricks the size of an XBOX probably weighs less. Same thing with the controller, although the S-controller was a huge improvement.

XBOX Live makes me mad. Here Sony is, offering free first- and third-party online play, and XBOX makes you do a monthly or yearly subscription? Sure, there are some great titles, but most can and were ported to the PS2. And the DVD adapter is a poor idea, as well. I'd rather have a weak DVD player installed on my console rather than buy an activator that plugs in the damn controller port.

Another is the GameCube. Same with XBOX with the fact that there are some great titles on the GCN, but it lacks the variety that Sony and Microsoft offer. The average gamer these days is in his or her teens, and most teens don't want to play Pikmin all day. They want to blow **** up. Granted, there are some rather "explodey" games for GameCube, but with the HALO games, the GTA series, Metal Gear Solid...

Eh, I don't know. Maybe I just look things in too harsh of a light.

[Charles]

[quote name='Chaos']The average gamer these days is in his or her teens, and most teens don't want to play Pikmin all day. They want to blow **** up. Granted, there are some rather "explodey" games for GameCube, but with the HALO games, the GTA series, Metal Gear Solid...[/quote][center][img]http://img108.exs.cx/img108/2945/skeletorbitch4cm.jpg[/img] [/center]

[left]Pikmin 2 is easily better than either Halo or most games in general for that matter. Especially the ones where you're restricted to merely wreaking mindless havoc (State of Emergency immediately comes to mind). In fact, I'd say that it's a perfect counter to your argument that the GameCube offers limited variety. Although third party support for Nintendo's console is somewhat limited in terms of quantity compared to the other platforms, what's there is not only diverse, but actually worth playing. On my Playstation 2, I can easily sift through dozens of "me too" survival horror clones or second-rate Grand Theft Auto inspired action titles but on the GameCube I can have Pikmin, Wind Waker, Paper Mario 2 or Super Monkey Ball occupy the same shelf as Resident Evil 4 or Metroid Prime. There's not a lot to complain about in terms of unique software. Try again.[/left]

[left]Also, your criticism of Xbox Live can easily be countered considering that it's offered on a stable, singular network unlike Sony's. Based on that, fifty dollars a year isn't bad at all. Furthermore, the start-up kit itself comes with a free one year subscription. I can go on. Many games, such as Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow offer free subscriptions as well. I can't see myself ever paying for the service. [/left]

[left]Oh well. The Sega Saturn is my choice. If only because it began the downward spiral for Sega and unfortunately had a hand in the failure of the Dreamcast. Sega's terrible business strategy in which they played off of Sony's moves instead of dictating the market themselves based on the estabilished niche they had carved for themselves in the industry was disappointing. [/left]

[Semjaza]

[quote name='Charles][left']There's not a lot to complain about in terms of unique software. Try again.[/left][/quote]

I agree with Charles. I feel as though people who find nothing to play on GameCube simply aren't looking hard enough. It doesn't have the sheer number of games PS2 does and admittedly, there are a [b]lot[/b] of bad GCN titles like on the other two, but there are still more interesting, quality games on the system than any normal person could possibly buy within its timespan.

To consider the GameCube a failure despite its decent commercial success (it certainly isn't doing as poorly as many want people to think), its library, the fact that it's obviously still supported and the obvious examples of systems that died or committed commercial suicide is bizarre to me. Not seeing countless "me too" games such as Manhunt, Painkiller or The Getaway honestly doesn't seem like a flaw in my opinion, despite how "grown up" they supposedly are. I'm happy when I get a good game and there are enough of them on each platform. Being able to choose from a sea of titles doesn't make that process any more simple.

Dreamcast was largely just a disappointment because of Sega's handling of it. A lot of the touted ideas never really saw completion or were not done well. Internet capabilities in particular. The thing certainly has a lot of great games on it, so I can't be disappointed with it in that department. Then you have Sega's abandonment of the system, which sucked in and of itself.

I was also disappointed when SNK abandoned the NEOGEO Pocket Color. It really was the only decent competition Nintendo had since the Game Boy's inception.

[Morpheus]

[QUOTE=Chaos]My biggest disappointment would have to be XBOX. The system is great, don't get me wrong, and the graphics are by far the best in the world outside of a major motion picture, but Microsoft just went so wrong with so many things. First of all, the size. That's just a giant "duh". A pile of bricks the size of an XBOX probably weighs less. Same thing with the controller, although the S-controller was a huge improvement.

XBOX Live makes me mad. Here Sony is, offering free first- and third-party online play, and XBOX makes you do a monthly or yearly subscription? Sure, there are some great titles, but most can and were ported to the PS2. And the DVD adapter is a poor idea, as well. I'd rather have a weak DVD player installed on my console rather than buy an activator that plugs in the damn controller port.[/QUOTE]
I knew XBOX was going to be bad from the start. First off, Hardware made by a software company. Yuck. Secondly, the games all seem to be crap. I'd get a few(Crimson Skies, Halo, etc.) but most just try to copy other games on the same system. PS2 also has this problem, but the number of good games overshadows the clones.
Gamecube is the system that I wanted the most, and is still my favorite. Nintendo just seems to be unlike all the others. They offer different experiences from others. Anyone that calls them "kiddy" or "lame" is just trying to be cool. I thought we had grown out of that by now.

[satan665]

I have a gamecube, and love it but I do still think that the game library is garbage. They have a decent variety, but the best games are still very few and far between. If you go into a videogame store and look at the Gamecube titles, then go back three months later its like looking at the same shelf. Zelda, Metroid, Mario and Resident Evil Keep it afloat, but in between the really big games there is very little. The Nintendo Power magazine reviews the same games month to month, while PSM has to cram in reviews because so much comes out. You can easily only have PS2 and have more than enough games to keep you happy and spending money. Gamecube doesn't stand up well on its own, so its a good thing that its dirt cheap.

No way is it a disappointment, but it would be an awesome system if they had some more games on it instead of just a marginal one.

I really don't know anything about XBOX though, there's only so many systems you can have and PS2 + Gamecube pretty much covers any game you caould ever want.

[Charles]

[quote name='Morpheus']I knew XBOX was going to be bad from the start. First off, Hardware made by a software company. Yuck. Secondly, the games all seem to be crap. I'd get a few(Crimson Skies, Halo, etc.) but most just try to copy other games on the same system. PS2 also has this problem, but the number of good games overshadows the clones.[/quote]You're making the same error Chaos did, only it relates to a different platform. Each console has great unique software to offer. Chronicles of Riddick, The Knights Of the Old Republic series, Jade Empire, Ninja Gaiden, Rallisport, Project Gotham Racing, Fable, Otogi, etc. If you reply to this, you'll probably say that you have in fact played some of these titles (obviously Jade Empire won't be one since it's yet to be released) but I think it's safe to say that you've probably not fully experienced most of the great software the system has to offer. Played to their fullest, they offer a valuable experience in their own right. Just because I prefer a lot of the GameCube exclusives doesn't mean I'm disappointed with the Xbox by any means.

There's nothing wrong with most members here being young and unable to afford all three consoles but it's simply ridiculous to list any of the three current home consoles on the market within this thread.

[James]

[QUOTE=Charles]You're making the same error Chaos did, only it relates to a different platform. Each console has great unique software to offer. Chronicles of Riddick, The Knights Of the Old Republic series, Jade Empire, Ninja Gaiden, Rallisport, Project Gotham Racing, Fable, Otogi, etc. If you reply to this, you'll probably say that you have in fact played some of these titles (obviously Jade Empire won't be one since it's yet to be released) but I think it's safe to say that you've probably not fully experienced most of the great software the system has to offer. Played to their fullest, they offer a valuable experience in their own right. Just because I prefer a lot of the GameCube exclusives doesn't mean I'm disappointed with the Xbox by any means.

There's nothing wrong with most members here being young and unable to afford all three consoles but it's simply ridiculous to list any of the three current home consoles on the market within this thread.[/QUOTE]

[color=#811C3A]Absolutely. I really have to agree with that statement -- I think you've hit the nail on the head.

Considering that we generally discuss games for a wide variety of systems here at OtakuBoards, it seems kind of strange to see such dismissals. I mean, I don't even own an Xbox and I can tell you that I've played quite a few great games for that system.

Were it not for the fact that I can't afford all the games I want for GameCube and PS2, I'd have bought an Xbox long ago. Xbox has plenty of current and future titles that I'm really looking forward to owning eventually.

So, maybe in terms of disappointments, we are all disappointed with one system or another for whatever reason. But generally I don't know if I can accept it when someone outright says that one system doesn't include [i]any[/i] games that they'd want to play. Each system has its own share of everything from lighthearted fun to hardcore violence, lol. You just have to be willing to actually look closely at their libraries to find great examples from a variety of genres.[/color]

[Morpheus]

I was just saying that I knew xbox would dissapoint me so I didn't buy it. When I buy an xbox, and I will, I will get a number of games. Ninja Gaiden and crimson skies come to mind. Why do you have to revoke Chaos's opinion? It's not like you're going to make him any less dissapointed. This thread is for saying what dissapointed you. Not fighting over how something could. Everyone just says how they feel.

[Chaos]

Charles, look back on what you called unique. You rattled off platformers that changed so-and-so with the features and the method of getting the _____ item/goal. That, and revamped survival-horror and action games. You mentioning Paper Mario alone would be sufficient to at least agree with my problem with the GameCube. Twin Snakes. Resident Evil [you can have just about any game from the originals since Capcom had the wonderful idea to port]. Zelda. Even the famed Ninja Gaiden.

That is not to say that the other systems don't have remakes and whatnot, but it's just that that's all I basically see on GameCube. Maybe I don't look hard enough, but that's what sticks out to me. The problem is not the available variety of CONTENT on the GameCube that I don't like, but the fact that something unique rarely comes along.

Sequels are impossible to avoid, I know that much. But when an older game gets remade and then put on a new generation system, it just makes me mad. The Mario games have changed very little over the course of the billions of years they've been around, with the odd exception of this feature or that.

I don't doubt that there are a lot of games for the GameCube, I can walk into BestBuy and find just as many games nearly as the XBOX. My problem is that there are few unique ones, or at least not enough sequels that change enough to distinguish them. Take, let's say, the Prince of Persia series. What started off as a revolutionary PC clunker turned into a 128-bit masterpiece with Sands Of Time. It kept the same name, but the creator himself turned it about drastically. Then came Warrior Within, that made even more changes.

Twin Snakes, going from the original Metal Gear, if you wish, did the same thing, but it was already seen in Sons of Liberty, and Twin Snakes kept far too much from the original Metal Gear Solid. Hell, they didn't even change the old Codec transmissions.

The one real exception I can markedly think twice on would be Resident Evil 4. It features the same setting, "universe" if you will, but changes it radically. The controls are fresh, updated, much better than that old "stand-and-rotate" system Capcom seemed to have a love for.

Make no mistake, I'll admit there are quality titles on the GameCube, but [b]I[/b] don't like them. Isn't that what this is about? What makes the system a big disappointment? Where do you get off telling me what I should or should not think? ;P

Eh. It's a love-hate thing. The GameCube has really put forth some great titles and changes for the gaming industry, but I just find most of its games to be... Too dull wouldn't be the right phrase, since almost all of the GCN games offer at least some form of acid-trip excitement. I would suppose they are too "unique", to use your term.

[Morpheus]

Halo 2 has sold 6.25 million copies to date. It changed absolutely nothing. It was online, but people preodered before that was announced. Since when do sequels have to change things so drastically? Sequels are about more of the same, plus minor improvements. I don't want to see an Ape Escape Flight Simulator, and neither does anyone else.

If you take alll of gamecubes remakes, the grand total comes to...5. Yeah, I'd say you aren't looking at all. MGS: TS was a remake. Since when do remakes stray far from the original?

Prince of persia was hardly a change. There was a PoP in 3d in '99. Not as good as sands of time, but PoP 3D was the one that took it to 128-bit.

Mario letting you choose your stage was a change. Saving was a change. Going into 3d was a big change. Simultaneous multiplayer was a change. It seems to have changed quite a bit.

[Sol-Blade]

[SIZE=-3]I was sorely disappointed in the HDD for the PS2 this year. So underused and underutilized by many games. There just wasn't enough incentive at...all...to buy it. I already had FFIX on my PC, so that wasn't necessarly a big bargaining chip.[/SIZE]

[Morpheus]

Once I can find one for under $50 I'll buy one to never need Memory cards again.