What was the most disappointing game you ever bought


Sorry, I know this is an old thread, but I'm going to have to move it to the 'Other Consoles' forum section. Please pm me if you disagree with the move. Cheers and peace.
 
SONY said:
Sorry, I know this is an old thread, but I'm going to have to move it to the 'Other Consoles' forum section. Please pm me if you disagree with the move. Cheers and peace.
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Old or not, I'm adding my 2p.


It was a couple of months before Christmas. I was about 11 years old. Whilst on a trip to town we in a Boots store. They used to sell computer games, Spectrum, Amstrad etc. A friend of mine had recently amazed me with Way of the Exploding Fist but I happened upon International Karate. Turning over the double tape box revealed the most amazing graphics I had ever seen on the spectrum and the front cover informed me that the game contained "digitized speech". Well, the digitised speech was the clincher for me, the amazing graphics was just a bonus. Anyway, I begged my dad to buy it for me, begged and begged but he would not give in. Well, I gave up after a while and forgot about it.


Christmas morning eventually arrived and in my stocking was my christmas issue of Crash (cheap parents? Maybe, but it was ace getting that issue and reading cover to cover before going downstairs for my 'main' presents!). Anyway, I came across a DAMNING review of Internation Karate, I think they gave it 30% overall. Boy, was I glad my Dad didn't give in that day in Boots! I think you can guess what is coming...yep, downstairs lovingly wrapped up was a copy of International Karate for the Spectrum. My Dad had bought it for me, in secret, there and then in Boots. I could've cried. Well, I had to feign happiness as it was a really nice gesture. Well, I loaded it up and it was indeed awful. I hated it and to make matters worse it would only allow the Kempston joystick interface (we had InterfaceII) so I had to use the rubber keys.


Very Very depressing Christmas. I was only 11 - that's not right!
 
I once begged for Navy Moves on the Spectrum in WH Smith's. We actually came away with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the action game, which I've already expressed was utter wee, but we did eventually get Navy Moves. Me and my brother wanted it really badly because we'd played a cover tape demo version of it and you ran around with a gun and shot people, awesome graphics and it was really fun. When we loaded it up we were mortified; the first level was actually some god awful rubber dingy chase where you had to jump over mines (pretty confident that rubber dingys don't set off giant spiked mines... ), and it was crushingly hard so we could never get through it to the decent action that we craved. It was never played more than twice.
 
Sugar_Kane said:
I once begged for Navy Moves on the Spectrum in WH Smith's. We actually came away with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the action game, which I've already expressed was utter wee, but we did eventually get Navy Moves. Me and my brother wanted it really badly because we'd played a cover tape demo version of it and you ran around with a gun and shot people, awesome graphics and it was really fun. When we loaded it up we were mortified; the first level was actually some god awful rubber dingy chase where you had to jump over mines (pretty confident that rubber dingys don't set off giant spiked mines... ), and it was crushingly hard so we could never get through it to the decent action that we craved. It was never played more than twice.
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There was so many stinkers for the Spectrum wasn't there? It seemed every game I chose was utter rubbish. Another one was The Young Ones. I being only about 11 had seen the YS cover and preview and just thought it had to be great, so I pre-ordered it from those mail order listing you would see in old magazines. Well, I waited what seemed like a year for the game to arrive. It did eventually, and came in a lovely cardboard box with fake tea-stains and other marks all over it. I was very excited whilst it was loading up...however, it was a massive turd and YS themselves gave it about 10% when they actually reviewed it. Another depressing day.


I wonder why I never waited for the Crash review before I purchased...I consistantly made that mistake.
 
Ah I remember when you had to mail order your games, my older brother used to get Amiga games that way. In a way it was that much more exciting having to wait so long for it to come.


That just brought back some awesome memories; coming home from school and seeing this new machine that he'd bought. It was set up on the living room floor and he was playing karate kid 3, the top of my head nearly shot off. Uninvited, Defender of the crown, Deluxe paint, Backlash, I must have been foaming at the mouth.


I made it my mission to track down many obscure games from my past with nothing but a vague memory of them, but one has managed to escape me; It was an isometric platformer just like head over heels or sweevos world, but you were Thor and I think you had to find your hammer? It might have been made by Codemasters, I've never been able to track it down, do you have any idea what it was?
 
Sugar_Kane said:
Ah I remember when you had to mail order your games, my older brother used to get Amiga games that way. In a way it was that much more exciting having to wait so long for it to come.


That just brought back some awesome memories; coming home from school and seeing this new machine that he'd bought. It was set up on the living room floor and he was playing karate kid 3, the top of my head nearly shot off. Uninvited, Defender of the crown, Deluxe paint, Backlash, I must have been foaming at the mouth.


I made it my mission to track down many obscure games from my past with nothing but a vague memory of them, but one has managed to escape me; It was an isometric platformer just like head over heels or sweevos world, but you were Thor and I think you had to find your hammer? It might have been made by Codemasters, I've never been able to track it down, do you have any idea what it was?
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Yes, it was (and is still I find!) fun to recieve games (or anything!) in the post. I used to spend ages looking through the tiny print in those listing, would I spot something of interest (from the title alone!). I ordered Goonies this way but they ended up sending me Zorro by mistake I think and I was bitterly dissapointed.


Was it Karate Kid II (I don't recall they're being KK3). Yes, that was an incredible game at the time - everything IK shoudl've been! Yes, the Amiga was a truly out of this world machine, so much potential with the graphics and the sound. Shame they lost out to PCs and consoles really.


I can't for the life of me think of the Isometric game you speak of, what platform was it? I mean, the original iso-game was Knightlore, was it that? That game caused a slew of 3D games though, with HoH being the best of them all IMO...never completed that game, will do one day - perhaps when I get my Pandora?
 
I saved for AGES to buy H.U.R.G. (High-level User-friendly Real-time Games designer) for the Spectrum. 15 QUID! That was 2-3 times the price of other games. It was delayed for months and I spent the time designing all the games I was going to write on it. Finally arrived, loaded up the example game which was an unplayable space invaders. Think I played with it for a couple of days then never touched it again. What a piece of crap.


HUGE box mind you.
 
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Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter. Having played 3 and 4 and loved them I was all hyped up about the 5th. Until I started to play it. Complete and utter junk.
 
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You're right, it was Karate Kid 2. I don't know why I thought it was 3! Catching the fly in the chop sticks and that drum minigame was awesome. I remember being shown IK+ some time later, touted as the greatest game ever, and I thought to myself 'it's no karate kid... '.


This game was on the Spectrum. It wasn't made by Ultimate, All I can remember was that it was exactly like all of those isometric games, but you were Thor and you had to collect various items of the gods.
 
Tam Toucan said:
I saved for AGES to buy H.U.R.G. (High-level User-friendly Real-time Games designer) for the Spectrum. 15 QUID! That was 2-3 times the price of other games. It was delayed for months and I spent the time designing all the games I was going to write on it. Finally arrived, loaded up the example game which was an unplayable space invaders. Think I played with it for a couple of days then never touched it again. What a piece of crap.


HUGE box mind you.
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I had a games designer called GD (Games Designer) for the speccy. It could only make side scrolling shoot-em-ups! It was still fun designing the sprites though.


The best 'games designer' I had though was Jet Set Willy Editor. It was ace, you could alter all the sprites, blocks and screens, the only lacking feature was repositioning of the monsters. I wish I knew where it came from, the copy we had actually contained a bug that we fixed (it was all written in BASIC) and re-saved to tape. It was truly magical - who made it? Obviously we had a copy and the fact it contained a bug must've meant somebody either typed it in from a magazine or wrote it themselves...weird...and magical at the same time!

Sugar_Kane said:
You're right, it was Karate Kid 2. I don't know why I thought it was 3! Catching the fly in the chop sticks and that drum minigame was awesome. I remember being shown IK+ some time later, touted as the greatest game ever, and I thought to myself 'it's no karate kid... '.


This game was on the Spectrum. It wasn't made by Ultimate, All I can remember was that it was exactly like all of those isometric games, but you were Thor and you had to collect various items of the gods.
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That's got me - but I'm not giving up! Initially I thought, Gift From The Gods but that was most definatly 2D...
 
miner49er said:
I can't for the life of me think of the Isometric game you speak of, what platform was it? I mean, the original iso-game was Knightlore, was it that? That game caused a slew of 3D games though, with HoH being the best of them all IMO...never completed that game, will do one day - perhaps when I get my Pandora?
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The first isometric game was not Knight Lore! It was Ant Attack ;-)


D.
 
 
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ZXDunny said:
miner49er said:
I can't for the life of me think of the Isometric game you speak of, what platform was it? I mean, the original iso-game was Knightlore, was it that? That game caused a slew of 3D games though, with HoH being the best of them all IMO...never completed that game, will do one day - perhaps when I get my Pandora?
Click to expand...

The first isometric game was not Knight Lore! It was Ant Attack ;-)


D.
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Yeah yeah, I didn't say the first, I said the 'original' - it was Knightlore that sparked the imagination of everyone at the time. It was revolutionary, surely you agree?
 
Sugar_Kane said:
I bloody found it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq7GGJbh5YM


Have at you, memories, I am your master.


As for the Jet Set Willy editor, I've found 4:


http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^Jet+Set+Willy+Editor$&pub=^Spectrum+Computing$


http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^Jet+Set+Willy+Editor+Mk2$&pub=^Softricks$


http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^Jet+Set+Willy+Editor$&pub=^Your+Sinclair$


http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek.cgi?regexp=^JetSet+Willy+Editor$&pub=^Spectrum+Electronics$
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Now, that game must've been after my [speccy] time as it rings no bells at all! I might have to check it out though!


As for the JSW Editors - cool! It must be the first one on the list that I remember, judging from the screenshots! Awesome, will have to check it out!


But it's taken all the mystery out of it now :-( I remember me and a mate, making JSW3 using it and then trying to fool another friend with it. Fun times :)
 
miner49er said:
ZXDunny said:
miner49er said:
I can't for the life of me think of the Isometric game you speak of, what platform was it? I mean, the original iso-game was Knightlore, was it that? That game caused a slew of 3D games though, with HoH being the best of them all IMO...never completed that game, will do one day - perhaps when I get my Pandora?
Click to expand...

The first isometric game was not Knight Lore! It was Ant Attack ;-)


D.
Click to expand...

Yeah yeah, I didn't say the first, I said the 'original' - it was Knightlore that sparked the imagination of everyone at the time. It was revolutionary, surely you agree?
Click to expand...

Yes, I suppose I have to agree that it was "revolutionary" in that it sealed the fate of Ultimate into just more and more tedious remakes of the engine, and the death of games like Atic Atac, Sabre Wulf and Underwurlde. I was not impressed with Knight Lore, though I know a lot of people found the shiny graphics the main selling point - but hasn't that always been the way? The game itself was dire, with awful controls.


Ultimate became Rare! at that point in all but name when they abandoned gameplay for shiny graphics - something they've stuck to ever since :(


D.
 
I agree, I hated diddy kong racing and banjo kazooy - ptooy
 
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