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The 10 Most Disappointing Games of 2008

December 14, 2008 in Top List comments 44

Rarely does a list come out that I agree with 100%. And this list is no exception, but it is pretty damn close to being one that I can back up fully. If they would have included Grand Theft Auto IV, it would have been complete. (Quote has full list, "Go to source" to see their full explanations why)

You've read about some of our favorite games of the year. Now it's time for the disappointments.

The games below, chosen by the usual panel of Wired.com contributors, is in no way supposed to be a list of the worst games of 2008. Those are all for the Wii, cost $10, are about dogs and/or babies, and we wouldn't be caught dead playing them. No, these are the games that let us down the most this year. Most of them are actually good games. But they failed to live up to the hype, or didn't deliver on their promises. Perhaps we were just left wanting more. Either way, here are our Most Disappointing Games of the year.

10. Age of Conan
9. Tom Clancy's EndWar
8. Too Human
7. STALKER: Clear Sky
6. Mirror's Edge
5. Dead Space
4. Prince of Persia
3. Mario Kart Wii
2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
1. Spore
PacoDG via blog.wired.com »
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  • 0
    JacqueseVonRIP Dec 14, 08
    I always knew Mirror's Edge was over hyped. I could never understand what the big deal about it was.
    As for Pop, I didn't buy it but am disappointed it's on such a list. Then again what can you expect from something thats only supposed to have about 16hrs gameplay.
    That game Spore has been talked about for years so a lot of people must be really annoyed. Hopefully the x-pack can save it.

    I dont really know too much about the other games, but Im surprised LBP isn't on this considering it was delayed and the online community is really poor. Im sure there are good levels out there but they're hard to find with all the crap people upload.
    • 1
      Cruxis Mana Dec 14, 08
      LittleBigPlanet is hardly one of the most disappointing games of the year...
    • 2
      Dark Arcanine Dec 15, 08
      Like Cruxis said, LittleBigPlanet is really popular. I think you're a minority on that one mate.
  • 0
    Existence Dec 14, 08
    BS!

    Mirrors Edge, disappointing, I can expect. TFU, half the public didn't like it, the other half had their dreams about actually using the Force in a game come to life in it. Dead Space? One of the most acclaimed titles of the year. Prince of Persia? Has he even played the game?
    • 0
      Gamesta100 Dec 15, 08
      Personally I would agree with DS.That game pissed me off way to much and the game was about as scary as waking up to find Jessica Alba naked in bed next to you.

      But I seem to be the only person besides the originator that thinks DS was disappointing.
  • 2
    Absolute Dec 14, 08
    I can understand almost all of the games on there (even though Too Human was a great game to me). But a big fat WTF goes to Dead Space being on there, "doesn't automatically make a game scary?" Give me a break, it's an excellent game and in my opinion is the sleeper hit on the year.
  • 1
    Goldva_X Dec 14, 08
    If he thinks that the boss battles in Dead Space were inane he is a *bleep*ing moron.
  • 0
    Cruxis Mana Dec 14, 08
    I agree with the list except for;
    quote
    6. Mirror's Edge
    5. Dead Space
    4. Prince of Persia
    It's all just opinion though, so whatever.
  • 0
    Dramon Knight Dec 14, 08
    I personally think Spore was a total letdown, I was expecting something pretty good but ended up with another piece of shit to be taken back to the store at some point.
  • 0
    Apathy Dec 14, 08
    i agree with Cruxis Mana and really as he even played prince of persia
  • 0
    dwg14390 Dec 14, 08
    This list is either a joke or so much fail it came out of a dogs ass.

    Heres why:
    I've heard nothing BUT good news about EndWar. Havn't played it so I won't go to into details, but just saying that this is the first I've heard of Endwar being bad.

    Mirrors Edge is awesome. Period. Nuthing else left to talk about. Done. Kaputz.
    Just because it had a few flaws and poor combat (which I think should'nt have even been there in a game like this in the first place) doesn't make it a dissapointment.
    It's one of the funnest titles of the year.

    Prince of Persia: Havn't played it (yet) but from what I've seen it stays true to the series even if its completely different and looks even more fun than before.

    Spore: it had alot of bad press going for it,with its DRM and every EA fiasco, but most of that bad press was usually more about EA than the game itself. The game is unbelievable fun, and the freedom it gives you to make anything you found cool in star trek to something completely your own is hardly dissapointing.
    Once again not the best game around but still a pretty fun game thats really good.

    Dead SPace.........I think the above posts can cover me on this game. Its a great title and honestly why bother??

    I'm not even gonna get into the rest of this list because I'm just wasting my valuable time.

    If this is what you consider bad I wonder what you consider good.

    Halo,Brawl?? just because of they hype or are you just closeminded?

    Once again this list= monkey poo.
    • 1
      ali3n Dec 14, 08
      The games they listed are the ones that they feel let them down the most and not the ones which are simply horrible, you do realise that don't you?
  • 0
    Lost Rider Dec 14, 08
    I haven't played half of them games so...yeah
  • 0
    Kanon_fan Dec 14, 08
    You know I really expected Brawl to be up here.
  • 0
    McClubbin Dec 14, 08
    I'd put Red Alert 3 there. Most people probably don't know why it should be up there, but being an RA fanboy, it was extremely disappointing what EA did with the franchise.
  • 1
    Killosity Dec 14, 08
    It is their opinion and they are entitled to it. Stop saying the list is bullshit or pathetic. You merely disagree with it. Its just as valid as your opinion..
  • 0
    Fenrir Dec 14, 08
    -Mirror's Edge:Damn it,you consider Mirror's Edge as the 6°th most disappointing game of 2008? This game was excellent in all angles:graphics,gameplay,ways of playing (you could use parkour to evade enemies and complete the game without firing a single shot or going in a parkour gunblaze like in every other game).Electronic Arts crated the "First Person Runner" genre thanks to Mirror's Edge,so shut your trap on this one.

    -Prince Of Persia:Get lost! Prince of Persia's first incursion in PlayStation 3 hardly was disappointing.Have you played it?

    -Dead Space:No,not again.Another of the best games in the year called disappointing? Stop already.This game is overall excellent.

    -Star Wars:The Force Unleashed:No,NOT...AGAIN! The game was a great game as for graphics and gameplay...storyline too!

    Play those games and you'll reverse your opinion about them.
    • 1
      Lord_80 Dec 15, 08
      Please, would you idiots read the article before wasting space with a stupid post? They are not saying the games are bad. They are saying that based on the hype around them before and up to the release date they didn't live up to their promise or potential. *bleep* you are an idiot.
  • 1
    Gamer420 Dec 14, 08
    What the hell DEAD SPACE OWNS
  • 0
    ali3n Dec 14, 08
    Know what? You all suck, my opinion is clearly better than yours. For crying out loud people, they aren't even trying to be objective in this list. THEY ARE ALLOWED TO FEEL LET DOWN or DISAPPOINTED, THAT DOES NOT MAKE THE GAME BAD, THEY ARE NOT SAYING THAT THE GAME IS BAD (though a couple of times it could come across like they are). THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
  • 0
    Wolverine527 Dec 15, 08
    How is mario kart wii disappointing?It's a great game.I agree about TFU,it was good,but it could have been WAY better.
  • 1
    The Omega Dec 15, 08
    I'm surprised Mario Kart Wii would be on there, despite not yet having the chance to play it myself. I know it wasn't a great game, but the online play makes it seem like it would be fun and not disappointing.

    I completely agree with Spore topping the list. I personally found it to be the most disappointing gaming purchase I've ever made. The game itself is mediocre, tailoring to creators instead of those like me who prefer gameplay. The first four stages are incredibly brief and lack depth, and the space stage is irritating with constantly being attacked if you are hated by a couple races. That game could have been so much more, and instead it isn't much more than a create-a-[insert alien/vehicle/boat/plane/spaceship/building] and very few practical uses to put these creations in.
    • 0
      Red 9 Dec 15, 08
      I was so excited for Spore at one point. Then it slowly fell of my radar as the title fell silent before release, before it finally dropped from my interest entirely when I saw reviews.
  • 0
    StarJet Dec 15, 08
    EndWar? They probably played the PSP version and thought everything was like that version. Now THAT was disappointing.
  • 0
    Linkerd101 Dec 15, 08
    Mario Kart Wii is a great game to play multiplayer, even on Wi-Fi.
    this list is mo0t. half those games are great.
  • 0
    Final Blade Dec 15, 08
    I personally have to disagree with TFU, I love that game. Sure you can say the story was short, but I thought everything was awesome. It's like Heavenly Sword in that aspect.
  • 0
    Subzer0 Dec 15, 08
    Gears of War 2 should have been in PoP's place. GTA IV also needed a mention. But yeah... w/e.
  • 0
    DragoniteBallZ Dec 15, 08
    Mirrors Edge? I was expecting that game to be crap and it turned out awesome. Same with Dead Space. What a crappy list.
  • 0
    Murray3* Dec 15, 08
    Mario Kart DS>Mario Kart Wii>Mario Kart 64>Super Mario Kart>Mario Kart Super Circuit...

    How is Mario Kart Wii a failure? Sure the trick system is horrible and unimaginative and there are some undeserving characters *Cough*BabyDaisy*cough* but it was brilliant, BTW the Wii-wheel works perfectly!

    Spore was definitely a huge let down, the customisation was like something from a lisensed EA-game, which it pretty much was, and the first two phases are the only ones that are in any way decent and there's hardly anything to do in them!
  • 0
    tekmosis Dec 15, 08
    The only ones that I disagree with are Dead Space and Spore. The people who reviewed Spore that call it disappointing didn't even play through the entire game, they were missing out on a huge chunk of the game so their opinions don't count. I just wonder if this is the same for Wired.
  • 1
    Galacticdramon Dec 15, 08
    They didn't mention Brawl?
    • 0
      Linkerd101 Dec 16, 08
      you.....have...serious...problems...
  • 2
    Galacticdramon Dec 16, 08
    I don't. There were many things wrong with Brawl which weren't a problem in Melee. All that hype and all the delays and that's what we got. I'm not saying it's a rubbish game, it just could have better.
    • 0
      Linkerd101 Dec 18, 08
      So..........Delays make the GAME worse, you have problems. Just because It was one of the top 3 most anticipated games of 2008, its still a great game. People just dont like it because of a slight speed reduction. It deserves to be on that tpo 3, so long of a wait, do indesplicably worth it.
      • 0
        Final Blade Dec 18, 08
        Believe it or not Linkerd, not all delay's make a game good. IIRC FF12 was delayed several times and that game turned out to be a bummer in many RPG fans. But not all delay's make a game bad. It depends on how the final version plays for each individual.

        Oh your opinion about GTA gameplay being horrible is not something that most people would not agree with. The gameplay for what it did and trying to due was amazing. And set the bar for Next gen GTA games, like GTA3 did for PS2. The only thing I can about GTA4 was the lack of rewards that GTA3 had. Other then that GTA4 was brilliant.
  • 0
    EOM Bassist Dec 16, 08
    The Force Unleashed was one of the biggest letdown games of the year, and would have been my number 1. I don't think spore deserved top spot, because no matter how poor a game it was, it WAS revolutionary in character creation, and bear in mind that they released it in a rush.
  • 0
    FinalFantasyFanaticc Dec 16, 08
    k so, GTA IV ain't mentioned and neither is Smash Bros Brawl.

    What the hell is going on with the people that made this list?

    ; ;

    Fail.
    • 1
      Jeterocks Dec 16, 08
      Agreed at least with GTA IV (havn't played brawl). That game might of been a "living city" but with the hype that surrounded the game and the context of it being another Grand Theft Auto...It failed to deliver I think. It was boring and lacked all the great side missions and mini-games that made all the past GTAs so much fun. It was to stuck in reality to allow the player to really have fun with the game.
      • 1
        Final Blade Dec 17, 08
        So basically what you like is actual side games or off sets of the GTA franchise? GTA4 was a direct sequel to GTA3, which was trying to do what GTA3 did for the PS3 in 2001. Setting the stage for next gen GTA gaming. GTA3 set the stage for games like Vice City, San Andreas, LCS, VCS. GTA4 was replicating the same thing on next gen consoles.

        That's why people have a misconception on what GTA4 was trying to do. It wasn't following San Andreas, hell it wasn't a proper numbered GTA game, GTA4 was trying to capture the allure, the amazing story, graphics and all that for PS3 and 360 like GTA3 did for PS2. And for that reason alone, GTA4 was groundbreaking and not disappointment.
  • 0
    Joseph Leito Dec 17, 08
    Honestly, there was no real way that Spore or Force Unleashed could have lived up to expectations, their bar was simply set too high.
  • 0
    Linkerd101 Dec 18, 08
    GTA IV was pretty bad, still, i have to say. Even so, thats having GRAND THEFR AUTO. GRAND THEFT. About stealing and nraisning the crime rate. sure, you can so that, but gameplay was horrible, along with the missions. the story may have been amazing, but the only thing good about that game is XBOX live or PSN or network play..
    • 0
      PacoDG Dec 18, 08
      I even think the online play is arguable. Everytime I went online, people kept playing with the radar on, which takes so much away from this game. First person shooters can use radar, GTAIV needs that thing off by default to make it worth a damn.

      Take radar off and put in a kill cam so you at least know where you got killed from, and I would still be playing it today.
  • 0
    Spurs_Rule_And_Rock Jan 3, 09
    I'm really no surprised to see spore up the top. Honestly, I'm really NOT surprised!
  • 0
    Jagermax Jan 26, 09
    I was dissapointed seeing Mirror's Edge there. It was a great game, and a really inventive title. I don't understand why GTA IV is a dissapointment to so many people, it was an amazing game. I think most people who flame it just can't handle the difficulty level.

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