5 Biggest Flops This Generation
Posted on 12. Mar, 2009 by bakerboy in Real Talk with the HipHopGamer
Number 5.
Lair
Once hyped to be the first game to show off the “powah of teh cell”, Lair’s release was an utter catastrophe. Factor 5’s insistence on forcing the player to use Sony’s six axis tilt functionality was the main reason for most complaints. This was coupled with the incredible hype attached to a game that already didn’t have mass appeal just based on its genre. There just wasn’t a market for a dragon game in the day in age where first person shooters dominate the charts.
Metascore=53
Number 4.
Socom Confrontation
I dare anyone to name another title that shipped with more problems than this title. From the missing features on the back of the box, to the complete inability to connect with friends online, this game had it all. It has to make one question the reason for a beta. How can you beta test a game 2 weeks before the release anyway? Your guess is as good as mine. I bet these guys wish they could have a do-over.
Metascore=62
Number 3.
Haze
As soon as this title was revealed to be a PS3 exclusive, the hype started to build. Developed by Free Radical, the great minds behind the incredible Timesplitters franchise, gamers assumed that the title was in good hands. Boy were they wrong. Although it is not clear as to what exactly happened to this title during its development, we do know that when it finally arrived it was nothing more than a mediocre shooter. Maybe it was nothing more than a mediocre shooter all along, with PS3 owners hyping it to be the second coming due to the lack of impressive titles at the time.
Metascore=55
Number 2.
Too Human
Too Words(see what I did there). Denis Dyack. That is all
Metascore=65
Number 1.
Playstation Home
I think Home has been bashed enough at this point, so I won’t really speak on it any further.
By the way, this guy is just hilarious.
Metascore=Undefined
March 12th, 2009 at 11:02 am
STUPID ASS PLAYSTATION HOME IS NOT A FUCKING GAME GET IT RIGHT ASSTARD
March 12th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Seriously, do some of you guys even know what flops means ?
Flop is something that doesn’t turn out profits or completely fails at what it tries to be, i mean how the hell is gears 2 a flop? or halo 3 ? they were some awsome titles and some of the bestsellers of 2008, so before you call something a flop, just think about what a flop actually is ( i have both consoles btw, so don’t call me an xbot or nothing stupid like that )
March 12th, 2009 at 10:57 am
@Matt G
You seem to have missed the point as to what I was saying about GTA4. I said the experience that “I” had and many other gamers didn’t feel fulfilling. Yes, you did go and say that the experience you had with the game was great, but when making an article like this, especially when it’s subjective is extremely pointless whether you agree with it or not. What I was trying to say is that if you guys want to make a list of this caliber, instead of making your own opinions (looking at you bakerboy), make some kind of list asking to recommend for a period of time what 5 games were some gamers biggest disappointment this gen.
If you haven’t noticed by looking at these comments that there were many people who were disappointed by many games, some agree with the list, others agree with some on the list, and a lot more don’t agree with it at all. Your experiences with the same product just won’t be the same since we’re different people, and because of the differences, where can you make the statement on what a “flop” is, especially when a title like that is purely subjective? You get what I’m saying?
On Home, dude… I really don’t care that they sell products in it, I actually understand and yes, I can see it disappointing, but looking at it from a business stand point, they know from actual games like Second Life that people will pay for virtual objects, so why not exploit it? The problem with the purchasing of these items is that they have nothing but a visual aspect. If there was some type of fulfillment to the purchases, then I think they’d succeed in that department, but until they get their act together, it’s hard for me to get mad.
@ bakerboy
You seem to become extremely defensive with people refuting your comments. Word of advice, if you’re going to lash back at people and their opinions because they don’t see eye to eye with you, you might want to hold off on opinionated articles. If you want to debate, don’t be so hostile and give off the impression that you think everyone is against you. If you laid your points and used other descriptions besides metascores, I’d be pretty sure you’d get a better response.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:49 am
@ Mr. HELLRAZOR
I love how when someone owns more than one console they have to let the world know and they think their opinions are better than others. Seriously,owning both systems doesn’t make what you say better.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:57 am
By flop do you mean commercial flop? How is home a flop? Didn’t they generate $1 million in the first month? Unless your definition is that no one uses it in which case you haven’t been on it lately. Also, your list is too short you should have only included 2008. How about Alone in the Dark, Golden Axe and Ninja Gaiden II.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:56 am
cryin ass fanboys. HOME IS TRASH. and will always be trash. sony was misguided on what they feel gamers want. i don’t wanns run around in an open world unless i got a gun a car and a few grenades. bakerboy didn’t say top 5 GAME flops. he said top 5 flops PERIOD. even if it aint as bad as you fanboys say it is(need to quit lying to yourselves) it was hyped up for two years. when it finally dropped all i smelled was HOT GARBAGE. now all i hear from you fanboys is “give it time to grow” or “just wait 5 more years and it’s gonna be awesome” lol. We live in an on demand society now. That’s why playstation is in last place now. They think people are really ignorant enough to buy a 6 or 5 hundred dollar system then wait 6 years for it to really shine. well i guess they found 20 million dummies and counting. Well how bout this sony? How bout i wait to purchase your system when when it’s “shining” and your price has dropped 5 or 6 times and you have to sell it for dirt cheap to save your business from losing any more ground in the videogame market
March 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am
there it is with Home again…. STFU about Home. one, its still being worked on, its not a finished product. two, ALOT more stuff is being added on. three, developers will release new spaces from time to time as we move along, so that will keep it even more interesting.
stop with all this Home bashing cuz its F’n annoying. srry for the language but it needs to stop, sir.
and seriously, i can come up with a couple 360 titles that are worse than the games you mentioned that are actually games since Home isn’t a game. so don’t even count it as a game.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Mr HELLRAZOR (Did you purposefully give yourself a misspelt name to humiliate and discredit yourself?) – if you think Home is a flop then you are either a retarded fanboy or just pure penis. Killzone 2 takes everything Halo 3 does and does it better – including the online play.
This THREAD (It’s not a room you moron – rooms have walls, LOL.) is full of 360 testicle – less losers who don’t want to accept the fact that they paid good money for a console that breaks all the time and has no games coming out this year.
March 12th, 2009 at 9:32 am
This article is pure bullshit. I love me some HOME and Too human.
You biased FUCK>
March 12th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Only 1 of 4 games is from 360? I say 1 of 4 because Home is NOT and NEVER will be a game! This is really biased Bakerboy…
March 12th, 2009 at 8:47 am
How is home a flop? there are plenty of users on home everyday. People actually use it to socialize, play games, meet new gamers..where’s the flop? Just because you hate it doesn’t mean it’s a flop. hey, I have a 360 at home collecting dust but even I can’t say xbl is a flop because the fact that matters is, it’s widely used and highly regarded. Without the xbl, the 360 would’ve been buried six feet under long time ago. Home is not so integral for ps3, but hey, it’s free to use, you can or will be able to exchange trophies for items, and that gives the gamers replay value and some incentive to get trophies. Why not..
Now let me ask you this, if Home is such a flop then why are so many developers/sponsors spending their money creating their personal space in Home? Are they so blind that they are willing to risk investing their money and resources into a virtual home space? Can’t they see that Home is a complete flop?
this isn’t a personal blog here you know…you can write junk like this somewhere else, or better yet keep it to yourself
March 12th, 2009 at 8:04 am
stupid fanboys. I agree with whoever said Banjo Kazooie shld be on the list, and we already know Rock Revaluation is going to fail.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:34 am
how about them… You actually think that you’ll be taken seriously with that name? Do you honestly believe that Vampire Rain was a bigger flop than the titles I listed?
March 12th, 2009 at 7:34 am
FUCK.YOU.
Home is not a failure. It’s a very ambitious project. If people would stop being so damn impatient about Home, it may turn out better than they think it is.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:29 am
this whole room is full of ps3 dick suckers. It’s kinda sad. You guys should probably find a way to get over yourselfs, and stop trying to justify the fact that you paid way to much money for your system.
1. Home sucks period, if you think it rocks then you’re a diehard fanboy. the NXE is way better. It is a little overwhelming at first, but its very useful. (if you don’t have both systems (like me) then shut the hell up)
2. I was the biggest socom fan, since socom 1. But socom was flop. But the game way different now. It probably shouldn’t be on the top 5 flops though. With all of the patch updates the game is pretty damn fun now. GOW2 has a lot of glitches still, which needs to be fixed so i can agree with that.
3. But if you think halo 3 is a flop, then you never played the game. Or you’re just pure ass. Halo 3 is fun. Similiar to LBP, you don’t need top of the line graphics (killzone) for a game to be very fun. Halo 3, has forge, in came screenshots, you can create you’re own games and share with friends. No shooter on the ps3 has gone that far with fun. (dont lie)
If you are a true gamer (like myself) you should probably own more than just your ps3. PSN is getting up there, but it is no XBL yet. but hey its free.
March 12th, 2009 at 7:27 am
how bout VAMPIRE RAIN and ALONE IN THE DARK ?
March 12th, 2009 at 7:07 am
how could you forget LEGENDARY or THE LAST REMANENT or INFINITE UNDISCOVERY motherfucker ?
March 12th, 2009 at 6:12 am
You missed a few:
Mirror’s Edge
NXE
Star Ocean 4
Halo 3
Gears Of War 2
Street Fighter IV
Also, Lost Oddysey is NOT the best RPG of this gen, not even close. White Knight Chronicles is 20X the game Lost Oddysey could ever be.
March 12th, 2009 at 6:05 am
@ Jim
HipHopGamer didn’t write it so his views on Home still stand the same as what you hear/see from his shows.
March 12th, 2009 at 5:29 am
ummmmmm iznt hiphopgamer always defendin ps home? plus its not a game? but i agree with evrything else, maybe socom shoulnt be there tho, its fun as anything
March 12th, 2009 at 4:32 am
Home? A Free avatar-driven social project that raked in $1 million in (entirely optional) in-game sales, not counting how much in advert revenue.
I’m not Home’s biggest fan (haven’t played it since the first week), but I don’t think Flop means what you think it means.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:52 am
@ commonsense
Dude Lost Odyssey is an Amazing game!!!Best rpg of this gen, not biggest flop.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:48 am
so why is home in here and no Xboxs NXE, netflix is cool but seriously the layout is more of a pain in the ass than the old layout and its filled with ads(it feels liek 1 step forward and 2 steps back).What are u basing it on? they both make money. do u just hate home that much? Why make a list of games and end it with something that is not a game? You might as well of said the glowing blue light on the wii to indicate a message was recieved or OS X cuz it doesnt play PC games.
why no shovelware wii titles?Super Smash Bros Brawl is a good example, thou not shovelware exactly.
Socom is not a flop. the game sold over half a million in America alone, still not out in EU. The game was launched with bugs yes but alot of games across all platforms were
its just hard for me to take this article seriously
but in all fairness to bakerboy, 3 of the 5 titles are great contenders for top flops of ‘08.
and I agree with everyone on IU, that game was made by Tri-Ace and Im literally too scared to play Star Ocean because of the horrifying experience I had with IU.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:42 am
@Incognegro-
I understand the disappointment in some gamers, but I played and beat the game and really enjoyed it. I could see where the journalists got their scores from. Was it perfect? Nope, but it was one of the better games I played this gen. It was a 9/10 game for me. The group you are talking about is a small minority. I bet you that a majority of those who played it had a very enjoyable time with it. I think the proof in that is the sales in “Lost and Damned”. If people didn’t care about the game and thought it sucked, then no one would have downloaded it. People did though because they enjoyed the GTA4 expierence.
Also yeah I stand behind my statement on HOME. I try to make my character reflect me or make my personal space look the way I want, but the only way to do that is to buy stuff? They should at least make the options in HOME larger at first. I notice how many say that MS charges for every little thing, and I agree. While Sony gives the fans everything for free, but to charge for things to customize your home expierence is kind of ridiculous. HOME isn’t even that great at the moment, and with the economy in bad shape why would I want to buy stuff for a virtual character?
Yeah they need to make money, but there are better things they could charge for.
@Hydro-
I havent had the chance to finish your article on journalists and sales, but I could get the drift on what you were going for from the title. I agree, that reviews aren’t as credible as they once were. This is really important in publications like GameInformer that have agendas.
But back to GTA4 since this is where we disagree in this post:
You said in one posts that SOCOM wasn’t a failure since it sold well, but since GTA4 sold well it must have been a success as well according to the logic you used for SOCOM.
Also after playing and beating GTA4, I agree with IGN’s review. You and I simply disagree on the game which is fine. I think the game creates a great open world expierence, with great graphics, an amazing physics engine, good music, the best story in the series, a solid combat system, fun missions, and succeed on what it was going for.
Many open world games fail IMO. Look at Far Cry 2. No other game has put as much attention to detail in their game than Rockstar did with GTA4
I enjoyed the missions and goofing around. The world was what I hoped GTA3 could have been for years. I enjoyed the game and so did a lot of other people. Even if IGN said the game was awful I would have disagreed and enjoyed the game.
GTA4 has no reason to be on a list like this. Maybe your own personal list, but GTA4 pleased a lot more people than LAIR, Too Human, Socom, and Haze
March 12th, 2009 at 3:37 am
Socom should be taken off that list, so should HOME…One socom rocks tits, and doesn’t have any problems anymore also scores aren’t everything play the game for yourself….three HOME isn’t a game
and The list should be two human, two worlds, farcry, haze, and age of conan
Plus I hate you that is all
March 12th, 2009 at 3:18 am
wak, this foo, have you read my “since when did gaming become about journalists and sales”? you need to read it since you’re talking about how good it sold and how well the reviews were. they game still sucked horribly.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:18 am
@MattG
So we have to go buy the metascores now in order to tell if a game was a flop or not? If you really talk to many gamers you will hear more disappointment in GTA4 than Socom just because of the fact that it felt as if it wasn’t nearly as big as it’s predecessors. I’m not saying that it was a bad game, but if you really want to talk about a flop and what constitutes it, why not ask all of the gamers as a whole instead of using 1 person’s own thoughts as the criteria.
Just because IGN says it’s a good game doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy it. I have a hard time considering Socom as a flop considering how well it sold and how many people still play it. Scores are starting to lose more and more of it’s values since reviewers aren’t merely playing games to have fun any more but instead to meet a due date.
And that comment about Home… Seriously? Sony is an organization and needs to get a profit in some way. It’s good enough that some games like Street Fighter 4 are having it to where you can actually win items for you Home space, but if the money is there, then why not get it? Especially when it costs money to put the product out anyway.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:15 am
Thats whats up MattG, finally someone sees where I’m coming from.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:05 am
I disagree with Hydro on his points and agree with Baker Boy. GTA4 is one of the best selling and highest reviewed games ever. Just because Hydro doesn’t personally like GTA4 doesnt mean that it was a bad game.
UT3 received a gamerankings score of 86% on the PS3, so I wouldn’t really compare that to games like Lair, Too Human, and Haze. All three were super hyped exclsuives that failed horribly. UT3 wasnt great, but it wsnt nearly as bad as the other 5 on the list.
I would give HOME a break since it isnt near being what Sony wants it to be. Though I do see Baker Boy’s point. The community doesnt impress. I don’t really like running around to play average arcade games and talk to people I don’t know with a slow keyboard. Also paying for items is something MS would do, and I expect better from Sony
March 12th, 2009 at 3:03 am
@ jim
I’ve noticed the dissapointment with the inclusion of home in this list. It seems that everyone would be alot happier if I had included more X-box titles in there. Although home isn’t a game, it still has to be considered as one of if not the most underwhelming products this generation.
March 12th, 2009 at 3:01 am
stupidjerk, vampire rain is so ugly that it deserves to be mentioned as a 360 exclusive
March 12th, 2009 at 2:48 am
MOO FUCK
March 12th, 2009 at 2:44 am
commonsense, vampire rain isn’t a 360 exclusive.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:43 am
Red Steel ? Infinite Undiscovery ? Microsoft hardware ? Wii’s online system/friends codes ?
Those might be better choices than Socom and Home.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:38 am
dear hiphop gamershow why have you said home is a flop now when u brag about it and say how good it is in your shows plzz coment bak or tell me in your show
March 12th, 2009 at 2:22 am
1.- Infinite undiscovery
2.- too human
3.- star ocean 4
5.- last Odyssey
6.- vampire rain
and the rest of the 360 exclusives that are not halo or gears
March 12th, 2009 at 2:20 am
Nah put lips and wii music in there.
Lair was awesome Level 5 owns.
Socom Hahahahahaha gears of war 2 has alot more bugs.
haze is one of the best Shooter of 2008, another masterpiece from Free Radical.
i do agree about too human the 10 year Flop.
and Home OMG HOME is sick, only xbots and wiiboys with no games to play in 2009 bash Home.
March 12th, 2009 at 2:08 am
Incase you hadnt noticed, hydro writes for this website too. It goes to to show what kind of writers you have working for the site when one of their own will come and slam a crappy article. We all know that bakerboy is a small time jabroni who is eagerly avoiding all the microsoft flops out there. Hydro is actually worth reading because he is like the HHG, balanced. Maybe HHG should be a bit more selective in who he has write for him, because this bullshit makes the site look like garbage
March 12th, 2009 at 1:59 am
After facepalming I wrote out a real response but halfway through realized I didn’t care anymore.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:56 am
The Last Remnant (65) would have been a good choice based on the insane hype.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:45 am
actually, dude always playing ps3,
ok bakerboy, let me correct myself, it has a huge install base still playing the game. but in the games defense i never like tactical shooters nor the socom series. however i always loved GTA series but there was nothing new in GTA4 in fact it had deductions in terms of game play when compared to GTA: SA
March 12th, 2009 at 1:41 am
i agree with those games (except for home, its not a game dude come on
)
not the order tho,
what about banjo kazooie nuts and bolts, and perfect dark zero, and kamiyo the 360s launch games, or Wii music, tabula rasa (r.i.p lol)
^^ how are halo 3 and GTA4 flops, come on meng, prob overrated, but any game selling over 5 milli cant be considered flops
March 12th, 2009 at 1:32 am
MattG and bakerboy are douchebags.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:25 am
Perfect Dark Zero and Red Steel should be up there. Not PS Home and Socom. (Socom just had a bad launch. In the pre-launch Beta everything worked fine until patch 1.5. Not only that but surprisingly a lot of people still play Socom.)
Home isn’t a flop considering it generates a lot of money from well… Stupid people buying stupid things. I am one of them yes, but I only bought a pair of pants by accident. I don’t feel like paying 2 dollars for a designer copyright T-Shirt. However I am a sucker for life sized statues of monsters for my home space…. Sony…. Don’t you dare! If I walk into… log* into Home again and the mall’s new shop is for purchasing a Bahamut statue… I’m going to go mad crazy….
March 12th, 2009 at 1:20 am
I slightly agree with HyDRo but I love Socom and Home. I guess you could call me a fanboy or whatever but I love what Sony is doing. Microsoft doesn’t have anything like socom or home. Microsoft has NO online-only games. Their avatars are a joke. People just don’t understand that Home was made to evolve.
One day down the road, playstation home is going to be the biggest thing out there. Look how far it has come already.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:20 am
@hexfix
You disagree with his choices? The list sounds about right to me.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:20 am
I can kind of see socom, but people still play that on a regular basis. since it’s an online only game alot of the problems that it shipped with can be fixed right after a while. the problem is the dev team. they’ve somewhat gotten better with the game, but they still sucked it up. I won’t lie. But even tho the media looked at socom badly, but because a large amount of people still play it, I find it hard calling it a flop.
as for Home… Home isn’t even a game so I don’t think it should even be on the list. Even though your title didn’t specify, it seems to only be directed towards video games in general. If you take into account that home is pretty much growing every day and that it’s a beta… it’s hard to really consider it a flop, I think. Especially taking into consideration that the Home of today most definitely won’t resemble the Home of 2010 or 11. By those times, people might be saying that Home was one of the most revolutionary things every to hit this generation. But until the life cycle of the system has run it’s course, and Home will continue to mature…that statement…I don’t think fits it right now.
March 12th, 2009 at 1:13 am
bakerboy is an xbot. i ignore his lame threads now.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Huge install base? Mainly because people went out and purchased it based on the previous success of the title, but this doesn’t take away from the fact that the game grossly underdelivered.
Also, if install base is indicitive of a successful title, then GTAIV could never be considered a flop. But I do agree with UT3, maybe I’ll have to do a part 2.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:19 am
as much as i dislike home and socom, they shouldn’t be in this list seeing how socom has a huge install base and home isn’t really a game so it doesn’t compare to the other games levels. Halo 3 was a flop, most over rated game ever. GTA4 as well and also Unreal Tournament 3, they shit was garbage even after the expansion.