Most Disappointing of 2009

Most disappointing game from 2009?

  • A Farewell to Dragons

    Votes: 10 10.8%
  • Borderlands

    Votes: 14 15.1%
  • Divinity II

    Votes: 17 18.3%
  • Dragon Age

    Votes: 18 19.4%
  • Drakensang

    Votes: 5 5.4%
  • Geneforge 5

    Votes: 2 2.2%
  • KB: Armoured Princess

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Knights of the Chalice

    Votes: 1 1.1%
  • Risen

    Votes: 18 19.4%
  • Torchlight

    Votes: 7 7.5%

  • Total voters
    93
Borderlands is a shooter with no story and few upgrades is not a bloody RPG.
 
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Did you like Divine Divinity? I did. I also thought that ending sucked, but I replay that game without any hesitation.

There is no way Planescape could be any less than one of the best games out there. I don't care if it had the worst ending in the history of bad endings. I'm talking Indiana Jones 4 bad. It would still be one of the best RPG in my library. The reason being the journey to the end was what made that game great.

I'm glad it didn't have a horrible conclusion to that wonderful game, but it wouldn't stop me from playing it again.

Knowing the ending hurts any replay. You already know what is going to happen so what is the point. The reason I replay any game is the same reason I reread any good book. I want to relive the experience of getting to the end.

Anyway, we all have different criteria when playing a RPG and we all probably have different definitions on what a RolePlaying game is. I just happen to enjoy the adventure much more than the actual conclusion.

I agree, KoToR II to me was a much better experience to me than the 1st and than most RPGs, but the last few hours of the game fell apart. I still loved the game and wasn't disappointed by it.

But like with other games, if some part of it excels and speaks to you whether it's the gameplay mechanics (TOEE's combat engine), the setting (Morrowind/Arcanum) or the depth (Arcanum), then the flaws don't ruin the overall experience.
 
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I'm really surprised how little some of you guys need to consider a game disappointing. Maybe good is no longer good enough nowadays.
 
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I chose Dragon Age. Strangely its the one with the most votes, i was expecting barely no one would pick it as the most disapointing of 2009 because of the so many good reviews out there.

For my reasons as to chose it:

a) The Dialog options are extremely boring. Most of the time i already knew what the NPC was about to talk even before he opened his mouth, meaning the whole thing is terribly predictable.

b) The companions "respect level up" is extremely fake. You just need to give gifts and talk to them when you surpass a certain number in his "respect bar" for new dialog options and thats it. Its a good concept but all in all, its extremely predictable aswell. The only exception is with Morrigan when most of the time you are not realy expecting how she would react to a certain dialog (most fun relation in the game for me).

c) The combat has a lot of flaws and unbalances. The whole mage game-play is terribly overpowered but not fun. Its overpowered when you play CC, and boring because you cant go all-out in flames blazing due to agro issues.

d) You can end the game in hard dificulty SOLO with a mage, naked, with no potions (mind you, in a Group-based RPG…)

e) YOu can end the game solo in normal dificulty with some classes (again, in a group-based game)

f) The graphics are terribly bad. They are. Realy. Do a close-up and you'll see the terribly low poly-count.

g) unbelievable low number of max-level armor/weapons for some classes.

The game is good in some aspects like its lenght, the cut-scenes, the sense of exploration and epicness, but all in all, its a very shallow game in my opinion.

If i had to choose, i would give a 80-82% to put it in prespective. When i saw 95% scores i was so hyped i even took some days-off from work to play it on the launch week. In the end, i was disapointed. A lot.

And this is why I'm afraid of forking up the cash for DA - I'm afraid it will be like every other Bio game since BG2.
 
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You know the only part that really bugged me about Risen were those walking mounds of flesh with trees growing on their backs ...I don't remember what they were called, but I sure do remember reading about them before the game was released. Not only were they terribly easy to kill they were almost nonexistent. I think I ran across two or three of them and that was it. If their going to make an awesome beasts like that then step it up a knotch. Make them the bone crushing machines that the should be.
 
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Really? The vast majority found Dragon Age the most DISAPPOINTING? I also wonder if everyone read carefully before voting.

I had to go with King's Bounty. I felt like I was moving a playing piece around a board (which I suppose was the point). I like to play a character and KB's interface broke the immersion for me, as did the turn-based combat. I know a lot of people like that, but just not my cup of tea.
 
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Really? The vast majority found Dragon Age the most DISAPPOINTING? I also wonder if everyone read carefully before voting.

Well of course, one of the reasons it is "winning" this poll is its popularity. Most people probably played Dragon Age, whereas most people probably did not play the other titles on the list. So, more potential votes.

I personally found it disappointing because it didn't measure up to the expectations I had for it. The story was lacking, the pacing was sluggish, the subsections of the main quest were overly long, the combat was too easy on Normal but became cumbersome on Hard (360), etc. I expected a grand epic, but I got a RPG that I really never felt much passion for, kept asking myself "That's it?" and found myself anxious for it to be over, 2/3 of the way through.

p.s. Gee that sounded pretty harsh. I didn't hate the game, just felt that it did not live up to my expectations (which perhaps were too high).
 
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Really? The vast majority found Dragon Age the most DISAPPOINTING? I also wonder if everyone read carefully before voting.

But I wonder if it's because of the high expectations everyone had?

It WAS being called the "spiritual successor" to BG 2… that's a lot to live up to, imo.

And good point Anderson.
 
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Really? The vast majority found Dragon Age the most DISAPPOINTING? I also wonder if everyone read carefully before voting.

I had to go with King's Bounty. I felt like I was moving a playing piece around a board (which I suppose was the point). I like to play a character and KB's interface broke the immersion for me, as did the turn-based combat. I know a lot of people like that, but just not my cup of tea.

Dragon Age had a lot of hype but it's only an ok game. I think it's fair that most people were disappointed by it. It simply didn't live up to expectations.

You certainly have a right to your opinion, though my opinion is you're crazy. :)
That's cool, it's not everyone's cup of tea. It's much more of a Roll-PG than a Role-PG. I don't think you're supposed to immersed in KB:AP, it's not that kind of an RPG. One character to play, no dialog choices or consequences, it's all about the excellent combat and leveling up. Personally it was a hard choice for me to not pick KB:AP as RPG GOTY.
 
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I'm really surprised how little some of you guys need to consider a game disappointing. Maybe good is no longer good enough nowadays.
Disappointing means you except something. I have stop since a long time to give full credits to any review even when I'll use some as a sort of guide, knowing the result will be a little random. Often I let some time before playing a game so I have the time to read few negative posts.

So I never expect much in any game. Is it because nowadays game quality is a lot lower? Perhaps but I don't think so. A good example is DAO, I have stop expect anything from Bioware since a very long time. The game is full of flaws and mini bugs, but it's been a very good surprise. I'm replaying the game and take a lot of fun, since when I took fun from replaying a non tactical CRPG? Since a very long time. So even if the game doesn't worth the general big applauds from usual reviewers, it's still a very good surprise for me and even more that I could still take fun in replaying a CRPG.

Another good example is Divinity 2, before to know anything of the game and knowing the 1, my expectation was very high. Now after to have read many thing I don't expect much from the game, I bet it will be a good pleasure in comparison with my expectation which is now quite low.

I could also quote Risen, for this one I didn't expect much, after Gothic 3 I expect nothing from this series even from the original dev team, and I know I don't like the "realist and non fantasy" mood that's been glued to the series trademark. I played the beginning, and enough to quote that it didn't resurrect the pleasure I got from G2+NOTR. Is it a disappointment, not at all I wasn't expecting anything and got even a good surprise from fights, dungeons and some other details, including an overall quality that seems quite close to what had G2+NOTR.

So I cannot find a disappointing game in 2009, because I didn't expect much from the games released.
 
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But I wonder if it's because of the high expectations everyone had?

Well young are so naive that's the point. It's amazing how they can continue believe any hype and give them full credit. Well as most here know I don't mean I think DAO is a crap, just that no game worth any big hypes that generated many games during past years and since a long time.
 
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Well of course, one of the reasons it is "winning" this poll is its popularity. Most people probably played Dragon Age, whereas most people probably did not play the other titles on the list.

Very good point. I have only played a handful on that list myself. Had I played Borderlands I probably would have selected it since (to me anyway) it doesn't even sound like an RPG.

You certainly have a right to your opinion, though my opinion is you're crazy. :)

:p

It's much more of a Roll-PG than a Role-PG.

I like this - may I steal it from you?
 
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Anyway, we all have different criteria when playing a RPG and we all probably have different definitions on what a RolePlaying game is. I just happen to enjoy the adventure much more than the actual conclusion.

Well, it´s not that big deal for me, I just don´t think that when it comes to more story driven games, journey is all that matters and since the conclusion is often important part of the narrative, satisfying ending shouldn´t be just an optional bonus, that´s all.
I wasn´t vehemently disagreeing or something :).

As for the results so far, expectable.
 
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I like this - may I steal it from you?

Absolutely, but I'm not that clever, I stole it myself. The roll vs role play on words has been around for a very long time. Since the two groups of RPG gamers, the dice rollers vs role players "I'm a female elf!", have been fighting since they heydays of pen & paper.

We only get along because no one else will play with us. ;)
 
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I'll have to put down Risen.

Loved it at first, but seriously couldnt wait for it to end there by the time it was all said and done
 
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Risen, just couldn't stay with it after chapter 2.
 
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had to go with King's Bounty. I felt like I was moving a playing piece around a board (which I suppose was the point). I like to play a character and KB's interface broke the immersion for me, as did the turn-based combat. I know a lot of people like that, but just not my cup of tea.

You mean you were dissapointed by kings bounty armored princess, because it had turn-based combat???? I have to ask what you were expecting before you bought this game in that case? Its major selling point IS the turn-based combat……

Voted for Torchlight, because it was direct copy-paste from Fate. I mean, the makers of Fate should sue the creators of Torchlight, unless they have some kind of deal between them.

It is the same guy mr Baldtree making both the games… so no wounder :p
 
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You know the only part that really bugged me about Risen were those walking mounds of flesh with trees growing on their backs …I don't remember what they were called,.


Thunder Lizards. I actually went through the entire game without killing one, they just looked too harmless. :)
 
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I've tried about half of the games in that list -the other half I read about and decided I didn't care to try them (because they didn't seem like the kind of thing I wanted to play regardless of their quality)
I only had 'high hopes' for the three more 'prominent' ones: DA, Risen and Drakensang. I enjoyed DA a lot and I enjoy Risen as much so my vote has to go to Drakensang which didn't captivate for as long as I hoped (+ maybe it's the Witcher's fault for making me expect a lot from non-American or 'alternative' games that often have a different 'approach')

Also I think this year needed more games with a variation of the word 'dragon' on the title... I'm disappointed about that :(
 
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A pox on my old hardware, I havent played any of the 2009 RPGs yet except Drakensang (which wasnt disappointing at all, so I am not going to vote that based on a sample size of 1):(

Really? The vast majority found Dragon Age the most DISAPPOINTING? I also wonder if everyone read carefully before voting.

Disappointing requires you to have had expectations in the first place. The taller they are, the harder they fall… I can find a game better than another while also more disappointing. Drakensang didnt stun me, but I didnt expect much so I cant say I'm disappointed by it. It's similar to being overrated, you need to be highly rated to be that. Dungeon Lords is a lacking game but not overrated:p
 
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