[General Discussion] Games you regret buying.

I find something enjoyable in almost every game I purchase. Even if it's just the atmosphere or recognizing the intent behind this or that design, I end up feeling that paying amount X was somewhat justified. I even find some merit in crapfests like Blue Stinger (the hilarious design of the shopping area) or Blood Omen 2. As long as the atmosphere sucks me in, I put up with crappy controls or monotonous gameplay and manage to find some enjoyment in the game.

So there are few games I really regret buying, and the games I do regret buying suck golf balls through water hoses, at least IMHO. The first that comes to mind is Excalibur two thousand something AD for the PSX. I can't even remember why I bought this turd. Ecco for the DC was way out there in terms of storyline and what you were supposed to do, and that it was difficult as hell didn't help. Cybernator for the SNES was a completely fun-free zone. Nightmare Creatures 2 for the DC... despite its shortcomings I really liked the first one, so when reading all the bad reviews I thought the second couldn't be that bad, right? Boy, was I wrong. Castlevania Chronicles for the PSX I bought after having played one of the greatest games in gaming history, SotN, over and over again. Well, instead of tinkering with the design of Simon's sprite, they should have tinkered with the controls. After having played Super CV IV (easily the second best of the series, and its controls still feel great, even after fourteen years), this one didn't even live up to Vampre's Kiss. The artificially increased difficulty might get some praise from hardcore gamers, but these days one shouldn't have to put up with the controls from yesteryesteryesteryear in a supposedly overhauled reissue. And Tekken 5, well... apart from one of the cheapest end bosses ever it isn't bad, on the contrary. But I regret buying it because after the second, third (I liked both) and fourth episodes I really don't know why I bought this one, because I've spent maybe two hours with it. It just doesn't do it for me. At all. The best I can say about Tekken 5 is that playing it makes me want to play Soul Calibur.

If I had payed for Tomb Raider - Angel of Darkness (by a long shot the worst game I've ever had the displeasure of not being able to avoid popping into my PS2) instead of borrowing it, it'd be headlining this post. If I tried to come up with a comparably bad game, I'd have to go way back in time to the C64 era. But at least the badly designed, unfinished and buggy as hell games of old didn't cost the world.

Zorro

Jam it back in, in the dark.