Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

[NYJets]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Dissapointment:
NCAA 2005- I thought NCAA 2004 online on the PS2 was the best online sports game I ever played. I couldn't wait until 2005 was on Xbox Live. But all the slowdown ruined it for me online, and I thought they really screwed up the defense. They made it almost impossible to complete short 5 yard passes, because of the reaction time by db's and linebackers. But deep balls into double coverage were as easy as ever. Game was still pretty fun, but not nearly as good as I thought it would be. I sold it, and even with college football going on, I still have no desire to play it again.

Sleeper:
Madden 2005- Hard for Madden to be a real sleeper, but for me it was. I had no plans to buy Madden. I hated 2004, and with ESPN coming out early, I figured that would be all I needed. But Madden was a pretty good game, and worth the purchase. It plays well online, and pass defense is possible without cheesing. I just wish they would work on the running game.



That's basically it. Haven't played any other games I didn't expect to be good this year. And there are very few games I purchase without hearing impressions and lots of previews first, so I don't get too many dissapointments.

[NYJets]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Dissapointment:
NCAA 2005- I thought NCAA 2004 online on the PS2 was the best online sports game I ever played. I couldn't wait until 2005 was on Xbox Live. But all the slowdown ruined it for me online, and I thought they really screwed up the defense. They made it almost impossible to complete short 5 yard passes, because of the reaction time by db's and linebackers. But deep balls into double coverage were as easy as ever. Game was still pretty fun, but not nearly as good as I thought it would be. I sold it, and even with college football going on, I still have no desire to play it again.

Sleeper:
Madden 2005- Hard for Madden to be a real sleeper, but for me it was. I had no plans to buy Madden. I hated 2004, and with ESPN coming out early, I figured that would be all I needed. But Madden was a pretty good game, and worth the purchase. It plays well online, and pass defense is possible without cheesing. I just wish they would work on the running game.



That's basically it. Haven't played any other games I didn't expect to be good this year. And there are very few games I purchase without hearing impressions and lots of previews first, so I don't get too many dissapointments.

[HMcCoy]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Sleepers...

1. Riddick.
2. Beyond Good and evil.
3. Kingdoms Under Fire.
4. NHL2K5

Letdowns...

None. I never buy hype.

Sidenote..

I must be the only guy on the planet who digs Showdown: LOR II. The game is buggy as all hell, but the nostalgia factor is off the scale. I guess this game is as cheezy as 80's wrestling really was, so it kinda fits...Any videogame featuring The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff gets at least a C+. At least.

[HMcCoy]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Sleepers...

1. Riddick.
2. Beyond Good and evil.
3. Kingdoms Under Fire.
4. NHL2K5

Letdowns...

None. I never buy hype.

Sidenote..

I must be the only guy on the planet who digs Showdown: LOR II. The game is buggy as all hell, but the nostalgia factor is off the scale. I guess this game is as cheezy as 80's wrestling really was, so it kinda fits...Any videogame featuring The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff gets at least a C+. At least.

[Jistic]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

[QUOTE=asianflow][QUOTE=Jistic]
Sleepers

NHL 2K5 - I bought this game on a whim. I gotta admit the price tag is what drew me in. And I'm glad it did. Like others have said it has some minor issues, but I LOVE the gameplay. If you slow down the speed, turn down the turbo, raise fatigue, and turn down passing and shooting accuracy you will get the best simulation of hockey ever made. For $20 you would be crazy not to pick this game up if you have even a mild interest in hockey. Black Box deserves your support!

Black Box got bought out by EA. KUSH did NHL 2k5.

My bad, you're right. And I knew that too. Ooops. Please replace Black Box with Kush in my previous statement.

[Jistic]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

[QUOTE=asianflow][QUOTE=Jistic]
Sleepers

NHL 2K5 - I bought this game on a whim. I gotta admit the price tag is what drew me in. And I'm glad it did. Like others have said it has some minor issues, but I LOVE the gameplay. If you slow down the speed, turn down the turbo, raise fatigue, and turn down passing and shooting accuracy you will get the best simulation of hockey ever made. For $20 you would be crazy not to pick this game up if you have even a mild interest in hockey. Black Box deserves your support!

Black Box got bought out by EA. KUSH did NHL 2k5.

My bad, you're right. And I knew that too. Ooops. Please replace Black Box with Kush in my previous statement.

[DDTMANIAC]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Disappointments:

Fable: An 8 hour RPG? This game was in development for over two years. XBox might have been riding on this, and it is a waste. Here's the review:

http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/fable/index.html

WWE Day Of Reckoning: This game was supposed to be the wrestling game of the year. It turned out to be like all the other GameCube wrestling games: a SmackDown! afterthought and a frustrating failure.

SHOWDOWN: Legends Of Wrestling: Acclaim might have been making crappy games for years, but I was really hoping they would capture old-school wrestling with SHOWDOWN. I rented SHOWDOWN. I played SHOWDOWN for a short time and turned it off. It was one of the worst wrestling games I have ever played in my life. It had unresponsive controls, glitches aplenty that made the gameplay useless, a horrible CAW, no promised Edit A Wrestler, inaccurate movesets, a useless Career Mode, and it was a complete failure on every level.

Mega Man X: Command Mission: Another 8 - 10 hour RPG failure.

Sleeper Hit: None yet.

Possible Sleepers:

X-Men Legends: This Action-RPG is available now. I haven't played this yet.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne: This demonic Japanese RPG comes out in North America for PS2 on October 5th. Here's IGN's review, but read it critically, as IGN writes unreliable reviews that suck up to game developers: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/550/550199p1.html

WWE SmackDown! Vs Raw: Comes out for PS2 on November 2nd.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age: This RPG also comes out for PS2, XBox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance on November 2nd.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: Comes out for GameCube on November 15th. I loved the first game, and I will definitely play the second one.

Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner: This Japanese RPG comes out for PS2 in North America on November 16th.

Wild Arms: Alter Code F: This complete overhaul of the first Wild Arms game for PlayStation comes out for the PS2 on November 19th. It adds three new playable characters, a new 3D overworld, completely redesigned dungeons, new tools, new items, and new sidequests, and the Migrant Gauge from Wild Arms 3.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Comes out for XBox on December 6th. I loved the first game, and I will definitely play the second one.

[DDTMANIAC]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Disappointments:

Fable: An 8 hour RPG? This game was in development for over two years. XBox might have been riding on this, and it is a waste. Here's the review:

http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/fable/index.html

WWE Day Of Reckoning: This game was supposed to be the wrestling game of the year. It turned out to be like all the other GameCube wrestling games: a SmackDown! afterthought and a frustrating failure.

SHOWDOWN: Legends Of Wrestling: Acclaim might have been making crappy games for years, but I was really hoping they would capture old-school wrestling with SHOWDOWN. I rented SHOWDOWN. I played SHOWDOWN for a short time and turned it off. It was one of the worst wrestling games I have ever played in my life. It had unresponsive controls, glitches aplenty that made the gameplay useless, a horrible CAW, no promised Edit A Wrestler, inaccurate movesets, a useless Career Mode, and it was a complete failure on every level.

Mega Man X: Command Mission: Another 8 - 10 hour RPG failure.

Sleeper Hit: None yet.

Possible Sleepers:

X-Men Legends: This Action-RPG is available now. I haven't played this yet.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne: This demonic Japanese RPG comes out in North America for PS2 on October 5th. Here's IGN's review, but read it critically, as IGN writes unreliable reviews that suck up to game developers: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/550/550199p1.html

WWE SmackDown! Vs Raw: Comes out for PS2 on November 2nd.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age: This RPG also comes out for PS2, XBox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance on November 2nd.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: Comes out for GameCube on November 15th. I loved the first game, and I will definitely play the second one.

Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner: This Japanese RPG comes out for PS2 in North America on November 16th.

Wild Arms: Alter Code F: This complete overhaul of the first Wild Arms game for PlayStation comes out for the PS2 on November 19th. It adds three new playable characters, a new 3D overworld, completely redesigned dungeons, new tools, new items, and new sidequests, and the Migrant Gauge from Wild Arms 3.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Comes out for XBox on December 6th. I loved the first game, and I will definitely play the second one.

[HMcCoy]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

SHOWDOWN: Legends Of Wrestling: Acclaim might have been making crappy games for years, but I was really hoping they would capture old-school wrestling with SHOWDOWN. I rented SHOWDOWN. I played SHOWDOWN for a short time and turned it off. It was one of the worst wrestling games I have ever played in my life. It had unresponsive controls, glitches aplenty that made the gameplay useless, a horrible CAW, no promised Edit A Wrestler, inaccurate movesets, a useless Career Mode, and it was a complete failure on every level.

It had Ricky the Dragon, man! And the Stinger in his hot pink! And the Macho Man in his wife-beater peach and yellow! How can you not like this game? Besides the heinous gameplay, this title RAWKED!

[HMcCoy]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

SHOWDOWN: Legends Of Wrestling: Acclaim might have been making crappy games for years, but I was really hoping they would capture old-school wrestling with SHOWDOWN. I rented SHOWDOWN. I played SHOWDOWN for a short time and turned it off. It was one of the worst wrestling games I have ever played in my life. It had unresponsive controls, glitches aplenty that made the gameplay useless, a horrible CAW, no promised Edit A Wrestler, inaccurate movesets, a useless Career Mode, and it was a complete failure on every level.

It had Ricky the Dragon, man! And the Stinger in his hot pink! And the Macho Man in his wife-beater peach and yellow! How can you not like this game? Besides the heinous gameplay, this title RAWKED!

[yo136]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

I still play a lot of NCAA Football 2005, but I also have it for the PS2. I've played the Xbox version in stores and it's a real shame how slow it is. That and I wish the comp would be able to carve up my defense if I called a cover 2 zone on every play (aside from obvious running situations and packages).

My biggest disappointment was Fight Night. It simply didn't do anything for me. Many sports games compell me to learn more about the tricks and techniques to be competitive, but not this game.

Honorable mention: ESPN NFL 2k5, NCAA Football 2005 (xbox)


My most underrated game is ESPN NHL 2k5. I think most people who have even a casual interest in sports games should give this game a shot. Worst case scenario you have a mediocre hockey-themed party game. Besides, Target is selling it for $16 this week according to their weekly ad.

Honorable mention: Riddick, Transformers

[yo136]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

I still play a lot of NCAA Football 2005, but I also have it for the PS2. I've played the Xbox version in stores and it's a real shame how slow it is. That and I wish the comp would be able to carve up my defense if I called a cover 2 zone on every play (aside from obvious running situations and packages).

My biggest disappointment was Fight Night. It simply didn't do anything for me. Many sports games compell me to learn more about the tricks and techniques to be competitive, but not this game.

Honorable mention: ESPN NFL 2k5, NCAA Football 2005 (xbox)


My most underrated game is ESPN NHL 2k5. I think most people who have even a casual interest in sports games should give this game a shot. Worst case scenario you have a mediocre hockey-themed party game. Besides, Target is selling it for $16 this week according to their weekly ad.

Honorable mention: Riddick, Transformers

[robin3mj]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Busts: NCAA by far. So ridiculously slow on Xbox. I still play it only b/c I want my Notre Dame fix, and the game belongs to my roomie, otherwise I'd have traded it in. Def Jam NY is pretty boring quick too.

[robin3mj]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

Busts: NCAA by far. So ridiculously slow on Xbox. I still play it only b/c I want my Notre Dame fix, and the game belongs to my roomie, otherwise I'd have traded it in. Def Jam NY is pretty boring quick too.

[pk500]

Re: Biggest Sleeper and Biggest Disappointment of this year??

First off, this is a fun thread, Graphik. Thanks.

OK, these are my picks only from games that I have played.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

-- Full Spectrum Warrior. This was a game with so much promise, but Pandemic didn't deliver. The game had way too much of a "wash, rinse, repeat" style of gameplay where one mistake caused you to start all over again. Plus the online play was a shambles -- the exact same as offline, with no adversarial modes.

-- Rainbow Six: Black Arrow. Other than a few new online modes, which sucked because they were too frantic, how is this game that much different than RS:3, and how can UbiSoft get away with charging $40 for this? RS:3 mixed tactics and speed very well. The new online modes of RS:BA, especially Canister, turned this game into run-and-gun crap, similar to CounterStrike.

-- Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow. The offline play was no different than the original SC, and online wasn't much fun. Knowledge of the maps was more important than tactical sense and gameplay execution. That's not what video games are all about.

-- IndyCar Series 2005. Putting this in the disappointment category is somewhat misleading because it's a very good game. But the online play -- the most touted addition to this year's game -- was an absolute mess. Bad connectivity, poor caution period AI, etc., etc.

-- EA Sports on Xbox Live. EA clearly doesn't give three sh*ts about Xbox Live play if its XBL interface is any indication. Just look at the clunky interfaces and connectivity problems with NASCAR 2005 and Burnout 3. Only four racers online in NASCAR 2005? A joke. No lobbies are kept intact after each race ends? A joke. No voice chat in race lobbies? A joke. EA Sports on Xbox Live? A joke.

-- XSN Sports. Microsoft had no clue about the power of EA Sports when it launched XSN Sports last year. It also didn't help that just about everything advertised about XSN, such as leagues, live stats, etc., didn't work for a decent chunk of the service's viable lifespan. So MS tucked its d*ck between its legs and scrapped XSN titles earlier this year. Don't believe the talk about a "hiatus." These titles aren't coming back, which is a shame because some were quite fun, such as Inside Drive, Links, Top Spin and Amped.

SLEEPERS

-- NASCAR 2005 Chase For The Cup. EA never has made a good NASCAR game until this year. NASCAR 2005 is a surprisingly fun mix of believable, yet somewhat arcadish physics and a very, very deep career mode. There are just a ton of things to do in this game, and they're all fun. I expected the usual NASCAR shovel-ware from EA and was stunned at how solid and how much fun this game is.

Take care,
PK