Talk:List of video games notable for negative reception

I think Concord should be put

even if the criticisms were towards the "woke" of the game. it can't be ignore the real criticisms of the game.but above all It cant be ignore the incredible failure of the game 5.77.75.192 (talk) 19:32, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

The game had middling average reception, not negative. The commercial failure is separate from that. -- ferret (talk) 20:31, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

Concord is already listed at List of commercial failures in video games. Mfko (talk) 18:07, 16 September 2024 (UTC)

All Movies Video games Tie-ins (Disney, Pixar, Universal, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. Paramount/Nickelodeon and Sony Pictures)

Help to add a Full All Movies Video games Tie-ins (Disney, Pixar, Universal, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. Paramount/Nickelodeon and Sony Pictures) list notable for negative reception? 178.214.255.93 (talk) 13:59, 22 September 2024 (UTC)

We have specifically said in the top that nearly all movie ties ins are considered shovelware, and thus not included on this list unless they have any exceptionally known bad qualities. No need for any additional section. Masem (t) 14:13, 22 September 2024 (UTC)

Write now a Full list of All Movies Video games Tie-ins (Disney, Pixar, Universal, DreamWorks, Warner Bros. Paramount/Nickelodeon and Sony Pictures) notable for negative reception! 178.214.255.93 (talk) 14:17, 22 September 2024 (UTC)

Redfall and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

I think these games can be added to this list, either now or in the future. What do you guys think?

(To see how I've rephrased the criteria are for this list, click here and please feel free to correct me on any errors.) Ss0jse (talk) 01:37, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

I think it would be preferred to see sources that say that the games have an aggregate review score below 50/100; that there were long-term quality issues with both games from players and reviewers or other game journalists; and that the negative reception of both games had an impact in some way on the video game industry, such as people getting laid off or fired in response. With sources, both games could be properly evaluated.

I don't see any major issues with your personal criteria at this time, though it should be clarified that licensed games are fine. The problem is specifically 'cheap cash-in games' in general. For example: Cory in the House for the Nintendo DS would be a cheap cash-in game. Superman 64 is a licensed game from the DC Animated Universe, but is on the list because it was not a cheap cash-in game. --Super Goku V (talk) 05:11, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

I've changed my list so that it now says, "With some exceptions, indie games don't count." Ss0jse (talk) 21:55, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Neither has demonstrated yet a really long tail related to being known as "bad" games, just games that didn't sell well, which is not the same thing. Masem (t) 11:53, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Anthem probably doesn't qualify, right? Ss0jse (talk) 21:57, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

More info about The Day Before devs

The devs for the Panned game The Day Before returns and asks for a "Second chance" under the banner Fntasic 2.0 with a Kickstarter game known as Factory Escape Xstronomy007 (talk) 22:06, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

"From now on, our development and marketing will be based on the principle of honesty." Ah, that is good as I had some concerns from last time. Anyways, not sure if there is anything to change in the article, but it is being covered by sources: VG247: The Day Before dev is back, this time with a Kickstarter - and nope, absolutely not, PCGamesN: The Day Before dev returns, reveals new game, asks for “a second chance”, Eurogamer: The Day Before developer returns with "Fntastic 2.0", and is asking for your money again, IGN: The Day Before Devs Seemingly Resurface and They're Asking for Your Money Again, GamesRadar+: 9 months after their not-MMO died and tanked their studio, The Day Before devs are "asking for a second chance" with a new crowdfunded game that's "free from embellishments", etc.

Any specific changes that you wish to suggest? --Super Goku V (talk) 22:41, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet

-It is by far the most divisive games of the series.

-Has the lowest critic and user scores of the series.

-Nintendo issued out refunds for the game which is uncommon for the company, especially for a series so large. Nintendo also issued an apology over the games low quality.

-Had a glitch which deleted save files which happened so often that it got an article and needed to be patched out.

-In order to fix its infamous performance issues, they had todepopulated the game.

-The Pokémon Company had to have "conversations" on how maintain the quality of games after the backlash. Cider621 (talk) 10:16, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

Having a metacritic of 72 is pretty much clear it will not be appropriate for this list. Players may have disliked it, but it certainly wasn't known as a bad game, just maybe the worst in the Pokemon series which is typically a highly rated game series. --Masem (t) 12:06, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

"Players may have disliked it-"

"-the worst in the Pokemon series-"

Forgive me for my confusion but, doesn't that literally mean plenty of people thought it was bad?

It may not fit the low score criteria, but it's reputation of low quality elsewhere (which has more articles than the ones I linked already) has to amount to something. (EX: A formal apology from Nintendo. & The Devs having discussions based on the games backlash.) Cider621 (talk) 22:03, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

Are we still going to talk about adding Scarlet and Violet to be on the list? Xstronomy007 (talk) 21:59, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

No, there's no staying point for adding it with moderately decent critical scores. Masem (t) 22:00, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Can we put Back to the Future 1989 NES and Pitfighter SNES on the Worst video games article?

To the Wikipedia staff and users, recently I've played Back to the Future 1989 on NES and I didn't like the game very much and was very angry at the unfair difficultly and the utter disappointed at the cheap ending, also I tried to play Pitfighter on SNES and I couldn't beat it and was frustrated. It's even featured on the Angry Video Game Nerd reviews. Is it possible to add both of these games on this Wikipedia article page? Here's the review link for Pit Fighter 1991 SNES review https://www.honestgamers.com/9388/snes/pitfighter/review.html

Also here's a link for the Back to the Future 1989 NES review https://www.classic-games.net/nes/back-to-the-future/

Let me know if we can accept both Back to the Future 1989 NES and Pitfighter 1991 SNES in this worst video games Wikipedia article because I think they are the worst Nintendo games of all time and deserve an honorable mention. CrosswalkX (talk) 14:06, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Just because you find the games bad doesn't mean they can be included. Pit Fighter doesn't show the critical scores as being that low to consider. And with BTTF, that's a licensed property game that we have already a statement that most licensed games are shovel ware. Now there might be an interesting case of considering LJM games as a whole as posdible inclusionn but I'd have to see if sourcing is there for that. Masem (t) 16:58, 10 October 2024 (UTC)

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor

Ss0jse (talk) 16:37, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

So many more games should be included.

There are dozens of games on Metacritic with user scores lower than many of the games on this page. For example "Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis", has a user score of 16% and a critic score of 26% (this is lower than some titles on this page already).

There are at least 20-30 that should be added.

And if we are talking about it being popular to talk badly about a game, then games like Starfield, Assassins Creed Shadows etc would take an incredible high position on that. 118.210.128.182 (talk) 19:46, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

We do not use user scores since those can be gamed (such through review bombing). And we need more than just low scores but a means that demonstrates they were known for having low scores. Masem (t) 20:08, 24 October 2024 (UTC)

Hoshi wo Miru Hito again

I asked for it before but nobody expect for one person answered it. This is a game known as being a legendary shitty game and is rather infamous in Japan. It got two fan remakes and a rerelase 33 years later, this would not have happened if nobody cared about the game

https://www.readonlymemo.com/hoshi-wo-miru-hito-english-translation-interview/ https://www.destructoid.com/hoshi-wo-miru-hito-on-famicom-is-the-ruthless-king-of-crap-mountain/ https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/05/33_years_later_japanese_famicom_rpg_hoshi_wo_miru_hito_is_being_rereleased_on_switch http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hoshi-wo-miru-hito/ 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:D12A:75:4279:99D6 (talk) 11:41, 31 October 2024 (UTC)

Even Wikipedia says the following

Reviewers noted the often confusing and highly difficult gameplay. Japanese gamers have dubbed it "Densetsu no Kusoge" (伝説のクソゲー, lit. '"Legendary Crappy Game'). 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:D12A:75:4279:99D6 (talk) 11:42, 31 October 2024 (UTC)

As a question, how does this game fit the inclusion criteria? --Super Goku V (talk) 10:05, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

Its quality having been acknowledged in relevant retrospectives and columns by reliable sources (i.e. being literally referred to as one of the "worst games ever" (either of all-time or within a specific category or genre).

Surely this meets this one? 80.198.18.220 (talk) 20:17, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

I am not immediately saying this game can't be on this list, but the sourcing is not also great, that I've seen. It makes sense to include what's become known as the prime example of the kusoge aspect, but I would really want more quality sources towards that. Masem (t) 13:29, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

Have you checked the sources for the game name in JP?

星をみるひと,

and (伝説のクソゲー plus 星をみるひと together? 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:24F4:4A63:8057:1C4F (talk) 13:43, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

The Mortal Kombat games

TL;DR proposing to remove Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.

On a narrow and fairly exclusive list, it's a surprise there's three Mortal Kombat games in five years in the list. Clearly reviewers didn't think these games were very good during this era of the franchise and it was not a good time for all involved. Does that make them eligible for an article about games notable for negative reception? Or is that a bit excessive? Let's look at the articles against the inclusion criteria:

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

• Poor reviews? N GameRankings scores are borderline: 53% (PS) and 45% (N64) both only from 5 reviews. The article cites praise for the PS version and 50%+ reviews, including reliable ones from EGM and GameSpot. I'd say that's quite a stretch to include this one unless there's a good reason. Unfortunately, as seen below...
• Considered one of the worst of all time? N No source provided calls the game the worst of all-time, although there is a few good sources for poor retrospective reception. Closest is an article about how it's one of the worst Mortal Kombat games of all time and another for it having one of the worst cutscenes. I'd say it clearly falls short.
• Franchise impact? ? IGN discusses that Midway did cancel a planned series with the concept, but the article also notes that it was "successful enough" and sold a million copies in spite of its poor reception, so it's not really supporting any inference that this game alone turned any fortunes in the franchise, only that one can infer that it started a downward trend in quality.

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces

• Poor reviews? Y Metacritic cites 7 reviews averaging 28%, and there's ten reviews all under 50%. Pretty cut and dry that this received terrible reviews.

• Considered one of the worst of all time? ? Yes, only by one GamesRadar+ all-time list in 2013. Otherwise not corroborated. The GameFront and other GamesRadar+ article are about its series performance.

• Franchise impact? Y Sort of but poorly cited. The sources illustrate it had a troubled development, poor feedback at E3, cut ports, and staff exits. There are unsourced statements that the game was rushed and that Midway put the series on hold for a while due to the poor performance of the game. That seems dubious as Deadly Alliance was already under development and came out two years later, closer than the 1997 release of Mythologies.

Mortal Kombat Advance

• Poor reviews? Y Metacritic average of 33% for 16 reviews. Pretty clear consensus.

• Considered one of the worst of all time? Y Yes, worst for the GBA by GameSpot and TheGamer, and worst of all-time by GamesRadar+. Easy three strikes, so no need to focus on other citations calling it one of the worst Mortal Kombat games.

• Franchise impact? N No real commentary on that. Virtucraft seems like they made GBA shovelware and this didn't stop them. The Retro Gamer commentary isn't adding any analysis when examining the original article, just calling it "utter garbage" compared to competitors.

ＶＲＸＣＥＳ (talk) 07:00, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

If MKAdvance is known to be shovelware, rather than a wholesome attempt at a GBA port, that's likely not reason to include it, as shovelware, by default is assumed to be bad. Special Forces may have reasons to be on here but you absolutely need strong sourcing on the last point about the series being put on hold due to it. Masem (t) 13:16, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

I think that's the gist - there's not strong sourcing for why these games are meant to be the worst of all time other than the few citations otherwise stated. I think it's definitely come from the context of being well-documented that these were bad Mortal Kombat games, but somewhere the wires got crossed as far as whether they are notoriously bad games in their own right in the same way Big Rigs or Gollum is. Plenty of bad games dash the hopes of publishers to follow up a direct sequel. Midway followed it up with another spinoff in a few years anuway. ＶＲＸＣＥＳ (talk) 06:57, 5 November 2024 (UTC)

007 Legends

A lot of under 50% reviews https://www.metacritic.com/game/007-legends/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360 and the IP Shovelware argument dont apply here because James Bond is known for having a lot of good and great games (GoldenEye is on the games considered the best list) 007 Legends legacy is known as the last Bond game in a decade and it was a good reason why Eurocom dont exist anymore. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:24F4:4A63:8057:1C4F (talk) 15:31, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

This looks like fair game based on the details at the game article. Will look to add this later. — Masem (t) 15:39, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

The fact that it killed a studio and a lot of sub 50 reviews means it meets two critias. This game also killed the Bond video games for a decade (not sure if it was the quality of the game or the fact that nobody wanted to make a new Bond game after 007 Legends, but the fact of the matter is that Bond games dont exist after 007 Legends even if one is worked on now) You might say that this is an IP game, but people actually expect a way better game from a Bond game as Bond games after GoldenEye have good reviews. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:24F4:4A63:8057:1C4F (talk) 16:02, 4 November 2024 (UTC)

Should Devil May Cry 2 be added?

It is a game from a popular IP that have got an insane number of negative reception online. But the problem is that it do have over 50% in the reviews, but it is not exactly hard to find negative reception online for this game. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:6943:B067:1C00:3E45 (talk) 18:45, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

I don't see any indicatation that's it's a notable poor game, just a low point in the DMC series but still successful. Not the type of game for this list — Masem (t) 18:48, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout

This game passes the first critia Having low review scores; a game with an aggregate review score below 50/100, as determined by at least 10 critic reviews is generally considered eligible but not guaranteed a spot on the list.

https://www.mobygames.com/game/3626/dragon-ball-gt-final-bout/reviews/

It was the first Dragon Ball game in NA. I dont know if this acticle meets WP:RS but if it does thats the legacy of this game. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/01/feature_dragon_ball_final_bout_-_the_worst_fighting_game_with_the_best_opening_movie 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:6943:B067:1C00:3E45 (talk) 18:52, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

I am not really seeing this having aong tail to be known for being a bad game, coupled with being a tie in game which are generally discounted as being shovel ware. — Masem (t) 19:00, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

Dragon Ball have so many games and a lot of them are good or even great. FighterZ is known to be amazing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball_FighterZ#Reception 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:6943:B067:1C00:3E45 (talk) 19:17, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

https://www.mobygames.com/game/3626/dragon-ball-gt-final-bout/reviews/

11 out of the 13 reviews are under 50%

Having low review scores; a game with an aggregate review score below 50/100, as determined by at least 10 critic reviews is generally considered eligible but not guaranteed a spot on the list.

And the counter argument to this being an IP game is that Dragon Ball was insanely huge (still very huge) in NA at the time. And unless you count the weird Dragon Power NES game, this was the first DB game for NA.

Maybe combine this with Ultimate Battle 22 a similar game that got very negative reviews. https://www.metacritic.com/game/dragon-ball-z-ultimate-battle-22/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation

Not that the prequel to Ultimate Battle 22 got very positive reviews https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z:_Super_But%C5%8Dden 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:6943:B067:1C00:3E45 (talk) 19:26, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

Keep on mind we are not just looking at the Metacrituc score, there needs to be some significant legacy or impact related to the game having a negative reception. Best I can from these, they are just considered low points in the DBZ series, but had no impact if how the series continued or it's developers. — Masem (t) 19:41, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

the use of "it's" as the possessive form of "it" hurts me on a spiritual level. that aside, from some quick looking, it seems this is only another speck in the pile of bad dragon ball games, so... meh. it's at worst sloshing around with crash bash and sister location in the "this game exists, right?" limbo cogsan _{(nag me) (stalk me)} 20:46, 6 November 2024 (UTC)

It is a lot closer to Crash Boom Bang in quality than Crash Bash. I am surprised that game is also not on the list, but i guess too few people cared to review it or something? 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:743A:F9E5:87F2:9A3 (talk) 09:21, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

yes, but in terms of reception, as opposed to actual quality cogsan _{(nag me) (stalk me)} 12:31, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

Are bootlegs notable?

There are nothing about bootlegs above so i wonder if bootlegs are notable or not. Games i am thinking about are stuff like the Telefang bootlegs like Pokemon Diamond and Jade and stuff like 7 Grand Dad. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:743A:F9E5:87F2:9A3 (talk) 09:20, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

nothing says they can't be covered enough to warrant articles or entries in other articles, but they're generally not. 7 gram dab is the closest to an exception, but even then, its popularity begins and ends at vinesauce and siivagunner, which aren't really that widely covered in the first place

diamond and jade have absolutely no chance though, not even the coincidence with the actual pokémon diamond can save them from the "jontron mentioned it once and that's it" limbo cogsan _{(nag me) (stalk me)} 12:36, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

I think Jade and Diamond (i consider them one game) are one of the most wellknown bootlegs released. There are actually quiet a few articles on those games. But while not too little to be added in the Telefang article, it seems to be too little for this list

https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-diamond-jade-bootleg-games/

https://kotaku.com/actually-piracy-can-be-pretty-hilarious-5011696

I cant verify this info, but i believe the bootlegs are the main reasons why Telefang is not totally unknown outside Japan to begin with.

There is also Somari, this game have its own Wikipedia article but i dont know if it meets this list. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:743A:F9E5:87F2:9A3 (talk) 13:31, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

Keyword on this list is "notable", we don't want very obscure games, which I think bootlegs immediately fall under. Also, that would likely fall under why we don't include indie games, because bootleg developers are typically not professionals, and thus there's no expectation of a quality product. Masem (t) 13:36, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

A few of them do have Wikipedia articles, so they at least meets the Wikipedia Notablity guideline. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:743A:F9E5:87F2:9A3 (talk) 14:34, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

even then, to warrant a spot here, they'd have to be widely known specifically for that negative reception. somari is non-functional garbage, but it's not known for that. it's known for the fact that it was sonic things and mario things slapped together on the famicom. even with the coverage it has, it would probably fail the sigcov-related criteria for inclusion here cogsan _{(nag me) (stalk me)} 16:18, 7 November 2024 (UTC)

Just want to concur with the very well-put point above: this article is for things known for their bad reception - not any perceived bad-ness. ＶＲＸＣＥＳ (talk) 02:29, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

Evony

This is a game with a lot of negative reception from several places. Does it deserve a place here? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evony 80.198.18.220 (talk) 09:11, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

To list Cogsan argument above. Evony is mostly known for that negative reception. So that part is covered i think. 80.198.18.220 (talk) 09:13, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

We specifically ignore mobile games, as the bulk of these are known to be bad. Masem (t) 12:45, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

It is a browser game. The mobile game is a sequel to the browser game. The negative reviews and what Evony is known for is the browser game. 80.198.18.220 (talk) 14:29, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

To add to that. Evony Age 1 is a browser game. Evony Age 2 is a standalone sequel to Age 1, that game is also a browser game. Evony The Kings Return is a mobile game released many years after Age 1 and 2 and is the 3rd Evony game released. 80.198.18.220 (talk) 14:31, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Evony was called "the world's most despised game" by The Guardian. That actually helps a lot with the reason why i want it to be added to begin with. 80.198.18.220 (talk) 14:33, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Forgot citation https://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2009/jul/15/games-evony-spam-internet

This makes Evony a game that is notable for negative reception in my opinion. 80.198.18.220 (talk) 14:34, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Evony definitely has a certain notoriety but its still a mobile game. Further, while its reputation is around how spammy its ads are and use of sexual attraction to draw users, that doesn't necessarily mean its a "bad game" as we'd normally associate with that term. Masem (t) 15:00, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Age 1 and 2 is a browser game. The Mobile game came out far later. The pay2win elements and the lawsuits are also notable.

I checked if it was on this list and it should at the very least be on that list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_controversial_video_games 80.198.18.220 (talk) 15:27, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Forgot to add the plagarism is also notable by itself. As well as Ucool history (the devs of Evony) that is cited in the Evony article. The Wikipedia article for Evony is even in the obscenity controversies on the buttom. There are to me no doubt that it should be in the controversial games list. I am not sure about this list, but in the littial sense Evony is a video game notable for negative reception. 80.198.18.220 (talk) 15:59, 10 November 2024 (UTC)

Should there be a list for video game consoles notable for negative reception?

I think there are enough content for such a list. You can list stuff like the Virtual Boy, N-gage, R-Zone and maybe even the Xbox 360. 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:6DB8:F5CB:FC2F:A469 (talk) 18:06, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

No, those that are notable for bad reception match those that were commercial failures. While the Xbox 360 had a host of problems, it certainly wasn't known for being a bad cpnsole — Masem (t) 18:21, 11 November 2024 (UTC)

The actual console itself is mostly known for stuff like the RRoD. I am not talking about the games like Halo/Gears but the actual console. The RRoD is the most wellknown tecnical issue for any console to this day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problems 2A13:8A02:11F3:F700:7501:D61E:B23:D8E (talk) 01:27, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

Having well known technical issues doesn't make it a negatively-reviewed console. Xbox 360 still was known as a great console overall by critics. --Masem (t) 02:13, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

An idea to handle categories of games

If we add a section to discuss broad catagories of games typically associate with negative reception, this is a means of addressing known classes of bad games, which would include mobile games (like Evony), kasoge, shovelware, among others. — Masem (t) 20:29, 11 November 2024 (UTC)