The 11 Biggest Frauds in Gaming

tysonxguitar

tysonxguitar

CAG Veteran
I was on digg.com(a social news site) and saw a story i thought the CAG community might enjoy...

The 11 Biggest Frauds in Gaming
http://www.crispygamer.com/features/2009-07-29/the-11-biggest-frauds-in-gaming.aspx
(Images of each item are shown on the site)

11. Wii MotionPlus attachment (2009)
Sure, it's better. But is it $20 worth of better? At this point, no. We've swung our way through three games that have been optimized for the Wii MotionPlus, including Wii Sports Resort, which was designed to show what the device can really do. Our highly scientific results: a few degrees shy of negligible.

 10. Gizmondo (2005)
This hideous $400 game-playing GPS device stands as one of gaming's all-time greatest piles of sh*t. Only eight of the 14 promised games for the unit were ever released. And by February of the following year, sales were so pathetic that it was mercifully taken out behind the virtual woodshed and shot to death.


9. Pac-Man on the Atari 2600 (1982)
This cartridge promised an experience that would approximate what we were paying 25 cents for at the time in arcades. We all thought, "No way!" What we eventually got was a blue-and-yellow maze populated with one ghost that appeared to split into four ghosts at various intervals, and a circular object -- i.e., the Pac-Man -- that was about as easy to control as a car with wheels that are made entirely out of banana peels and Vaseline.

8. The Phantom (2002)
The Phantom promised on-demand PC games not unlike what OnLive is promising to deliver. But it turned out to be an elaborate hoax; one that's rivaled, to this day, only by the inglorious Piltdown Man. Viva la Piltdown Man! Viva!

7. PSP Connect/rearview mirror capability for racing games (2007)
Sony promised that the PSP could someday be used with the PlayStation 3 as a rearview mirror in racing games. Formula One Championship Edition was actually slated to include this capability, but at the last second, it was axed. It seems someone at Sony realized, at the 11th hour, that this was a totally stupid, uninteresting, wasteful idea.

6. VMU "Games" (Dreamcast; 1999)
The little memory unit with the LCD screen certainly was nifty. (We still fondly recall the satisfying "click" it made when you popped it into the controller.) But the unit also purported to be a portable game-playing device. The idea was a good one. But the execution? Very bad. Terrible, even. These games are fun only if mowing the lawn or cracking walnuts absolutely delights you.

 5. Expansion Pak (Nintendo 64; 1999)
One of five different we-don't-need-no-stinking-C "Paks" from Nintendo (Rumble, Jumper, Controller and Transfer were the other four). The Expansion Pak plugged into the N64's memory expansion port and supposedly doubled the console's RAM storage. Only a couple of games -- Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64 are the two most prominent -- absolutely required it. But the Pak also supposedly enhanced a number of other games. Problem is, by "enhanced," Nintendo meant "no discernable difference whatsoever."

4. Mode 7 (Super Nintendo; 1991)
One of the big selling points of the Super Nintendo was its high-powered graphics chip that allowed -- hold onto your toupees, Dad -- MODE-7 EFFECTS. Every SNES game followed suit by featuring gratuitous, totally out-of-place look-at-me-I'm-rotating! moments. The quintessential example of Mode-7 abuse:

3. Game Boy Camera (1998)
The low-tech, low-fidelity digital camera was designed to give the game-playing device an adult functionality. Problem is, it remains among the crummiest cameras ever made. (Though it does seem to be the camera of choice for taking photographs of blobby, black-and-white things like UFOs and Loch Ness monsters.) A close second here: the Game Boy Printer, aka the crappiest printer ever made. And because we don't want our parting guests to go home empty-handed, here's a bit of trivia: The Game Boy Camera was used to take the pics that appear on the cover of Neil Young's "Silver & Gold" album. Woot.

2. PSP Go (2009)
Sony's answer to the iPhone isn't even on the market yet, and already it totally stinks like Gizmondo in here. (Someone open a window.) It looks and feels about as hip as watching a 40-year-old shop at Urban Outfitters.

1. Michael Pachter
The industry's poster-child pundit feeds his "analysis" to the media with the same blend of aggression and love that a mother wolf brings to breastfeeding her young. It must be nice to make a living from stating stuff like the PSP Go costs "too much." Eureka, sir. Eureka.
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how is Peter Molyneux not on the list? or gamecube broadband adapter?


Also how is Mode 7 a fraud? It might not be that great in Contra but it works fine in Star Fox, Mario Kart, and even RPGs like FF6.
 
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they should of added the Wii's initial investment:
$250- system??
$30-remote
$20-nunchuk
??- Additional game
??- SD card

The 360 & ps3 are much better investments!
 
This list should be on the list. Mode seven delivered exactly what it was supposed to: scaling and rotation. They forgot to mention that Zelda: Majora's Mask required the expansion pack (which was a great game). I could go on...
 
Nothing against you op, but I think the list is terrible.

Sure the gizmodo was a good call, but how can you fairly place the wii motion + (which has only been out a month) and the psp go (which isn't even out yet) on said list?
 
[quote name='ohboy10451']they should of added the Wii's initial investment:
$250- system??
$30-remote
$20-nunchuk
??- Additional game
??- SD card

The 360 & ps3 are much better investments![/QUOTE]

Don't forget a TV and electricity while you're at it.
 
[quote name='ohboy10451']they should of added the Wii's initial investment:
$250- system??
$30-remote
$20-nunchuk
??- Additional game
??- SD card

The 360 & ps3 are much better investments![/QUOTE]

This doesn't even make sense. The absolute base cost of the Nintendo Wii is $249.99. This gets you one remote, one nunchuck, and one game. Everything you could possibly need to start gaming. Before the bundles, the 360 and PS3 were $299 and $399, respectively, and did not include a game.

I could argue that the $199 XBox 360 Arcade is cheaper, but the onboard memory is enough to make you realize that you need a memory card and/or hard drive. All original XBox games and some XBox 360 games are completely incompatible unless there's a HD attached. At least Nintendo's console has enough memory to save a ton of games on it and did not discriminate against you if you didn't have extra memory. This console, anyway. ;)
 
[quote name='Scorch']some XBox 360 games are completely incompatible unless there's a HD attached.[/QUOTE]
This isn't actually true, is it?
 
[quote name='pete5883']This isn't actually true, is it?[/QUOTE]

I thought it was. At one point, I know COD4 displayed a "Hard Drive Required" label. You can see it on the bottom of this shot. Perhaps it has not happened yet, then, but it Microsoft definitely gave it the OK to make games that do require it, as reported here.
 
[quote name='62t']how is Peter Molyneux not on the list?[/QUOTE]
While I wouldn't call him a fraud he would have been a much better choice then the current #1 on that list.
 
[quote name='ninja dog']$250, gimped system in the guise of "futuristic DD only" (no umd)[/QUOTE]

Than why isn't the DSi on this list?
 
[quote name='gbpackers94']Than why isn't the DSi on this list?[/QUOTE]

Because you can still get hard copies of current gen software with the DSi.
You can't with the PSP Go.

EDIT: Plus the DS doesn't have the ability to get DSiWare games or use the camera. It adds functionality whereas the PSP Go seems like it takes it away.
 
[quote name='SuperPhillip']Because you can still get hard copies of current gen software with the DSi.
You can't with the PSP Go.

EDIT: Plus the DS doesn't have the ability to get DSiWare games or use the camera. It adds functionality whereas the PSP Go seems like it takes it away.[/QUOTE]

They took away the GBA slot.
 
Going from non-expansion pak Rogue Squadron to expansion pak Rogue Squadron was such a big leap I literally stopped in the middle of a conversation with my dad and said "wow, this looks good."

Mode 7 wasn't a fraud in the slightest. The author is on crack.

The Game Boy camera offered me hours of fun back in the late 90s. I even have the special gold Zelda edition.
 
[quote name='gbpackers94']They took away the GBA slot.[/QUOTE]

GBA are last gen games. Not current gen games.They didn't take away current gen (i.e. DS) games. With the PSP, they took away the ability to play hard copies of PSP games.
 
what about the virtua boy nintendo came up with that should have been included too as well as the phillips cd dealy. they should have also added reggie visami ( butchered his last name) to the list. that guy always had caca mouth when it came to what nintendo was doing. and hideo kojima and his explanation and defense about the greatness of the storyline in mgs2.
 
I'm surprised xbox live premium themes and gamer pics aren't on the list. Those MS points add up quick.

As for the Wii vs the 360 for which is the better investment? I've had more multiplayer games with the Wii with a broader range of ppl enjoying. My 360 is great too but generally the only multiplayer action it sees is Halo 3 and SF4.

Is the wii motion plus a fraud? *shrugs* Buy Wii Resort from TRU with your rewards card, get the $20 giftcard, get the 2nd Wii Motion Plus accessory with that card. Now you have 2 wii motion plus upgrades and a great party game.
 
Maybe they think it should have been with the Wii to begin with.
Then again the Wii would have cost much more then.

" Just an excuse to bash Nintendo, since they appear on the list 4 times."

That's just paranoia. It's not like someone on CAG wrote it.
 
[quote name='100xp']I'm surprised xbox live premium themes and gamer pics aren't on the list. Those MS points add up quick.

As for the Wii vs the 360 for which is the better investment? I've had more multiplayer games with the Wii with a broader range of ppl enjoying. My 360 is great too but generally the only multiplayer action it sees is Halo 3 and SF4.

Is the wii motion plus a fraud? *shrugs* Buy Wii Resort from TRU with your rewards card, get the $20 giftcard, get the 2nd Wii Motion Plus accessory with that card. Now you have 2 wii motion plus upgrades and a great party game.[/QUOTE]


dlc in general should be on there or rather the lack thereof of quality dlc or the pricing for some dlc and how some dlc should have been included in the actual game.
 
[quote name='Scorch']I thought it was. At one point, I know COD4 displayed a "Hard Drive Required" label. You can see it on the bottom of this shot. Perhaps it has not happened yet, then, but it Microsoft definitely gave it the OK to make games that do require it, as reported here.[/QUOTE]
You do realise that the report you link to is from '07, and it only addresses MMO games, and Microsoft's announcement was made somewhat mockingly (feel free to require the HD, but you'll be reducing the size of your audience).

The only "games" that require the HD are the DLC packs (Oblivion: GotY for example).
 
[quote name='Scorch']I thought it was. At one point, I know COD4 displayed a "Hard Drive Required" label. You can see it on the bottom of this shot. Perhaps it has not happened yet, then, but it Microsoft definitely gave it the OK to make games that do require it, as reported here.[/QUOTE]

Microsoft announced yesterday that it would soon allow developers of massively multiplayer online role-playing games to require hard-drive space when playing games on Xbox 360 despite the console maker's previous denial of such claims.
Click to expand...
So it seems they were only going to allow MMO makers to do it, and I don't think it ever actually happened.
 
LOL at Motion+ being one of gaming's all-time biggest frauds considering it's been out one month.

I've been a Tiger Woods Wii fan from the beginning and I can assure you the game is entirely different with Motion+. It works perfectly--the only thing you can't recreate is the position of the club at contact with the ball--something that no motion sensor will ever be able to replicate.

Also, Mode 7? Really? Not really sure how that's a "fraud" considering it was just a graphics engine.
 
[quote name='SuperPhillip']GBA are last gen games. Not current gen games.They didn't take away current gen (i.e. DS) games. With the PSP, they took away the ability to play hard copies of PSP games.[/QUOTE]

It's still nice to be able to store an extra game in the system if you want to play something else, so to me its a useful feature. The PSP Go is still a ripoff, doesn't it have an even smaller screen?
 
If we are talking about frauds how about the MMO that's selling point was it was supposed to give one if its users $1,000,000 for winning some kind of contest but then never did, or like half the 360's breaking, or it taking a class action lawsuit to get Sony to fix those defective ps2's or DLC in general.
 
Interesting topic, bad content. When I think "fraud" I don't think of things I simply don't like... I think of deceitful, boisterous claims that don't live up to the hype or just compeltely fail on what was promised, an endproduct that was not as advertised. "Target render" videos, Duke Nukem Forever, putting pictures from the Xbox 360 version of a game on the PS2 box(looking at you Just Cause), THAT'S more fraudulent to me than what I'm reading here. Mode 7 wasn't a fraud, it didn't leave any unfufilled promises or false claims... it was just a super swirly graphics maker, and that's all Nintendo really claimed it to be. People buying the GB camera knew exactly what they were getting too. Once again, not really fraud, just an incredibly dated piece of poo-poo.

One of those are totally agreeable though, the Phantom is the epitome of fraud("oh don't worry, it's coming EVENTUALLY, we're just gonna need a lil' bit more money to keep it going"). Generally though that list just seems like a poor rush job... I can't help but think they threw WMP and PSPGO on there just to get a bit of attention. If anything, the piece of upcoming hardware I'd be more inclined to believe might have been a complete dupe would be Project Natal. I'm not convinced we'll be having conversations with Milo as robust as that lovely british woman was.
 
how dare they talk smack about the expansion pack.. there was definitely a difference between games that used it. See Res Evil 2 and Quake
 
[quote name='Chuplayer']Going from non-expansion pak Rogue Squadron to expansion pak Rogue Squadron was such a big leap I literally stopped in the middle of a conversation with my dad and said "wow, this looks good."

Mode 7 wasn't a fraud in the slightest. The author is on crack.[/QUOTE]
Exactly what I wanted to post. I'll just add that F-Zero is one of the best games ever, and its graphics still look extremely stylish and attractive. Mode 7, at least in that game, was anything but a gimmick.
 
[quote name='gbpackers94']Than why isn't the DSi on this list?[/QUOTE]


the DSi is gimped too, but not that badly. the screens are bigger and you can still play DS games.

PSP Go owners are gonna be stuck paying full retail for their games. oh and Sony promises iphone-esqu apps for it. Which I'm sure will work great and be totally wonderful with a d-pad and no 3G network.
 
[quote name='SuperPhillip']Maybe they think it should have been with the Wii to begin with.
Then again the Wii would have cost much more then.

" Just an excuse to bash Nintendo, since they appear on the list 4 times."

That's just paranoia. It's not like someone on CAG wrote it.[/QUOTE]

When they talk about Mode 7 as being a fraud (which actually did something) and leave off Blast Processing (which was admitted to be a marketing gimmick); and Wii Motion + is on the list when it just came out, I stand by my statement that it feels like the person writing the list had an agenda.
 
I'm shocked that the famous Madden video that was CGI and they tried to pass off as representative of gameplay isn't up there.
 
That list is garbage. Not that I'm a Patchter fan, but he's at least entertaining with some of the things he says. It's not as if an analysist is some kind of psychic. To have him on the list just reeks of an axe to grind. Also, putting the expansion pack and the motion plus just seems petty. Calling this list "The 11 Biggest Frauds in Gaming" should be changed to "The 11 Things in Gaming I Feel Like Complaining About."
 
[quote name='lokizz']what about the virtua boy nintendo came up with that should have been included too as well as the phillips cd dealy. they should have also added reggie visami ( butchered his last name) to the list. that guy always had caca mouth when it came to what nintendo was doing. and hideo kojima and his explanation and defense about the greatness of the storyline in mgs2.[/QUOTE]


I hate that cocky Reggie Visami!!!1!:bomb::bomb::bomb::bomb::bomb:
 
[quote name='pete5883']So it seems they were only going to allow MMO makers to do it, and I don't think it ever actually happened.[/QUOTE]

gr.image.jpg


Import only but it did happen
 
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