Video games notable for negative reception
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Some video games have been well-known for negative reception for various reasons, such as complaints about gameplay, graphics, or other elements. Some of these games have also been additionally labelled by gaming publications as "the worst game ever made". The following is a list of video games which have had a history of negative reception from video gaming publications and by players (in factors such as sales and community reaction).

1980s

1981

Pac-Man (Atari 2600)

(1981; Atari 2600)

• Listed as #5 worst game of all time by PC World,¹ Electronic Gaming Monthly,² and Michael Dolan, editor of FHM magazine.³
• The game is commonly cited as one of the main causes of the Video game crash of 1983.
• The quality of the game was highly criticized. Many gamers lost loyalty to Atari and returned Pac-Man to stores.
• There were more Pac-Man cartridges built (12 million) than consoles owned (10 million).
• Upon realizing that the 1981 holiday season was just around the corner, Atari based the marketed game on an unfinished prototype shown by Tod Frye, one of Atari's leading programmers.

1982

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

(1982; Atari 2600)

• Listed as the worst game of all time by PC World,¹ Electronic Gaming Monthly,² and Michael Dolan, editor of FHM magazine.³
• Infamous for the Atari video game burial, in which Atari dumped truckloads of E.T. cartridges into a landfill in New Mexico after they failed to sell.⁴
• The game is commonly cited as one of the main causes of the Video game crash of 1983.
• Ranked as the second worst movie game on the "Top Ten Worst Movie Games" (losing only to Charlie's Angels) by Gametrailers⁵.
• This game was rushed in order to be in time for the approaching 1982 Christmas season, because Atari had about five weeks to manufacture and market the cartridges.
• It was ranked #2 Worst on "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time" losing only to Superman 64.⁶

Custer's Revenge

(1982; Atari 2600)

• Features a crude simulation of an apparent rape of a Native American woman named Revenge,⁷ and has been called one of the most violent games of all time.⁸
• Listed as the most shameful game of all time by GameSpy,⁷ as the third-worst game of all time by PC World,¹ and GameTrailers⁶ and as the ninth-worst game by Seanbaby in Electronic Gaming Monthly.⁹
• Named the third-naughtiest game of all time by Seanbaby.¹⁰
• It was declared #3 Worst on "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time." On it, Geoff Keighley said, "It pissed me off as a gamer to see a game like that because... those kinds of games give the industry a bad reputation."⁶

1984

The Great Space Race

(1984; ZX Spectrum)

• The hotly anticipated follow-up to Legend's popular and influential graphic adventure Valhalla. Pre-release publicity boasted that the game contained "technical effects never before seen in home computer software", with "true solid 3D graphics".¹¹ The game was actually coded largely in BASIC,¹² and received universally negative reviews.
• Described by Sinclair User as "one of the most vacuous products we have seen."¹³
• In the words of Big K magazine, "Graphics are great - by 1982 standards. In 1985 they look amateurish and unprofessional".¹⁴

1990s

1993

International Rugby Challenge (Amiga)

(1994; Commodore Amiga)

• Amiga Power gave the game 2%, with reviewer Stuart Campbell calling it "the worst video game I've seen since I started with Pong in 1977 or thereabouts", condemning its "awful, awful flaws" and stating that its awfulness "beggars belief". It also received low scores from Amiga Format (16%), Amiga Action (39%) and The One Amiga (37%).

1994

Shaq Fu

(1994; Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Amiga)¹⁵ (1995; Game Boy, Sega Game Gear)

• The game featured professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal as a playable character and included a single from one of his hip-hop albums.
• Listed as the worst game of all time by Netjak¹⁶ and was rated as the worst fighting game of all time by GameTrailers.¹⁷
• Shaqfu.com is dedicated to destroying every copy of Shaq Fu by buying the game from anyone who owns it.
• It is ranked #4 Worst on "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time."⁶

1995

Waterworld

(1995; Virtual Boy)

• Waterworld is widely regarded as the worst Virtual Boy game out of the 22 games released in its short life. It is the lowest reviewed game at Planet Virtual Boy¹⁸ and has the lowest reader review average at sites such as GameFAQs.¹⁹

• Steven L. Kent, author of The Ultimate History of Video Games and The Making of Doom 3, selected it as his choice for worst video game of all time.²⁰

1997

Spawn: The Eternal

(1997; PlayStation)

• Described by IGN as "One of the best licenses ever has been turned into one of the worst games ever, To begin with, it's as ugly as the backside of a male dog with explosive diarrhea." and "It's a disappointing game that sullies the fine Spawn name."²¹
• Received a 1.8/10 rating from GameSpot, who wrote that "Spawn the Eternal is one of the worst games ever to shame the PlayStation with its presence." ²²

1998

Extreme Paintbrawl

(1998; PC)

• GameSpot gave it a 1.7 / 10 ²³
• IGN gave it a 0.7 / 10 ²⁴, the second game in the website's history to receive lower than a one, (losing out only to Olympic Hockey Nagano '98).

1999

Superman 64

(1999; Nintendo 64)²⁵

• Listed as the worst game of all time by GameTrailers⁶, the worst game on a Nintendo platform by Nintendo Power²⁶, and as the worst comic book video game adaptation in history by GameSpy.²⁷
• Critics were overwhelmingly negative in reviews, with Joe Fielder of GameSpot writing, "This is easily the worst game I've ever played,"²⁸ and other sites such as IGN²⁹ and Game Revolution³⁰ panning the game for its atrocious set-up, gameplay, and graphics.
• Seanbaby said, "Superman looks like a flying log in panties and everything is covered in a dull green fog."
• When it was number one on "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time," the announcer said that it "goes back to stores faster than a speeding bullet."⁶

2000s

2001

Kabuki Warriors

(2001; Xbox)

• Received the lowest review score in the history of Edge Magazine.³¹
• Game Informer wrote of the game, "... I literally won a match just bashing the controller against my ass."³²
• It received a 32/100 from metacritic based on 15 reviews.³³
• It has an average score of 35% according to Game Rankings.³⁴

2003

Batman: Dark Tomorrow

(2003; Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube)

• The Gamecube version is the second worst reviewed game on Gamerankings with 27% (right behind Charlie's Angels)³⁵.
• Metacritic rated both game versions as the 3rd worst reviewed game on both platforms. The Gamecube version has a 29/100³⁶ and the Xbox version a 25/100³⁷.
• With an average score of 1.5/10 by Electronic Gaming Monthly , it became the first game to garner the "Shame of the Month" award.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Battle 22

(2003; Playstation)

• GameSpot gave it a 1.2/10, calling it a "really, really terrible game."
• X-Play said it was "a waste of time and money."
• Official PlayStation Magazine gave it a 1/5, the second lowest score possible.
• Electronic Gaming Monthly said that "someone crapped in a jewel case and passed it off as a game."
• Overall, it has a 32% on Game Rankings³⁸, while it has an average of 25/100 from metacritic, based on 9 game reviews³⁹

Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis

(2003; GameCube, Xbox)⁴⁰

• Named as one of the worst games of all time by X-Play, it was the inspiration for X-Play's annual award for the worst game of the year, "The Golden Mullet", a reference to the hairstyle Aquaman features in the game.⁴¹
• The Xbox version received a 26/100 while the GameCube version received a 27/100 from metacritic.⁴²

Drake of the 99 Dragons

(2003; PC, Xbox)

• GameSpot described it as "an out-and-out failure in every single discernible category."⁴³
• IGN said "There's no need to rent, purchase or entertain the thought of playing this one."⁴⁴

Charlie's Angels

(2003; PlayStation 2, GameCube)

• The game has a rating of 23 on Metacritic, making it one of the lowest-rated games on the site.⁴⁵
• Game Informer said "This game is nothing short of an embarrassment."⁴⁶
• GameSpot called it a "horrific display of ineptitude."⁴⁷
• On GameRankings, Charlie's Angels received a 23%, with 24 reviews.⁴⁸
• The game was ranked #1 on Gametrailers' Top 10 Worst Movie Games of all time.⁴⁹.

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing

(2003; PC)⁵⁰

• Listed as the worst game ever made by reviews at GameSpot⁵¹, Thunderbolt⁵², and Netjak⁵³.
• Gamespot began the review with "Just how bad is Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing? It's as bad as your mind allows you to comprehend.⁵¹
• It is one of the lowest-rated games on Metacritic, with an average rating of 8 out of 100.⁵⁴
• It is one of the lowest-rated games on Game Rankings with an average rating of 4%.⁵⁵
• Big Rigs sold well despite negative reviews.⁵⁶

Gods and Generals

(2003; PC)

• Won "Flat-Out Worst Game" in GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2003.⁵⁷
• GameSpot gave it a 1.2 said that "It's difficult to imagine that Gods and Generals could be much worse than it is."⁵⁸
• It has a Metacritic rating of 19.⁵⁹

MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch

(2003; PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox)

• GameSpot described it as "a mess from top to bottom."⁶⁰
• GameSpy said "It's rare to find a title that is so inadequately presented and so fundamentally flawed."⁶¹

2005

Elf Bowling 1 & 2

(2005; Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS)

• Described by GameSpot as "completely devoid of gameplay, fun, and flair."⁶²
• IGN gave it a 1.0 and described it as "two of the crappiest games ever developed on the Nintendo DS platform."⁶³
• It is the second lowest-rated game rated on Metacritic, with a rating of 12. ⁶⁴

2006

American McGee presents: Bad Day L.A.

(2006; PC, Xbox)

• 1UP.com said "Bad Day L.A. may be the worst PC game to stumble drunkenly onto the scene in years."⁶⁵
• IGN said "There's little redeeming about a title that originally held such promise."⁶⁶
• The game has a 28/100 based on 24 reviewers according to metacritic.⁶⁷

Bomberman: Act Zero

(2006; Xbox 360)

• Metacritic gave it a 34 and is the 3rd worst Xbox 360 title.⁶⁸
• The game won the 2006 Flat-Out Worst Game by Gamespot⁶⁹
• With 33% from 56 reviews, Bomberman: Act Zero is the 6th lowest rated game on Gamerankings.⁷⁰

2007

Anubis II

(2007; PC, PlayStation 2, Wii)

• GameSpot gave it a 1.5 and described it as "one of the worst games ever created and fundamentally broken."⁷¹
• It has a Metacritic rating of 19.⁷²

2008

Jumper: Griffin's Story

(2008; PlayStation 2, Wii, Xbox 360)

• Game Informer gave the game a 1.75/10 with reviewer Andrew Reiner saying that "all the truck drivers out there who are transporting copies of Jumper: Griffin's Story to retail, please redirect your shipments to Alamogordo, New Mexico. You'll know you are in the right location when you see thousands of E.T. cartridges moving out of the way to make room for your shipment."⁷³.
• Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 version of Jumper: Griffin's Story a 29/100 and is the second worst reviewed game on the platform⁷⁴.

See also

• List of best-selling video games
• List of commercial failures in video gaming

References