I am not a lawyer, but I think a B game should meet at least one of these requirements, off the top of my head:
- a lack of advertising or other forms of marketing leading up to, and following, its release; indicating it's perhaps not a game that the publisher cared about as a top priority, or that it's a game being released by a relatively minor publisher such as Majesco, ASCII/Agetec, or others.
- the amount of money and time that went into the game's production--be it the presentation aspects like graphics, animation, and sound/voice acting; the tightness of the game's controls; or all of the above--seems comparatively low to other major titles of its time.
- gameplay that feels derivative of other titles that were popular at its time, as if it was made to cash in on the anticipation of another, similar title that had yet to be released. Total Overdose is a prime example of this. I'd argue that Star Wars TFU also counts.
- if not that, then experimental gameplay elements that make it hard to get into as a casual player; or gameplay with odd quirks that don't quite gel with the kind of game it's trying to be. Games by From Software (King's Field, Demon's Souls, and Armored Core) and Sandlot (EDF and RAD, arguably the latter moreso than the former) both come to mind; as does Capcom's God Hand. I'd say Namco's Xbox FPS Breakdown also fits this definition.
Log in to comment