Every year, a new line of video games for every console is released to different opinions and views. This year was no different, with releases such as the new Call Of Duty and an inspiring first person game from DICE.

5) Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
I was reluctant to put this on the list. Why? Because I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The gameplay was fun all the way through, and the story was awe-inspiring (the ending made me cry. No, I'm not even kidding. My eyes produced tears). I think what really dissapointed me about this game was the fact that after beating it, there's really no reason to go back and play it again. Believe me, I really want to, but the fact that there's no achievements for beating it on higher difficulties or anything else to unlock for that matter, I just am not motivated.

4) Call Of Duty: World At War
I really had high expectations for this game. I thought it would be awesome, dispite being in World War II again. I was wrong. The story was mediocore. You never became attached to any characters in the game. Remember when a main character in CoD4 died, and it was depressing? In this game, whenever a main character dies, you say to yourself "Oh, well.....too bad" and nothing else. Also, the multiplayer has it's share of flaws too, with retarded glitchers, the M1 Garands fire limit, the overpowered MP40, useless airstrikes, bullet resisting dogs, and other headache inducing problems.

3) Wii Sports
This year, I got my first chance to play around with the family at a huge family gathering. It was around Christmas time. I was not impressed. The only remotely fun activity Wii Sports had to offer was tennis. The boxing was incrediably unresponsive, the baseball was too reponsive (the pitcher would throw the ball if you moved your finger an inch before the previous play had even ended), and bowling was to easy (I watched my uncle get 7 strikes in a row. Literally.) All in all, Wii Sports was not fun for me.

2) Devil May Cry 4
For my birthday this year, my friend gave me his copy of DMC4 because he hated it. I can see why. I know a lot of people will probably argue with me on this, but DMC4 just isn't my taste. Mind you, I loved both God Of War 1 and 2. I thought I would like this, but no. The game is to arcady for me, the achievements are hard to get, and I just couldn't get any fun out of it. Maybe I'll try it again later, but still, I was disappointed in this game, much like my friend was.

NUMBER 1: MIRROR'S EDGE
Ahh, Mirror's Edge. One of the most inspiring and unique games of all time. Maybe if the game was longer, more exciting, a little easier (two bullets to the leg on easy difficulty should NOT kill you), and had some form of multiplayer, this could have been great. Also, this is by far the most frustrating game I have ever played. It's nothing but trial and error. Faith will constantly refuse to grab onto a ledge that she should have because you were an inch off. Really, DICE?

So, thus concludes my list. It is rather short, but then again, it is 11:47 P.M. and I'm tired. Peace.

Alright...posting to unlock from GD.

I completely agree with your choices. Especially Brothers in Arms. I cried too! But there really is no reason to go back, especially with the quality of the multiplayer.

Yeah, I tried the multiplayer but it was too buggy for my taste. Besides, all of the multiplayer achievements give you 0G, which I guess could be either good or bad.

DMC4 and ME are two of my favorite games this year...

I totally agree with Brothers in Arms and World at War but I don't agree with Mirror's Edge. I think we all expected way too much from this game pre-launch that the game could not have possibly lived up to our expectations. I agree that it can get a little boring when you are by yourself and it is a very frustrating game. However, this is one of the best games to play with friends that has come out in awhile. Passing around the controller in order to solve diffrent jumps and score better times adds so much to the game.

I didn't play DMC4 and didn't have any expectations from Wii Sports... Although it did not come out this year.

damn i totally forgot dmc4 came out this year....

i cant really think of anything but the one that stands out the most is

Metal Gear Solid 4 = it was one of the greatest game i've played this year and it had absolutely amazing set pieces, but unfortunately it was also the most disappointing because there was simply no way it ever could've lived up to my expectations and my own personal hype (in fact kojima could've tried a million times and i dont think he could've completely satisfied me or other fans either because he had just built such an amazing universe and so many loose ends that not everything couldve been wrapped up in a completely satisfying way). 

I think you are right about call of duty, there was nothing new in it really.
and Wii sports I definately agree with!

I think Mirrors Edge should be played on PC's, not consoles. DICE is really a PC developer at heart, and after playing both versions, I surprisingly liked the controls on the PC version better, and eased the controls.

I don't know... I enjoyed Mirror's Edge. I'm glad I rented before buying, though; I'm not one of those obsessive compulsive types that will try to get the fastest run out of everything, so its online modes didn't hold any joy for me. As I said, I rented before buying and completed the story in two days. Some may think that a really short story, but even towards the end of that sparse amount of time the gameplay started to get a little old, so it fit it just about perfectly. Was it a disappointment? Well, I won't lie, I was looking forward to free-running through an open world with a couple of buddies online (which is what I'd hoped the online would offer), but for what it was, I was pleased with Mirror's Edge. A little bit of a disappointment, but I don't agree with it being the biggest disappointment of 2008. I have my own choice as the number one stinker of '08, but for the sake of not sparking up some flames, I'll keep it to myself.

I wouldn't say I think that mirror's edge is the most disappointing thing this year, but the combat in the game is.

I had no problem with the trial and error platforming in the running sections, although I agree that any sequels maybe should work out something that keeps you from having to die over and over again.  I even liked the big scaffolding part near the end where you were just climbing to the top and trying to figure out the right way, it felt like a cool puzzle to me.

But, and this was only a few times in the game (but they were bad enough for me to remember), what made me give Mirror's Edge a "C" in my internal grading system was when they close you into a room with a bunch of enemies and force you to take them all out.
-The subway before you jump into the tracks for the first time.
-The mall where you have to jump onto the ceiling structure.
-The boat in the parking garages underneath.

There were a few others I think, but these stand out for me.  I beat the game in one day lol (I rented it and had nothing else to do that day) but probably 1/3rd of my playtime was just for rooms like these.  I didn't want to use the guns because it wasn't as fun and it felt like DICE wanted me to go through the game without using them, so I had to either punch out everyone or disarm them.  By the time I finished each section, I was going through the next running part all angry and frustrated and not having any fun.

If Mirror's Edge was all about evasion and getting away from enemies, and the levels were designed around being able to do that, rather than having fighting the only option, the game could have been really awesome.

I loved World at War,more than i liked 4 to be honest.I'd rather play a historical event than play in a fictional setting with fictional characters based on a real event.However,I myself have only played a few WW2 games in my time so it's still quite fresh for me.That being said,I'm looking forward to Modern Warfare 2 this year.And I agree with you on Mirror's Edge,i liked the running parts,but the jumping puzzles and the terrible story,at times made me want to take the disc out and break it.

World at war(though I didnt really find it that disappointing since I knew to have low expectations anyway), Mercs 2, Brothers in Arms, Stalker Clear Sky(I like a lot about this game, but the fact that the devs still had the same and some problems which seemed worse from the first Stalker carry over into their second game I just found very disappointing. It was still really good for the same reasons stalker was, but it could of been a lot better with less bugs), and DMC4 I guess I would say, since I thought it would be some decent fun but was pretty bland overall and just felt like a PS2 game, though a more honerable mention would be BF:Bad Company I'd say.

Even though disappointing, all those games a two years or a year earlier would of been blockbuster hits in terms of production values.

Except maybe Wii Sports, all those games were disappointing because the rest of the titles we get are so polished and so well done.

Spore

"Even though disappointing, all those games a two years or a year earlier would of been blockbuster hits in terms of production values.

Except maybe Wii Sports, all those games were disappointing because the rest of the titles we get are so polished and so well done."

Also another dissapointing game is Merc 2.
I mean I loved it, but it did not have a good enemy AI system and there is no other difficultys.

5) Gears of War 2- Seriously, Epic? You release a game with online issues (WTF is up with matchmaking?!!?!?!) after testing the grounds with Gears of War and Unreal Tournament 3 on the 360. You'd think you'd learn by now, a lot of people play your video games.

4) Rock Band 2- I just get bored whenever I play the game by myself. It's a personal problem...

3) Spore- Should have never had that much hype.

2) Call of Duty World At War- Why didn't they just release this as COD4 DLC? Thats what it basically is. So glad I only paid a dollar for it...

1) Super Smash Bros. Brawl- God this game bored me, they really needed to get the multiplayer right in this game...they didn't.

 

Give me a HELLS YEAH! for DMC4. Damn if you asked me what were my top most anticipated games of 08 at the beginning of the year, DMC4 would have been third only to GTAIV and MGS4. It isn't a bad game, but I had such high hopes for it, and it just stunk.

I was mildly looking forward to Mirror's Edge itself, however, while DMC is the my most disappointing game all year, ME is probably the flatout WORST game I have played ALL year. It's amazing how Ryan give it 3/5 stars, that game doesn't even deserve 2.

"5) Gears of War 2- Seriously, Epic? You release a game with online issues (WTF is up with matchmaking?!!?!?!) after testing the grounds with Gears of War and Unreal Tournament 3 on the 360. You'd think you'd learn by now, a lot of people play your video games.

4) Rock Band 2- I just get bored whenever I play the game by myself. It's a personal problem...

3) Spore- Should have never had that much hype.

2) Call of Duty World At War- Why didn't they just release this as COD4 DLC? Thats what it basically is. So glad I only paid a dollar for it...

1) Super Smash Bros. Brawl- God this game bored me, they really needed to get the multiplayer right in this game...they didn't.

 
"

I was only really disappointed by 2 games this year, Mirror's Edge and Fallout 3.

"I was only really disappointed by 2 games this year, Mirror's Edge and Fallout 3."

I still haven't played the new Brothers in Arms. I remember it selling for like $20 new during Black Friday, and I thought that was one heck of a deal. I'll probably rent it sometime down the line, I thought Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 was a truly remarkable war game. I still gotta get my hands on World at War too.

Wii Sports is really not much of a game. The truth is, it was basically a tech demo for what the Wii was capable of, and unfortunately, to this day it's still one of the best games on the console. I will agree that Tennis is the best game in Wii Sports, but man, even it has some problems. No option for singles? Bummer. Also, try playing the multiplayer. It's possible that shots can be hit wide enough that you have to swing at a ball you literally can't see because it's off the screen. That's totally lame. I still had my share of fun with it, though. It's definitely a pretty solid party game, but still could be so much better. Imagine if it had online play and leaderboards, and you actually did more than bat and pitch in Baseball. Unlockable rewards for getting medals would have been great too. As for Bowling... well, I'm not too good at it. I was pretty decent at first, but the more I played it, the worse I got... Also, I think Golf worked pretty well, but I never enjoyed it much. I'm not too big on golfing.

With Devil May Cry 4, man... I kinda hated that game. Mostly what killed it for me was the story and characters. It was all so cheesy and over the top, and if you ask me, in a real bad way too. It just went too far to the point where it was retarded to me. Also, I couldn't stand Nero, and you're right, the game had some tough achievements. I really gave up on it pretty quickly, though. I was just never feeling it.

I've only played the demo of Mirror's Edge, which I thought was pretty decent. I almost rented it tonight, but got something else instead. I still intend to give it a shot, hopefully I won't be as let down by it as you were.

"I still haven't played the new Brothers in Arms. I remember it selling for like $20 new during Black Friday, and I thought that was one heck of a deal. I'll probably rent it sometime down the line, I thought Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 was a truly remarkable war game. I still gotta get my hands on World at War too.

Wii Sports is really not much of a game. The truth is, it was basically a tech demo for what the Wii was capable of, and unfortunately, to this day it's still one of the best games on the console. I will agree that Tennis is the best game in Wii Sports, but man, even it has some problems. No option for singles? Bummer. Also, try playing the multiplayer. It's possible that shots can be hit wide enough that you have to swing at a ball you literally can't see because it's off the screen. That's totally lame. I still had my share of fun with it, though. It's definitely a pretty solid party game, but still could be so much better. Imagine if it had online play and leaderboards, and you actually did more than bat and pitch in Baseball. Unlockable rewards for getting medals would have been great too. As for Bowling... well, I'm not too good at it. I was pretty decent at first, but the more I played it, the worse I got... Also, I think Golf worked pretty well, but I never enjoyed it much. I'm not too big on golfing.

With Devil May Cry 4, man... I kinda hated that game. Mostly what killed it for me was the story and characters. It was all so cheesy and over the top, and if you ask me, in a real bad way too. It just went too far to the point where it was retarded to me. Also, I couldn't stand Nero, and you're right, the game had some tough achievements. I really gave up on it pretty quickly, though. I was just never feeling it.

I've only played the demo of Mirror's Edge, which I thought was pretty decent. I almost rented it tonight, but got something else instead. I still intend to give it a shot, hopefully I won't be as let down by it as you were."

"thabigred said:

"Even though disappointing, all those games a two years or a year earlier would of been blockbuster hits in terms of production values.

Except maybe Wii Sports, all those games were disappointing because the rest of the titles we get are so polished and so well done."

Not really, I think plenty of people in our industry are smart enough to call a game mediocre regardless of a difference of a few years. A few years ago now isn't a big deal, its not like the difference between 1997 and now or something."

I appreciate everyone sharing their opinions. Again, everything on this list is stuff that I have played. I've only played the demo for Mercs 2, and I've never even seen any gameplay for MGS4, let alone have I played it. Also, I realize that Wii Sports came out in 2007. The reason it's on the list because I played it in 2008.

Most disappointing game of '08?  That one's easy:

Fallout 3 is an amazing game, I guess it's all about what you like to play.

Sonic Chronicles.

That was NOT as good as any Mario RPG. NONE. Shame on Bioware.

 Most disappointing games for me were Alone in the dark and Far Cry 2 .

natetodamax said:

"
5) Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
I was reluctant to put this on the list. Why? Because I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The gameplay was fun all the way through, and the story was awe-inspiring (the ending made me cry. No, I'm not even kidding. My eyes produced tears). I think what really dissapointed me about this game was the fact that after beating it, there's really no reason to go back and play it again. Believe me, I really want to, but the fact that there's no achievements for beating it on higher difficulties or anything else to unlock for that matter, I just am not motivated.

Mirror's Edge is pretty much the only thing I agree with on this list.

Brothers in Arms - That's not a very good reason to find a game disappointing. I'd take quality over quantity every day. Even though Brothers in Arms didn't have much replay value, it was a great game. Sorry, I guess I don't need to play a game for 50 hours in order to enjoy it.

Call of Duty - If you expected Call of Duty, that's what you got. I know the story mode of Call of Duty 4 was a lot better but the multiplayer is pretty exactly the same but with a WWII skin. I don't really know what you expected.

Wii Sports - Not even close to coming out 2008. But even if it did, it's retarded to be disappointed in a game that comes free with the console.

Devil May Cry - See Call of Duty. It's Devil May Cry. If you expected DMC, you got it.

Wii Sports - Not even close to coming out 2008. But even if it did, it's retarded to be disappointed in a game that comes free with the console.

"

i found gta4 to be a  king sized disappointment

Gears of War 2 might very well be my choice for biggest disappointment.  I know everyone has been harping on the online issues, but the structure of the online multiplayer (the design decision to stray away from Gears 1's more casual lobby system) cemented my dislike in the Live component before I even had a chance to experience the myriad bugs.

The campaign was really good and the controls are a serious improvement, but I refuse to play online.  Sometimes, I just don't want to play ranked games with competitive strangers.  Gears of War felt very casual, and even if you didn't know anyone in the lobby in a player match, you could still chat with them and grow to enjoy their company.  That feature, however, is completely gone from the sequel. 

For shame.

- Gears 2: Despite not being as fond as everyone else for gear's one (although at first i was), the multiplayer just doesnt work
- Spore: A game everyone was expecting to be revolutionary and get consistent 10s.  I'd give it a 6.0
- Fracture: It a meh FPS

My picks are:

I haven't played any of the games in the OP. :(

Far Cry 2 is probably my most disappointing game. Complete waste of my sparse supply of money. I tried to play it through, but I could hardly stay awake. :(

Resistance 2.

Good list, good list.  I agree with a few of those.  Hell's highway, definitely disappointing.  WW2, that made it a hard sell.  If it had come out in 2006 then we can talk.  But after COD4, this game and CODW@W just didnt cut it.  I remember getting excited about hell's highway, back when it was announced as a launch or even close to launch game for the 360.  Then what happened.  Shit changed.  The graphics were subpar for today and the only thing that I loved was blowing people up, but thats it.  COD4 raised the bar too high, it wasnt just that a main character died, I loved all those british dudes, but that your fucking character, Jackson, and maybe even soap died.  It was a rare time, like in GTA4, that you get the job done but you are pretty fucked up at the end of it all.
Mirror's edge.  I have a hard time coming to terms with ideas that sound so fucking stupid its hard to play, but I gave Mirror's Edge a chance.  The play was kinda fun as long as I ignored the idea of these runners being the heroes.
Wii sports, great game, where the fuck have you been for the last two years?

The Force Unleash gave me the biggest let down this year. I disagree with Mirror's Edge though, and that adding multiplayer would automatically make it better, okay maybe instead of racing ghost you could race real people for multiplayer. Mirror's Edge is at least trying to do something new, and IMO, did it well enough to not be a huge disappointment.

Fallout 3 was  pretty dissapointing to me, it bored me as hell and it didn't have the depht I was expecting in a Fallout game. On the other hand The Witcher:EE was a RPG masterpiece and showed me how crappy Fallout 3 was (altough one is open world and the other is not), awesome story, gameplay, voiceacting and the decitions you make have a lot of impact in the world (blowing up Megaton or not is the only BIG decition you have in Fallout 3).

Alright, alright. The reasons that Wii Sports is on the list:
1) I know it didn't come out in 2008. 2008 is the year I played it for the first time.
2) I was exciting about playing the Wii, but now I'm not
3) I wasn't disappointed by too many games this year. This just happened to be one of those.