The Baddest Games We Like.
By Hailinel 75 Comments
Let the Rambling Begin
As much as we like to pride ourselves in our tastes, whether they skew toward critical darlings, big budget blockbusters, indie hits, or cult favorites, we probably all have at least one thing in common. Those games that we know are bad, the ones that are actually pretty terrible, but for some reason, we like them anyway, no matter how silly the reason may be. They might even frustrate and annoy us in significant ways that a more competently designed game would easily avoid. Maybe good money was paid for them; maybe they were played for all of one time at a party and were never touched again.Why am I thinking about this now? Earlier today, I, on a whim, made my first ever purchase on Play-Asia. It was for a soundtrack. The game? Castlevania Judgment.
Actually, the whole reason I even bought the game to begin with dates back to a ridiculous online argument that started in early 2008 in another forum. The moment the game was announced and the first trailer came out, dudes starting shitting on it as an imminent failure. Now, while they ultimately proved to be right, the attitude that they took, which basically amounted to shitting on the game for sport without any detailed knowledge of it whatsoever, was a poor way to go about things. It's not an attitude that I typically endorse when new games are just announced. (Unless it's a Sonic game, but that's really a category of tragedy on another level.) So after this led to a debate that quickly turned into an absurd, heated argument, I put a cap on it by stating that "Hey, screw you guys. I'll buy it at full price and give it an honest shot." Even if they were to prove right in the end, I figured I'd at least take the high road by actually playing the game before condemning it. Hell, I even preordered the game at Gamestop. I may be the only person in North America to have actually done so.
I have no regrets.
So yes, it's a bad game. You could probably tell that from the Quick Look, one of the first of such videos that Giant Bomb produced, back when they were more fifteen minute jokes than they were anything actually informative. That being said, I gave it a fair shot (some would probably argue fairer than the game really deserves) and was left wanting. However, I also came away with a strange sense that this game wasn't a total train wreck. There are some actually good ideas in the game, even if the overall poor design prevents any of them from really shining. It's hard for me to not look at it and think that maybe, with another year or so in development, Konami could have really had something special. Such is my bizarre fascination with Castlevania Judgment.
But all that being said, the soundtrack is actually pretty kickass.
Also, yes I like the insane character designs in this game. Sue me.
Fifteen Minutes of Pleasure with a Game No One Likes
Remember State of Emergency? That Rockstar game about causing riots and mass mayhem that actually turned out to be a mediocre title that utterly failed to live up to the hype? If you were playing games at all during the age of Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, you probably do. Do you remember the sequel? Probably not.
College is, if nothing else, incredibly stressful. In those fifteen minutes, State of Emergency proved to be, if nothing else, a bringer of immense catharsis. No other game has actually made me laugh with glee while delivering such wanton violence upon innocents. I think I may have freaked out the person sitting next to me at the time. It's hard to recall. Regardless, it was a hell of a fun time and exactly what I needed at that moment. And, the next time I was offered the controller, I politely declined. Those fifteen minutes were all I would ever want or need out of State of Emergency. I can't honestly say that I hate the game, but I could honestly go the rest of my life without playing another second of it.