Most Disappointing Game of the Year
Winner: Starfleet Academy
"Starfleet Academy looks and plays no better than space combat games from two years ago - and when expectations are as high as they were for this game, that's not gonna cut it." - Chris Gregson, GameSpot Review
Developer: Interplay Productions
Publisher: Interplay Productions
Review and Demo |
You'd think Star Trek fans would get the picture eventually and realize that games based on the franchise turn out to be duds more often than not. But Interplay's Starfleet Academy, more so than any other Star Trek title, sounded like it would be a real winner. Imagine taking command of a Federation capital ship, ordering your crew in the face of danger, and steering the all-powerful but hopelessly delicate starship to victory. You can imagine why Star Trek fans got all riled up over this one.
Alas, Starfleet Academy turned out to be little more than Wing Commander in a cheap Star Trek costume. Enormous capital ships handle mysteriously akin to one-man fighter craft from other games. The distinctive phaser beams from the television series are presented instead as bolts of energy. Worst of all, you have to do all the work, as your bridge crew sits idly by. Starfleet Academy is the classic case of developers utterly missing the point of what their fans want to see: a simulation of grueling, intense capital ship warfare and bridge crew management. What we got was just another half-baked space flight simulator. Maybe next time.
Runner-up: Blade Runner
"If this game were a replicant, I'd blow it away too. Well, in all fairness it isn't terrible, it's just terrible compared to what I was expecting." - Craig Sadler, GameSpot Player Review
After bagging one of the choicest film licenses ever, Westwood immediately began generating claims about how the finished product would turn out. But those claims of unmatched replay value and real-time adventure gameplay came up empty when the finished product hit the shelves. Indeed, Blade Runner's replay value comes only at the cost of its painfully short quest; you can win the game from start to finish in about three hours. And its so-called real-time gameplay amounts to nothing more than your character walking across the screen in real time, an "innovation" which has existed in adventure games for well over a decade.
To top it off, Blade Runner's plot is little more than a rehash of the film, the voice acting is weak, and the game demands no puzzle solving whatsoever. If you really want more Blade Runner, fans agree that you're better off just watching the movie again.
Special Mention: Ultima Online
"When you buy this game you are paying for the 'privilege' of being a beta tester." - David Pemberton, GameSpot Player Review
There's no question that Ultima Online is one of the most ambitious games ever conceived. There's also no question that it failed to fulfill its intentions. Ultima Online promised to be a place where magicians, blacksmiths, animal trainers, warriors, chefs, bards, tailors, and more could all coexist and be equally successful peddling whatever items they crafted or came across. But the harsh reality of Britannia is such that even the best damn cook this side of Trinsic can do little to stop a murderer bent on taking his money. Sure, the unforgiving guards who patrol each town work as a bit of a deterrent. But if you decide to leave the city walls for an evening stroll, be prepared for the worst. Awful lag and other annoyances continue to plague the game many months after its release. Though Ultima Online retains some loyal followers, most everyone felt slighted by the finished product.
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