Most Disappointing Game

At GameSpot, we believe that each game must be considered on its own terms. When we evaluate a game, we try to set aside any preconceived notions about what that game is supposed to be or how good it should have been, and we review the game on its merits. However, sometimes it's impossible not to approach a particular game with a certain set of expectations--some games have such ambitious concepts or such good predecessors that you can't help but wonder whether they could have turned out differently. The following games disappointed us most of all this year:

Devil May Cry 2 (PS2)

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
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In 2001, Capcom made a huge splash with the release of Devil May Cry, an incredibly cool "stylish hard-action" game that has since inspired countless other, similar games. In 2003, Capcom released a sequel that, at best, is a pale imitation.

Enter the Matrix (PC, XBOX, GC, PS2)

Publisher: Atari
Developer: Shiny Entertainment
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The Matrix universe could have provided an incredibly cool basis for a video game, but Shiny cranked out this bland and uninspired action game that, unfortunately, fell right in with the disappointing new Matrix films.

Master of Orion III (PC)

Publisher: Atari
Developer: Quicksilver Soft.
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The third in the famous space empire series is mired by an overly complex interface, bad AI, and a poorly implemented automation feature. The very definition of a disappointment: It just didn't live up to expectations.

Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (PC)

Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment
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It's Star Wars. It's an online RPG. Of course the hype was going to be huge, but this one missed the mark by shipping without key features and by not doing anything other MMORPGs hadn't already done before.

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (PC, PS2)

Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Developer: Core Design Ltd.
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After the incredible prerelease hype and a number of delays, there's almost no way we couldn't call this one disappointing. The glaring bugs and bland gameplay certainly didn't help it win any favor, either.

And the Winner is...