We've had a few threads for the top programmers and creators but its always fun to look at the worst as well. So what developer do you think routinely makes the worst shovelware, badly coded mess of a product they call a game? Please share your thoughts and maybe a few funny stories on badly coded broken games. I'll never forget renting Superman 64 one weekend and being hit with bug after bug as I tried my best to play that disaster. Titus developed that one. Also its hard to forget Acclaim in the 90s for their quickie psx releases. Or Bubsy 3D from Accolade.
I think the biggest blunder production-wise recently would be the Wii release of Okami (the western one). As far as "turd" programming, we could list tons of shoddy ports over the years. They definitely stick out the most.
The guys who made E.T. It wasn't Atari by themselves was it? I have a shitty memory on that type of stuff. Oh yeah, well, I think NIS and their "Marl Kingdom" series is pretty bad. 95% of those games use the same barely changed engine and are grindfests. The exception possibly being Soul Nomad.
Nope,. the world's most dull programmers were all working on the SNES in the 90's. They are: THQ Absolute Entertainment Gray Matter Hi-Tech Expression GameTek Spectrum Holobyte and many more Oh, notice where they're all from? Back in the 16bit days the US really did have a lot of piss poor game makers. Nice to see things have now changed. Yakumo
For the PS1/N64 era, 100% titus. I will for ever love them for automobile Lambergini (i actualy chated with one of the coders for that game) but everything else they touched was pure crap. For right now, Ehhh.... Ubisoft sadly. At least for the Wii/DS games. While I have high hopes for shuan white wii, everything else they seem to be doing is just crap. Sadly they only do it because shockingly crap like imaginz series actualy sells.
Everybody noos but E.T. made by Howard Scott Warshaw in around 5-6 weeks, when Atari VCS games usually took 5-6 months. It was the management guv not the workers, Howard Scott Warshaw made one of the best VCS games ever Yar's Revenge, Atari bought up the rights to ET for millions and didn't give a rats ass if the game was any good. Quick bang something together before christmas. For 5 weeks work ET is really good. Atari VCS is full of total garbage. Pacman is the other famous turd, really bad. Again, good programmer but the management didn't care. The guy working on it wanted to make it an 8K cartridge, Atari insisted on 4K and took it off him before it was done, result: Garbage. Defender on VCS was awful too. Kick ass license, rotten game, looked nothing like defender. The game was so bad when you fired your ship disappeared making you invulnerable. Awful! People say about Atari it was 3rd parties flooding the market with crap, it was more "Gamers are idiots, they'll buy anything, lets flood the market with crap, lead by Atari". And the gamers gave them the finger. Good for them. All time worst developer, has to be Ray Kassar period Atari.
Isn't the topic more aimed at the technical aspect, not the actual planning/production? We could be here all day if it were the latter.
Oh right. Well I guess they all fall in to that category as well. after all most if not all games by those companies were very ugly, poorly laid out and pretty shoddy programmed. Yakumo
Jeebus! THQ and Acclaim. My friend learned about it the hard way. He went and purchased Pit-Fighter on the SNES for the full $60-$80 bucks carts costed those days.
Neversoft Everything they've done after Tony Hawk 4 has been trash... Oh wait cept for Gun. They ruined Guitar Hero though
I agree with you Yakumo. Add to those: Time Warner Interactive U.S. Gold (funnily, it was British) Domark Accolade Titus Digital Pictures LJN Ltd. Ion Storm Inc.
