Top Ten Worst Games Ever, (c) Fort90
Over at MTV News, Stephen Totilo has been profiling GSW columnist and wacky NY guy Matt 'Fort90' Hawkins - or, more precisely, his ""best" worst-games list of all time."
You may have read this on Matthew's blog already, but the write-up makes it a tad more fun: "His inspiration? "I'm a big fan of wrestling managers who like pissing off the audience." You don't have to remember Captain Lou Albano or Brother Love to know what Hawkins means. Just check his list, which he presented two weeks ago at the I-CON science-fiction and fantasy festival in Stony Brook, New York. His 10 — well, 11, counting a two-way tie for first place — includes favorites "World of Warcraft," multiple "Grand Theft Auto" titles, the "Madden" series and even a "Final Fantasy" game. He wanted to get booed, at least by some."
Actually, this statement fully captures the nuances of Mr. Fort90's personality, as Harvey Pekar-esque as he ever is: "Hawkins never wanted to go after the easy topics. "There's a lot of games out there that I vehemently despise and hate, but they're popular. And I guess that's how it is for anything. Everybody knows 'that album sucks' or 'that book is horrible, but it is so popular that it drives me nuts,' and it lowers the bar for everyone." The games on his list aren't necessarily incompetently made, in his mind. They are worse: They are bad influences."
Comments
His list contains at least 13 games, because he's got GTA3, Vice City and San Andreas in there as one entry.
In reality, it contains many more than 13, because he's included the entire Madden series, too.
This is why I hate "worst" lists. They never, ever actually mean "worst." They almost always mean "the games we really dislike, and are going to be hyperbolic about because the controversy will gain us attention."
Posted by: Graham | April 11, 2007 2:15 AM
Yeah, the guy even admitted that nobody listened when he tried to be serious and talk about good games, so he went this route instead. It's fine if you want to leave the Times for the Enquirer, but I'm not sure I'd brag about it.
Like Graham said, even in his explanations, it's clear that he doesn't think these are the "worst" games - hell, I'd be surprised if he's played half of them. Between this guy and Games Radar, I've seen more than enough of these stupid lists for now.
Posted by: jeffk | April 11, 2007 6:39 AM
Excellent writing. Thanks for the tip.
Posted by: gnome | April 11, 2007 7:03 AM
Madden is the McDonald's hamburger of sports games. When you order it, you always know what you're going to get. It's accessible and not intended for purists or aficionados. It's pretty good if it's what you're hungry for. Everybody is reluctant to admit that they like it, yet it sells millions upon millions every year.
Posted by: Ernest Adams | April 11, 2007 8:59 AM
Really, my only gripe is with the rationale behind the GTA series. Sure they're immature and sure they helped popularize the more open-ended game design idea, but isn't the biggest problem with them that they always seem to do about a million different things and most of them feel half-finished?
I love 'em all the same but that doesn't mean I'm happy with the control (which has managed to suck on the consoles for the last 5 games. Impressive!) or the clunky engine (mostly a gripe against the PS2 versions). Hell, I think the save system can kiss me where I smell funny, too....but gosh darn do I still enjoy playing 'em every now and then.
It's a shame they don't try to make one more tightly focused. Mafia really did it right (not on consoles though. Good god, not on consoles). Hell, after you beat the game and unlock Freeride Extreme, which was just a hella-fun sandboxy game (especially after going through the storyline).
Posted by: Roushimsx | April 11, 2007 3:53 PM