Worst Computer Game Publishers?

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2002-12-15 12:20pm

So what computer game publisher to you consider the worst and why?

My choice would be Infograms:
- They bought out Cavedog and held onto the rights for Total Annihilation for years, then subcontracted it to some korien company to develop TA2(That was almost 1/2 a year ago, no word on what is actually happening).
- Master Of Orion 3; The horror that is unfolding, its just horrible. Shoddy Copy protection is garrentied & no alt-tabbing(looks like I'll have to write an app which disables the disabling of alt-tabbing(should be trivial), or download a crack to do it), plus really crappy PR.

Any others?

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2002-12-15 12:23pm

Interplay. They fucking killed the Freespace series.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2002-12-15 12:25pm

origin were dumbasses for turning wing commander into a pile of shit with the 5th part.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2002-12-15 12:25pm

Anyone who isn't id Software or Epic Games because they didn't have the vision to make DooM, Quake, Unreal, UT, UT2K3, or Wolfenstein!

Crazy_Vasey · Post by **Crazy_Vasey** » 2002-12-15 12:37pm

Interplay are fucking bitches. Fallout 2 still has MASSES of annoying bugs and flaws as well as at least one MAJOR showstopper bug that a first time player could easily trigger and render his game unfinishable. Basically there were going to be two ways to finish the game, one of them isn't finished and support was pulled before it was patched.

Arseholes.

Infogrammes, may they burn in hell. THEY CANCELLED X-COM ALLIANCE AND X-COM GENESIS! BASTARDS!

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2002-12-15 01:04pm

Sierra. Sure they made momwolrd. but they cancelle B5 into the fire. Those asshats. May the hair on thier palms grow long and sticky.

C.S.Strowbridge · Post by **C.S.Strowbridge** » 2002-12-15 01:53pm

3DO - Killed off both M&M and HOMM series with monthes of each other.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2002-12-15 01:53pm

Alyrium Denryle wrote:Sierra. Sure they made momwolrd. but they cancelle B5 into the fire. Those asshats. May the hair on thier palms grow long and sticky.

That was after they were purchased by another company.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2002-12-15 01:56pm

Whatever company made "Xtreme Paintbrawl"... It had the lowest score ever for PCGamer, and was full of bugs. The multiplayer option didn't even work, and was totting itself as the "First first-person shooter with no violence."

Then there was a NYFD simulator...

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2002-12-15 01:57pm

Exonerate wrote:Whatever company made "Xtreme Paintbrawl"... It had the lowest score ever for PCGamer, and was full of bugs. The multiplayer option didn't even work, and was totting itself as the "First first-person shooter with no violence." Then there was a NYFD simulator...

Valusoft, I think.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2002-12-15 02:49pm

Pablo Sanchez wrote:
Exonerate wrote:Whatever company made "Xtreme Paintbrawl"... It had the lowest score ever for PCGamer, and was full of bugs. The multiplayer option didn't even work, and was totting itself as the "First first-person shooter with no violence." Then there was a NYFD simulator...
Valusoft, I think.

I believe they made a bunch of other games including a winter sprots game where the only music was the same 3-second track played in a continous loop. All of them got bad reviews. And somehow, they managed to get a bunch of endorsements. It's one of those mysteries of life.

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2002-12-15 02:59pm

Whoever made Star Trek New Worlds (CS?). That was the worse game I've ever played.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-15 03:29pm

INTERPLAY MUST BURN!!!

Good thing they went bankrupt. Serves them right for killing two awesome games (Freespace 2 and Descent 3).

Post by **fgalkin** » 2002-12-15 03:32pm

C.S.Strowbridge wrote:3DO - Killed off both M&M and HOMM series with monthes of each other.

HoMM 4 was a ripoff off Nick Perumov's books (the two swords thing). Cnsidering that 3DO has a lot of Russian programmers, it is not as impossible as it sounds.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2002-12-15 03:38pm

Interplay also killed Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising, which had a lot of potential had they just marketed the damn thing. The game that shipped was remarkably complete, fun, and damn good, but it was selling for $2 in stores just months after its release.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2002-12-15 04:13pm

It simply HAS to be "Head Games." I've read their reviews in PCG, and seen one person playing "eXtreme Paint Brawl." Those responsible should have their eyes gouged out and replaced with burning coals.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2002-12-15 05:33pm

Master of Ossus wrote:It simply HAS to be "Head Games." I've read their reviews in PCG, and seen one person playing "eXtreme Paint Brawl." Those responsible should have their eyes gouged out and replaced with burning coals.

Yes, thats the company! The review was damned hilarious.

data_link · Post by **data_link** » 2002-12-15 05:34pm

Interplay, for that travesty Star Trek: New Worlds.

Oh, and to whoever said Infrogrames: Why the hell are you dissing the company that made I-war?

Crazy_Vasey · Post by **Crazy_Vasey** » 2002-12-15 06:14pm

data_link wrote:Interplay, for that travesty Star Trek: New Worlds.

Oh, and to whoever said Infrogrames: Why the hell are you dissing the company that made I-war?

They killed X-COM.

Damaramu · Post by **Damaramu** » 2002-12-15 07:30pm

I'd go with Acclaim and Probe....both of them were responsible for the bug-a-riffic Mortal Kombat games on the PC.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2002-12-15 07:34pm

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Wizard Works...

Because they suck-diddly-uck. They were the ones responsible for Swamp Buggy Racing, IIRC. *shudder*

Post by **weemadando** » 2002-12-15 08:23pm

Sierra. My comments in the "Top Ten Ways to Piss Off a Fiver" thread should make that clear.

Microids. I just bought the Aus version of Warrior Kings. It shipped with a half-printed manual (an ACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEM AT THE TIME OF RELEASE). Without a tech-tree or any of the other inserts that it was meant to (ANOTHER ACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEM). And the patches don't work! So I'm left with what could have been a great game, that has no helpful documentation, a useless tutorial, a few irritating bugs and no way of fixing any of them.

Arxel Tribe. They just suck.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2002-12-15 08:35pm

Interplay, though the reasoning has already been stated.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2002-12-15 08:39pm

Lionhead Studios. Because they put stupid copy protection so I can't even play their legally bought games. Stupid bastards.

Xon · Post by **Xon** » 2002-12-16 03:52am

data_link wrote:Interplay, for that travesty Star Trek: New Worlds.

Oh, and to whoever said Infrogrames: Why the hell are you dissing the company that made I-war?

- They bought out Cavedog and held onto the rights for Total Annihilation for years, then subcontracted it to some korien company to develop TA2(That was almost 1/2 a year ago, no word on what is actually happening). They only opened a forum for it 1& 1/2 years ago, and the moderator wasnt around for most of the time(not that it was really needed, but...)

- Master Of Orion 3; The horror that is unfolding, its just horrible. Shoddy Copy protection is garrentied & no alt-tabbing(looks like I'll have to write an app which disables the disabling of alt-tabbing(should be trivial), or download a crack to do it), plus really crappy PR.

Plus the mess with Civ3 & expansion pack.

Plus the fact that they killed X-COM!!