PlayStation LifeStyle has been around for nearly 10 years, and I figured a fun way to kickoff our new statistical-driven feature By the Numbers would be to take a look at some of the lowest scores we’ve handed out to games over the years. While it’s not often that a console or handheld release is so bad that it deserves a 1/10, it does happen occasionally. We’ve only handed out a total of nine of these ratings since 2008, which means that we’re averaging one 1/10 per year.
Despite that average, a 1/10 score hasn’t been handed out in the past few years. We’ve handed out some 3s, and even a 2, but the elusive 1/10 rating has eluded us. There’s a number of reasons why that hasn’t happened (we haven’t reviewed a lot of the truly awful PlayStation Store releases that nobody has heard of and the typical game is pretty darn decent in 2017), but I’m sure another game will get the dubious honor in the future.
With that said, check out the nine games that were so bad that PlayStation LifeStyle gave them a 1/10 rating below:
I’ve included the reviews for each game in the slideshow above, so if you want to learn why each game deserved their 1/10 rating then read the full text.
By the Numbers is a new weekly recurring feature that’ll look at gaming from a numbers-oriented view. Next week we’ll be back with the first of two parts taking a look at some of the site’s highest rated games.
Essential Reading:
By the Numbers: Worst Reviewed Games
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PlayStation LifeStyle's Lowest Scored Games
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Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified
Heath Hindman writes in their review:
"Rather than add a few more multiplayer stages, fix the glitches, fix the connection problems, write a story that might matter to Black Ops fans, add at least a few more campaign missions, and tweak the AI a bit, they released the game in this undercooked state. There’s no excuse for that. Those people making these release decisions believe that you will buy an incomplete product. They believe that you will do it, and your image of them will not be tarnished so much that you approach their future products with any degree of hesitation—kind of like what Square Enix did with Final Fantasy XIV. They believe, in so many words, that you don’t think. That’s messed up. Thinking that you are smarter or better than your customers isn’t good business, and neither is releasing a game in this condition."
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Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Josh Fernandes writes in their review:
"The last Call of Juarez game was a good game. Techland had a great foundation to build upon and there isn’t a reason why The Cartel isn’t at least a decent game. The game feels like the developers assembled it at the last minute and they didn’t even bother to play test it. The bad writing, disappointing gameplay, and annoying dialogue is enough to give this game a bad rating, but the technical faults make this truly one of the worst games of this generation. This isn’t a game, it’s a joke and nobody is laughing."
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Dead or Alive Paradise
Zak Islam writes in their review:
"Dead or Alive: Paradise sets a powerful example of bad game design. The concept of the game is flimsy, and lacks any decent gameplay, sense of accomplishment, or suitable visuals. It’s also painfully shallow, and unlikely to satisfy even the most desperate of stalkers. Dead or Alive: Paradise is a poorly-made game that’s best left for dead."
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Magus
Russell Ritchey wrote in their review:
"No one needs this shit. The game may have been salvageable if the above had not happened, but this is how the game plays out. Using an excuse like “but he’s a god and has the right to do those things!” can be dashed by one simple question: Why did the main character have to be a white male? Magus is a cypher – he has no personality until the player steps in and directs his responses; even then the term ‘personality’ is stretching it. Why was there no option to change skin color? Why was there no option to choose Rinna as the protagonist? These things would have been easy to implement in a game with so few resources, and could have potentially provided a small sliver of emotional investment from the player. The Titan Runemaster scene stands out the most as one of two scenes where NPCs acknowledge Magus as their god, and the other scene involves the NPCs giving Magus a military salute. While I’m certain the creators were just trying to tell a story, the ultimate result is a hideous mess no one needs to witness."
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Motorbike
Dan Oravasaari wrote in their review:
"Long story short, do not buy this $15 game. Instead I would recommend that you just put the money to better use by throwing it in the air and doing a little dance, I honestly think you will find more entertainment from that."
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Prison Break: The Conspiracy
Thomas Williams wrote in their review:
"When it comes down to it, the clunky controls lead to bad gameplay which is ultimately boring and uninspiring. In the end, the game just isn’t fun to play, and is more frustrating than anything else. There’s a reason why Prison Break: The Conspiracy will only be bought by the Prison Break Wikipedia page manager–it just isn’t that good. With so many quality titles that have hit this year for the PlayStation 3, please, please don’t waste your money on this game, no matter how big a fan you are. I suffered through the game so that you don’t have to. So if you happen to see the game at your local store run, don’t walk, away from it and never look back."
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R.I.P.D. The Game
Chandler Wood wrote in their review:
"There really is no reason this game should exist. It’s not even a good game for fans of the movie/comic book. You could reskin this using any number of licensed franchises and the game would remain identical. I’ve wasted a good two evenings of my life playing this game so that I can inform you that you shouldn’t. The only way I got through it was by pretending that Van Wilder was teaming up with The Dude to take on those creepy mutants from The Hills Have Eyes. Sad part is that my premise for the game works just as well as the intended backstory… Ready for my cliche closing line? R.I.P.D.: The Game should rest in peace. Yup, I went there."
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Smash 'N' Survive
Vivas Kaul writes in their review:
"Smash ‘N’ Survive is not worth your time or your money. Indeed, Version2Games was rather audacious in releasing a vehicular combat game so close to the release of the new Twisted Metal. I’ll even concede that it’s also possible that this game was designed on a very tight budget, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that, on its own merits, SNS fails on just about every level. Still, I hope that the developers learn from this experience and find a way to make their next game into something that not only is ambitious but is also imbued with the passion and polish that Smash ‘N’ Survive is so sorely lacking."
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Z Run
Cameron Teague writes in their review:
"Z-Run is exactly what you would expect, a mindless run through the town, kicking and sliding your way to safety. The controls and characters are completely stiff and there is really no big redeeming quality outside of the music to keep you coming back. What’s even worse is that the game is priced at $8.99, which is a ridiculous sum for what boils down to a PlayStation Mini-type game. While this type of game might have an audience, as evidenced from the success ofTemple Run, I cannot in my good conscience recommend this to anyone unless it reaches the bargain bin pricing range."
