Games that Disappointed and Surprised Us - Game Sack

Episode 63 - Ever have a game not live up to your expectations? Or how about games that exceeded them? Here we talk about some of our experiences with such games. How about you?
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www.gamesack.net

[@GameSack]

The Genesis model 1 is stereo. You get it from the headphone jacks but it is very, very stereo. Most model 1s sound better than most model 2s as well.

[@Captain_Neckbeard]

Snowboard kids well exceeded expectations. I rented it and my friends and I had a blast playing it. It my favorite cartoony game ever.

[@craigjuan5744]

I'm disappointed that Neo Turf Masters didn't get a digital release on modern consoles. Would've loved to play that game on my Switch and PS4. That game seriously looks like a lot of fun.

[@preachaman2005]

Super Mario Bros. - I thought it was a plumbing simulator, but it had nothing to do with pipe-fitting, flanges or irrigation. Buyer beware!

[@VBshredder]

Pretty sure if you beat Super Mario Bros there is some pipe fitting going on.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

​@@VBshredderwhat happens when you beat it in 2 player mode? Is it like one of those French blue movies ?

[@GameSack]

Thanks, we definitely appreciate that you appreciate our work. :)

[@ningygamer]

I was addicted to neo-turf masters. Never knew how much fun golf could be.

[@dave4shmups]

Lol, at the flag guy; that's great! In the arcade version of Duck Hunt you can actually shoot the dog when he laughs at you-no kidding. It's really a shame that Super Monaco GP never got an arcade perfect home port.

[@jawz6067]

Dave talking about how clean and wholesome Nintendo is is one of the worst aged things I’ve seen in a long time.

[@GuitarAnthony]

Game Sack quickly becoming my favorite video review series. Possibly the first video review series to mention the greatness that is Neo Turf Masters.

[@Riz2336]

I have to agree. I was amazed how fun a golf game could be when I played Neo Turf Master.

[@xnamkcor]

Choro Q has underwater and it's fine. There are even items to make you go faster or even glide on top of the water. Also, play HG 4 for PS2 or Choro Q3 on the PSX.

[@evilkinggumby]

Oh and one more thing I found much better than I expected: GAME SACK. I can't recall how I got pointed at your video's but ever since I took a few to wath them, I've been hooked. Much better quality, scripting, and overall design than so many similar shows out there. Kudo's to you both and keep em coming!!!

[@videogamemainframe2616]

I was pleasantly surprised by the brand new game Knockout City. Its a crazy fun multiplayer game with some really solid mechanics. Who knew virtual dodgeball could be so fun? I was really disappointed by 007 GoldenEye Reloaded for the PS3. It's not a bad game but it wasn't the follow-up to GoldenEye that I really had hoped for.

[@rars0n]

Joe playing Neo Turf Masters: "If you want, you can continue so you can try to get into more holes." Also Joe: "She's sometimes a bit confusing between holes, though." Thanks for the laughs, Joe!

[@teen_laqueefa]

15:54 That's actually Joe on screen swinging the club.

[@Locomamonk]

you never ever disappoint, guys! thanks for keeping us entertained!

[@andrewvaldivia6088]

I love that you guys show a little of just the gameplay at the end that's gold

[@KILLERONROAD]

Trackmania on Wii, that game seriously exceeded my expectations. The music is awesome, the track creator is great, and the overall gameplay is just fun.

[@tetrisdave]

LoL.. I spent $40 for mine brand new when it was released. I'm happy that I've held on to it.

[@retroseganerd]

Out Run on the genesis. I just thought it was a okay racing game for the genesis, but it's really awesome! It's so much fun and the music is amazing! Thanks for the tip!

[@rbust]

i remember giving my friend a ride on the back of my scooter so he could buy a Genesis and Stormlord because he thought the game had nudity.

[@Guernicaman]

Bayonetta on 360 truly exceened my expectations. It just looked so crass at first, but the gameplay blew my mind once I started playing it.

[@tetrisdave]

Kirby's Epic Yarn is great. A great addition to the Wii library.

[@Bunnellius]

Geezus, Last Battle is a Genesis title that I had utterly forgotten about. But now those sound effects and everything are totally coming back to me hard... I love randomly running into games that I hadn't even thought of in 15+ years! (It's like a weird little memory explosion in my brain.)

[@AIO13101980]

Neo Turf Masters. You're my heroes, as usual.

[@rnk99999]

Herzog zwei is one of my favorite genesis games of all time and so happy to finally see it I an episode! I picked it up when I was a kid for the same reason. Loved thunder force 2 and just knew techno soft would not let me down. Anyhow glad to see I'm not crazy for loving Herzog.

[@CATinBOOTS81]

I also played and loved them both, great games!

[@TheDeFiler316]

Those arcade sports games for Neo Geo was great! Baseball Stars 2 was amazing.

[@JimPlaysGames]

A game that exceeded my expectations was Star Control 2, but that's mostly because I got it confused with Star Control 1 and didn't know the sequel had so much more to offer. It's a must play for any fan of space operas. Great episode guys, and I loved the ending :D

[@HUNT3R737]

Dune on Genesis was surprisingly good to me. It had some solid game play and it scaled up the difficulty on you at a reasonable pace.

[@quuuve]

i love the sega/nintendo duality between you both.

[@GameSack]

I'm sure Dave will eventually comment but I think he likes Super Castlevania IV better that both the SNES and PC Engine Dracula X games. But from talking with him he was surprised SNES Dracula X turned out as good as it is after hearing all of the smack talk about it compared to the PC Engine version.

[@grubbergamer]

Hey guys - new viewer here, getting back into retro game collecting after something of an extended hiatus. Gotta say, I find myself looking forward to every new episode of GameSack. Great stuff. (Oh, and Super C overhead levels ftw.)

[@RetroGrandPrix]

That turfmasters game has a strong Baseball Stars 2 feel. I wonder if they were created by the same team?

[@weirdproq]

I love Neo Turf Masters! When I first played this game it also blew me away. The gameplay was kinda fast paced and controlled good.

[@Zeldaschampion]

I got worried at the end. I thought that was going to turn into a full on brawl. Go WWF on each other and Dave would slam Joe with a Snes while Joe slammed back with a Genesis.

[@SaintsTantrum]

The first game that springs to mind for me is Rambo III on the Megadrive\Genesis. I think I rented it on the off chance a few years after it came out (wasn't it quite an early game for the MD?) I was really surprised how fun it was (and still is) to blast your way through the enemies and I just loved the way you could change weapons easily. Also the way the game breaks up and changes to a different view when you're fighting the Helicopters etc. For me it feels like a game quite a bit ahead of its time because before it I don't recall that many games where you such a decent choice of weapons.

[@reznerPTV]

I'm new to the channel and have only watched a handful of videos but i can tell you guys put a lot of work into these and i'm enjoying your uploads very much!! Well done fellas.

[@volginicity]

Just like to say ive subscribed to your channel & love each episode.Being a big Retro fan im loving the memories.

[@garou119]

Finally! Some Castlevania Dracula X love! While not as good as the original by any means, it's still a great old school castlevania!

[@ashfoxx85]

Motor Toon Grand Prix was one of my favorites on the PS1. My only gripes with it is the bonus games which I could only seem to unlock with a gameshark, the fact that it didn't seem to ever save my progress, and worst of all it was almost impossible to play multiplayer since you needed another copy of the game, another system, another TV and a link cable. Good thing the stages were fun and the music was amazing because it actually was very limited. After all, I never minded having to unlock the three secret characters every time I went to play it, and I loved the cutscenes.

[@douayang8976]

As for Castlevania Dracula X/Vampires Kiss (depends on which one you have) was actually a real fun game. Fustraiting yes.... but fun. I have so far mastered the 1st three levels without having any real problems at all. It's the level where I have to hold on to the key that's somewhat difficult.

[@ARCWuLF]

Super Monaco GP: I feel for ya, Joe. I used my allowance to buy "Bad Dudes" based on the arcade game and, oh yeah, the fact that Data East put screenshots from the arcade version (complete with two-player simultaneous play -- which the home version lacked) on the NES version's box.

[@graemebuchan9997]

Love love love, me some Neo Turf Masters! Both on the AES and NGPC. League Bowling is fantastic too :)

[@angelicdevil44]

i just found your channel...and im addicted...ahhhhh

[@Shuey187]

Ending punch was hilariously awesome! :D The "busted a nut" comment also took me by surprise, lol

[@tetrisdave]

I agree. I am so looking forward to AC III. I love the setting and can't wait to battle on ships also.

[@EDFCentral]

Hey Joe, I saw in the credits where it said "camera Joe and Jen". Well I just want you to know that my name is also Joe and my wifes name is Jen (Jennifer). I feel like I know you man. Set an extra place at the table, we are coming over for dinner!

[@MrXabungle]

Neo Turf Masters is amazing. Fun fact is that the developer made Metal Slug after Masters, since they have similar sound and energy level.

[@jayjakab74]

An episode of the Neo Geo AES would be awesome!!!

[@animejoe7176]

Super Monaco GP landing a couple 10 scores in EGM back when they were a lot more critical of games still remains one of the biggest mysteries for me.

[@EarthboundX]

Paper Mario: Stick Star for the 3DS was a big disappoint for me. They took out just about everything that made the series great, and what it was.

[@Norrbottning]

In a time where AVGN's shtick has been outdated for years, it's refreshing to see a duo just talking about games. Without stupid and forced skits.

[@ZakkHung]

I've grown to love Dracula X on the SNES as well. I enjoy Castlevania IV, but X is amazing. I payed through the nose for it a year back, but it's totally worth it.....and I'm pro Genesis! 8^)

[@TheKenolaBar]

Seriously. These guys have the best gaming channel on KZbin.

[@jasonblalock4429]

OK, in defense of Mario Kart 7, which is my *favorite* Mario Kart for one particular reason: It allows FAR more strategy in multiplayer than any other MK. It's the only MK which allows both A)seeing what items everyone has (via bottom screen) and B)dragging items with a second in reserve. This allows MP matches to be both frenetic AND intellectual, because succeeding requires track mastery as well as smart item usage. To do well, you have to be constantly monitoring your opponents and the items they're holding, and looking to counter those... while flying around the track at 150cc. It's richer than the other MKs in much the same way that Texas Hold 'Em is a richer game than Five-Card Stud, in terms of game theory. If you ever give it another chance, just try to get past the underwater sections (I don't mind 'em, but whatev) and focus on how the different combinations of items held can radically change the strategies available.

[@NYCJoeBlack]

Jason Blalock - Yeah, Mario Kart 7 is my favorite Mario Kart game in the series, but mostly, because it is portal, on my favorite handheld, looks and runs great, and has some of my favorite retro tracks from previous games in the series. I love Mario Kart DS as well. I did not like Mario Kart: Super Circuit though.

[@blueowl0708]

Herzog Zwei is fantastic! I had a similar introduction (rental of Japanese version) but needed a friend to explain the game. Very glad he did! Agree with Dave about the Road Rash music too, it's a grower

[@kiyoaki1985]

To be honest, I think Mighty Final Fight looks great for the NES

[@avatarofkomma2525]

That opening second fart made me lol this time!

[@bertoray]

I appreciate and respect your preferences and deep knowlege of gaming. Gran Turismo did have an arcade mode, though most played sim. Load times frustrate, but I don't recall any plod. The crux of the biscuit which prompted my comment was the sad tone when mentioning Motor Toon's next project - a project whose success spans 15 years 5 iterations and jillions of copies sold. That seems a selling point. That is what caught my ear. I know it is because of your passion for Motor Toon Grand Prix.

[@Mattweber32]

nice work (as always) guys. I don't think Golf games are boring, I find them enjoyable at a less than frenetic pace. good for a relaxing enjoyable evening.

[@demondton96]

metal storm on the NES was a pleasant suprise to me. i went in expecting another platform, but it ended up being really cool and, in a way, addictive.

[@budd1331]

The .hack infection series exceeded the expectations i had for them. I loved porting my exact character with all my stuff to the next game each time and the increasing difficulty of each game and the scope of the zones in each.

[@evilkinggumby]

Game I was blown away by: Master of Monsters for the Genesis. It was a fairly slow and simple game, but once you started to get a firm grip on the mechanics and saw what the creatures you controlled could turn into, it got to be a hell of a fun game. Played it and finished it a number of times to see all the different creatures. I always wished a modern version of this appeared.

[@GameSack]

Glad someone took the time. I think you might be the second person. By the way, I got this comment on my KZbin inbox which puts your avatar right next to your AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Strangely fitting. :)

[@GameSack]

Yes, the JP version of Herzog Zwei is identical. But the manual won't do much to help you decipher what the icons in the game mean.

[@SonGara]

A few months ago I brought a game call First Samurai on the snes. It was actually better than I thought. The game play was pretty smooth for the most and the aspect of a time travelling samurai just felt really appealing to me.

[@manaphylv100]

Here are a few games that pleasantly surprised me: • F-Zero X (N64) - Picked it up for $5 over 10 years ago, wasn't expecting anything from a racing game, but it turned out to be a lot more fun than I thought. • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red (GBA) - A Pokémon game with an actual, coherent story, enough said. • Ar Tonelico (PS2) - I expected it to be a visual novel/dating sim, but it was actually a really fun RPG. That is, until the final few dungeons, where the random enemies had way too much HP, and the boss battles took forever... • Hyperdimension Neptunia (PS3) - I only bought it because it was $3 in a local SA thrift store, so I expected nothing, or rather, didn't know what to expect, from it - and it became one of my favorite games on the system. It's really easy, and the gameplay is nothing special, but its characters are just so adorable, and its English localization is really good for a comedic game like this. One game that really disappointed me is Mana Khemia 2 (PS2). While not a bad game on its own, it just didn't live up to its predecessor. In MK1, the protagonist and his story was unique and likable, and the team was a circle of friends, or a gang of buddies that work together and help out one another; it had somewhat of a Harry Potter feel to it. In MK2, neither of the two protagonists was particularly interesting, the story was nonsensical, and the teams felt more like a band of mercenaries, each to their own end. Two other games worth a mention are Tales of the Abyss (PS2) and The Last Story (Wii). In both of these, you can literally watch the game play itself - and the AI seems to be much more proficient at controlling the characters than I can ever do, anyway.

[@manaphylv100]

***** Yeah, HDN is definitely hilarious, and really clever, too! The reason I was so surprised by it is partly the box art, which looked to me like some kind of anime/mech-style fighting game, or one of those Gundam rip-offs. I had never even heard of this series before then, so I went in completely blind - and oh my, was I glad I did! My only complaint about this game is its lack of difficulty, as the battles suddenly become a cakewalk once Neptune reaches Lv.20 and learns her special. However, in a purely comedic game like this, it's all about the story and characters, so difficulty can rightfully take a back seat.

[@franknitti9126]

Which chapter of your book is this from?

[@trunghuynh4516]

Neo Turf master in the arcades had a ball for control like your master system one Joe. I remember in middle school I use to love playing it in the arcades

[@richpope7218]

"Re-Volt," an RC Car Racing Game...........unbelievably better than I thought!

[@dacypher22]

Lunar: Silver Star Story on the Sega CD vastly increased my expectations. I bought it in a hurry from a used book/game store in a hurry because my parents were waiting in the car in the parking lot for me (I was 13 I think). I don't even remember what game I thought it was, but I was so heartbroken when I got home to see it was this game I had never heard of. And it was an....UGH! An RPG?! Well, I had bought it, so I popped it in, and I think it won me over within about 30 minutes, and by the time I had completed it (which I did in 2 days even though it was a 20+ hour game) it was one of my favorite games of all time and started my love affair with RPGs. To this day I still feel so lucky that I accidentally bought it (for $14 at that, which would be a steal for it today obviously). I bet whatever game I thought it was would have sucked. It was probably an FMV game.

[@jbfarley]

herzog zwei is basically what air mech was before the developers destroyed it, kind of crazy to see just how similar they are

[@AuthorativeMrM]

The full console version of Bionic Commando that came out a few years ago really surprised me once I finally got around to playing it recently. I found it much, MUCH more enjoyable than all the critics had given me any reason to expect.

[@CATinBOOTS81]

Herzog Zwei on the Mega Drive was an awesome game, well ahead of his time.

[@atarileaf]

I was also pleasantly surprised by Motor Toon Grand Prix. Love that game. There's also some hidden mini games that are really good too.

[@pugsarecool19]

I remember playing Neo Turf Masters in a local bar about 10 years ago! I was pretty little (about 7 or 8), but my uncle's band was playing so I got to go along and watch. Being the video game obsessed kid I was, my Mom took me to the game room and I remember playing Neo Turf Masters and loving the digitized characters. Good times. :D

[@humanice2]

I like every video before it's even done loading by you guys because I know the episode is gonna be awesome as always

[@arvinbautista4287]

Herzog Zwei amazed me too when I first played it as a kid. Such an incredibly underrated game! Some other company did a riff on it called "AirMech" on google play. It's free and it's pretty good, I think you can still sign up for the Beta but I'm not sure... AirMech Teaser Trailer I was pleasantly surprised by RocketKnight Adventures and Contra Hard Corps on the Mega Drive (my college roommate and I played Contra so much we could finish that game with one continue). I was quite disappointed by Toe Jam and Earl and Eternal Champions.

[@dezm101]

great video as usual! I think the top down levels in Super C were much better than in Contra 3, where they seemed to be a step backwards in terms of fun gameplay, and control

[@downsouth420]

Putting pics of better versions on the box and advertisements was more common than you think in the 80s, especially computer games. With computer games, they would use the same box and simply put a sticker on the side to tell you which version you are buying. The back would show screenshots from their better versions rather than the version you were buying.

[@TheBacklogOdyssey]

The first game that comes to mind when I think about games that surprised me would be Einhander on the PS1. I was a fan of Squaresoft and their RPGs and didn't expect much from them when they decided to release this shoot em up. It was super fun, well made and had an interesting weapon system. An instant classic in my book. I just wish I had the foresight to pick it up when it was new/reasonably priced. ;)

i got a story about a game that surprised me, once i was playing a sidescrolling shooter on the snes (picked almost at random) called gunforce (average game), and it was kind of fun, i didn't had a snes and a game like this so i went to buy something similar for the genesis, in the store saw the pictures in the back of the box of a unknown game and though "well, this looks like that game on the snes" and brought it... it was gunstar heroes.

[@jaysonpressley8642]

I just commented about Gunstar Heroes two minutes ago. Best surprise ever!

[@xaer0knight]

Game Sack, a great way to start your Sunday :)

[@xaer0knight]

I was pleasantly surprised when Rygar came out. I thought the arcade version wasn't as great as the NES. I'm glad the didn't try to port it.

[@MrTechnoSqueek]

I think I might be addicted to Game Sack I had today off from work and all I did was watch your stuff and looked up games on ebay.

[@Overdoseplus]

One of my favorite channels on KZbin. Can you guys talk about King of Fighters for Neo Geo era and current gen systems?

[@notoriousshizzane2696]

Joe... I wanna play Turf Masters with you lol... Or maybe Hot Shots? My personal favorite golf game.

[@Disthron]

I had very low expectations for Mighty Final Fight and I was very pleasantly surprised.

[@ZPEntertainment]

I remember when, 5 years ago, I downloaded Actraiser on the Wii VC simply because I was bored, and I had no expectation at all... Turned out as awesome as it is and is probably one of my favourite SNES games now!!

[@pancholopez8829]

Kameo: Element of Power and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge are without a doubt games that I had no expectations what so ever. Once I played 6 to 8 years after getting them, I was amazed on what I was missed.

[@GameSack]

I think the answer is self explanatory. Why would I want to play in composite when I can play in component? Why would I want to hook it up in mono when I can use stereo?

[@grumblekin]

Sorry, I didn't indicate I was being sarcastic. I actually really like the show and I've subscribed and watched about half the episodes so far. You guys really do a great job!

[@TheModelGamer]

Rewatching these made me realize I have a game that really exceeded my expectations, and that is Kingdom Hearts. I first heard of it and thought there was no way Disney could cross with Final Fantasy. But I bought it when it came out since I'm a huge fan of RPGs, and it blew me away. I don't know how, but it just worked beautifully.

[@animalchandler]

Rollcage for the PSX was a surprisingly great game for me. I'm really picky over racing games, so playing it the first time was a case of having played everything else before it, then absolutely loving the gameplay.

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

I'm more of an arcade guy than a sim guy but I like smashing into the flag guy. That is amazing guy!

[@MissNatalie55555]

Road rash on the Amiga is bad ass. So good. I love it even now.

[@patrickwalsh2086]

Love Road Rash, Road Rash II Is the best! Love the two-player mode.

[@mickael486]

I was totally duped into asking for Super Monaco GP for my birthday for the same reason, EGM's scores of 9,10,9,10. it was unheard of! it was also my first big disappointment I as a kid. glad to see this one first on the list.

[@superiorraiden]

Dracula X was godlike. I'm glad you included it.

[@tetrisdave]

That's what we are striving for. Thanks!

[@Peeps7468]

Uniracers for SNES was surprisingly fun. I loved it

[@Sinn0100]

I loved Super Contra, but I thought it would have been much better as an SNES game.