The worst-selling games of 2006
by Blake Snow 
{ Feb 14th 2007 at 1:35PM }
The game industry is quick to trump its accomplishments; bestsellers, growing revenues, and market expansion. The optimist in us likes that, but what's a pessimist to do? Well the recent issue of EGM (Mar '07) has a listicle that's hard to argue over: the worst-selling games of 2006. Though the always-serious Seanbaby fails to mention a specific source, he says "These games were selected from sales figures of the least purchased games of 2006 -- cold, hard, indisputable measurements of suck." They are:- Unison: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance (PS2)
- Kakuto Chojin: Back Alley Brutal (XB)
- Frogger Beyond (XB)
- Bomberman: Act Zero (XB360)
- Freestyle Street Soccer (XB)
- Egg Mania: Eggstreme Madness (XB)
- Space Ace (XB)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff @ Feb 14th 2007 1:44PM
I read this in the mag when I first got it. I actually like Seanbaby's brand of bitter jadedness, but this list was pretty pointless. I mean, Unison? A game that came out in 2001? Obviously it's not going to sell very well in 2006 - it's been out of print for years!
This seems to be more a list of games that came out in the last generation that he wants to make fun of. Nothing inherently wrong with that, I guess, but I'm sure he thought that title/intro would just sound self-serving, and it would have. Hence the "worst selling", which lends it an air of objectivity.
Again, though, I usually like his columns, and he's one of the few old-school writers that's been around for a while and hasn't given in to the whole promotional buyer's guide mentality that most video game writers subscribe to these days.
CowboyGA @ Feb 14th 2007 1:46PM
Of course we wouldn't expect many new-gen (no longer next, folks) in the list, as the games are few. I hate to see so much from my beloved xbox on there, but, let's face it, those are some crappy sounding titles I've barely, if ever, heard of. Excellent marketing!
SiliconHero @ Feb 14th 2007 1:47PM
Haha...Bomberman: Act Zero is ranked near the bottom. Right where it belongs. I expect AlloyNES to be upon this article within hours to prove us all wrong and tell us why Act Zero is better than the other Bomberman games. Again.
Jose @ Feb 14th 2007 4:30PM
Jesus Christo I'm glad I no longer subscribe to EGM just for the fact that I don't have to read, or so much as look at Seanbaby's idiotic articles. I wish Dan Hsu's presence would be a proper counterbalance, but there's just no amount of awesome that can make up for Seanbaby's suckdom.
dave @ Feb 14th 2007 1:55PM
Huh. . . that's funny. I read the article yesterday in EGM and I don't recall Bomberman Act Zero on the list. Perhaps i am mistaken.
ackmondual @ Feb 14th 2007 1:55PM
@ #2
New-gen is a good term, but we most certainly can't use curr-gen when most of us don't even have the chance to buy a new system. Curr-gen is still GC, XB, and PS2 IMO.
frankie23 @ Feb 14th 2007 3:24PM
That list is stupid. Much as #1 said, Unison has been out of print for years. How is it surprising that it sold badly? Hell, it's not like it sold well in the first place. Kakuto Chojin, if I recall, was pulled from the shelves. I'm amazed there was a copy out there to sell. And the DVD-game version of Space Ace, from 2000? Huh? Really, aside from the dreck that is Bomberman: Act Zero, not a single one of those titles was released in 2006. I'd say EGM should be embarrassed of themselves, but I'm certain they lost that ability ages ago.
AoE @ Feb 14th 2007 2:06PM
Um, Blake, that was just a humor piece. Of course Kakuto Chojin wouldn't sell well in 2006... it was recalled in Feb 2003 (released in Nov 2002) and never re-released. If you'd read the text of the article rather than just re-listing his list, you'd see that, as with his column every month, it's purely humor and all facts were pulled straight from his ass. Which is cool, since he's funny as shit, but at the end of the day it's still purely humor based on the badness of those games, not actual sales figures.
Roger @ Feb 14th 2007 2:09PM
Next year the list will be like this;
(insert random title) PS3
(insert random title) PS3
(insert random title) PS3
(insert random title) PS3
and not forgetting,
(insert random title) PS3
Oobgarm @ Feb 14th 2007 2:11PM
I recall reading that article and wondering why it was titled as such considering only one game on the list was actually released in 2006.
I understand that 'best of' lists are common around this time of year, but couldn't one of his over-the-top metaphors act as a title?
dork @ Feb 14th 2007 2:13PM
bomberman was horrid hah, i cant believe Mobile suit ps3 isnt on here
Mr Khan @ Feb 14th 2007 2:16PM
Worst selling doesn't always mean bad
look at Okami, it sold roughly 200,000 copies, far less than the licensed game of Cars, and waaaaay less than Madden 07, but which game was better?
Diman @ Feb 14th 2007 2:19PM
Hmm can't avoid the fanboys, anywhere you go.
uh_oh @ Feb 14th 2007 2:33PM
I've never heard of any of those games.
H880 @ Feb 14th 2007 2:41PM
I read this a few days ago, and remember thinking how pointless and such a waste of magazine space it was.
I know he was aiming at humor, but it certainly wasn't achieved. To list a bunch of games that were primarily released 4-5 years ago and say that they sold poorly in 2006, is pretty lame.
I would have much rather there have been a humor piece of the ACTUAL games that sold poorly in 2006, and why they sold poorly.
foodgoes @ Feb 14th 2007 2:50PM
http://www.metacritic.com/games/bests/2006.shtml
Justin U @ Feb 14th 2007 2:55PM
Kakuto Chojin came out in 2006? I was sure that was an early Xbox 1 game... Shows me.
Flit @ Feb 14th 2007 2:59PM
"7. Next year the list will be like this;
(insert random title) PS3
(insert random title) PS3
(insert random title) PS3
(insert random title) PS3
and not forgetting,
(insert random title) PS3"
So the PS3 has games coming out this year? Who knew?
/sarcasm
adam @ Feb 14th 2007 3:00PM
Mr Khan,
I am sure the MILLIONS of people that purchased madden 07, would argue it is better than Okami.
Leggo @ Feb 14th 2007 3:10PM
It's embarrassing that no one fact checked his piece. I have no problem accepting Seanbaby's brand of humor, he's funny, however he set the ground rules by stating he went and actually checked sales figures.
As was already said, him mocking Kakuto Chojin seems a little ridiculous considering it was only on the shelves for a month or two before it was pulled due to offensive use of Koran verses.Since it wasn't selling, I guess they didn't see a need to rerelease it.
Damn shame, Dream Factory worked on it, and they were responsible for the acclaimed Tobal series on PS1. But then, MS has a history of getting 3rd rate effort from respectable Japanese developers. They had this, The RPG masters behind Dark Cloud 2 and Rogue Galaxy wasted millions developing the stillborn True Fantasy Live Online, Artoon, the Blinx developers, went on to make Yoshi's Island DS, the Mario Party-developers at Hudson put out the horrendous Fuzion Frenzy 2.
I guess accepting truckloads of money from the Evil Empire before doing the first iota of work will do that to a developer.
SuMtOnE @ Feb 14th 2007 3:20PM
@7
one year a time please... unless u can read the future...
Plaid Ninja @ Feb 14th 2007 4:06PM
Unison: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance was released in 2001 - OF COURSE IT DIDN'T SELL WELL IN 2006!
WTF?!!
bill pullman @ Feb 14th 2007 5:05PM
if there's one part of EGM that i can't stand, it's Seanbaby. that guy is the polar opposite of funny, and his "i get all my jokes from the internet"-style of writing always seemed dated and forced. i wish they'd can him and just replace him with two pages of... letters? really it doesn't matter, they could swap him out with ads and it'd be an improvement.
aaron @ Feb 14th 2007 5:33PM
ackmondual:
"New-gen is a good term, but we most certainly can't use curr-gen when most of us don't even have the chance to buy a new system. Curr-gen is still GC, XB, and PS2 IMO."
Not to sound "elitist" or whatnot, but...
Why can't we use "current-gen"? Current-gen includes XBOX 360, PS3 and Wii. You are referring to last-gen when bringing up GC, XBOX, and PS2, regardless whether you own certain systems or not. If I didn't own a 360, I would've admitted to still playing last-gen games. GC and XBOX really have no support anymore, the 360 has multiple best-selling titles (along with being out more than a year), HD gaming is mainstream, etc.
Then there is the fact that the big three all have "next-gen" systems released. Once that is established, anything (console related) before it is last-gen. It doesn't suck, of course, but the focus of developers/publishers is on the "now" and that's, well, you get it.
And don't try to make me feel guilty for being able to afford a 360 or you trying to come off feeling sorry for yourself. We had great games in the past but it's time to move on (because we have almost no choice anyway)...or just keep playing Eternal Darkness if you like.
nick @ Feb 14th 2007 7:39PM
Seanbaby is the absolute worst thing about EGM. I avoid he articles completely.
sevenx @ Feb 14th 2007 9:27PM
Lest we forget. It's Bomberman Act: Zero. Bomberman : Act Zero might actually make sense.
Tesley @ Feb 14th 2007 9:45PM
Go Xbox Go...
jeffx @ Feb 14th 2007 11:13PM
Egg Mania is also pretty old AND pretty good.
Gnort @ Feb 15th 2007 3:32AM
As a fan of fighting games, I actually bought Kakuto Chojin (cheap from eBay, it had already been banned by then) out of morbid curiousity. It's so awful it's actually quite amusing, like a bad B-movie.
AD @ Feb 15th 2007 8:39PM
Kakuto Chojin is an ancient game too, that came out in 2002 and was rated the worst xbox game ever back then.
You would think the author of the article would have looked at current games released in the last yeat. Hardly impartial jounalism, I'm sure that you can find more worse games than those made in the last 6 years!!!!.
What about that stupid trucker racing game that got about 4%, and Pulse racer, naff graphics, and the player died of a heart attack if they went to fast lol.