Top 20 Gaming Lows of 2004 -- Page 3 Feature on GamePro.com

Feature: Top 20 Gaming Lows of 2004 -- Page 3

Feature by FUNKYZEALOT | 12/31/2004 | 16:27:37 PM PST

7) Sierra Shut Down
While technically still existing for the sake of retaining the brand, Vivendi Universal shut down cut its Seattle-based staff of 350--ending a long legacy of PC gaming. One of the most respected in the 80's and into the 90's, the company created games such as Kings Quest, Quest for Glory, Red Baron, Aces of the Pacific, and Aces Over Europe (from now defunct flight sim studio Dynamix). In not-so-consoling news, Leisure Suit Larry still lives on as a series of mini-games.

6) Video Games--The New Terrorist Device of Choice
Post-9/11 fears showed little signs of waning this year, as Fort Wayne International Airport in Indiana was shut down following reports that a bomb may be hidden in a bathroom stall. The good news was the "aluminum case with wires" turned out to be a video game, and only causing a 40 minute delay in two flights. Is airport security at least tighter then in the U.S.? Not quite. Screeners at Newark Liberty International lost track of a fake bomb during an exercise in December, much to the comfort of air travelers.

5) Sega Forced to Tango with Sammy
In a move that said, "you may not like me, but I got the Pachinko balls to do it," Pachinko machine giant Sammy took control of Sega earlier this year, forming the group Sammy Sega Holdings. The two companies had a colored past, with failed merger negotiations in 2003. Following a 20 percent stake in Sega, Sammy CEO Satomi Hajime took the reigns of Sega, promoting the use of its low-cost Atomiswave platform. The two companies completed the merger in October 2004 in a deal that cost Sammy approx. $1.4 billion dollars. Following the deal, Sammy releases a mediocre 2D fighting game in Japan.

4) Take-Two Encourages Murder and Wholesale Genocide
Or so lawmakers and special interest groups insisted, targeting ultra-violent sandbox game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Politicians and Haitian groups alleged that the line "Kill all the Haitians" was a sinister call to genocide--failing to understand that it was a mission to kill Haitian gangsters. Before anybody picked up the game and figured out the mistake, the tide was already against publisher Take-Two, forcing the company to apologize and remove the line from its games. Take-Two's other controversial game Manhunt got the blame for a teen murder case in UK, with 17-year old killer Warren LeBlanc allegedly obsessed with the snuff film game. The incident took a startling twist when it was revealed the victim, 14-year old Stefan Pakeerah, was the one who had the game, not LeBlanc--killing any further finger-pointing at the game. Meanwhile, GTA: San Andreas is currently blamed for tagging, with teens putting graffiti of initials "GKU" on stores and schools--giving kids the perfect scapegoat for all their acts of pubescent rebellion.

3) Video Game Mags Up in Smoke
Last year had the fall of Ziff Davis' GameNow--this year saw the fall of GMR, XBN, and our very own Gamestar magazine. Not to mention layoffs seen in countless publications this year. A year where many unique magazines have met their untimely end--may they rest in peace.

2) Vapor Fumes from Infinium Labs' Phantom
Whispers of "vaporware" can still be heard, as Phantom maker Infinium Labs faced a rocky year. First it was accused of being a flaky, shady company by hardware tech site HardOCP. Then it faced a mulit-million dollar lawsuit from the former VP of the company (which was settled), a report that it has no more money in its coffers, and now is faced with a stock scam of sending phony faxes to investors to boost the value of the stock. To top it off, the console had what amounted to a no-show at CES, a tiny presence at E3 2004, and is being pushed back to sometime in 2005. A stunning accomplishment it would be to even see the console get launched.

1) EA, the Sweatshop Empire
No company has been more successful this year of painting itself as an evil gaming empire. Sports fans who celebrated ESPN Videogames' bargain-priced sports titles were mortified to find that EA signed an exclusivity deal with the NFL, essentially nuking any future hopes for the ESPN NFL series. The power of the internet was unleashed on the publishing giant with the "anonymous wife" blog, which alleged that EA's managers and HR were reincarnated Egyptian slave drivers. And the company gave a troublesome jolt to Ubisoft by abruptly announcing that it took a 20 percent stake in the French publisher--saying it was an "investment." Not to mention shutting down studios in California and Texas, cutting 117 jobs, effectively shutting down Maxis' office and consolidating the studio into EA, trying to acquire Battlefield developer D.I.C.E., and creating drab titles from once-prestigious franchises (Golden Eye, Medal of Honor). All while making more money than all other publishers can hope for.

Alongside SCO and Microsoft, geeks now have found a new giant to shake their digital fists at.

There you have it. Happy new year--and hope for a joyful year of gaming for 2005.