• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Which game in console history is the most obvious cash-in?

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (not technically a console game but whatever).

In a franchise that I've always felt has gotten by with incremental upgrades and no bad publicity for it, this one is by far the most egregious. Added basically nothing, with really poor audio and graphics, storyline was garbage, and the new Pokemon were absolutely terrible.

i agree. platinum was much much better than diamond and pearl though. i actually really liked some of the pokemon, but i'd probably put them in last place behind the other gens as well.
 
3JPIn.jpg
 
*sigh* Not this topic again........... the Pokemon series has changed a lot more than some people give credit for and if you had played anything past G/S you would be aware of this.

I still like Pokemon, but you can't fault them for that kind of mindset when considering that the changes from generation to generation are pretty incremental. The true sense of difference is if you jump from like G/S to B/W or something.
 
That TMNT game on the NES. It was obviously made to cash in on oblivious parents and the soaring popularity of the franchise. Virtually nothing in the game had anything to do with the turtles franchise at all. It was hard as shit just to make the kid hate his parents just a bit more.

Konami was rewarded with something crazy like 4 million sales of the game, making it the highest selling non Nintendo NES title.
 
I hate the term "cash in". It implies there's something wrong with having profit as the main goal. That's the main goal of every game.
 
I remember this game. My cousins and I used to play this all the time.

I still like Pokemon, but you can't fault them for that kind of mindset when considering that the changes from generation to generation are pretty incremental. The true sense of difference is if you jump from like G/S to B/W or something.

Meh, I think there is a lot more change than what is given credit for. I'm not even a big fan of the games. I haven't played 5th gen and didn't play a whole lot of 4th gen. I have however paid attention to the upgrades and new content they add in.
 
Games by LJN.

Their games were garbage. The only reason people would buy their games is because somehow they acquired the rights to make games based on some really well known movies & comics.
 
I'm as fed up of Call of Duty as the next guy, but to say they are effortless cash-ins is RIDICULOUS.

I agree. They obviously try to put out a good product and the series has received consistently good reviews. The fact that they put out $60 in map packs and have a (optional) subscription service is very excessive, but people pay because they make the games good enough to be addictive. If they put out a true Call of Duty cash-in then the drop off would be heavy between titles. Look at the reaction to Dragon Age II. The series went from acclaim to having to win its followers back in just one sequel.
 
How are they not effortless cash-ins?
You think they were developed at 10$ a pop or something? The values in the game actually look like effort was put into it. MW2 cost 50 million. 200 million if you count marketing. That's effort.
 
I hate the term "cash in". It implies there's something wrong with having profit as the main goal. That's the main goal of every game.
While every thing they do is ultimately for profit, there's some cases where it's very much potential profit >>> effort, like the Hockey game listed and fighter updates. I do take issue with some of these games that are just normal sequels and follow ups that, even if they don't seriously upgrade the gameplay, clearly have a lot of effort put in anyway like Pokemon.
 
Most of the obvious ones are remakes or ports. "HD collections" strike me as much worse than CoD, for example. At least CoD MW57 will have new maps, a new single player, etc.
 
Anything Mario, it's worse than COD (in terms of milking)

What do you consider the definition of milking to be?

I still like Pokemon, but you can't fault them for that kind of mindset when considering that the changes from generation to generation are pretty incremental. The true sense of difference is if you jump from like G/S to B/W or something.

The differences are huge if you know anything about the mechanics of the game.
 
How are they not effortless cash-ins?

The OP said to give examples of games where profit is the main goal over all else. Do you really think that describes CoD? Those games are too good to fit that description. But that description perfectly fits most movie (and licensed) games. There's a reason why licensed games have such a bad reputation.
 
You think they were developed at 10$ a pop or something? The values in the game actually look like effort was put into it. MW2 cost 50 million. 200 million if you count marketing. That's effort.

I played the PS3 versions of Blops and MW3 and I'd say $10 might be a stretch. $5 probably.
 
Isn't every game principal goal is to make profit? I mean we're all here at the very least on our late teens. No need for naivety.

In terms of "effortless" I agree with oOiate and going to say most of HD "collections"
 
Madden by far. There were some years I swear they just changed the rosters. I'm talkin' really lazy development. Even a shitty movie-cash in game has to have a semblance of a story.
 
I think some guidelines should be added to the main post; to try to get people to give more and better examples rather than "well x-game because I don't like it".

A cash-in, at least in the term as an "obvious one" are games that are made quick, fast, effortless; to try to get people that are otherwise hyped (because of the brand recognition, movie release or something) into buying it.

Example? Rock Band on Wii.
There were no plans on releasing it on Wii; untill they saw that Guitar Hero was selling great on Wii.

What they decided to do? They ported the PS2-gimped version that lacked any customization, and used full motion videos in backgrounds and release it nearly 10 months after the originals and 2 months before the Xbox 360 release of Rock Band 2.

Result? The game sold...over a million copies, only for been named Rock Band. (at the same time, the quality of said version affected the sales of its sequels later on)

***

Call of Duty, Skylanders, Mario? Those may sell great and continue to be made because they sold great and are good games. There's some effort and good product into it, that hatred aside could pass as a decent game to many.

Skylanders, they spent years experimenting and working on the technology and the 3DS version was made by an excellent team too. That the figures are seen as "cash-grabs" is another thing, but is not some quick product made only to get money.

Mario may appear in spin-offs and stuff (since it's technically the Mickey Mouse of videogames), that's part of been mascot and having brand recognition. But there has been as much "main-Mario games" as Uncharted, Ratchet-console games this gen and I don't see people calling Uncharted milked and a cash-in; even when Drake appeared advertising Subway a few months ago.
 
Guitar Hero
Rock Band
Skylanders
Call of Duty
Madden

Pretty much anything that has a new version every year...

How can Rock Band be above Call of Duty? There have only been roughly 6 main games since its conception as opposed to even Guitar Hero with its staggering 12+ games.

Pokemon Black and White 2 though, nothing has ever made me think "cash-in" so quickly. Because 7 main Pokemon titles on the DS isn't enough?
 
Play HeartGold or SoulSilver if you get the chance. They're great games and feature the Pokémon you know and love (has newer ones too but not to begin with) and new content. Plus if you haven't played RSE, DPP or BW then it'll probably feel somewhat updated (though still the same as Silver/Gold obviously). I personally can't go back due to BW's speed; previous titles just feel too slow compared to it.

Also HGSS' music is amazing, especially Kanto's. You'll be fighting Pidgeys with what sounds like the most epic battle music ever xD
I actually did! And I was pretty amazed with it too. It was a bit of nostalgia with playing something new. I tried to play Diamond/Pearl and Black/White and I couldn't spend more than a couple of minutes with them without feeling bored.

Maybe it's the old Pokémon trainer in me, though. But I have learned that not liking something Nintendo related will trigger a lot of "are you kidding me?'s". :P

Come the fuck on.
Don't you dare to post that without the trailer.
 
The answer here is Enter The Matrix

Shit game that latched onto a huge IP and sold tons relative to its quality.

It may be a bad game, but there was a lot of effort put behind it. They speficaly made movie scenes just for it and created its own story that didn't feel cheap, but actually important in the series. It's a shame the game part was bad, but compared to other movie games it really wasn't just a cash in.

And lol at CoD. Blind hate runs deep.

My choice is Superman 64.
 
World of Warcraft expansions. Considering the profit margins on the sub fee's. They make more then enough to pay for the expansion and they still ask money for the expansion.
 
Crackdown 2? Fable 3? ODST?

Microsoft had a period where they were just churning them out (though I liked ODST)

How are these cash ins?

Crackdown 2 was made because fan demand was there. MS basicly set up a studio for the ex-Crackdown 1 guys. It may have turned out meh,but I don't think it's a cash in.

Fable 3, while maybe a meh game is no cash in. I can't believe a game that attempts to have some moral point behind it is cash in. Fable 3's king decisions do and while they're can be broken, the entire thing was trying to make a statement. Also the game has some very good and funny dialogue. The side quest were your in the rpg board game was very funny.

Halo ODST? Well maybe, but I think the attempt at doing something unique with the game pretty much makes it not qualify.
 
It may be a bad game, but there was a lot of effort put behind it. They speficaly made movie scenes just for it and created its own story that didn't feel cheap, but actually important in the series. It's a shame the game part was bad, but compared to other movie games it really wasn't just a cash in.

And lol at CoD. Blind hate runs deep.

My choice is Superman 64.

Superman 64 was more of a tragedy than anything. The developers had lofty aspirations and plans to tie in lots of neat stuff the DCU animated series, but executive meddling, an undersized budget, and an unreasonable schedule killed it. They wanted to make a good game, but the powers that be wouldn't allow it.
 
Top Bottom