Do You Remember Playing Shenmue?
There's nothing like anticipating a hot video game release, but the disappointment of the video game not being good can be devastating. Video games aren't easy to make and market, and many of them fail to leave an impression, even though they are still fun to play. Here are 20 awesome video games that bombed on release.
1. Beyond Good & Evil
In 2003, Ubisoft released Beyond Good & Evil during the holiday season to some critical fanfare. Unfortunately, it arrived at the same time as other popular games, such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It bombed on release despite its imaginative world and memorable protagonist.
2. Okami
Okami is a visually arresting video game that looks like a moving watercolor painting. The story is rooted in Japanese mythology, and it has Zelda-like gameplay. Capcom's marketing didn't land outside of Japan, and the niche style led to it bombing in the U.S. and other markets.
3. Psychonauts
Psychonauts was a creative 3-D platformer that explored the subconscious mind. Critics fell in love with its humor and imagination, but audiences couldn't bother to give it the time of day. It also launched during a down period for 3D platformers.
4. Shenmue
Sega went full-throttle for Shenmue, pouring a ton of resources into making it a success. Development costs were reportedly over $47 million, making it one of the most expensive games ever at the time. Its failure is due to it being exclusive to the Dreamcast console, which limited its reach.
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5. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
This game is still remembered for its groundbreaking "sanity effects", but being tied to the struggling GameCube was the nail in its coffin. Its mature themes didn't mesh well with Nintendo's family-friendly brand, and it was a tough game to market.
6. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
This RPG was packed with depth, engrossing narratives, and role-playing freedom. That's the good news, but the bad news is that the game was buggy and rushed to completion. Publisher pressure was too much for this game to taste any type of commercial success despite its small legion of fans who enjoyed the mesmerizing effects.
7. Grim Fandango
This video game was highly anticipated for its blend of film noir and Mexican folklore. Despite its positive critical reception, sales for Grim Fandango were poor at best. This was partly due to the steep decline in adventure games by the late '90s. However, it has experienced a small resurgence and is hailed as one of LucasArts' biggest gaming achievements.
8. Mirror's Edge
EA's Mirror's Edge was a first-person parkour experience that didn't land with gamers upon release. It was original, but players struggled with the difficulty of its gameplay. The replay value was limited, which didn't help its sales.
9. Spec Ops: The Line
Critics were surprised by Spec Ops: The Line and its dark subversiveness, but audiences weren't as enamoured. Its marketing didn't do it any justice by framing it as a generic action game. Gamers overlooked it upon release, and sales never matched expectations.
10. Sleeping Dogs
Originally marketed as part of the True Crime series, this game was rebranded after delays and changes by the publisher. Despite its good qualities, like story and combat, it couldn't manage to find an audience.
11. MadWorld
MadWorld was a fun Wii game thanks to its striking black-and-white comic-book art. Critics were fans, but parents avoided buying it because of its violent gameplay. Eventually, young audiences gravitated towards titles like Mario Kart Wii.
12. The Wonderful 101
Hyped as a Wii flagship exclusive, this game blended superhero themes with action-puzzle mechanics. Despite its fun gameplay, it sold poorly due to its unintuitive controls and confusing aspects.
13. Alan Wake
Remedy launched this video game as an ambitious blend of horror and serialized TV-style storytelling. The problem was that it launched during the same week as Red Dead Redemption. It was completely overshadowed.
14. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Enslaved had performances from Andy Serkis and impressive visuals, but its marketing and distribution were weak and poorly planned. Too many gamers just didn't know about it, and those who didn't weren't sure what it was about.
15. Sunset Overdrive
This game was fun, loud, and colorful. There was parkour and insane weapons. Its issues stemmed from being tied to the struggling Xbox One console, which limited its reach. It also came out when gamers were leaning toward darker and more serious games.
16. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
With art by Todd McFarlane, this game should have been a big hit. Critics praised its combat gameplay and world-building. It's another example of a video game launching at the wrong time, as it was overshadowed by Skyrim's massive fanbase and buzz.
17. Titanfall 2
Building on the first game and its popularity, Titanfall 2 was crushed by juggernauts. EA released it between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Sales were disappointing despite the praise from critics.
18. L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire should have been groundbreaking and a monstrous hit, but its sales never came close to meeting expectations. Many gamers found it to be repetitive and that its open-world gameplay was shallow and limited. Still, it had a bold storytelling style, fun atmosphere, and strong world-building.
19. Nier
Nier was so unconventional a video game that it split critics and divided audiences. Some enjoyed its ambition, whereas others were confounded by the experience. It launched with confusing marketing, and its poor sales made it destined for failure and obscurity.
20. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Following the total success of Sands of Time, Warrior Within shifted tones and alienated its fanbase. The combat upgrades had their admirers, but many gamers disliked its grim tone and brooding hero.
