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Greatest games that sold sweet FA

Published: Fri 22 Aug, 2008 | 19 Comments
Tags: Games,

So you spend years, thousands (or millions) of dollars and amazing talent to create a masterpiece of escapism only to have nearly no one buy it. Be it through lack of funds, marketing, competitoin or just bad luck, here is a list of the greatest games that just couldn't hit the charts.

Grim Fandango
The first 3D graphics used Lucas Arts. Grim Fandango was a critically acclaimed adventure game that was coined a 'commercial failure'. After this Lucas Arts ceased to make adventure games, canceling other games in the pipeline and staff in the process. Winning several awards after it's release such as 'Adventure Game Of The Year' from IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer, it is a mystery why this game didn't sell well.

Psychonauts


Psychonauts is an amazingly playable platfromer for the PS2, Xbox and PC. You play Raz, a young boy gifted with psychic abilities who escapes the circus to try to sneak into a summer camp for those with similar powers in order to become a "Psychonaut".The game is a strong platformer with humour, story and plot often found in adventure games, not to mention it's weirdness. Despite putting publisher Majesco into financial doo doo, it is often hailed as one of the best games for the 6th generation.


Shenmue

WOW, Shenmue will always split the camp into two. Many loved the sense of realism, time, environment and story. Many also hated the pace, but nearly all loved the graphics.
An epic RPG/Adventure, Shenmue was originally intended for the Saturn but ended up as a flagship product for the Sega Dreamcast. Although selling over one million copies the huge costs were just too large to turn over a profit .Gameplay in Shenmue is diverse; while most of the game is spent walking around the atmospheric, life-like Japanese locations in a third-person 'chase cam' mode (talking to people, searching for things, solving puzzles, and so forth), it is interspersed with many 'mini-games', including forklift and motorcycle races, bar fights, chases down crowded alleys, full versions of Sega arcade games Space Harrier and Hang-On (both originally programmed by Shenmue creator and director, Yu Suzuki), dart games, and 'free fighting' sequences. Shenmue would have been successful if there were more Dreamcasts out there, 1.2 million sales out of 10 million Dreamcast owners isn't too bad. Still you can see how much the game cost when over 1 million sales is not enough to make a profit. Shenmue is a Masterpiece. A flawed masterpiece, but a masterpiece no doubt.

 

The Last Express

Another WOW title that got no attention. It was developed for 5 years but was only on sale for a few months. Brøderbund gave it next to no marketing (kinda happens when your marketing department up and leaves) meaning next to no-one knew about it. Couple that with Brøderbund being sold to The Learning Company who were only interested in... Learning software, left The Last Express on a one stop trip to nowhere. In 2000 the game was bought by Interplay and sold as a budget game. But we all know what happened to Interplay, the game is now available through download service Gametap.
Set in World War 1, the game was the first to use real time in-game. The only time it wasn't was when the main character was sleeping or a cutscene was being played. The Last Express featured rotoscoped graphics, and interactivity with every character. If marketed properly this game would have been known by allot more gamers.


Battlecruiser 3000AD

Battlecruiser 3000AD was one of the longest-developed games in history. It was good, once the original owner got the rights back and patched up all the errors, but the damage had been done. By the time Battlecruiser 3000AD was actually playable it was too late for anyone to actually want it. A Space Trader/Fighter game, battle cruiser was ahead of it's time when it was conceived, but a 7 year labor coupled with coming out a retard will likely piss of even the most patient mother. Despite the retardation, there was a decent game in there.

Beyond Good & Evil

It's a funny world, you can try your hardest, work hard, plan hard and spend heaps of money only to lose. Beyond Good & Evil didn't bomb, but didn't really make a profit either. Beyond Good & Evil is a Stealthy-Action-Adventure game revolving aroung the main character Jade, a photographer and all round truth finder. The game encompasses a gripping story, and massive ratings. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell coming out around the same time may have stolen some attention from this game, causing low sales. Oh well.

So NZGers I know you like to be all: 'OH MAN I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THIS GAME, I"M AWESOME COS I HAVE IT'. Well add these to your collection and scorn the those mainstreamers out there. You go girl!

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