Whenever a new video game is announced, developers and publishers tend to make huge promises that inevitably raise the fans’ expectations to an absurd degree. Of course, most of the time, they are actually able to deliver on their promises and put out a high-quality product that doesn’t disappoint, but unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
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Seasoned gamers have experienced this many times in recent years: a company announces a new game and immediately begins promising that it will be so groundbreaking it will change absolutely everything, only for the final product to not live up to the hype. The following ten games are examples of this, which is a real shame because some of these titles are actually quite good, but their reputations were ruined before they could come out.
Daikatana
A Promise That Was Not Fulfilled
Daikatana
- Released
- May 23, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Back in the 90s, John Romero, John Carmack, and their company, id Software, pretty much dominated the PC gaming landscape, mainly thanks to the release of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, the two most influential FPS games ever made. Despite their success, Romero left id Software in 1996 and joined Ion Storm to work on his next game: Daikatana, a sci-fi shooter with an ambitious time-traveling premise.
The hype surrounding Daikatana was extremely high, and was made even worse by the game’s infamous print ad campaign. Unfortunately, when Daikatana finally came out in the year 2000, it quickly got panned by fans and critics due to its lackluster graphics, uninspiring weapons, confusing story, and frustrating enemy AI. What was supposed to be the next Doom ended up becoming a disappointment.
Black & White
An Extremely Ambitious Project
Black & White
- Released
- March 27, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
Before Black & White came out, Molyneux and Lionhead Studios marketed it as this massive god simulator that was going to be incredibly ambitious and would implement elements from both Populous and Dungeon Keeper. Gamers from that era certainly can’t be blamed for feeling excitement about Black & White, because the idea of a simulation game where they take control of a god overseeing humanity’s growth was actually quite unique for its time.
Fortunately for them, Black & White ended up being a very good title that received glowing reviews, but it was nowhere near as revolutionary as its creator had made it seem. As a matter of fact, most gamers today are not even aware that this game even exists.
Fable
Undelivered Promises Were Its Ruination
Fable
- Released
- September 14, 2004
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Language, Sexual Content, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
A few years after the release of Black & White, Peter Molyneux began working on Fable, an action RPG exclusive to the original Xbox. To this day, seasoned gamers recall the fascinating promises made before its release, such as being able to plant an acorn in-game and see it grow into a tree in real time or being able to do absolutely anything, no strings attached.
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Needless to say, when Fable eventually came out in 2004, players quickly found out that most of the features and mechanics promised were nowhere to be seen. Truth be told, Fable is actually a fun, inventive, and unique RPG, but audiences’ expectations were way too high, which resulted in many of them deeming it a major disappointment. Nevertheless, some of these ambitious ideas were explored in later entries, like Fable 2.
Haze
The Infamous “Halo Killer” That Never Achieved Its Goal
Haze
- Released
- May 20, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Free Radical Design
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- Platform(s)
- PS3
Even though the rivalry between PlayStation and Xbox in the mid-2000s was evenly matched, there was one specific area in which Sony was slowly getting left behind: first-person shooters with a heavy online component. After all, the Xbox brand was the home to the Halo franchise, which was taking the world by storm during that generation.
Ubisoft and Free Radical Design attempted to turn the tide of this battle with Haze, a new FPS title that was exclusive to the PS3 and, according to the press at the time, had the potential to become the next big thing, which is why many called it the “Halo Killer”. Unfortunately, this ended up hurting the game more than anything, as it raised gamers’ expectations to an extreme degree, only for them to find out on launch day that Haze was actually a fairly generic FPS that couldn’t hold a candle to Halo 3, which had been released the year prior.
Spore
A Whimsical Little Game That Didn’t Have The Impact Most People Expected
Spore
- Released
- September 7, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
If there’s someone who has undoubtedly changed the gaming industry forever, it is Will Wright, who, with Maxis, designed and released groundbreaking PC titles like SimCity and The Sims. So, when they announced that they were creating an ambitious new simulation game titled Spore that was going to allow gamers to create a new life form and control it as it evolved throughout millions of years, gamers around the world were understandably very hyped.
However, when Spore finally came out on PC in 2008, it didn’t end up having the impact most people were expecting, mainly because its actual simulation gameplay got tedious and repetitive very quickly. Of course, this is still a very fun and inventive game that’s brimming with personality, and many people still use its character-creating tools to this day in order to bring their most bizarre and absurd creations to life.
Brink
Another Original FPS With A Unique Twist
Brink
- Released
- May 10, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Splash Damage
- Genre(s)
- FPS
The late 2000s and early 2010s were defined by the massive popularity of FPS games with online multiplayer modes, and many up-and-coming developers were desperately trying to get a piece of that pie. One of them was Splash Damage, a studio with prior experience on franchises like Doom, Wolfenstein, and Halo that was working on an original FPS IP titled Brink.
Due to its distinct art style and fluid parkour-like movement, Brink quickly caught the attention of most gamers, but it was sadly never able to live up to the massive levels of hype that it had gathered. Like many other titles in this list, this is actually quite a solid game with many positive qualities, but it was also heavily criticized for its technical problems, poorly executed ideas, and disappointing multiplayer. Brink failed to form a loyal player base and has now been forgotten by most people.
Watch Dogs
The Biggest Example Of How Deceiving Game Trailers Can Be
Watch Dogs
- Released
- May 26, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature // Blood, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action, Adventure
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
This may sound weird today, but the original Watch Dogs took the entire industry by storm back when it was revealed at E3 2012. Not only did it look absolutely amazing for its time, with graphics that were way more advanced than anything else on consoles up to that point, but the concept of an open-world sandbox game like GTA in which players could hack and take control of various devices was brimming with potential.
However, when Watch Dogs finally came out two years later, gamers quickly found out that the game looked nothing like its famous debut trailer, not to mention that its hacking mechanics were situational and superficial, and did not elevate the gameplay as much as they expected. It turns out that Ubisoft had used up-scaled PC footage to promote the game, meaning it was never supposed to look as impressive as it did in that infamous initial trailer.
The Order: 1886
A Beautiful PlayStation 4 Exclusive That Nobody Remembers
The Order: 1886
- Released
- February 20, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ready at Dawn
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PS4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
The PS4 lacked any strong exclusives during its first few years, which is why the announcement of The Order: 1886 quickly generated so much hype. Developed by Ready at Dawn (the studio behind the PSP God of War games), this was going to be a steampunk-themed third-person shooter centered on a group of monster hunters who fought against vampires and werewolves.
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Unfortunately, PS4 users were let down by The Order: 1886 when it finally came out in 2015. Truth be told, the game looked absolutely beautiful and perfectly showcased the power of the console, but its gameplay was way too simplistic, mundane, and lacked any real challenge, not to mention that it was extremely short, with its main campaign clocking in at only 7 hours.
No Man's Sky
What Started Off As A Huge Disappointment Went Through An Incredible Redemption Arc
No Man's Sky
- Released
- August 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
There’s no denying that No Man's Sky went through what must be the most unbelievable and inspiring redemption story in the history of gaming. Back when it was announced at E3 2014, it was heavily marketed as a huge, almost endless game, where players would be able to explore an infinite number of galaxies, each one with their own flora, fauna, resources, etc. This ambitious premise quickly captivated gamers, who didn’t hesitate to pre-order the game and/or buy it on day one.
Unfortunately, No Man's Sky ended up being a major disappointment for most people, due to its many bugs and glitches, a repetitive gameplay loop, and a lack of any substantial content. However, Hello Games has managed to improve the game by releasing multiple free updates and expansions over the years. The current version of No Man's Sky surpassed initial expectations and has amassed a huge and loyal player base as a result.
Anthem
BioWare’s Sci-Fi RPG Could Have Been Much Better
Anthem
- Released
- February 22, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
When Electronic Arts revealed BioWare’s newest project, Anthem, at E3 2017, it quickly caught the attention of most gamers, as it was basically an open-world RPG with gameplay that featured flying exosuits called Javelins. People were undoubtedly very impressed with the footage that was shown, to the point that many began calling it an “unofficial Iron Man game”.
Anthem eventually came out in early 2019, and while it boasted highly detailed graphics and satisfying flying mechanics, it failed to resonate with audiences for one big reason: it was a multiplayer, live service looter shooter, instead of the exciting single-player RPG with a Sci-Fi theme that most gamers were hoping for. Anthem failed to meet EA’s sales expectations, which is why it ultimately canceled the development of all future updates in 2021.
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