While sales bare little correlation with quality, popularity should not be outright dismissed. At the end of the day, publishers exist to make money, so studios are going to follow trends that allow for the largest profit margin. Besides offering about as much depth as a paper cup, the vast majority of mobile games are mediocre garbage riddled with anti-consumerism practices that view players as nothing more than sentient ATMs. These projects may not earn a mention on any best of the year lists, but they are clearly popular enough to motivate developers to try and mimic their formula.
With many disappointing titles garnering a massive (initial) fanbase that is simply unearned, console games are hardly beyond this issue. Monster Hunter World, Far Cry 5, and God of War prove gamers continue to desire single-player experiences, but established franchises benefit from having a pre-existing reputation. Any new IP is destined to face an uphill battle to garner any commercial attention, especially if they are not backed by publishers like EA or Activision. Due to the rise of the indie market and console exclusives, players are spoiled for choice, so sticking to well-known brands tends to feel easier. Whether the marketing team dropped the ball or people just lacked interest, every generation contains a couple of gems which slip through the cracks. Conversely, there is always that one popular title that ages poorly or makes us wonder what we were thinking!
Here are the best console games no one played (and 15 bad games everyone did)!
30 Overlooked Greatness: God Hand
Honestly, Clover Studio’s entire line-up deserves a spot on this list, but God Hand was particularly terrific. Released in the same year as Ōkami, this beat ’em up marked the end of the road for the developer. Putting aside IGN’s infamous review, God Hand tends to be considered among the PlayStation 2’s greatest games. While the graphics and the absurd story were nothing to write home about, Clover Studio crafted an incredibly robust combat system that continues to be unmatched within its genre. According to God Hand’s director, Shinji Mikami, the game sold poorly due to Capcom failing to impose enough restrictions.
29 Popular Mehness: FIFA 18
In a yearly cycle that borders on tradition, FIFA’s latest entry initially garners fantastic reviews and sells enough to finance the next World Cup; however, the player base slowly grows disenchanted by the experience. Despite earning an aggregate of “84” on Metacritic, FIFA 18’s user score sits at a terrible “3.3/10.” Considering this happens with nearly every iteration, you would assume people would take a hint and stop dropping the cash on Cristiano Ronaldo’s digital variant. Obviously, that is not the case.
28 Overlooked Greatness: Jet Set Radio
With Sony dominating the market and Nintendo wholeheartedly embracing the 3D era, Sega’s Dreamcast fell by the wayside and drove the manufacturer to quit the console business. While not the best platform of the sixth generation, the Dreamcast’s lineup was far from embarrassing. Bolstered by genuinely stunning visuals and unique gameplay mechanics, Smilebit’s Jet Set Radio deserved better than to be a minor hit. Thankfully, Sega went on to port its skating game to a number of other consoles, so there is really no excuse to not try Jet Set Radio.
27 Popular Mehness: Assassin’s Creed III
Fuelled by its predecessor’s success and promising to provide closure for Desmond Miles’ storyline, Assassin’s Creed III broke pre-order records and sold more than 3 million units in its first week. While these are some impressive figures, they are a testament to Assassin’s Creed II’s pedigree and have nothing to do with its 2012’s sequel. Despite improving in nearly every way over Edward Kenway’s iteration, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag moved less than half of its forerunner’s numbers. In other words, Assassin’s Creed III is about 60% worse than Assassin’s Creed II.
26 Overlooked Greatness: Shadows Of The Damned
For those who appreciate a bit of weirdness with their games, Goichi Suda is someone who warrants your attention! Developing games under Grasshopper Manufacture, Suda’s biggest success story was probably No More Heroes and its decent sequel, but Shadows of the Damned may be the author’s magnum opus. While Capcom struggled to modernize Resident Evil, Suda dropped a hilarious third-person shooter starring the enigmatic Garcia Hotspur. Irreverent and completely awesome, Shadows of the Damned’s Underworld is a place worth visiting! Unfortunately, the game sold less than 25,000 copies during its first week.
25 Popular Mehness: Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
After writing gaming history with 1986’s The Legend of Zelda, an innovative top-down action game which changed the industry for the better, Nintendo threw a curve-ball by turning Link’s second adventure into a side-scrolling role-playing game with platforming elements. The Adventure of Link introduced some mechanics that would become staples of the franchise, primarily the importance of NPC characters, but it remains the series’ odd duck. Even if we cannot describe The Adventure of Link as horrible, it is one of the legendary hero’s lesser escapades.
24 Overlooked Greatness: Enslaved: Odyssey To The West
Ninja Theory has perfected the art of releasing flawed but enjoyable single-player games that rarely seem to find an audience. Following in the footsteps of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is set in a post-apocalyptic world and centers around an escaped convict who has to escort a young woman back home. Ninja Theory’s game garnered positive reviews but struggled to move enough units to warrant further investment in the intellectual property. Namco Bandai blamed the crowded market for Enslaved: Odyssey to the West’s poor returns, but the game’s magic was not accurately captured in its marketing.
23 Popular Mehness: Final Fantasy XIV
In an oversaturated genre that encompasses World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Guild Wars 2; Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is the cream of the crop. While the single-player entries delivered uneven adventures that left many disappointed, Square Enix’s MMORPG managed to scratch our Final Fantasy itch. Considering the game launched as an absolute mess that needed to be taken off the market and rebuilt from scratch, it is amazing that A Realm Reborn proved to be anything more than a dumpster fire. Obviously, this entry refers to the original 2010 version.
22 Overlooked Greatness: Deadly Premonition
Access Games’ survival horror tribute to Twin Peaks was never designed to be a best-seller, but it proved slightly too niche for its own good. Surprisingly, Deadly Premonition got off to a solid start; unfortunately, the momentum proved to be short-lived and any hopes of a sequel were dashed by the three-month mark. Suffering from outdated graphics and gameplay that left quite a bit to be desired, Deadly Premonition’s fascinating storyline got lost amidst a sea of technical difficulties and silly animations. For those willing to search beyond the muddy textures, they will discover an immersive and unique horror game brimming with atmosphere.
21 Popular Mehness: Destiny
Due to the technological advancements of the internet, developers are free to continue tinkering with their products after the point of no return. The “games as a service” business model has companies salivating at the prospect of producing a cash cow capable of lining their shareholders’ pockets for the next half-decade. Launching with barely any content and requiring around a year to develop into the game it should have been, Destiny is the ultimate example of a franchise that left a mediocre first impression. The Taken King should have been the inauguration point for Bungie’s shooter.
20 Overlooked Greatness: Beyond Good & Evil
After close to two decades of waiting, Ubisoft plans to revisit Beyond Good & Evil’s universe. The publisher’s website may describe the action-adventure title as “one of Ubisoft’s most beloved games,” but that hardly prevented Jade and Pey’j from being pushed aside for Prince of Persia. A positive critical reception means nothing when matched up with terrible sales, so Beyond Good & Evil was not considered a success. Luckily, Ubisoft’s forgotten gem garnered a small cult following due to its numerous re-releases on consoles like the Xbox 360 and a sequel is finally more than just a pipe dream.
19 Popular Mehness: SimCity
Poop can be polished until it mimics a diamond, but that initial stink will never truly subside. Many promising projects have succumbed to woeful business models or rushed deadlines, but EA has turned anti-consumer practices into a sport. 2013’s SimCity sold over two million copies, but the city-building MMO was an absolute trainwreck at launch. Besides restricting the actual gameplay mechanics seen in previous entries, SimCity’s servers could not keep up with the demand, which is a problem in a game that requires players to be always online.
18 Overlooked Greatness: Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Technically, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay is less of a movie tie-in game and more of a continuation of the anti-hero’s story. The first-person shooter happens to be among the genre’s best and most overlooked entries. After years of wasting cash on trash like Jurassic Park: Trespasser and Thor: God of Thunder, many gamers have learned to avoid any titles with even a passing resemblance to a popular cinematic franchise. Vin Diesel’s exhilarating shooter was far from an exception, although critics seemed to like it well enough. If you can only try one game from this list, let it be Escape from Butcher Bay!
17 Popular Mehness: Pokémon Snap
When it comes to consoles, Pokémon’s legacy is soaked in mediocrity. After decades of half-baked attempts which fail to even approach the handheld RPGs, the Nintendo Switch appears set to mark a change in fortune for Pikachu and company. Among the best selling games of 1999, Pokémon Snap barely qualifies as an interactive experience. Once the initial excitement of witnessing a 3D Charmander subsides, we are left with a terribly monotone adventure that severely lacks content. In this day and age, Pokémon Snap would be a free-to-play prequel designed to build hype for an upcoming game.
16 Overlooked Greatness: Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil
Due to a string of titles falling ludicrously short of expectations, 2001 landed Namco in a fair bit of hot war. Building upon the solid foundations set by its predecessor, Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil took full advantage of the PlayStation 2’s hardware, crafting one of the defining platformers of the generation. It is just a shame that nobody seemed to notice! Ranked as only the 85th best selling game of the year, Namco’s gorgeous platformer was the final proper entry in the franchise to receive a Western release. Simplistic but thoroughly engaging, Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil is still worth playing today!
15 Popular Mehness: Tekken 4
When a franchise manages to survive for over a decade, there are bound to be a couple of missteps along the way. Pigeonholed between two of the better entries in the series, Tekken 4 feels oddly pointless. Pushing Namco’s brand into the sixth generation, the fourth entry’s roster received a sizable downgrade, but the biggest issues were found in the gameplay. Focusing on cramped environments and limiting the combos, Tekken 4 altered the franchise’s core mechanics for the worst. Thankfully, Tekken 5 proved to a resounding return to form and a vast improvement over its predecessor.
14 Overlooked Greatness: Vanquish
As is customary with these type of lists, here is our token PlatinumGames’ entry! A substantial departure from Bayonetta and MadWorld, Vanquish saw the developer venture into third-person shooter territory. Most studios would struggle with a new genre, but PlatinumGames exists to defy expectations. Bar none, Vanquish’s gameplay is the best in the industry and nothing else comes close! Fast paced and impossible to put down, we cannot recommend this game enough! While not the studio’s worst selling game of all time, Vanquish deserves to share a table with the likes of Gears of War and Just Cause 2.
13 Popular Mehness: Black Desert Online
Look, we pride ourselves on being fair; Black Desert Online’s flashy combat deserves praise for substituting timers with combo chains, and the graphics are positively gorgeous. Nevertheless, we would be hard-pressed to find a duller MMORPG! Black Desert Online manages to be enjoyable until the soft cap is reached, but the endgame boils down to pointlessly grinding the same spots to earn enough material to try and enchant your equipment. Due to Black Desert Online’s terrible RNG, the odds of getting something of value is substantially low. MMORPGs require a massive investment of time, so they have to offer more than just fun combat.
12 Overlooked Greatness: Alpha Protocol
At the core of it, Alpha Protocol is an underwhelming piece of software. The living embodiment of rough around the edges, Obsidian Entertainment adhered a bit too vigorously to Bethesda’s gameplan. Even with the mediocre gunplay and underwhelming artificial intelligence, Obsidian still crafted an engaging adventure that respects the choices made by the player. With a touch of polish, Alpha Protocol could have rivaled the best games published during the seventh generation. While the issues cannot be totally ignored, this action role-playing game deserved better than to languish as the 13th highest grossing game in its first week.
11 Popular Mehness: Tomorrow Never Dies
Developed by Black Ops Entertainment and published on the PlayStation, Pierce Brosnan’s second run as James Bond piggybacked on the success of Rare’s GoldenEye 007 and sold enough copies to earn a Platinum ELSPA award. It would be unreasonable to expect any spiritual sequel to match perfection, but Tomorrow Never Dies is a mediocre game in its own right. Everything felt like a downgrade from GoldenEye and PlayStation owners hoping for their own successful shooter were left with a cheap replica of the real deal.
