Success and profit often go together in video gaming. Well-received games often sell well. Likewise, positive reviews, word of mouth, and general gaming buzz tend to translate into sales. However, video gaming is far from a secure market. Games frequently fall through the cracks regardless of how well-made they are.
Plenty of little-known or poorly selling games deserve that status. However, there are many beloved games that simply never reached a wide audience. Even if gamers as a whole knew of the games’ quality, they just didn’t generate sales or a wide playerbase.
10 Viewtiful Joe Is A Stylish Beat-Em-Up
Viewtiful Joe is one of the odder games for the Gamecube. The player controls Joe, a film-loving slacker who gets sucked into the world of his favorite superheroes. He then has to fight his way through several movies. As well as martial arts, Joe uses filmmaking techniques like slow motion and zoom to defeat his foes.
Everything about Viewtiful Joe stands out. Its cel-shaded art, strange premise, and blend of action and puzzle-solving all stand apart from most games. However, it’s at best a cult classic. No Viewtiful Joe game has sold well despite high praise. The only reason they’re profitable is because of their low budget.
9 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II Can’t Shake Its Predecessor
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most beloved Star Wars video games ever made. It’s also one of the best-regarded RPG video games of all time. This same level of praise doesn’t extend to its sequel, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. This is despite The Sith Lords having expanded gameplay and a more intelligent story that deconstructs the Star Wars universe.
Knights of the Old Republic II has some clear problems. It suffers from a rushed development and the smaller resources of developer Obsidian Entertainment. Nonetheless, it tells a unique Star Wars story that sticks with players long after it’s done. It’s held to be lesser than Knights of the Old Republic when it was at least as good.
8 Ico Pales Compared To Later Games
Ico is the first and namesake game from Team Ico, and it shows the hallmarks of their later titles. Ico has unique action-adventure gameplay, a distinctive art style, and minimalist storytelling. However, despite being widely acknowledged as a phenomenal game and an example of games as art, Ico still pales compared to other Team Ico titles.
Ico doesn’t have the same wide cultural reach as Shadow of the Colossus, which is considered Team Ico’s masterpiece. Likewise, it isn’t as modern or as widely anticipated as The Last Guardian. Even though Ico is beloved, it doesn’t have the wide fanbase it deserves. However, being re-released alongside Shadow of the Colossus has helped Ico somewhat.
7 Alan Wake Is Just Slightly Strange
Remedy Entertainment have had major successes in recent years with titles like Quantum Break and Control. However, one of its middle titles never made quite the same impression on gamers. Alan Wake is a supernatural thriller game that casts the player as a struggling writer. After he loses consciousness, Wake finds himself searching for his wife and being attacked by shadow monsters.
Alan Wake revels in the strange, its story reminiscent of supernatural shows like Twin Peaks. It also has a unique combat system based on dark and light. These factors may have caused some audiences to reject it. Even with Alan Wake Remastered coming to more consoles, it’s remained more of a cult classic than a blockbuster.
6 Call Of Cthulhu (2017) Shines At Its Best
Call of Cthulhu hasn’t had glowing reviews from critics or wide adoration from players. It’s an unconventional RPG, focusing more on story and investigation than it does any sort of gameplay or combat. Negative criticisms of Call of Cthulhu highlight its clunky stealth gameplay and limited replay value.
Nonetheless, when Call of Cthulhu works, it works very well. The game excels at creating a creeping atmosphere of dread, and its central story is engaging and compelling. It rewards the player well for exploring and making careful choices. Call of Cthulhu isn’t a perfect horror game, but it is better than it gets credit for.
5 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Came Before The Series’ Boom
Fire Emblem has always performed well critically, but not financially. The series has only had wide mainstream appeal since Fire Emblem: Awakening. The games before then gave diminishing commercial returns. One of the biggest examples of this is Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn.
Radiant Dawn is a unique Fire Emblem game that tells a sprawling political story about many player factions that go to war with one another. It has beloved series characters like Ike, Titania, and Haar. However, it’s never had many players. Few copies of the game were made or sold. It’s only on the Wii and available for no other consoles. As such, there are few ways for players to try Radiant Dawn out.
4 Alpha Protocol Is A Rare Genre For An RPG
Alpha Protocol is another Obsidian Entertainment RPG. However, it doesn’t tell a fantasy or sci-fi story like most of the genre. Instead, Alpha Protocol is a modern-day spy thriller. RPG gameplay is applied to third-person gunplay, hacking, stealth, and more skills a master spy needs to succeed.
Alpha Protocol‘s gameplay is contentious. However, it’s received praise for its unique video game setting, memorable characters, and incredibly flexible story. Despite this, it doesn’t see widespread appreciation by gamers. Alpha Protocol isn’t even available on marketplaces like Steam due to expired licenses.
3 Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Survives Through Fan Love
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is an iconic cult classic video game that suffered from poor sales and polarized reviews on release. Its middling gameplay and many technical issues turn many players off. However, plenty of gamers appreciate its writing, ambition, and narrative.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has a dedicated fan community. These fans keep the game alive through mods, updates, and particularly unofficial patches. The game’s profile has been raised by the planned sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, but still few gamers have actually played it.
2 Beyond Good & Evil Was An Outright Financial Failure
Beyond Good & Evil is a 2003 action-adventure game by Ubisoft. The player controls a journalist named Jade, in a world besieged by aliens and run by a military dictatorship. They attempt to expose the truth behind Hillys’ plight and uncover the connection between the DomZ aliens and Alpha Sections government.
Beyond Good & Evil has had love ever since its release. It was even a contender for game of the year, and many consider it Ubisoft’s best game. However, it’s never had a large playerbase and was considered a financial failure upon release. Despite rereleases, a planned sequel, and a Netflix show, Beyond Good & Evil still hasn’t gained many players.
1 Killer7 Was Just Too Different
Killer7 is one of the strangest games ever made. It follows a group of assassins who are different manifestations of the same man. This syndicate takes on jobs for the government, only to stumble onto a conspiracy threatening to upend world peace. This odd premise isn’t all that’s strange about Killer7.
Killer7 uses unique streamlined gameplay, meaning the player doesn’t have full control over each character. Instead, they guide them down pre-set paths. Killer7 also boasts a unique art style and mind-boggling plot. All of this creates a game that is inventive, distinct, and inaccessible to large audiences.
