When thePlayStationhit the scene, it had to compete with the Super Nintendo and Sega Dreamcast, two consoles from already established hotshots in the video game world. Nevertheless, Sony came out of the gates swinging. In spite of a flurry of licensing issues, development setbacks, and porting errors, thePlayStationwas a quick heavy-hitter, sporting franchises likeFinal Fantasyand theChronoseries.
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Expectations for the PlayStation 2 were, therefore, sky-high. If Sony could iron out the kinks in the hardware and software and repair their damaged relationships with certain developers, they’d be well on their way to surpassing the competition. Indeed, the PlayStation 2 was a huge leap forward, but there were still some issues that led to many cancellations of what would have been amazing games.
10100 Bullets
Those who recognize100 Bulletsfrom a comic book of the same name know their history. For exactly 100 issues, DC Comics published the story of a group of innocent people, how they’d been wronged, and a mysterious organization that gave them the opportunity for revenge.
The video game would have had a story likeThe Punisher, but with more political intrigue and moral quandaries. It could have been one ofthe best third-person adventure games of all-time, pioneering human shields and automatic headshots. After astounding those who played it at E3 in 2004, licensing issues delayed it. By the time this was resolved, the PS3 was released and the game was left to waste.
9Capcom Fighting All-Stars
Capcom has a tragic history of cancellations, enough to even havetheir own top ten list of nixed games.Capcom Fight All-Starswas ambitious, aiming to be a true 3D fighting experience and not just a 2D fighter with 3D graphics.
After players beta tested the game, the camera, controls, and fighting system were all a bit too complicated and clunky. Instead of swinging for the fences, putting in the work, and perhaps making a rival toSuper Smash Brothers, Capcom bunted and gave up on the project.
8City Of The Dead
George A. Romero’sNight of the Living Deadcaptivated and tortured the minds of adolescents around the world. After his continued success ofDawn of the DeadandDay of the Dead, publisher Hip Interactive thought it was time for a video game.
With guidance from the legendary director himself and cast from the movies in the game,City of the Deadwas going to be a nightmarishly good time. The game would have beenperfect for Halloween. Unfortunately for a small publisher like Hip, they ran out of money before they could finish.
Activision wanted to take advantage of the PlayStation 2’s lofty capabilities in a big way. They found that it was possible to load an entire city into the game and then never have another loading screen again.
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The city, Eastport, and protagonist Jake would never get the chance to show what happens when aGrand Theft Autostyle game mixes with a zombie population. Instead of beingone of the best zombie games ever, Activision opted to play it safe with their other working titles.
6The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge
UFO: Enemy Unknownwas a game ahead of its time. It would eventuallyevolve into the incredibleXCOMseries after some twists and turns, but the studio, Mythos Games, saw the potential much earlier than anyone else did.
Unleashing the different tactical views, military decisions, and nail-chomping combat that makes the games so fun to play, this product would have absolutely floored gamers. Unbelievably, no publisher saw the potential and the studio had to throw in the towel when they couldn’t find one.
5The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse
Beforeaction RPGs like Diablo were inspiring peopleto claw through hell, another post-apocalyptic RPG was ready to set the standard. The game concept involved four traditional “sinners” left behind after the rapture.
Somewhere in between playing the horseman like inDarksidersand being a reformed believer like inLeft Behind, the game would have premiered an interesting balance of bad people fighting worse demons. Long past their successes withTerminatorandAlien, 3DO ran went bankrupt and was unable to sell off the work done on the game.
4Jurassic Park: Survival
Gamers are still discoveringsecrets inPlanet Zoo, but the dinosaurs have yet to take as prominent role as they did inJurassic Park, a movie series that had the world clamoring for more, even as the third installment was set to hit the screens.
Originally begun by Vivendi, the game wanted to add a dash ofDie Hardinto the franchise. As payments broke down with developer Savage, Konami stepped in and got the game completed, submitted, and even rated by the ESRB (Teen). Derailed by payroll errors since taking over, Konami decided they could no longer keep fighting and left the game to fade into memory.
3The Lost
Dante Alighieri’sInfernohas been inspiring artists, writers, poets, and thinkers since it was completed in the year 1320. When video game consoles made their way into more households, it was only a matter of time until games likeDarksidersused the literature for inspiration.
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The Lostwould have beatDarksidersto the punch by eight years had things worked out. The production crew decided to upgrade to the next engine after being halfway completed. At the same time, Publisher Crave told the team they were moving the revenue model from a triple-A title to a budget release. The engine alone consumed all of the funding and so the team hung up the gloves.
AsMadden 20 vies to be the lowest-rated video game title ever, football fans will leaf through the history books and wonder how this could have been avoided. Right as an exclusivity deal was signed in 2005 with EA, Sony Computer Entertainment San Diego was working onRoad to Sunday.
Maddenwould infamously be judged as lazy and disappointing. Conversely, SCE San Diego would go on to makeMLB The Show, a popular title among those who want to put themselves into a simulated baseball game. Heartbreakingly, the screenshots ofRoad to Sundayshow an RPG-like leveling system, which has never been properly instituted intoMaddenover the last fifteen years. Gamers can only anguish when considering what might have been for football video games.
1Tremors: The Game
The movie and TV seriesTremorswould have been a fantastic video game. With elements ofJaws,Alien, andHalf-Life, the game would have been a groundbreaking, puzzle-solving, survival-horror smash hit.
Instead of meeting new characters, gamers were treated to a large helping of disappointment. The Graboids project was too big for Rock Solid Studios and they resigned to giving up one year after announcing the title despite a year and a half worth of effort from their team.
NEXT:10 Console Games You Didn’t Know Were Canceled (That Everyone Wanted)
