18 awesome games that died at retail

There’s a widespread notion in the videogame industry that game reviews can have a profound impact on game sales, and for the most part the evidence bears that out. But as tempting as it is to gloat about the supposed power that we, the videogame press, hold over the livelihoods of publishers and developers, it’s not always true. In fact, history is littered with countless examples of megahit games that had originally been ripped to shreds by reviewers, and of games that generally scored high with critics, but were then ignored by an apathetic market.

We’ve already covered the bestselling crap; this time, we’ll take a look at some of the times when the public couldn’t be bothered to follow the critics’ advice – and in doing so, missed out on some amazing games.

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (2003)

Average Metacritic score

What was it? A third-person shooter/platformer starring Glitch, a gun-happy little robot who could drive vehicles, control the robot minds of his enemies and generally wreak explosive havoc.

What made it so great? Metal Arms' cast of characters was made up entirely of belligerent robots, and while some might read that as an attempt to make a shooter like this more “family friendly,” it in fact enabled the game to soar to ridiculous heights of carnage. Explosions were huge and constant, the arsenal of available weapons was enormous and individual body parts could be shot off enemies, crippling their ability to attack you. Frequently compared to both Halo and Ratchet & Clank, Metal Arms was a rich, versatile experience, packing in lots of vehicles to drive, guns to shoot and puzzles that required you to destroy large chunks of the environment. Add in Glitch’s ability to hijack and remotely control enemies, and you had a shooter that borrowed from the best, but still managed to stand on its own merits.

Highest praise: “It's flawless down to the lovely presentation – even the animated loading screen is super cool! Metal Arms: Glitch In The System is one of the finest games to come out in this generation and one of the most underrated ones too.” – AceGamez 



Why it tanked anyway: While we could chalk this up to any number of factors – the generic title, the squat robot protagonist on the box, the fact that the game looked too “kiddy” for “serious” gamers and too violent for little kids – the real culprit is more likely the infamous 2003 holiday season. Crammed to the gills with ultra-high-profile releases – including Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando and the first Call of Duty – the months between October and December drowned would-be new franchises in a torrent of higher-profile games. Without the marketing muscle or the name recognition to keep its head above water, Metal Arms was one of the season’s first casualties.

Beyond Good & Evil (2003)

Average Metacritic score

What was it? A sci-fi adventure that borrowed all the best bits of Zelda and Spllinter Cell to tell the story of a crusading photojournalist and her uncle, an anthropomorphic pig.

What made it so great? Beyond Good & Evil was a relentlessly beautiful game with a likeable heroine and a cool soundtrack, but a big part of its strength came from its gameplay. Putting heroine Jade on a quest for photographic evidence to use against a totalitarian regime secretly running both sides of a war, the game was frequently compared to Zelda, and its approach to combat and puzzle-solving did borrow a bit from Nintendo’s venerable franchise. However, BG&E rounded out its action with camera- and partner-centric puzzles, along with stealth sequences and hovercraft combat. It also didn’t hurt that the script was almost as beautiful as the game itself, with memorable characters and an epic scope combining to create a world you actually wanted to save.

Highest praise: “Where most games entertain us with cutscenes to observe, Beyond Good & Evil is a cutscene. This is the first game to fully, properly inject the undeniable power of cinematic technique into the experience.” – Play magazine

Why it tanked anyway: Another victim of the aforementioned 2003 holiday season, Beyond Good & Evil had the added disadvantage of having to compete against its own publisher’s other titles, which included Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and XIII (which also tanked hard). But at least there’s more hope for BG&E than there is for the other sad cases on this list, as trailers released by publisher Ubisoft have confirmed there’s a slick-looking sequel in the works.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS, 2009)

Average Metacritic score

What was it? The first-ever GTA for the Nintendo DS, and the most relentlessly enjoyable attempt to bring the series to a handheld.

What made it so great? Chinatown Wars sported amazing graphics for a DS title, but more than that, it was a lot of fun. While it (more or less) accurately re-created Grand Theft Auto IV’s huge Liberty City in a simplified, overhead-view form, it was a return to the goofier tone of the series’ roots. As such, it featured instantly accessible action, touch-screen-centric minigames that brought players closer to its enormous handheld world, and one of the most engrossing drug-dealing strategy games ever created.

Highest praise: “Chinatown Wars is a triumph, not just in terms of bringing a difficult game to a new platform intact, but because it actually improves it in the process, and demonstrates a mastery of DS form and function. … This is GTA as it first was, with the inherited wisdom of GTA as it's been since, finished off with all sorts of things that would happily belong in a GTA of the future.” – Eurogamer 

Why it tanked anyway: For all the complaints we’ve heard that there still aren’t enough “mature” games for their systems, it seems not enough Nintendo fans are willing to put up or shut up when it comes to buying the ones that actually come out. Either that, or the DS is more dominated by young children and families than we realized. Either way, there’s clearly not a lot of overlap between the GTA and DS fanbases, and that’s a lesson Chinatown Wars learned the hard way.