Games that should have been the next Halo, Super Mario, or Ocarina of Time, but weren't.

[Jabberwock xeno]

In other words, games that deserved mass appeal, fans, and deserved to be remembered for years later on...

But weren't.

For me, I'd say Borderlands and Spore.

Spore was one of the most abitmous and interesting games ever, and it hardly gets any attention. it has the best customization and creation tools for a game, no contest, has an ENTIRE, FULLY EXPLORABLE GALAXY, and (had, as of the last time I checked before I lost my saves and played the game *sad*) near endless user base.

Borderlands has over a trillion weapons, literally. It's freaking Fallout X Diablo X Halo!

 

[pyrosaw]

I vote for Team Fortress 2. I don't care how much fun your having with Counterstrike, It's better Dammit.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I don't know about mass appeal... but Metro 2033 should have gotten a lot more coverage.

 

[Marik2]

The System Shock series.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

I vote for Team Fortress 2. I don't care how much fun your having with Counterstrike, It's better Dammit.

I'd say it got it.

It's a famous game now, and has been since it came out, It has spawned god knows how many memes etc.

 

[Palademon]

Well, it is remembered and has fans, but TimeSplitters does deserve to be the next Halo.

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

The System Shock series.

Seriously! How had I never heard of this game before coming to the escapist?

 

[Porecomesis]

Skies of Arcadia and Deus Ex. Not a lot of people really care about them in this day and age.

 

[SixWingedAsura]

Timesplitters doesn't get nearly the amount of attention it deserves.

 

[Choppaduel]

Well, it is remembered and has fans, but TimeSplitters does deserve to be the next Halo.

TimeSplitters [1-3] definately. I plan on replaying them all soon as I get some free time.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

Well, it is remembered and has fans, but TimeSplitters does deserve to be the next Halo.

Convince me

Give us reasons people!

 

[Choppaduel]

Deus Ex...

idk. Deus Ex isn't for everyone. I love it, but the stealth definately needs improvement.

 

[repeating integers]

You know what? Fuck you, Starcraft. Fuck you for ruining what should have been Homeworld's heyday, for overshadowing it and making everyone else forget about it. Fuck you for creating the standard RTS formula and making everyone completely ignore Homeworld's many innovations in favour of your standard gameplay.

Homeworld should have been Relic's flagship series. It should have been held up as a paragon of the RTS genre and remembered by all as a classic. Instead, it and its vast stock of pure brilliance were left in the dust, and now are only known to a few people.

That's just bloody tragic.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Starsiege-Tribes

It had all the makings of a decent universe, and played very differently from your typical shooter. Fast, fun, varied.

But it's all dead now. Thanks to Vivendi Universal pulling all support for the game before even the first patch was released for Tribes Vengeance in a move that still baffles me to this day.
A bloody shame too, because I actually liked the story (well, up to a point, then it fell apart).

 

[Lord Beautiful]

Though there are fans and they are indeed loyal, I really wish Zone of the Enders as a series got more attention. As far as I know, it was the first hyper-fast mech combat game to which nothing could, and most likely still can't, compare. It was all the best parts of mech-centric anime with few of the inadequacies thereof.

 

[Mr S]

Bionic Commando 2009
Don't care what you people have read on game review sites.
It's awesome. Play it yourself then dare deny it.
But it could've been better.

 

[manythings]

I vote for Team Fortress 2. I don't care how much fun your having with Counterstrike, It's better Dammit.

I'd say it got it.

It's a famous game now, and has been since it came out, It has spawned god knows how many memes etc.

Not to mention sweet hats. I don't know how people still play Counter-strike, there were so many great source projects.

OT: Psychonauts. Great story, amazing look, insanely interesting levels and characters, Just play the fucking thing and pray Tim Schaefer makes the sequel.

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. This is vampires without that gimpy, bullshitty twilight wank. Great story, fantastic level design (Like deus ex there wasn't just one route to your goal and being week never meant you couldn't win in a fight), Chosing your character mattered, choosing what you said mattered, the morale questions were great, brilliant sense of humour, too bad about the bugs but god I wish Troika were still putting out games. This should be a staple of gamer culture by now.

EDIT: Just thinking about it now I could talk for hours about Vampire, it was just THAT GOOD! So many great little parts, and playing as a Malkavian was just insane.

 

[Woodsey]

Skies of Arcadia and Deus Ex. Not a lot of people really care about them in this day and age.

Never heard of the former, but this picture is here for a reason: