Sometimes a game goes through a long promotional cycle with a huge amount of publicity attached before it is released. Hollow Knight: Silksong This is a good example, announced in 2019 and then released in 2025. It was too big to fail, and while some people were put off by the difficulty, most would say it was worth the wait.
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These other games had a muddier release. It may have been flawed at first and had bad review scores, or it may have been released alongside a larger product. No matter what happens, fans I wanted to like this game more, but I might not have finished it yet For many reasons.
star field
Bethesda's Next Big Franchise
star field It was Bethesda's next large-scale project. fallout In space. There was a lot of hope that the game would be just as big, if not bigger. fallout 4 This is especially true in terms of popularity as it came out 5 years after the teaser in 2018.
while star field It released perfectly well, and some players loved it, but it wasn't the space RPG revolution many had hoped for. Most players will probably have checked it out and enjoyed the combat improvements and ship building mechanics. But most of them fell off after some point.
anthem
Bioware's Strike Two
anthem
- released
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February 22, 2019
BioWare has disappointed many fans. Mass Effect: Andromedaand anthem It was the next game in that project. Fans were hoping this would be an improvement, but it seemed like a two-pronged problem for the developers.
The release was decent enough, but what upset fans the most was that there wasn't a lot of content, especially in the final game. It wasn't as compelling as BioWare's other RPGs to keep players interested, and it didn't have a clearly stated roadmap for updates. The upside was high, as flying in mechanized suits called Javelins gave players a freedom they had never experienced before, but the lows were too low to recover from.
no man's sky
not the promised land
no man's sky promised the world when it was released in 2013, but its release was nothing more than a very basic space simulation with a lot of procedural generation. Players could get ships, fly from planet to planet and discover new life forms, but it never felt like the game was behind the scavenging and exploration.
For example, there was no multiplayer and the action wasn't all that thrilling. at last, No Man's Sky Next With the 2018 update, the game started to look like it was originally advertised. At that point, most players gave up on the game. They may have heard it was good from other people after that, but they never came back.
cyberpunk 2077
wrong launch
cyberpunk 2077 The launch was a rocky one, but not because it didn't deliver on its promises. The console versions on Xbox One and PS4 ran poorly, giving everyone a blurry texture overlay as if it were an Early Access game.
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It ran flawlessly on PC, and the game looks and runs better if players were able to purchase an Xbox Series There was a lot of nonsense to deal with, so many people put it down in the hope that it would eventually come back. CD Projekt Red may or may not have done so after releasing a few patches.
ring fit adventure
it's a promise
ring fit adventure There was a lot more detail than anyone could have imagined for Nintendo's exercise game. The motion-based technology worked well and got players sweating, and the game itself was a solid turn-based RPG with some creative moves to fight monsters.
Like any exercise routine, it's a commitment and not everyone has the courage to keep working out. It's not the game's fault that people stray from their exercise routines, because even though the game itself is fun, it requires the player to have the will to continue exercising.
dead island
It's not the next Borderlands
In the early 2010s, players were hungry for action RPGs that allowed for large-scale cooperation. borderland. That's why dead island It looked so appealing, and while it was a fun time, players had to go through the glitches to get to the good stuff.
The story was nothing to write home about, and bugs caused everything from save errors to quest confusion. While the core gameplay of teaming up with friends, crafting weird gear, and kicking the snot out of zombies was satisfying, there were a lot of quality issues to look out for that kept it from being enjoyed as much as everyone could enjoy it.
Shenmue 3
Decades in the making
Shenmue It surprised players in North America in 2000 with the Dreamcast, and the next chapter soon followed on the original Xbox. After not hearing anything for a long time, fans gave up hope for a sequel. Shenmue 3 was eventually released in 2019. For better or worse, it was definitely a sequel to the franchise, but that's also why some fans were disappointed.
Shenmue 3 I basically ignored video game development for the last 20 years, and it was like playing a Dreamcast game all over again. So while fans were curious about how the story would progress, they couldn't help but push themselves through a monotonous adventure that felt mechanically outdated.
death stranding
Kojima's Phantom Sequel
death stranding Everyone's attention was focused because it was Hideo Kojima's next big game after leaving Konami. It wasn't a bad game, but it was different from other Kojima games that came before it, so many people turned it off. It was essentially a walking simulator.
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Additionally, the story was harder to understand than expected, the mechanics could literally trip over players if they weren't careful, and the delivery that made up the main gameplay loop was long and arduous. Although most of the complaints were addressed in the sequel. death stranding It was divisive.
Kingdom Come: Salvation
Skyrim is not good
promise Kingdom Come: Salvation The idea was to give players a huge open world to explore in a non-fantasy-based medieval setting. The historical value was very interesting, as the village environment and NPCs behaved similarly to hosts at a Renaissance fair.
However, it was also one of the slowest RPGs to build momentum, as players had to work to gain a solid place in society with a good set of gear. This build-up wasn't what all players registered as they imagined the game would learn quickly. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Except magic.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Not very influential
Larian Studios theology series back from the dead Divinity: Original SinIt gives players one of the best PC-style RPGs of all time. While the sequel is coming out, Divinity: Original Sin 2It was just as good and felt less special. It was proof that lightning cannot strike twice to create a cultural phenomenon.
In other words, Larian Studios baldur's gate Even from the dead, I came back. It begs the question. baldur's gate 4 You may feel less special. Divinity: Original Sin 2Will the fan drop faster? Or the driving force Baldur's Gate 3 Is this enough to ensure another success?
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