Good games never really die as long as one person keeps the fire burning. It doesn't matter if they are no longer available or if they are 10/10 experiences; if someone loves a game for some reason, then that game is important on some cultural level.
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When it comes to gaming over the past few decades, it's been hard to keep up. Sometimes there are slow periods, and other times there are too many games released at the same time. This can be a big reason why they get overlookedso let's look at some examples to get a better idea great games that get overlooked because they were released at the wrong time. They may not have received much attention upon launch, but thankfully fans continue to keep up the fight.
Mega Man Legends 2
Sequel Troubles
Mega Man Legends 2 was released for the PS1 on October 25, 2000, one day before the PS2 launched in North America. While the PS2 had backwards compatibility and the game looked great on the new hardware, no one cared about PS1 games this late in the console cycle, especially the day before the next generation of consoles were due to launch. It was all about the new hotness that was the PS2 and its surrounding launch titles.
It's a shame, because Mega Man Legends 2 is a fantastic action-adventure game that has improved on the original in several ways, such as including more islands to explore. Had it waited a month or been released a month earlier, it might be looked back on more fondly today.
3D Dot Game Heroes
Red And Dead
3D Dot Game Heroes was released on May 11, 2010 in North America as a PS3 exclusive, which remains true to this day. It used large 3D voxels to decorate its world and characters, making it look like a LEGO theme Zelda clone.
It's one of the most unique games on the PS3, and it's a good one Zelda clone to boot, but unfortunately it was released a week before Red Dead Redemption. For players who only had a set amount of money for gambling each month, it is a safe bet to 3D Dot Game Heroes was not what most people chose.
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Going Against The Dovahkiin
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North was released for multiple systems on November 1, 2011, during one of the busiest gaming weeks of 2011. It competed directly with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception released on the same day, which wasn't the real problem, and it wasn't Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 a week later. That was it The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimwhich was released ten days later, which really set The Lord of the Rings: War in the North in its place, as both were large epic fantasy RPGs.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimof course, has remained a cultural icon for over a decade, while The Lord of the Rings: War in the North has been delisted on digital platforms, which is sad considering it's one of the best games based on The Lord of the Rings.
Binary domain
A massive miss
binary domain, was released on February 28, 2012, set in a future where a group of soldiers must step in and stop a robot rebellion similar to The Terminator films. It was a squad-based third-person cover shooter that had great mechanics and a weird story thanks to its off-beat characters.
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Binary domain may have flown under the radar as many RPG fans, and squad-based shooter fans to a lesser extent, anticipated Mass Effect 3 releasing a week later. As the conclusion of a great trilogy, no other game – especially a sci-fi shooter – stood a chance against it.
Puppet player
All stretched out
Puppet player was released on September 10, 2013, and it's one of PS3's best platformers. As a young doll boy, players progress through levels themed around stage sets, all made with similar household materials LittleBigPlanet game, although most of it is wood-based.
This is another exclusive that never made it off the PS3 console, and it had the misfortune of releasing just a week before Grand Theft Auto 5. Also, PS4 was supposed to launch in November, so buy lower budget PS3 games like Puppet player probably didn't seem as enticing as it might have been in other years.
Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus
In the middle of the launch
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus was released on November 12, 2013. It is one of the most forgotten entries in the Ratchet & Clank series, despite being another solid entry from Insomniac Games, was released just two days before the PS4's big launch.
This was a big Sony published game as well, so between this and Puppet playerit was almost like they were judging these games before launch. Unfortunately, Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus is another game that remains stuck on the PS3.
Teraway
Worn Away From Eyes
Teraway
6/10
- Released
-
November 20, 2013
- ESRB
-
e
Teraway was developed by Media Molecule, the LittleBigPlanet team, and was their big attempt at creating a new IP for the PS Vita. It used all the functions and buttons of Sony's portable console, from the camera that took pictures to the rear touchpad, which was used to break through paper surfaces.
It was released on November 22, 2013, right in the middle of the PS4 fever, but on top of that, this was also the same day the Xbox One launched. That's now three brilliant platformers that had poor launches, all exclusive to PlayStation consoles, released in the middle of major events and as a result overlooked.
Mad Max
The phantom pain
Mad Max
7/10
- Released
-
September 1, 2015
Mad Max is an open-world action game that was released on September 1, 2015. There were two issues with this release date. First, Mad Max: Fury Road was released in theaters in May 2015, and it would have been smart to launch this game alongside it, without delay, to capitalize on the movie's hype.
The second question is that Mad Max joined head-to-head Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Painand virtually any match that goes against Metal Gear is a bad idea. The games were completely different, but given the choice, even with a big movie tie-in, die-hard Metal Gear the fans weren't going to back down.
Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora
A late year release
The Avatar movies are huge, but they're not for everyone, which may be one reason why Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora did not do well commercially. It was a large open-world action RPG that launched on December 7, 2023. December releases notoriously don't have good traction, especially since the awards shows usually don't cover them at the end of the year. That is, unless the game is huge.
Unfortunately for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorathis was also the day that Xbox Series X/S players could finally take part Baldur's Gate 3which is perhaps the biggest RPG of recent years that continues to dominate the conversation. Pandora's Limits had a lot going for it, was well reviewed and is widely regarded today, but the launch probably cost it a much more successful run.
Cronos: The New Dawn
A hollow horror
Cronos: The New Dawn is an atmospheric survival horror game released on September 5, 2025. This was a day after Hollow Knight: Silk Song finally launched, after fans waited six years and the anticipation was so great that it crashed every digital platform that hosted it.
Cronos: The New Dawn didn't and didn't either Hell is us or Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scionwhich was also released within this time frame. All three of these games offered something different and are great experiences in their own right, but Hollow Knight: Silk Song just had an unstoppable barrier that no one could penetrate.
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