8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen games rise and fall like the tides. But there are two exceptions that have left indelible marks on my gaming journey – No Man’s Sky and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.


Nowadays, it’s quite frequent that video games are launched with unfinished elements, which might include missing content, glitches, or simply insufficient overall content.

Typically, this situation results in an outburst of intense fan frustration, causing the development team to descend into disarray. They often find themselves needing to issue apologies and make promises about potential improvements, but whether these promises are kept is uncertain.

Often, the game fails to regain its footing. At times, it simply doesn’t live up to expectations, leaving no room for redemption.

For certain ones, however, there’s a chance for reclamation. They rise again from their downfall, and some titles successfully correct their errors, earning them recognition as treasures in the gaming world. Here are some notable video game failures that staged spectacular recoveries.

8 Destiny

This Wizard Went To The Moon

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

At first, Destiny was perceived as a significant blunder. Given its origin from the creators of the iconic Halo series, the debut of Destiny faced intense criticism.

The fight sequences felt predictable, and the missions lacked originality and creativity. Moreover, the narrative was remarkably simplistic, even though the backstory was intriguing.

An extra delight was the voice acting, particularly provided by Peter Dinklage, who brought Ghost, your robot ally, to life in an overly repetitive manner that eventually grew tiresome for many. Later on, Nolan North took over the role, offering a fresh perspective.

It appeared as though the game had one of the largest disappointments in history. As the initial AAA game to adopt the “as a service” model, it was an enormous letdown, effectively marking the end of the series.

Initially, there was no such addition. However, quite unexpectedly, an overwhelming amount of content was added, including Raids and story extensions, at a rapid pace. Now, the interesting lore is supported by this abundance of content.

In a fresh and understandable manner, here’s how I would rephrase your sentence: The story became more satisfying, the mission ideas grew more imaginative, and the game regained its popularity among fans, leading to an even more successful sequel.

7 Fallout 76

War Actually Changed

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

In 2018, Fallout 76 faced high anticipation following its release. After the phenomenal success of Fallout 4, Bethesda enjoyed both fan and peer admiration, leading many to believe that Todd Howard and his team could accomplish anything at the time.

Following that, the release of Fallout 76 occurred, but it came with a host of bugs. The game world lacked Non-Player Characters (NPCs), and instead of a traditional narrative, the story was presented via audio logs and robots.

Instead of what we experienced, it certainly wasn’t the expected quality of a “Fallout” game. The poor performance, uninteresting missions, scarcity of missions, and the absence of that distinctive Fallout atmosphere were incredibly disappointing. The fans were disheartened, critics heavily criticized the game, and in every conceivable way, it was a complete flop.

In a turn of events, Bethesda faced some challenges, but swiftly bounced back. They unveiled the expansive Wastelanders DLC, effectively reviving the unique atmosphere of Fallout within the game. New quests were incorporated, and more significantly, they populated the game with people.

The story was actually told by the characters in the game like it should be.

The game finally felt like the multiplayer Fallout dream we were promised.

Not only did it continue, but additional enhancements were added. These included continual rewards for newcomers, periodic free-to-play weekends, and today, it ranks as one of the top open-world multiplayer games available.

The launch couldn’t have been worse, but the revival was incredible.

6 Warframe

The Blueprint

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

Warframe initially emerged with a low profile. Interestingly enough, it debuted prior to Destiny, and unlike its visual counterpart, it didn’t receive the same level of production quality or attention. Nevertheless, it managed to hold its own. In essence, it presented some intriguing concepts, but nothing that was particularly compelling or demanded immediate play.

Initially, what existed wasn’t sufficient to attract the attention it now holds, but eventually, news began to circulate, particularly concerning the growth or expansion phases.

With each addition, it grew more captivating, layers of narrative and tales accumulating at a faster pace, until it reached its peak with the widely recognized Second Dream expansion.

It outshone all previous instances, leaving a lasting impression as an unmissable game moment.

As time went on, the game gained even more followers and expanded its offerings. The funding became larger, the range of missions diversified significantly, and every aspect was refined until it shone with a polish that makes it one of the most compelling recommendations for a free-to-play game available now.

5 The Division

The Battle For New York

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

It appeared that The Division was at risk of joining the ranks of disappointing Ubisoft titles. The corporation had been facing tough times, as Assassin’s Creed and its other prominent series seemed to be losing steam.

The Division offered a unique experience. As a multiplayer shooter game situated in the aftermath of a catastrophic event in New York City, its conception was exceptionally daring.

Sales were decent at the start, but much like Destiny, the content just wasn’t enough.

The game lacked diverse enemy characters, the missions were repetitive, and the post-game content was extremely disappointing.

As a devoted fan, I can say that even when it seemed like Ubisoft might let Tom Clancy’s The Division fade away, they proved me wrong! With the monumental 1.4 update, Raids were introduced, and an entirely fresh end-game mode was added that made the game almost infinitely replayable.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but feel proud when I reflect on how the game’s remarkable rise in reputation paved the way for Ubisoft to bring us “The Division 2.” Building upon the lessons learned from the first game, it has not only boosted my enthusiasm but also propelled the franchise to even greater heights.

4 Cyberpunk: 2077

The Future is Bright

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

2020 saw me with high expectations for Cyberpunk: 2077, a title that had been building hype for quite some time. However, it was Ghost of Tsushima that stole the spotlight and left everyone talking. For me, CD Projekt Red’s next masterpiece was the game I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Immediately upon its release, it turned out to be an unmitigated catastrophe. From software glitches, poor performance, and even being pulled from PlayStation 4 stores, the launch was about as disastrous for a video game as one could imagine.

To make things worse, unlike the entries above, Cyberpunk: 2077 was a single-player experience.

In this instance, it wasn’t about offering games-as-a-service; there were no justifications, yet CD Projekt Red still produced multiple titles.

Many individuals found the game enjoyable, myself included, yet it seemed to be over sooner than anticipated, and the combat aspects appeared less intricate than expected.

This all changed with Cyberpunk 2077: 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty DLC.

The entire game underwent a significant overhaul, encompassing everything from the battle system to character abilities and advancement. Everything felt fresh and, above all else, significantly improved.

The battle sequences significantly improved, yet the narrative stayed similar, but it was truly enjoyable to experience.

The ultimate triumph, though, was Phantom Liberty. This made the game complete.

Experiencing Songbird and Solomon Reed’s adventure was a fast-paced rollercoaster ride, featuring stunning moments that cleverly tied into the game’s final resolution, which was simply brilliant.

Despite its painful launch, Cyberpunk 2077 stands as one of the best RPGs out there.

3 GTA Online

The Biggest Crime Was Its First Iteration

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

Initially, GTA Online was launched in an absolutely dismal condition. One might think this wasn’t typical for Rockstar Games—a titan in the video game industry—but unfortunately, their much-anticipated online variant lacked substance and excitement in every aspect.

From my perspective as an enthusiast, most of the intriguing sights and rewards were hidden deep within the gameplay, requiring extensive hours of investment. Unfortunately, the activities that I undertook during this time didn’t seem to offer much in the way of excitement or engagement.

Engaging in tasks like races, heists, and various missions was part of the experience, yet initiating and coordinating these activities smoothly seemed more like a tedious task, and communicating effectively with fellow players was seldom straightforward.

The experience seemed incredibly monotonous since the engaging narrative and sophisticated writing weren’t present to support the ordinary mechanics of GTA, making them appear less thrilling.

Fortunately, Rockstar quickly introduced multiplayer heist missions, making them incredibly fun to play alongside friends. Before long, the urge to accumulate wealth, purchase new vehicles, and acquire properties took over, creating a compelling gameplay loop that’s kept players hooked for an impressive decade.

30 players gathering in a single city could potentially lead to a lot of enjoyable experiences, however, it wasn’t until multiple content upgrades were introduced that the fun truly exploded with wild, action-packed, and sometimes violent intensity.

2 No Man’s Sky

A Journey Unlike Any Other8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

As a devoted admirer, I can tell you that No Man’s Sky was so extraordinarily ambitious that many of us doubted its reality. The thought of an infinitely expansive universe waiting to be discovered, with planets randomly generated, seemed almost too perfect to exist. It felt more like a dream than a tangible game.

And it was. At least, it was at the release of the game.

In simple terms, “No Man’s Sky” has gained a reputation for its creator promising features like multiplayer to the public but not following through, which left many players disappointed immediately upon release.

The game had minimal content, giving the impression it was only a preliminary alpha version, and there wasn’t a single sign of intelligent players.

In simpler terms, I found nothing intriguing to interact with among extraterrestrials, the journey was dull and vague without much motivation, and everything seemed unclear.

As a gamer, I initially felt disappointed when it came to No Man’s Sky, as some of the promises made before release didn’t seem to be true. However, things took a dramatic turn for the better with the release of No Man’s Sky: NEXT. This update brought multiplayer for the first time, a significant graphical overhaul, larger ships, and character customization – and that’s when we really started cooking!

Afterward, continuous improvements were rolled out without charge, enhancing the game progressively. Each upgrade brought a captivating narrative, simplified expedition entry points, and a social zone for engaging with fellow gamers, all accessible online.

The game had extensive construction elements, an outside perspective camera view, and even a Virtual Reality (VR) setting, making it one of the most delightful and unique gaming experiences available.

1 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

The New World

8 Gaming Flops That Made Incredible Comebacks

Previously, Square Enix delved into the realm of Massively Multiplayer Online games with Final Fantasy 11, yet despite its success, there seemed to be a lack of the enchanting narrative flair that the franchise is famed for.

In those days, when MMOs were relatively limited in their offerings, along came Final Fantasy XIV, catering to a new generation of gamers.

Regrettably, the launch didn’t live up to expectations. The performance was sluggish, the dungeons were conspicuously absent, there were no choices for mounts, and the entire experience felt laborious and monotonous, making it more of a chore than an enjoyable pastime.

The tale fell short of expectations, missing the exceptional standard that followers of this series typically anticipate.

In order for success to emerge, the game had to meet its end, and indeed, it did. Square Enix staged an in-game event that culminated in the total annihilation of the world, leaving players’ characters and all others nothing but memories. This dramatic finale served as a poignant reminder of Square Enix’s commitment to rebuilding this lost world.

They made over the entire game completely. A fresh narrative, abundant content, colossal dungeons, and challenging boss battles were all introduced.

Initially, the game found quick favor, but it wasn’t until the add-ons were released that it soared to the impressive popularity levels it enjoys now.

Experience an abundance of engaging content, with epic expansions like Heavensward and Dawntrail, the gameplay now spans hundreds of hours. The dedicated community has grown exponentially, with many enthusiasts now referring to Final Fantasy XIV as a standout title within the series.

Read More

2024-10-10 19:09