The gaming community is on verge of ringing in the next generation of consoles. By all reports, the Xbox One and PS4 should be released late this year. As with all console releases this year's systems are sure to launch with some of the most exciting games of the year. However, if the past is any indication, not all games planned to launch with a title are a lock to get released.
Games consistently get canceled but when a launch title gets canned its big news. Two titles in particularly have become infamous with gamers after their cancellation. One was a dark horror game for the kid-friendly Wii. The other was a graphically amazing title for the much touted PS3.
Here are two of the most disappointing launch titles to get canned before their time.
Eight Days
Eight Days was an action adventure game featuring two lead characters and co-op gameplay. Both characters would have their own story arc taking place over just eight days. Time in the game was reported to take place in real-time so if someone played the game at night it would be night in the game.
The game featured one of the biggest gameplay maps of the time. Taking place across eight states, the sprawling epic would see a detective and a mobster team-up to hunt down a mob syndicate.
Developers described the game as Uncharted with two lead characters. Developer on the game, Richard Bunn, told Eurogamer in 2011 that the title was all about the cooperative experience between the two main characters.
"The entire concept behind the game was based around buddy gameplay. Imagine Uncharted, where you have two Nathan Drakes, and you can cover swap between each other and chuck ammo between each other. That was pretty much the game," said Bunn.
Sony eventual dumped the game because of a ballooning budget and a lack of online multiplayer. Sony boss Shuhei Yoshida told Develop-Online that the game's lack of online multiplayer caused it to hit the canceled title cemetery.
It was an unfortunate end to a game that looked to good to be true. The titles graphics were so good that many thought the title was a decoy set-up to make the PS3 look more powerful than it really was. Commentators said at the time that the E3 gameplay trailer for the title was just a CGI created mock-up.
Sadness
Sadness was one of the most unique Wii titles to be brought up at launch. Touted as a realistic take on survival horror, the game dealt with heavy topics such as mental illness and irrational fears.
It followed a mother/son duo in pre-WW1 Ukraine. Players took control of the mother as she guided her blind son through the vast wilderness of the Ukrainian countryside. Gamers were tasked with protecting their virtual child against mythological creatures and a weakening mental state.
Sadness utilized the Nunchuk controls of the Wii to offer players a fully immersive experience. Players used the controller to fully interact with the game's environment. Gamers would have bee able break any object in the game and use it as a weapon. As well as, pantomime their avatars actions using the Wii controller.
Unfortunately, the title never really got off the ground. The game's developer failed to meet its publisher's deadlines and the game was promptly canceled before even getting a playable demo.