10 "Zero Expectation" Video Games That Blew Everyone Away
5. Doom (2016)
Originally launching in 1993, Id Software's Doom has since become the stuff of gaming legend. Not only was it a technical marvel for the time, but it was over-the-top, violent, and boasted one of the most iconic and bombastic video game soundtracks ever scored.
There was still a ravenous hunger for the visceral run and gun action following the release of Doom 3 in 2004. However, the sequel that would eventually become 2016's Doom got off to a hellish start.
Beginning development in 2008, this now adored game became stuck in production hell thanks to a mismanagement and an absence of communication within the studio. In 2011, three years after development began, the team scrapped everything and began again.
What was shown from the game likewise failed to spark much interest either.
While a disastrous multiplayer beta led to an onslaught of negative reviews, the trailer and box art's generic presentation suggested that the game would be a lifeless shooter that lacked Doom's over-the-top spirit.
And when it was discovered that reviewers wouldn't be getting review copies in advance, Doom's fate was all but assured.
It just goes to show that you shouldn't trust a game by its cover.