10 Critically-Acclaimed Video Games NO ONE Played - Commenter Edition

6. Battlezone

Battlezone 1998 Activision
Activision

Where Zero Escape and The Longest Journey stood as sorely underrated examples of what a video game story could accomplish, 1998’s Battlezone set the stage on how to effectively combine shooter elements with those of a real-time strategy game.

Not only that, the game was the first to combine the two genres and prove that it could work, and as most reviews at the time would attest, it absolutely did.

Though the game was praised for its clever genre integration, interface, ingenuity, thrilling multiplayer, and lovely graphics, the game just couldn’t make it off the shelves. Battlezone sold only 48,000 copies between March and November in its release year, and global sales had only reached 200,000 by the following June.

Developer Pandemic claimed Battlezone underperformed considerably, selling below their expectations for which they blamed the game’s branding, failed marketing, and unusual design, which made it difficult to attract players.

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Contributor
Contributor

Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.