10 Most Embarrassingly Poor Console Launch Games Of All Time

7. Clockwork Knight (Sega Saturn)

Clockwork Knight Giving a console a 'surprise launch' like Sega gave the Saturn is bad enough, but when you happen to be among the worst games of the already derailed launch, you can bet your bottom dollar that you're going to suffer somewhat. Such was the fate that befell Clockwork Knight, a poor game made poorer by circumstance. A basic platformer with admittedly decent graphics, Clockwork Knight was never going to break any sales records. It was too short, the gameplay was repetitive and dull, and the 3D-but-2D graphics were a smoke-and-mirrors effect that wasn't to everyone's taste. If you add to this the fact that the lead character €“ and by extension his story €“ was completely unmemorable in a very literal sense. Honestly, I played the damn thing and I can't even remember his name without a check on Wikipedia. It was the very epitome of average, and further found itself hamstrung by the lack of proper console release PR on Sega's part. Now, it's forever doomed to be one of those IPs that get swept under the rug and forgot about, with a cats-chance-in-hell of enjoying an updated re-release. For a company like Sega, which like to dust off the old stagers at the smallest opportunity, that's quite a thing.
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Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.