10 Great Video Games Everybody Wanted (But Nobody Bought)
8. Viewtiful Joe 2
20 years after its release, Clover Studio's Viewtiful Joe is still one of the innovative platformers ever. The titular star uses movie mechanics like Close-Ups, Fast-Forward, and Slo-Mo to battle enemies, solve puzzles, and open new pathways. Coupled with its cel-shaded graphics and cheeky meta-humour, there hadn't been a 2D sidescroller like this before.
Viewtiful Joe looked like it had a slim chance of success, since it was so difficult to market. Though sales fell short of expectations, the luscious platformer scraped enough to warrant a sequel.
As solid as the first entry was, Viewtiful Joe 2 was shaping up to be better, boasting two characters to play as, more variety in combat, and a less punishing difficulty curve. Since the first entry had proven this brand had legs, the sequel should've been a winner.
Too bad high praise doesn't translate into high sales. Despite getting a thumbs-up from critics, VJ2 sold abominably worldwide, resulting in the planned follow-up's cancellation.
Though two spin-offs were released, Viewtiful Joe 3 never materialised. After the dissolution of Clover Studio, it's likely the third instalment will never come to fruition.