10 Obvious Video Game Home Runs That Somehow FAILED

Billed as a harmonious amalgamation of strategy, freedom of movement, and tight shmup gunplay, Brink looked primed to deliver a revolutionary competitive experience back in the early 2010s. Smashing together DNA from Mirror's Edge, Call of Duty and Team Fortress 2 to form a cohesive experience was always going to be an ambitious aspiration, though, and, despite topping most-anticipated lists all over the shop before release, Human Head Studios ultimately fell foul of biting off more than it could chew.

Not that there was anything inherently wrong with the end product. Contemporary reviews near-unanimously agreed that what Human Head shipped showed ample promise that could be built upon with future updates. The problem was that it was unfinished and lacked any semblance of balance critical to ensuring the longevity of what was primarily intended to be a competitive, team-based affair.

Games like these live and die based on the level of post-launch support afforded to them. Brink received very little and suffered as a result. Technically, it's still playable — official servers remain live — but you'll be hard-pushed to find another human on them.