10 Potentially Great Video Games That Were Dead On Arrival

9. Lair

Tired of rendering X-Wings, the legendary Star Wars: Rogue Squadron developer Factor 5 leapt at the chance to help kick off the launch of the Playstation 3 with Lair. Giving players the power to ride dragons and making use of the new Sixaxis motion controls, this looked as if it was going to be Sony€™s killer app. The hype built up with emphasis placed on the new control system, high quality graphics and the involvement of John Debney composing the score. Oh, and the fact you were flying giant fire-breathing mythical beasts. The release was a very different story. The much anticipated Sixaxis control system made the title almost unplayable, with unresponsive movements and difficult turns. This proved to be the least of its problems with an extremely choppy frame-rate, aggravating mission multitasking and an infuriatingly obtuse lock-on system. For all the hype, gamers were just left with a visibly unfinished mess marred by poorly conceived mechanics. What makes this unique on this list is that even following Lair€™s disappointing release, Sony kept trying to turn it into a hit. In an act of arrogance worthy of Hammerpoint Interactive, the publisher began mailing magazines a Lair Reviewer€™s Guide. No, really. Along with multiple pages outlining how the game€™s control system worked, it asked reviewers to open their minds to what the game offered rather than negatively score it. For some reason this failed to improve critical opinions of the game and Factor 5 folded soon afterwards - an ignominious end to a developer who deserved far better.