8 Video Game Reboots That Failed TWICE

We can’t talk about video game failures without making room for the Blue Blur and there’s a good chance it’s an entry that many were just waiting for.

And it’s not like Sonic was in an outright terrible place before 2006. Sure, the gun-toting Shadow the Hedgehog had been as lacking as it was ludicrous but the series had yet to need a total reset. As such, Sonic 06 was a softer kind of reboot that was intended to provide a jumping-off point for Sega’s mascot and his extensive list of pals on the new HD systems.

Famously however the game was rushed to print far before it was ready, in order to commemorate the character’s 15th anniversary, and ergo became the laughing stock of the games industry. To say the game stumbled over its untied shoelaces is an understatement, as Sonic ‘06 is remembered as one of the most renowned examples of games released in buggy, broken states… although having a human kiss a hedgehog is a separate problem.

And yet, despite Sega having lived through an experience that should have taught them to play things safe every single time, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was allowed to happen. The decision to bring a project that was being developed for the Cry Engine 3 into a Nintendo exclusivity deal meant that Sonic’s 2014 Wii U exclusive would somehow even eclipse Sonic ‘06, earning the series’ lowest MetaCritic score to date. 

Rise of Lyric was more of a gallery of disasters than a game; with visual and audio issues, game-breaking exploits, and bugs that slowed down an already painfully trite finished product. 

At the very least the Sonic Boom TV show was good fun, if that counts for anything.