10 Video Games Everyone Played (But NO ONE Talks About)

There has been an insatiable amount of fantastic video games over the years that have made massive waves in both the gaming industry and pop culture alike.

Titles form the golden age of gaming like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, for example, have become instantly recognisable and continue to draw in large numbers of fans for each new iteration.

Likewise, franchises like Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, and FIFA repeatedly still dominate the charts. And critically acclaimed blockbusters and indie gems such as The Last of Us 2 and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice are still discussed in gaming circles for their powerful storytelling or revolutionary gameplay mechanics. Even cult favourites Deadly Premonition and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing occasionally crop up now and again.

However, there are just as many titles which have soared to unimaginable heights of popularity to have unceremoniously faded away from the public's conscious.

Whether they were brought down by heaps of controversy or simply couldn’t get a sequel off the ground for whatever reason, these games have all but been forgotten.

So, let's talk about them.

Back in the early 2000s it was impossible to visit your friend's house without seeing a plastic guitar tucked away in the corner of their bedroom. Anyone who played video games at this time knows exactly what this was. Adorned with peeling stickers with the strap barely attached (if at all), this was the controller for Guitar Hero.

Music rhythm games were an inescapable craze that took off with launch of Guitar Hero back in 2005. However, it wasn't until the release of the third installment where the genre properly came into its own.

By pressing colour-coded buttons on the controller's fretboard and strumming a clicky plastic bar in time with the song, players could play along to some of the most iconic rock tracks ever written. Moreover, players could jam with a friend playing the bass part or even participate in epic guitar battles.

Guitar Hero and main competitor Rock Band continued to grow over the next few years. Though neither series would recapture the glory days of mastering Hit Me With Your Best Shot on expert difficulty.

After Guitar Hero Live failed to revive the genre, plastic guitars everywhere started to gather dust.