10 Video Games That Had The World's Attention (And Lost It)

3. Splinter Cell

The first trilogy? Three of the best stealth games of all time, going strength to strength with each release and peaking with the phenomenal Chaos Theory - a lesson in stealth game design that all subsequent titles can learn from.

Following that... Ubisoft split development of Splinter Cell so the original Xbox and 360 would receive two different games entirely, fracturing the story for a start, but also meaning the older edition was more in-line with the sort of straight-up sneaking you actually wanted to play.

As if that wasn't enough, they then took four years off, emerging with a trailer that showed a bearded, overcoat-wearing Sam brawling with guards and flinging tables at them.

Like, just... what?

Backtracking on the fighting game mechanics, Conviction stripped Fisher of his triple goggles for most of the game and forced a series of action-heavy set-pieces into the mix. Of course this wasn't received well at all, finally seeing 2013's Blacklist be the Chaos Theory sequel we all wanted - yet without Michael Ironside reprising his lead role, the world was past caring.