10 Video Games That Tried To Be The Next Big Thing (And Failed)

When the heavens align, the right video game can end up changing the entire industry, garnering a huge fanbase and becoming a pop culture phenomenon. These are the types of titles that developers strive to emulate when making their own works. But for every Super Mario Bros and Halo, there are numerous flubs that don't stick the landing.

You see, there are many titles that are considered the 'next big thing.' These are games that aimed to revolutionize the medium and dethrone popular titles, which is why we once heard the term 'Halo-killer' multiple times in the 2000s. But in life, not everything works out the way you expect it to be which is why more often than not, these titles end up becoming disappointments.

There are numerous reasons why this happens. One, expectations from fans were too high, which can leave many disappointed when the final product is just "okay". At the same time, the inverse can happen with developers promising mechanics and gameplay not found in the game. Finally, the title just may not be good at all.

These games were destined to be big, but couldn't quite make it.

The Virtual Boy is known as Nintendo's first flop. Though the idea of virtual reality seemed revolutionary at the time, things just weren't meant to be in 1995.

The console was very unwieldy with its terrible design looking like an eyesore. It was also released at a high price which made it unfeasible for many gamers.

Games themselves also proved to be detrimental to the Virtual Boy. With the promise of virtual reality, players expected an immersive experience that would feel like the next generation of gaming.

Instead, Nintendo gave its fans entries that seemed better off on a Game Boy. Examples like Mario Tennis, Galactic Pinball, and Wario Land were decent to play but didn't really use the console's capabilities to their fullest. The red and black display also made the 3D effect difficult to see and caused health concerns.

It's very telling, then, that there were only 22 Virtual Boy games ever released, though not all seemed bad. While this was Nintendo's first big failure, the company would fare better with their second attempt at 3D: The handheld console, 3DS. At the same time, technology has caught up today with VR headsets proving successful in the market.