10 Video Games That Tried To Change The Industry Forever (And Failed)

8. Watch Dogs

Like a lot of entries on this list, Watch Dogs' reputation precedes it. The open-world actioner from Ubisoft was one of the first PS4 games fans ever saw, and its jaw-dropping visuals got everyone fantasising about what the next consoles from Microsoft and Sony would be capable of.

However, it turned out they wouldn't actually be capable of delivering what Ubisoft teased, and a major graphics downgrade debacle sank the new property at launch. That's not what made it a total disappointment though. What ultimately soured players was its failure to live up to the hacking gameplay that looked so inventive in the trailers.

Though Watch Dogs was a third-person shooter, the focus was always on the hacking. This wasn't a game about guns, but manipulating technology to create diversions, cause havoc, and take advantage of city blackouts. It was an incredibly contemporary mechanic, and looked like it was going to change how players interacted with video game worlds and the technology inside them.

In the final game, these mechanics were as shallow as a small puddle, and nowhere near revolutionised open world gameplay.