10 Video Games That Tried Way Too Hard To Be Cool

4. RAGE 2

Rage 2
Bethesda

Like a lot of games on this list, RAGE 2 actually might have been cool had the game actually backed up the bombast of the marketing. When it was announced, it actually managed to convince players that they wanted a sequel to a ten-year-old first-person shooter they never liked in the first place, thanks to some glorious Mad Max-style trailers that promised something far more fun and exciting than the drab original.

However, even then we should have seen the cracks in the plan. This was another post-apocalyptic blockbuster aping a colourful, neon pink aesthetic and juxtaposing extreme violence against a cartoon-ish end-of-the-world scenario.

It also didn't help that they got Andrew W.K. - aka the party king - to perform live during the E3 reveal. The entire marketing strategy seemed designed to be as loud and in your face as possible, and when the sequel actually came out, players realised why: this was a title that desperately needed to hide how boring it was by trying to be as random as possible at all times.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.