The indisputable entry on this list that is, truly, a masterpiece of video games is Sega's Shenmue. The flagship title for the company's doomed Dreamcast console, Shenmue was a deeply engrossing, visually stunning tale that sucked players in and kept them there for days at a time. It was a one of a kind game, and as such had a production budget of $47 million to match, making it the most expensive game ever made. This was obviously quite a gamble considering the game was exclusive to the Dreamcast, and get this: according to estimates, the game would've had to be purchased twice by every Dreamcast owner just to make a profit. Does that make any sense from a business perspective? As much as we all love the game and are glad it exists, why on Earth would anyone sign off on such an exorbitant budget? That said, if you look at the game in terms of pure sales, it does not appear to be a flop: Shenmue was the fourth highest-selling game ever released for the platform (though this only translates to 1.18 million units), and had the game not been so ridiculously over-budgeted, it no doubt would have made money. But then the question remains: would the game have been anywhere as good with a smaller budget? Whatever the answer, we should just be glad that funds were mismanaged so catastrophically that we actually got a game of this depth and beautiful artistry for the under-appreciated platform. Are there any misunderstood "flops" that we missed? Let us know in the comments!
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
