15 Failed Video Games That Became Cult Classics

Deadly Premonition was a budget attempt at survival horror game with murder mystery elements. The game arrived without much promotion in North America exclusively on the Xbox 360. It immediately turned reviewers off with its lacklustre nature and died a swift death at the charts. Except then, it didn’t.

Over the course of several years the game gained massive fanfare and sales, with it eventually receiving PS3 and PC port in international territories.

Deadly Premonition is not a good game, not in the slightest. The gameplay is horrendous, the frame-rate and level design are repulsive, and the voice acting laughably bad. And who can forget the nonsensical plot? The script feels like game director Swervy65 binged watched a season of Twin Peaks without Japanese subtitles, then jotted his recollections on a napkin and called it a day.

So why is it beloved by so many?

In the same manner as a Tommy Wiseau or Ed Wood movie, Swervy’s passion for his subject is contagious and enthralling, morphing its jagged edges into a piece of mad genius. It’s the first proper so-bad-its-good interactive experience, fascinating with its unpredictable level of sub-par quality and resulting in a completely refreshing gaming experience. Go figure.