12. Brutal Legend
Tim Schafer's reputation in the video game industry precedes him as one of the few true visionaries of the medium. With his independent stylings and underdog, stick-it-to-the-studio mentality, the developer has become somewhat of a folk hero in recent years - meaning just about all of his games are revered in gaming circles. Brutal Legend in particular was a project by Schafer's studio Double Fine that added to his image as an auteur fighting against the big publishers. With the title mis-marketed in the popular press, the Jack Black-led strategy game completely bombed upon release, going on to gain a cult classic status in later years. But if you were to go back and play the game now you'd probably wonder how this fine experiment gained such a strong wave of respect within gaming circles. The story of its development is perhaps more interesting than actually playing the title itself, with the off-beat comedy and over-the-top classic rock influences being the only things that prop-up forgettable gameplay and characters.