20 Disappointing Video Games That Didn't Fulfil Their Potential

3. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic ‘06)

sonic 06
SEGA

Making its second appearance on this list, I can’t think of another video game franchise that has had a rougher time than Sonic. The game that really shattered everyone’s hopes and dreams was Sonic the Hedgehog, or what everyone lovingly refers to as Sonic ‘06. 

Sonic ‘06 was an absolute mess at launch and still is. Nothing has been fixed, tinkered with or altered in any way, shape or form. The game is a struggle to even get through, each level filled with worse bugs than the last. From getting stuck in the floor, falling through objects and an unruly camera that seemed to do what it wants, Sonic ‘06 is a miserable time from start to finish. That’s if you can even get to the finish. 

Allow me to shine a light on Sonic P-06. This project is a complete, from-the-ground-up remake of Sonic ‘06, being developed using the Unity engine by one person called ChaosX. This fan project shows us all what Sonic ‘06 could’ve been. The true successor to Sonic Adventure 2, P-06 brings in a number of fixes to the original game. Load times are quicker, there are better graphics, Sonic and Silver move faster, and mechanics from Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 have been reintroduced. 

While not fully released yet, Sonic P-06 shows us what Sonic ‘06 could’ve been if SEGA had continued to work on the game and tried to fix the game post-launch, instead of leaving it behind as a distant memory. And let me tell you, we could’ve been looking at one of the best Sonic games to date.

 
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Hey, I’m Matt. I work full-time at WhatCulture's neighbours, MyVoucherCodes. I first joined MyVoucherCodes as a Deals Expert, scouring the internet, leaving no stone unturned in finding the best discount codes, sales and offers for our customers. Moving into my first home during the worst possible time (during lockdown), I understand the necessity of saving money when the purse strings are tight. Outside of saving money, I’m into video games, movies, books and music. I host and edit a video game podcast called The Retry Hard Podcast, where my friend and I go through news, reviews and video games in general. I love movies and watching how they’re made, and I’ve worked as a set decorator for a few months on His Dark Materials season 3, which gave me a massive insight into how it all comes together. I also put out music as a solo artist named Matt Kiano, where I won the award for Best Male Artist of 2025 for Radio Wigwam and have been nomiated for Best Live Act at the 2026 Radio Wigwam Awards.