8 Failed Video Game Consoles That Had One Incredible Game
4. Nokia N-Gage: Glimmerati
By rights, the Nokia N-Gage should have been a resounding success, given how many smartphone owners are now using their handsets as gaming platforms, but the tech firm's big idea for a mobile-console hybrid didn't quite come off.
Being way ahead of its time wasn't the N-Gage's only crime. A horrific design meant it was impracticable to use as either a blower or a handheld games machine, and a wafer-thin software library didn't help matters, though it did include one killer exclusive.
Glimmerati was a top-down racer from the development team behind Ridge Racer Unbounded that brought surprisingly fresh ideas to a well-worn genre. Players were invited to join an exclusive club for racing drivers in a futuristic world and became embroiled in a bizarre, satire-heavy storyline as they rose through its ranks.
Out there on the race track, Glimmerati was competent, relying on simple mechanics that played to the N-Gage's strengths and acknowledged the limitations of its interface. The neo-soaked visuals, meanwhile, added retro-future style.
Many N-Gage games were ropey ports, designed to showcase the system's ability to run near-console quality games, but in Glimmerati, the ill-fated hybrid console had something unique which still plays well today.