8 Video Game Sequels Sent Out To Die

Oh Atari, how scummy you apparently always were and continue to be.

When they aren't flogging you a plastic box of sadness wrapped up in nostalgia, or causing the downfall of the entire video game industry in the '80s, it seems that "good old Atari" is also capable of irreparably damaging the symbiotic relationship between publisher and games review outlet through one of the most heinous examples of "payment for positive coverage" which came to like during the abysmal development of Driver 3.

Now at the time, Driver 3 was pipped to be the next big thing, a title able to swipe the crown from GTA and run off into the distance. Featuring graphics beyond its competitors, deeper driving mechanics, and a fully fleshed-out game world, this truly was a game on the radar of many. However, after many years of funding the project, Atari grew tired of the titles mounting costs and so set a hard deadline for release, no matter what state the game was in.

And trust me, it was in a !*$% state.

However, undeterred by what would surely be a public execution for the game, Atari kept its eyes focused on the one thing that mattered, making a quick buck. To do this, the publisher offered up extremely early copies of the game to review outlets in exchange for guaranteed positive reviews. The outlets took up the offer because they too were desperate to get on the scene and line their pockets, and so a devil's accord was made in which the paying public was left to foot the bill.

The game died a death on release, with many shocked at the sheer broken nature of it all, but Atari cared not, for it had made back its money and then some and simply let Driver 3 bleed out on the pavement.