8 Video Games That Escaped Development Hell (But Shouldn’t Have)
4. Battlecruiser 3000AD
Time In Development Hell: 4 Years
If the idea of staring at endless, unintuitive menus and trying desperately to figure out how the hell anything works sounds appealing, then you might get something out of Battlecruiser 3000AD; everyone else will admit it's almost unplayable.
The title also acts as a handy synopsis, where you are in control of a spaceship in the year 3000, and travel through space having all sorts of adventures and battles. Odds are anyone trying to play the game will just give up after a few hours, since the interface is so poorly explained (the manual somehow makes it more confusing) and even if they do figure it out, they’re not going to have any real fun playing it.
The game was originally due for release in 1992 but a number of setbacks kept getting it pushed back. Close to release the publisher unveiled a “racy” ad campaign, featuring a model posing with the game. The tacky image did little to get people excited about Battlecruiser, and the scathing reviews did little to help either.