Video games are a dime a dozen these days, but finding one that can accurately execute its premise is seemingly rare. It's a sad fact of life that not every game developer's vision comes to fruition. In fact, so much can go wrong when converting ideas into art. Just think of it this way the developer has to ensure that his premise is communicated accurately, but must also maintain a certain level of quality throughout the design while lying under the heel of authority that insists the developer adhere to some regulations, a budget and a deadline. In this list, we focus on those ambitious games that failed to execute what could have been an ingenius new way to enjoy their respected genres. If you're a gamer, then chances are some of these titles may have disappointed you for their poor execution of such ideas. Read on....
8. Knack
At first glance, Sony Computer Entertainment's Knack for the PlayStation 4 seemed like both a fresh and exciting romp for fans of action platformers and a good way to kick off the launch of the console. Like most platforming heroes, Knack had a gimmick for reaching ledges and stomping on enemies, but his over-arching premise seemed nothing short of genius. The autonomous hero's unique power allowed him to shape shift into larger masses and back by collecting an losing fragments of relics respectively. Unfortunately, the premise of Knack would come undone thanks to oddly placed limitations not common in platformers. Combat in Knack was repetitious and boring thanks to a simple beat-em-up scheme and Knack's miniscule bag of tricks that took little advantage of his ability to shape-shift. When used for exploration and platforming, Knack's powers were especially limited due to the linear map design and the player's lack of freedom for choosing which elemental relics to use whenever possible. Other complaints can be used to explain Knack's overall disappointing appeal including story, linearity and repetitiveness, but the real bottomline is the game wasted one hell of a good premise thanks to being bland.
Ryan was born in Barbados and grew up with a pen in one hand and a paper in the other. He is an accomplished blogger, freelance writer and vlogger. He is also an avid gamer (in case you couldn't tell from the things he writes about).
