9 Best Video Games Nobody Bought - Commenter Edition

1: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Another perfect example of a game that both fans and critics loved but inexplicably sold very little is 2010’s Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. Developed by Ninja Theory and published by Namco Bandai Games, it was no surprise when the action-adventure turned out to be a slam dunk.

Unfortunately it was a slam dunk that nobody bought.

Loosely based on the book Journey to the West, the game was praised for its interesting post-apocalyptic story and emphasis on narrative and character development. You take a stroll in the shoes of protagonist Monkey who fights using a staff and must solve puzzles, explore the environment, and complete platforming challenges. The graphics were deemed to be stunning, the cutscenes understated and narratively impressive, and the soundtrack was described as evaluating the gameplay experience even further. Despite scoring 8s and 9s out of 10 pretty much across the board, very few people picked the game up.

Though Namco had hoped sales would pass one million copies, they only managed to sell 460,000 copies four months after launch and 730,000 after a full year.

These figures were deemed too lacklustre to justify the continuation of the franchise or the planned sequel which was ultimately abandoned. Namco later blamed the game’s busy release window for its commercial failure. Game director Tameem Antoniades later reflected, "I'm not sure if the fantasy elements were a turn-off, the gameplay mix, or the lack of visibility. It was probably a mix of all three."