9 Disastrous Video Games That Totally Killed Their Consoles
5. Sega Dreamcast - Shenmue II (2001)
Shenmue is a strange one, in that it is both the poster boy and the final nail in the coffin for the Dreamcast. Though reviewed positively, the first game in the planned trilogy had a budget that sales figures were never going to catch up with. Production costs reached a staggering $70 million, making it the most expensive game ever produced at the time. Set in 1980s Yokosuka, Japan, your would-be hero is Ryo Hazuki, a young martial artist on the hunt for his fathers killer. This open-world game popularised the quick time event, using them to great effect in cut scenes which flowed seamlessly without any pauses or jumps, along with a spate of mini-games and interactive extras that sucked you in the world like not many games before it had done. Unfortunately, when the second instalment was released in 2001 the console was already on the ropes, so much so that the game was only released in Japan and Europe, leaving North American fans of the series frustrated. Sega eventually bowed down to fan demand and released an Xbox version for US gamers to enjoy, but both games failed to yield returns on investment and the third game was never seen. All hope is not yet lost, however, with a Kickstarter project aimed at funding the finale yielding $6.3 million, more than three times the goal set by developer Ys Net. This set a new record for a video game Kickstarter, and the game is now pencilled in for 2017 release on the Playstation 4.
