Top 10 Video Games Never Made

It goes without saying: making a video game is no walk in the park. It requires a lot of time, money and resources. So it should come as no surprise to see many titles never make it out of the development process. Some for good reason, either the game was not turning out the way the developers anticipated or the cost far exceeded the budget and expected revenue. However, there are those games that truly had great potential and still managed to get the pink slip.

Here are the top 10 video games that could have been great, though we will never know for sure:

10. LMNO: It’s been almost 10 years since EA decided to team up with director Stephen Spielberg in an attempt to revolutionize the gaming industry with an emotionally compelling story filled with action, adventure and uhm, an alien. Codenamed “LMNO,” the duo’s ambitions encountered one too many speed bumps and development of the title evidently came to a complete halt.

9. Road Rash: “Road Rash” was a popular franchise in the ‘90s, and if EA’s vision for a reboot came to fruition, could have been a lot of fun on current-gen consoles. But alas, for reasons unknown, the project was ultimately tossed aside and now we may never get to see a bunch of bikers racing while simultaneously attempting to whack each other with baseball bats.

8. Metallica: The Game: It’s a racing game inspired by Metallica, what more do you want?

7. Star Fox 2: Even today, “Star Fox” is one of the most well-known characters in all of Nintendo – though this may only be due to his appearances in the “Super Smash Bros.” series. It’s unfortunate to see this iconic hero go to waste, Nintendo has never really given him a chance since the Gamecube, with “Star Fox Assault” and “Star Fox Adventure.” Hopefully now that Nintendo is revisiting some classics on Wii U there may be a future for this under-appreciated fox.

6. Mega Man Universe: A “Mega Man” game (almost) made for fans that allows you to create your own custom characters and stages and share them online with your friends. Unfortunately this title got lost in development hell.

5. Heavenly Sword 2: “Heavenly Sword” had the potential to be one of the best PlayStation exclusive franchises. The first title was an exciting, action packed adventure that ultimately bombed and became a regretful waste of $60. Why? For one simple reason: the game was over in a mere six hours and had little replay value – especially since this was before Trophies were introduced. Imagine if Frodo’s story was told in just one book. How great would it have been? Granted it’d still be one hell of a long book. Wait. Where were we? Oh, right. Heavenly Sword was too short, and a part two could have been its chance at redemption, but that’s all over now. “Heavenly Sword 2” makes our top five.

4. Star Wars: 1313: Yes, there are still plenty of “Star Wars” games on their way, but did you know that Boba Fett was to be the star of this title? That’s right. You can go cry in a corner now.

3. Earthbound 64: It’s a shame when you hear a game you’ve been anticipating was cancelled, but it’s an even bigger shame when you find out that the game you’ve been so eagerly awaiting was over 50 percent finished when the developers decided to pull the plug. Such was the case with “Earthbound 64,” the successor to the critically acclaimed “Earthbound” on SNES, a game that, within its first two weeks on Wii U’s eShop, became the third most sold game that month, behind “New Super Luigi U” and “Pikmin 3” – two games made in this decade.

2. Star Wars: Battlefront 3:Just to clear up any confusion you might have. Yes, there is a third “Battlefront” title in the works, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Free Radical Design, the studio that created the “Battlefront” franchise, was well into development of the third installment to one of the best third-person shooters ever made until the project was trashed due to budget cuts at LucasArts. Thankfully now with EA attempting to revive the series players will finally get a chance to experience a third “Star Wars: Battlefront” game. But will it be the same?

1. The Last Guardian: Okay, technically “The Last Guardian” has not been cancelled. In fact, Sony’s Studios Japan still from time to time mentions that the game is on its way; however, being officially announced in 2009 and pretty much falling off the radar since, it’s fair to say that this game, though in hibernation, deserves a spot on this list. Little is known about the title. But what we do know is that it is the third game by the development team behind “ICO” and “Shadow of the Colossus.” With its nostalgic presence, support from Sony and reputation of the studio working on it, the decision to place “The Last Guardian” at number one was a no brainer.