Video game series/properties that you feel could have been bigger

*Prowler* · 05-12-2019, 06:52 PM

This could be whether because they just weren't as good as we initially thought they were going to be, or because their developer pulled the plug on them at a time they could capitalise on them instead, or because simply the developer was never able to promote them properly or do things that could have made the series more popular.

Star Fox: SNES Star Fox was a very interesting game. Looked like some sort of bizarre art experience turned into a video game. Sold relatively OK. And with Star Fox 64, Nintendo made a game that was a defining N64 title. Quite cutting edge for its time with its voice acting and graphics. It's also arguably the most quotable game of all time. Everyone knows "do a barrel role!"... but Nintendo seems to have failed to capitalise on it. On the GameCube they basically let Rare handle a game that was originally meant to be an original game and turned it into a Star Fox game. it sold reasonably well for a GC title, but together with Assault, both games had some mixed reception. They felt a bit disappointing for most people after a hit like SF64. And then there was no SF for nearly over a decade except fo Command on the DS which sold poorly. SF Zero had some hype and promotion around it, which meant maybe Nintendo wanted to care about the property again, but it also didn't sell very well.

So yeah, the series peaked in 1997 with SF64 and never really became relevant again, despite Fox being a mainstay in Smash and being the strongest Smash character in Melee alongside Falco. Wolf was also in Brawl iirc. Nintendo not only puts Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Zelda and Pokémon ahead of SF nowadays but also puts Kirby, Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem ahead of it as well.

F-Zero: SNES F-Zero was a quite cutting edge racing game for its time with its high speeds and mode 7 graphics that showed what the SNES was capable of. While other F-Zero games were good as well, the series was never able to sell very well. Not even F-Zero GX, the definitive game of the series. F-Zero has been on the shelf for over a decade now, and Captain Falcon feels more like a character that's been introduced in Smash than in another game these days. People know Captain Falcon for the Punch and not for his racing skills or his personality exactly. I guess the fact F-Zero is quite challenging and doesn't have the colourful and recognisable cast of Mario Kart didn't help it either.

Virtua Fighter: Virtua Fighter 2 was a pretty important fighting game back in 1995 or so. What Street Fighter 2 was to 2D fighters, VF2 was to 3D fighters. I remember being fascinated by VF2 and also LOVING Fighters Megamix back in the 90s. But VF debuted on Saturn, a console that was outsold by its competition. It was hard for VF to compete against Tekken or even Dead or Alive, which are more accessible 3D fighters with more colourful casts. Plus Mortal Kombat was going 3D at the time as well and MK always sells well.

But while VF is rather complex to become a pro at, I don't think it's THAT hard of a game to pick up as people think it is. VF games have great tutorial/training modes and the games also have a block button, instead of having to press back on the d-pad or joystick to block. I definitely had fun with VF when I was a kid and still sucked at games. So I don't see why anyone else couldn't. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is a pretty great game. I do admit that VF's cast isn't interesting or charismatic enough compared to the casts of other fighting games, though. And that might make the game look bland or boring.

05-12-2019, 06:52 PM	#1
Prowler Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,999	Video game series/properties that you feel could have been bigger This could be whether because they just weren't as good as we initially thought they were going to be, or because their developer pulled the plug on them at a time they could capitalise on them instead, or because simply the developer was never able to promote them properly or do things that could have made the series more popular. Star Fox: SNES Star Fox was a very interesting game. Looked like some sort of bizarre art experience turned into a video game. Sold relatively OK. And with Star Fox 64, Nintendo made a game that was a defining N64 title. Quite cutting edge for its time with its voice acting and graphics. It's also arguably the most quotable game of all time. Everyone knows "do a barrel role!"... but Nintendo seems to have failed to capitalise on it. On the GameCube they basically let Rare handle a game that was originally meant to be an original game and turned it into a Star Fox game. it sold reasonably well for a GC title, but together with Assault, both games had some mixed reception. They felt a bit disappointing for most people after a hit like SF64. And then there was no SF for nearly over a decade except fo Command on the DS which sold poorly. SF Zero had some hype and promotion around it, which meant maybe Nintendo wanted to care about the property again, but it also didn't sell very well. So yeah, the series peaked in 1997 with SF64 and never really became relevant again, despite Fox being a mainstay in Smash and being the strongest Smash character in Melee alongside Falco. Wolf was also in Brawl iirc. Nintendo not only puts Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Zelda and Pokémon ahead of SF nowadays but also puts Kirby, Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem ahead of it as well. F-Zero: SNES F-Zero was a quite cutting edge racing game for its time with its high speeds and mode 7 graphics that showed what the SNES was capable of. While other F-Zero games were good as well, the series was never able to sell very well. Not even F-Zero GX, the definitive game of the series. F-Zero has been on the shelf for over a decade now, and Captain Falcon feels more like a character that's been introduced in Smash than in another game these days. People know Captain Falcon for the Punch and not for his racing skills or his personality exactly. I guess the fact F-Zero is quite challenging and doesn't have the colourful and recognisable cast of Mario Kart didn't help it either. Virtua Fighter: Virtua Fighter 2 was a pretty important fighting game back in 1995 or so. What Street Fighter 2 was to 2D fighters, VF2 was to 3D fighters. I remember being fascinated by VF2 and also LOVING Fighters Megamix back in the 90s. But VF debuted on Saturn, a console that was outsold by its competition. It was hard for VF to compete against Tekken or even Dead or Alive, which are more accessible 3D fighters with more colourful casts. Plus Mortal Kombat was going 3D at the time as well and MK always sells well. But while VF is rather complex to become a pro at, I don't think it's THAT hard of a game to pick up as people think it is. VF games have great tutorial/training modes and the games also have a block button, instead of having to press back on the d-pad or joystick to block. I definitely had fun with VF when I was a kid and still sucked at games. So I don't see why anyone else couldn't. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is a pretty great game. I do admit that VF's cast isn't interesting or charismatic enough compared to the casts of other fighting games, though. And that might make the game look bland or boring.