Any gamer that lived in the eighties and nineties will remember the urban legend that circulated the world about the supposed eradication of a game so terrible, the developers wanted to erase it’s existence. The fact that it was tied in one of the most successful family movies of the era didn’t help the issue, but thankfully for Steven Spielberg, the film version was not marred by the poorly conceived adaption. Less than a week ago, the myth was turned into reality when a Microsoft funded team of investigators went to the site where it was suggested that the supposed copies were buried. When they began to dig, they found that the legend was true. This information has definitely raised a few eyebrows around the internet, but It has also made me think about what other games that have been released in the last few decades that should have shared the same fate.

5) Sonic and the Black Knight – Nintendo Wii (2009)

The second and final installment in the Storybook series, Sonic and the Black Knight took our blue quilled hero into the realms of King Arthur to defeat a corrupted version of the legendary monarch. While it shares many game play mechanics to Sonic and the Secret Rings, the swordplay mechanic feels unnecessary and doesn’t work in the way that it was designed. The pitifully short adventure mode doesn’t add anything to the experience either. It is sad to say that the soundtrack is the game’s only positive feature, aside from the predictable mini game multiplayer mode.

4) Mario Party 8 – Nintendo Wii (2008)

The signs were clear by this point in the franchise, there wasn’t really much of a party, more of a drunken get together with old friends, with predictably familiar mini games and rehashed gameplay boards that have all been seen before. To add insult to injury, the game only featured a 50hz display mode, and wide-screen support was nowhere to be found. Mario Party 9 breathed fresh life into the series, but the final installment by series creator Hudson Soft is best left on the shelf, along with the poorly implemented dancing games and karaoke compilations that populated the casual market at that time.

3) Naughty Bear – Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (2011)

Just like Dead Island, the trailer for Naughty Bear promised a whole lot more than it actually delivered. While the core elements of the gameplay were present, and most of the ways to maim the cute and cuddly teddy bears were initially entertaining, the novelty soon wore thin. The sequel that was released on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade took most of the mechanics that were established, and improved them slightly, but the original release of the franchise was little more than a smirk inducing tech demo to appeal to the audience’s twisted sense of humour.

2) Duke Nukem Forever – PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 – (2011)

Sixteen years of development can do a lot for most anything, but when it came to the legendary, and so far final, entry in the Duke Nukem series, many fans agreed that it was all in vain. With long loading times, average graphics and corny dialogue that didn’t seem to match the tone of the series, it was clear that the Duke should have remained in retirement. At least, until they were able to bring the character into the twenty first century, without losing any of the charm that made him an icon.

1) ET – Atari 2600 – (1982)

You may ask why I decided to include this game twice, and I can give you a simple answer. It is because it never should have been dug up in the first place. This game was one of the titles that was rumoured to be responsible for the video game market crash in the early 80’s, and it’s reputation for being one of the worst pieces of software to be released is definitely justified. With tight unresponsive controls, confusing gameplay mechanics and less than majestic graphical presentation, this is one piece of gaming software that should remain as a lesson to other developers to not to rush their products in time for release.

Do you believe that there are more games to be thrown into the pits of the unplayed and be buried? Let us know what you think in the comments below.