Delayed video games: The wait and the result

[Pro A.]

In honor of Max Payne 3 and Diablo III, both of which kept gamers waiting a long time between titles, I thought it'd be fun to look back and see some of the other major titles that kept us waiting for years and years and how they turned out. Some of these titles spent a very long time in development; others just took a long time in general (the first one is a good example).

Twisted Metal
Release: January 2012
Wait: 10 1/2 years after TM: Black
The result: A few interesting bits aside, it failed to capture the magic of the older games.

Duke Nukem Forever
Release: June 2011
Wait: 15 years (10 if you count the off-shoots like Zero Hour for the N64)
The result: It was more interesting as a legendary game stuck in development hell. As a game, it sucks.

Starcraft 2
Release: July 2010
Wait: 12 years
The result: A very strong and worthy successor to the original Starcraft. One of the best titles of 2010.

Alan Wake
Release: May 2010
Wait: 5-6 years
The result: Depends who you talk to. I found it to be only okay; others think it's brilliant. Judge for yourself.

Team Fortress 2
Release: October 2007
Wait: 9 years
The result: Best played on the PC, but still a fun romp.

Prey
Release: June 2006
Wait: 11 years
The result: A damn sight better than it deserved to be. Not a masterpiece, but very entertaining nonetheless.

Doom III
Release: August 2004
Wait: 8/12 years
The result: Another game that was probably better than it deserved to be. Creepy and atmospheric in spots and with solid mechanics, but not as memorable as its predecessors.

Metroid Prime
Release: November 2002
Wait: 8 1/2 years (Super Metroid released in 1994).
The result: Three months before the release everyone thought it'd be a disaster. The truth: Best game of the 2000's.

Conker's Bad Fur Day
Release: March 2001
Wait: 3 1/2 years (originally scheduled for late 1997; this game epitomizes Rare's inability to meet anything resembling a deadline)
The result: The original Conker was cute and cuddly; the final iteration was anything but. Very crude and disgusting, but also a lot of fun.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Release: November 1998
Wait: 5 years (Link's Awakening was 1993)
The result: The most anticipated game of the 1990's was also one of the very best.

I know I didn't get everything, but this is a good sample size.

[Luis]

Long development cycles aren't necessarily a bad thing, mostly if they make some radical changes compared to the original idea.

That said, FFVSXIII and The Last Guardian are going to be disappointing.

[Segitz]

MGS4 was also delayed by half a year or so (was supposed to come in Winter, but was released in the following summer). Though, considering it was "only" 4 years after Snake Eater, I think it doesn't fit into this category.

Gran Turismo 5 might fit... if you'd ignore Prologue. 5 years from 4 to 5 is quite a time. And the end result wasn't what we expected. Not bad, but nothing spectacular, either.

There were a lot of sequels I was desperately waiting for... but now that I think back... it was never a SUPER long wait. I am still waiting for a proper Sonic 3 & Knuckles sequel^ And another GOOD Command and Conquer sequel to Tiberian Sun. I do like Generals as well as Zero Hour, but those aren't C&C games... and 4 doesn't count, as it sucks tooooo badly. Another 2D Monkey Island game might be nice, too... the remakes are great. The TTG ones aren't bad, but... I dunno.

[Pro A.]

Kind of goes without saying. Final Fantasy... Christ, what a mess that series has turned out to be.

There is something to be said for taking your time and getting it right. No fault in that, but you just hope you're not obsessing as a result. Sometimes with Blizzard and Valve I think that's the case. Both have very strong track records so they get the benefit of the doubt, but at some point you have to wonder what they're doing half the time.

And likewise, I am waiting for a proper S3&K sequel. Episode Two's reviews thus far have been worse than the first. Considering how lame the first episode was, I'm not all that keen to drop 15. Then again, I've been waiting for a great Sonic game since CD. Generations actually came closest, but even that game had problems.

[venomv]

Completely disagree on Twisted Metal, it is much better then Black was, maybe not as good as TM2 but that would be hard to beat, and you forgot Head On, which was also better then Black.

[Luis]

MGS4 was also delayed by half a year or so (was supposed to come in Winter, but was released in the following summer). Though, considering it was "only" 4 years after Snake Eater, I think it doesn't fit into this category.

One of the main reasons for the last few months was the fact that they wanted to launch it worldwide, as it probably was fully finished by March or April (it came out on June 12). Also, at the very end of development, they added a lot of colour to its palette, since it used to be very bland in previews.

Anyway, from November 2004 (MGS3 launch) to June 2008, it's just over 3.5 years. Bear the PS2 to PS3 transition in mind, as well as the release of MGS: Portable Ops in 2007 on PSP. Then Peace Walker came out in 2010. Kojima Production's output is not so bad... except for the Metal Gear Rising fiasco.

[Pro A.]

Portable Ops was 2006, actually, but the first three MGS games came out like clockwork in November three years apart. Like Star Wars. And it doesn't fit because we knew after the third one that they were going to release the fourth around 2007/2008. A six-month delay, all things considered, wasn't the worst thing.

Splinter Cell: Conviction took an awfully long time after Double Agent. Almost 3 1/2 years. The longest delay between games by that point was 18 months, which was the gap between Chaos Theory and the two Double Agents. The gameplay for Conviction got an upgrade in a lot of respects, but unfortunately the story didn't.

[Luis]

Portable Ops was 2006, actually, but the first three MGS games came out like clockwork in November three years apart. Like Star Wars. And it doesn't fit because we knew after the third one that they were going to release the fourth around 2007/2008. A six-month delay, all things considered, wasn't the worst thing.

The 2007 version featured some improvements, and it's the one I got, so that's what I thought about.

Also, remember Substance, Subsistence and MGS PO Plus, which also came out before MGS4 Not to mention the digital graphic novel on PSP.