Amazing Games That Should've Been Terrible

[vanguard333]

Recently, I've been playing the Metroid Prime Trilogy for the first time, and so far I've completed Prime 1. It was definitely a great game, and I can see why it was the huge success that it was.

Looking into the first Prime game's history, I noticed that, given everything about its development, it really should've been a trainwreck: it was the series' first jump to 3D, and it was given to a then-unproven game studio that had never actually made a finished game before (and, as it turns out, was such a toxic and disorganized work environment that Nintendo had to step in, reorganize the studio and hire a new CEO for the studio). And yet, instead, it became an acclaimed classic.

It got me thinking, what are some other classics that, given everything about the game, its initial premise, its development, the time in which it was made, etc., were successes that by all accounts should have been a train wreck? Majora's Mask immediately came to mind: an Ocarina of Time sequel made in less than a year and literally born from the nightmares and daydreams of its developers, some of whom (such as Eiji Aonuma) were suffering actual breakdowns due to the game's rushed development. But I was wondering if there are any other examples?

Do you know of any other examples? If so, mention it here and say what it was about the game that meant that it should not have been the success that it was.

Edited January 9, 2022 by vanguard333