There are so many elements that contribute to the success or failure of a video game. Enough so that even the greatest games can collapse from lack of players after release, and the worst games can secure an unlikely victory despite their flaws. From development woes to marketing stumbles, most of the time a game misses the mark is due to a messy amalgamation of factors that's hard to pin down.
Sometimes, the hate a game receives at launch far outclasses what it deserves, with two notable examples in recent memory. It took me a while, but I finally visited what many consider to be "Xbox's greatest failure" in years: Redfall. The unfortunately doomed final title from the legendary Arkane Austin team suffered under the weight of endless criticisms when it dropped, eventually culminating in the shuttering of the studio that brought it to life. Is Redfall really the utter failure that so many claim it is?
