Every gamer that ever played knows the unique agony that accompanies falling at the final hurdle. Whether that means popping your clogs within sight of a checkpoint or being brutalised by a near-dead boss monster - gamers know that no defeat hurts worse than that which was so very nearly a victory. At times, managing your hype for an upcoming game can feel little 'game-like' in and of itself. And just like a game, the prospective title that tests our patience, only to disappear mere weeks from release always stings that much more.

Today's big list of stuff looks at ten games that made it all the way to within spitting distance of release, only for outside factors to quash their drop. Some are sure to inspire a profound sense of longing, while others remain fairly unknown - some deservedly, others less so. These then, are ten titles we oh-so nearly came to play. Enjoy.

What? - A massively multiplayer RTS title set within the Dune universe. Players would have chosen between three dynastic groups - the soldiers, traders or mercenaries - and proceeded to carve out their own small empire on Arrakis. Interestingly, the game wasn't to be helmed by Westwood Studios (they of Dune 2 fame), but rather by their predecessors at Cryo Interactive, i.e. the same team that produced the Dune adventure game.

When? - Work on the project was shut down during the title's alpha testing phase, in which a functioning build of the game is put through its paces. Hardly the finished product, but with the vast majority of its workload now behind it

Why? - Developer Cryo Interactive entered bankruptcy in July of 2002. The studio had previously bet big on the success of its other Dune-related property - a third-person action title named Frank Herbert's Dune. Sadly, the game flopped, ultimately costing the studio the opportunity to complete its more ambitious MMO cousin.

What? - A third-person action-RPG similar in many respects to the Mass Effect franchise. In addition, the game was also said to feature a heavy emphasis on base building, forcing players to scout out an infested structure in order to toughen up their stronghold. Think of it as a quasi-survival sim, akin to the central predicament of the second Alien film. Oh, and just to add insult to injury, the game was also being developed by genre stalwarts Obsidian, creators of Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity and South Park: The Stick of Truth. Yeah, it was probably going to be good…

When? - Obsidian's Feargus Urquhart has stated that Crucible was in such an advanced state that it almost appeared ready to release. His colleague Chris Avellone took a slightly less advanced view of the project, arguing that the title only appeared so close to completion because of special efforts made to debut a demo. In either case, Crucible was undoubtedly well into development by the time Sega pulled the plug.

Why? - Sega decided to de-clutter its portfolio -meaning either that the game was costing too much to maintain value, or that the publisher was worried about overexposure. Whatever the reason, Crucible ended up canned. A shoddy stroke of luck for any developer, but one made infinitely more aggravating by the titles Sega chose to press ahead with. 2010's AVP proved to be a thoroughly average adventure, whilst the less said about Aliens: Colonial Marines, the better. Bad call Sega.

What? - An enormous team-based multiplayer title set within the Star Wars universe. Unannounced and unreleased, details on the game remain sketchy, however a small number of interesting titbits have emerged. With Pandemic Studios choosing to move on, development duties passed to Free Radical Design - home to the outrageously entertaining TimeSplitters series. Leaked pre-alpha footage indicates that the studio was working on a fully-fledged storyline, disparate elements of which may have been repackaged into the PSP exclusive Elite Squadron.

When? - According to Free Radical founder Steve Ellis, Battlefront 3 was 99% complete when LucasArts jettisoned the project. An anonymous source would later claim that the figure actually stood at around 75%, prompting Ellis to publically deny the allegation.

Why? - Prior to its acquisition and subsequent shutdown by Disney, LucasArts had commenced upon a widespread company shakeup. As Ellis and co-founder David Doak tell it, Free Radical went from being told to 'think bigger', to cutting back every conceivable cost. Doak would even go so far as to name the project's second set of executives as "psychopaths", intent on the franchise's failure. According to Ellis, the official reason given for the game's cancellation was a lack of necessary marketing funds. The anonymous source meanwhile claimed that the studio had repeatedly missed deadlines and was even redistributing assets onto its other projects.

What? - An ambitious MMORPG project announced back in 2002. Developed by Level-5 (of Dark Cloud and Ni No Kuni fame) True Fantasy Live Online was designed to take advantage of a then-fledgling Xbox Live. Servers would have held around 3000 players apiece, with fully-integrated voice chat between parties.

When? - Level-5 President Akihiro Hino stated that "the world of TFLO was already complete" at the time of the game's shock cancellation. The title was scheduled to enter Beta testing soon thereafter, with a speculative Japanese release date of autumn, 2004.

Why? - Despite its advanced state of completion, TFLO failed to live up to Microsoft's standards. Several overly ambitious features, including widespread voice chat proved tricky to accomplish, fraying relations between the developer and its publisher. Given that the game had already received plenty of positive buzz, TFLO might well have transformed the fortunes of the Xbox brand in Japan. As it is, the game would wind up as a painful reminder of MS's failure to crack that market.

What? - A controversial 4-player beat-em-up title. Thrill Kill combined Mortal Kombat with Manhunt, boasting blood and guts gameplay alongside fetishistic visuals.

When? - Thrill Kill was completed and ready to ship.

Why? Having acquired the property as part of its takeover of the Virgin US label, EA opted to cancel Thrill Kill's release. It was felt that the game's deliberately controversial nature jarred with that of the EA brand. In addition, the company also forbid the title to be sold on to any other publisher, effectively killing off the game. Fortunately for fans, the finished title was soon leaked online, making it one of the more readily available games of that sort. Activision would later utilise the Thrill Kill's engine to create Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style, X-Men: Mutant Academy and its sequel Mutant Academy 2.

What? - Remember the Gizmondo - Tiger Telematics' failed attempt to crack the handheld market? Colors was to be that machine's first 'killer app' - a gang-based third-person shooter with GPS player location. Strangely, the game also allowed players to indulge in seedy prison sex (participants would receive early release)… I just can't imagine why it didn't succeed.

When? - Leaked copies of the game suggest that Colors was all-but complete at the time of its cancellation.

Why? - The Gizmondo became the worst-selling handheld of all time, bankrupting Tiger Telematics and putting and immediate stop to all games then in development.

What? - A tactical action game boasting numerous RPG elements. Black9 took its inspiration from the Deus Ex series, positing a cyberpunk world divided between warring cartels. Former Taldren Inc. developer Erin Hoffman argued that the game was so very "special", that it may even have changed the lives of a small portion of its players. High praise indeed then.

When? - Hoffman stated that the game was around 85% complete at the time of its cancellation.

Why? - According to several parties involved in the Black9 project, publisher Majesco proved to be an overly demanding and highly unprofessional partner. Having already released two commercial flops - including the critically acclaimed Pyschonauts and the supposed franchise starter Advent Rising - Majesco was beginning to feel the pinch. They in turn put to squeeze onto Taldren, demanding 'crunch time' level working hours throughout the entire life of the project. Hoffman claims that the studio rallied to hit these targets but was still denied promised funding. Later, - again according to Hoffman - two programmers were surreptitiously 'lent' to the project so as to steal the game's source code. This was allegedly done in order turn the game - a property wholly owned by Taldren Inc. - over to a brand new developer. With the near-complete title in its possession, Majesco would then attempt to lure key personnel away from the studio, at which point the team chose to shut its doors rather than to let Majesco win. Later, many of the Majesco executives involved in the Black9 botch were ousted by the company's shareholders, with Hoffman herself describing the modern publisher as 'a very different company'.

What? - A realistic, tactical FPS based on the Second Battle of Fallujah, aka the bloodiest battle of the Iraq war. Developer Atomic Games intended to create what might best be described as a 'survival-terror' game, in which the player never feels wholly safe from attack. Long stretches of agonising tension would be broken up by moments of breathless, violent confrontation, echoing the real-life experiences of many soldiers involved in the battle.

When? - An 'insider source' speaking to IGN claimed that work on the game was completed sometime in late 2009/ early 2010.

Why? - Given the recent nature of the events depicted, many commentators found the game to be in poor taste. When word of this controversy reached publisher Konami the company responded by dropping the project entirely. Atomic Games was subsequently unable to secure a new publisher and later released a large number of its staff. However, studio president Peter Tamte remains committed to the project, confirming that 6 Days was still in development as recently as 2012. The game's current status is unknown.

What? - After 16 years of annual releases, EA opted to retire its NBA franchise in 2011. However, just two years later the brand was back.

When? - EA's big comeback made it to the figurative post-season before being abruptly cancelled just weeks ahead of its proposed release.

Why? - EA exec Andrew Wilson stated that the game was simply not ready enough to hit its scheduled release date. Instead the company would take another year to develop a truly "great" experience. NBA Live 14 went on to receive some of the worst review scores in series history. Ouch.

What? - A sprawling space-based FPS title. Human Head's vision for the game featured an amnesiac U.S. Marshall named Killian Samuels - abducted from the earth and now plying his trade as a galactic bounty hunter.

When? - Former Human Head developer Jason Blair described the title as a 'full game', denying claims made by publisher Bethesda that Prey 2 was merely "a demo" at the time of its cancellation. Project Director Chris Rhinehart has also stated that the title was close to reaching its alpha stage, with most of the game's major elements already in place.

Why? - How long have you got? The saga of Prey 2 is a sad, strange and complicated one, so let's just stick to Human Head's involvement. Having developed the first game in the series, HH teamed up with Bethesda Softworks to publish its ambitious sequel. However, by 2013 the developer had been completely removed from the project, with Bethesda citing an overall lack of quality for the shuffle. For its part, the scorned studio remained proud of its efforts on the game, with many senior devs pointing to internal politics as reason for the changeover. Prey 2 was officially confirmed cancelled in October, 2014.

You feel that in the air? The constant buzzing of press releases and hype trailers? It's E3 season, and that means it's time to get excited once again about the future of video games. Usually, the E3 lifecycle works like this: watch a trailer and some gameplay footage for a hot new game at E3, get really excited about it, wait about a year or two, then finally walk to your local store and pick up a copy of the game.

Sometimes, though, games get stuck at the 'waiting' step and never find a way to get out. Time continues to march on, E3s come and go, and these games either disappear into the aether, or get cancelled outright, leaving behind a video or two and brief demo a handful of people actually got to try. So let's gather ‘round, reminisce on promises left unfulfilled, and pour one out for these E3 vaporware games.

When the Wii was originally unveiled at E3 2006, Nintendo also showcased an array of games that would make a case for its then-unheard-of motion controls. Look at all these beautiful people flailing the Wii Remote around as they wield a virtual sword, baseball bat, or hammer! And while demoed games like Red Steel, Wii Sports, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess saw the light of day, it was Project H.A.M.M.E.R. that was doomed to get the axe.

In Project H.A.M.M.E.R., you would play as a burly dude covered in power armor, and your objective was to swing around a massive sledgehammer, obliterating every enemy and object in sight. That seems to be about as far as the dev team got, as the game was considered "paused" as of E3 2007. While not officially cancelled by Nintendo, it's been nearly nine years since its initial unveiling, so make of that what you will.

Some console names are a bit strange (seriously Nintendo, the Wii?), while others are a bit more obvious, perfectly encapsulating what the machine is and does (like the PlayStation). But no name is more perfect than The Phantom, a console developed by Infinium labs that, other than brief showing at E3 2004, never saw the light of day.

The Phantom was a console developed by Infinium Labs (rebranded as Phantom Entertainment in 2006). Revealed in 2003 then arriving at E3 in 2004, the idea behind it was, at the very least, ambitious. For under $399, The Phantom was to be a PC that hooked up to your TV like a console, letting you download and install games directly to the device via the internet. It was essentially a Steam Machine before Steam was even a thing, but release dates came and went as the machine's release ended up pushed beyond 2005, finally removed from Phantom Entertainment's website in 2006. Perhaps the world just wasn't quite ready for a living room PC solution, but at least there's a silver lining to this story: Phantom Entertainment still exists, and - a couch-based keyboard originally designed for the The Phantom console.

Exclusives are important for any console manufacturer. Each box essentially does the same thing, so you have to give people a reason to buy your machine over the competition's. So when Sony announced in 2007 that a game from the studio behind Grand Theft Auto was coming exclusively to PlayStation, it was perceived as a big get for the company that sat firmly in second place.

It's unfortunate, then, that the only official image we've seen of the game since its E3 unveiling was the logo. A few screenshots have leaked out since then, and publisher Take-Two still claims that the game is in development. Rockstar Games is known for taking its sweet time developing games, but eight years on a single game is a bit much.

The 21st century hasn't exactly been kind to LucasArts. For every Knights of the Old Republic, there was a Star Wars Kinect; for every Mercenaries, there was a Fracture. It wasn't exactly a surprise when LucasArts effectively ceased operations in 2013 following Disney's acquisition of basically everything George Lucas owned. But it was still a shame - especially because it meant cancelling the one project that could have put LucasArts back on the map: Star Wars 1313.

Starring a young Boba Fett, Star Wars 1313 would have followed the bounty hunter's first adventures, and made it out to be a third-person shooter filled with heavily-scripted set-pieces, similar to Uncharted. Except, y'know, it's Star Wars. While the demo looked promising, 1313 was officially canned a year later, as LucasArts laid off the majority of its staff.

Some games are lucky enough to escape their vaporware fate, and there's probably no greater turnaround story than Prey, that somehow actually turned out alright considering the circumstances. Unfortunately, its sequel didn't end up so lucky.

While a sequel was reportedly in development shortly after the first game's release in 2006, it wasn't officially unveiled until 2011. Taking place after the events of the first game, Prey 2 would have followed the adventures of US Marshal Killian Samuels, a single human living among an array of alien races, hunting bounties and earning cash to survive. Prey 2 made a showing at E3 that year, but shortly after, rumors began to swirl about its cancellation. Bethesda continued to deny rumors until 2014, when Bethesda VP Pete Hines confirmed that development on the title had ceased.

So Nintendo struck paydirt with the Wii, and games like Wii Fit and Wii Sports flourished with an audience who would have never thought to pick up a gaming console in their lives. In an effort to keep that gravy train rolling, Nintendo wanted to create a controller that everyone could use, a controller so simple, all you have to do is put your finger in it and sit there. Enter the Vitality Sensor.

In an ideal world, the Vitality Sensor would have gathered the player's biometric data (namely, their pulse) and the game would then take that data and react accordingly. But despite an initial announcement by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata at E3 2009, the device essentially disappeared without a trace. It wasn't until 2013 that Iwata confirmed why this strange peripheral never got released: turns out, it only worked for . It doesn't sound like that big of a gap, but when ten percent of the people who buy your product are returning it because they think it doesn't work, it's probably best to shelve it.

Peter Molyneux is basically the Willy Wonka of game design - except Molyneux's Fizzy Lifting Drinks don't do much more than taste like an off-brand Sprite and give you a slight caffeine buzz. Not that he makes bad games; it's just that they end up kind of pedestrian in comparison to the pie-in-the-sky promises that he makes leading up to their release. And there's perhaps no greater example than Molyneux's ability to over-promise and under-deliver than Project Milo.

The idea (as these things tend to go) looked promising, as you interacted with a virtual young boy with voice and hand gestures via Kinect, and the boy would react to your statements and change over time. It all sounded a bit too good to be true, especially considering , despite Molyneux's insistence to the contrary. Considering Molyneux's departure from Microsoft in 2012, it's doubtful this project will be completed.

You'd be forgiven if you don't remember the original Phantom Dust on the Xbox. Even though it was developed by Microsoft Japan, it's still pretty niche, combining third-person action, card-collecting, and multiplayer arena battles. Microsoft's been on a rebooting kick lately, taking old properties that the publisher owns and getting other studios to remake them for Xbox One. Phantom Dust was the latest to supposedly get the treatment, complete with an E3 2014 trailer.

But within a year of its announcement, the studio behind the remake , leaving the ultimate future of Phantom Dust in question. Microsoft has stated that they are committed to the title and that development still continues, but it's probably going to be another couple of years before we ever see anything about this strange hybrid again. I suppose getting shut down quickly is better than getting strung along for years, but still - that was fast.

Las Vegas, that strip of hedonism and hubris out in the middle of the desert, has never really been immortalized in video games (though Fallout: New Vegas gets it pretty close). There are casino games, sure, but there's never been been a game that fully encapsulates the celebrity DJ/bottle service/$7.99 all-you-can-eat buffet experience that Las Vegas is really known for. And thanks to the cancellation of This Is Vegas, we're going to have to wait even longer.

First hinted at in 2006, the splendor of This Is Vegas wasn't fully revealed until 2008, and was scheduled for release later that year. Unfortunately, thanks to publisher Midway's own personal financial woes (many of them likely brought on by This Is Vegas' ballooning costs, as the publisher reportedly spent Keep the Vegas dream alive.

Here it is: the White Whale of vaporware. Blizzard is known for only releasing games when they're "done", which of course means they take years longer to make than most, and the studio isn't afraid to shelve something if they don't think it's worth continuing - even if that means cancelling a game after years of development. StarCraft: Ghost would have put players in the role of the titular sniper as she sneaks her way through various sci-fi environments, completing objectives, and shooting Zerg in the face.

Unfortunately, development didn't go as smoothly as you'd expect. Originally planned for a 2003 release, Ghost underwent numerous delays, and even changed hands from developer Nihilistic to Swingin' Ape Studios. It was then relaunched at E3 2005 and slated for a release in 2006 - which came and went, and Ghost was still a no-show. Around that time, a little game you've probably never heard of called World of Warcraft released, and Blizzard decided to pour resources into its new MMO rather than continue working on a stealth-based PS2/Xbox game, so it put Ghost on indefinite hold. If you're still holding out hope, don't: Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime finally put a bullet in this one, confirming its cancellation in 2014.

Nothing to see here. Move along.

You feel that in the air? The constant buzzing of press releases and hype trailers? It's E3 season, and that means it's time to get excited once again about the future of video games. Usually, the E3 lifecycle works like this: watch a trailer and some gameplay footage for a hot new game at E3, get really excited about it, wait about a year or two, then finally walk to your local store and pick up a copy of the game.

Sometimes, though, games get stuck at the 'waiting' step and never find a way to get out. Time continues to march on, E3s come and go, and these games either disappear into the aether, or get cancelled outright, leaving behind a video or two and brief demo a handful of people actually got to try. So let's gather ‘round, reminisce on promises left unfulfilled, and pour one out for these E3 vaporware games.

When the Wii was originally unveiled at E3 2006, Nintendo also showcased an array of games that would make a case for its then-unheard-of motion controls. Look at all these beautiful people flailing the Wii Remote around as they wield a virtual sword, baseball bat, or hammer! And while demoed games like Red Steel, Wii Sports, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess saw the light of day, it was Project H.A.M.M.E.R. that was doomed to get the axe.

In Project H.A.M.M.E.R., you would play as a burly dude covered in power armor, and your objective was to swing around a massive sledgehammer, obliterating every enemy and object in sight. That seems to be about as far as the dev team got, as the game was considered "paused" as of E3 2007. While not officially cancelled by Nintendo, it's been nearly nine years since its initial unveiling, so make of that what you will.

Some console names are a bit strange (seriously Nintendo, the Wii?), while others are a bit more obvious, perfectly encapsulating what the machine is and does (like the PlayStation). But no name is more perfect than The Phantom, a console developed by Infinium labs that, other than brief showing at E3 2004, never saw the light of day.

The Phantom was a console developed by Infinium Labs (rebranded as Phantom Entertainment in 2006). Revealed in 2003 then arriving at E3 in 2004, the idea behind it was, at the very least, ambitious. For under $399, The Phantom was to be a PC that hooked up to your TV like a console, letting you download and install games directly to the device via the internet. It was essentially a Steam Machine before Steam was even a thing, but release dates came and went as the machine's release ended up pushed beyond 2005, finally removed from Phantom Entertainment's website in 2006. Perhaps the world just wasn't quite ready for a living room PC solution, but at least there's a silver lining to this story: Phantom Entertainment still exists, and - a couch-based keyboard originally designed for the The Phantom console.

Exclusives are important for any console manufacturer. Each box essentially does the same thing, so you have to give people a reason to buy your machine over the competition's. So when Sony announced in 2007 that a game from the studio behind Grand Theft Auto was coming exclusively to PlayStation, it was perceived as a big get for the company that sat firmly in second place.

It's unfortunate, then, that the only official image we've seen of the game since its E3 unveiling was the logo. A few screenshots have leaked out since then, and publisher Take-Two still claims that the game is in development. Rockstar Games is known for taking its sweet time developing games, but eight years on a single game is a bit much.

The 21st century hasn't exactly been kind to LucasArts. For every Knights of the Old Republic, there was a Star Wars Kinect; for every Mercenaries, there was a Fracture. It wasn't exactly a surprise when LucasArts effectively ceased operations in 2013 following Disney's acquisition of basically everything George Lucas owned. But it was still a shame - especially because it meant cancelling the one project that could have put LucasArts back on the map: Star Wars 1313.

Starring a young Boba Fett, Star Wars 1313 would have followed the bounty hunter's first adventures, and made it out to be a third-person shooter filled with heavily-scripted set-pieces, similar to Uncharted. Except, y'know, it's Star Wars. While the demo looked promising, 1313 was officially canned a year later, as LucasArts laid off the majority of its staff.

Some games are lucky enough to escape their vaporware fate, and there's probably no greater turnaround story than Prey, that somehow actually turned out alright considering the circumstances. Unfortunately, its sequel didn't end up so lucky.

While a sequel was reportedly in development shortly after the first game's release in 2006, it wasn't officially unveiled until 2011. Taking place after the events of the first game, Prey 2 would have followed the adventures of US Marshal Killian Samuels, a single human living among an array of alien races, hunting bounties and earning cash to survive. Prey 2 made a showing at E3 that year, but shortly after, rumors began to swirl about its cancellation. Bethesda continued to deny rumors until 2014, when Bethesda VP Pete Hines confirmed that development on the title had ceased.

So Nintendo struck paydirt with the Wii, and games like Wii Fit and Wii Sports flourished with an audience who would have never thought to pick up a gaming console in their lives. In an effort to keep that gravy train rolling, Nintendo wanted to create a controller that everyone could use, a controller so simple, all you have to do is put your finger in it and sit there. Enter the Vitality Sensor.

In an ideal world, the Vitality Sensor would have gathered the player's biometric data (namely, their pulse) and the game would then take that data and react accordingly. But despite an initial announcement by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata at E3 2009, the device essentially disappeared without a trace. It wasn't until 2013 that Iwata confirmed why this strange peripheral never got released: turns out, it only worked for . It doesn't sound like that big of a gap, but when ten percent of the people who buy your product are returning it because they think it doesn't work, it's probably best to shelve it.

Peter Molyneux is basically the Willy Wonka of game design - except Molyneux's Fizzy Lifting Drinks don't do much more than taste like an off-brand Sprite and give you a slight caffeine buzz. Not that he makes bad games; it's just that they end up kind of pedestrian in comparison to the pie-in-the-sky promises that he makes leading up to their release. And there's perhaps no greater example than Molyneux's ability to over-promise and under-deliver than Project Milo.

The idea (as these things tend to go) looked promising, as you interacted with a virtual young boy with voice and hand gestures via Kinect, and the boy would react to your statements and change over time. It all sounded a bit too good to be true, especially considering , despite Molyneux's insistence to the contrary. Considering Molyneux's departure from Microsoft in 2012, it's doubtful this project will be completed.

You'd be forgiven if you don't remember the original Phantom Dust on the Xbox. Even though it was developed by Microsoft Japan, it's still pretty niche, combining third-person action, card-collecting, and multiplayer arena battles. Microsoft's been on a rebooting kick lately, taking old properties that the publisher owns and getting other studios to remake them for Xbox One. Phantom Dust was the latest to supposedly get the treatment, complete with an E3 2014 trailer.

But within a year of its announcement, the studio behind the remake , leaving the ultimate future of Phantom Dust in question. Microsoft has stated that they are committed to the title and that development still continues, but it's probably going to be another couple of years before we ever see anything about this strange hybrid again. I suppose getting shut down quickly is better than getting strung along for years, but still - that was fast.

Las Vegas, that strip of hedonism and hubris out in the middle of the desert, has never really been immortalized in video games (though Fallout: New Vegas gets it pretty close). There are casino games, sure, but there's never been been a game that fully encapsulates the celebrity DJ/bottle service/$7.99 all-you-can-eat buffet experience that Las Vegas is really known for. And thanks to the cancellation of This Is Vegas, we're going to have to wait even longer.

First hinted at in 2006, the splendor of This Is Vegas wasn't fully revealed until 2008, and was scheduled for release later that year. Unfortunately, thanks to publisher Midway's own personal financial woes (many of them likely brought on by This Is Vegas' ballooning costs, as the publisher reportedly spent Keep the Vegas dream alive.

Here it is: the White Whale of vaporware. Blizzard is known for only releasing games when they're "done", which of course means they take years longer to make than most, and the studio isn't afraid to shelve something if they don't think it's worth continuing - even if that means cancelling a game after years of development. StarCraft: Ghost would have put players in the role of the titular sniper as she sneaks her way through various sci-fi environments, completing objectives, and shooting Zerg in the face.

Unfortunately, development didn't go as smoothly as you'd expect. Originally planned for a 2003 release, Ghost underwent numerous delays, and even changed hands from developer Nihilistic to Swingin' Ape Studios. It was then relaunched at E3 2005 and slated for a release in 2006 - which came and went, and Ghost was still a no-show. Around that time, a little game you've probably never heard of called World of Warcraft released, and Blizzard decided to pour resources into its new MMO rather than continue working on a stealth-based PS2/Xbox game, so it put Ghost on indefinite hold. If you're still holding out hope, don't: Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime finally put a bullet in this one, confirming its cancellation in 2014.

Nothing to see here. Move along.