Eager PC fans had to wait a full 12 years of excruciating anticipation for Diablo III; but let’s not hide the fact that the long-awaited RPG had its ridiculous share of delays and speed-bumps on its way to store shelves. So in celebration of this over-halted gaming phenomenon, we take a look at some games that got delayed and went through development hell… again and again and again…
Diablo III
The infamous third instalment of Blizzard’s dungeon RPG has been a long time coming. Since Diablo 2’s release in 2000, fans have been sharpening their weapons in anticipation, waiting for the fateful day that they get to continue looting chests and hacking skeletons in dark corners.
Well the day finally came two weeks ago, although since originally being announced in 2008, Diablo 3 went through a bunch of delays, design choices and changes, eventually giving this threequel a 2012 release date, almost 4 whole years after being revealed. Was it worth the wait? Find out in MyGaming’s Diablo III review.
Splinter Cell Conviction
2010 saw Splinter Cell: Conviction hit our shelves and although it wasn’t the SC experience fans were expecting, it was one of the most action-packed and innovative third-person stealth shooters to come out for ages. But what many don’t know is how drastically the concept and release dates changed for Ubisoft’s title.
The original Conviction design saw Sam Fisher as a washed-out hobo-like street brawler. The game was announced in 2007, but after a lot of delays and overhauls with the look and feel of the game, April 2010 saw the new and improved Splinter Cell: Conviction hit the street, and with its streamlined action sequences and interesting mechanics, it was worth the wait.
Check out MyGaming’s Splinter Cell Conviction review.

Splinter Cell: Conviction was originally titled 'Hobo Beatdown 5: Extreme Edition' , OK, not really.
Max Payne 3
Everyone cries and whines when Mario or Sonic are absent for a year or two. Sure they’re iconic characters in the industry, but what about Max Payne!? The guy brought bullet-time into mainstream gaming and has changed the way developers look at third-person shooters for crying out loud. Originally scheduled for a late 2009 release, we finally got our hands on Mr. Payne, after more than a two year wait from initially planned. While the game has lived up to the expectations and more, just a note to the developers for next time – the action should be in slow-motion, not the development.
Check out MyGaming’s Max Payne 3 review.
Duke Nukem Forever
And now onto the bad boy of the video game world, who’s most-recent and ironically titled game took 14 years to make it into gamers’ hands (count it if you don’t believe it). Duke Nukem: Forever was announced in 1997 and thanks to multiple re-writes and developmental changes, Duke’s first FPS outing in over a decade made it to PC’s and consoles, and as expected, it felt as if it was left in the past.
The game wasn’t up to standards of quality expected from modern day shooters and even though it tried to satirise modern games, it ended up being a victim of its own joke. It never managed to generate anything more than a giggle of nostalgia and made gamers realise how unlikable Duke actually is (sorry, but it’s true).
Check out MyGaming’s Duke Nukem Forever review.
Too Human
Too Human was announced in 1999 for the original Playstation. Then it was rumoured to release on the GameCube after Nintendo and Silicon Knights partnered up. Then… it kinda disappeared. Too Human was then revealed to be released exclusively to Xbox 360 and in August 2008, over 9 years of development hell finally ended, the game came out. Unfortunately the game was met with sub-mediocre reviews and faded away faster than vacant memory. Similar to Duke Nukem: Forever, sometimes the wait just isn’t worth it.
What over-delayed games kept you waiting up at night? Was the wait worth it?
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