Creature Wars

Creature Wars is a fighting/adventure game released in 2003 for the XBOX. It was infamous for its heavy promotion and difficult development period. Development reportedly halted due to the main developer, Hipnotics, shutting down. Cor-Son Games acquired the project and promptly finished it. The game was published by Metro3D, who originally planned on publishing it had the game been completed by its original deadline and in North America by Crave Entertainment.

Plot
The game centers on a group of youths who earn the ability to turn into monstrous animals. They use their abilities to pursue a crooked sorcerer who's antagonizing their home world.

Reception
The game was heavily hyped in earlier years, with Hipnotics promising sequels, a tv series, a comic book and potentially a movie. Due to them focusing so heavily on the cosmetics of promotion, it became clear that they weren't focusing on making the game live up to the hype.

It received mixed reviews overall, with critics claiming that it would've potentially been one of the biggest disappointments in gaming history had it not been for the publishers deciding to release it as a budget title instead of a full-priced game.