Top 5 Most Overhyped Video Games

With the release of Halo 3 just over two weeks away, fans of the sci-fi shooter series are vibrating with unbridled excitement. Human tuning forks, almost.

But many a game has stumbled over its pre-release ballyhoo, whether said hype was deliberately conjured through marketing or generated spontaneously by fans. And the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

While we’ve got high hopes for Halo 3 when it debuts Sept. 25 on the Xbox 360, a quick glance at the history books reveals a video gaming past littered with the husks of titles that couldn’t live up to their lofty expectations. Here are five classics that stand out.