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The biggest pop culture story of the week was undoubtedly the release of Grand Theft Auto IV -- the latest installment of the insanely addictive video game that makes it cool to commit crime, drive over pedestrians and make sexy time with hookers.
After just a few days on the shelf, GTA IV is well on it's way to becoming one of the best-selling video games of all time. Which just goes to show how many copies Super Mario Bros. would have sold had the game ended with Mario and Luigi taking turns giving the Princess a ... well, you finish that sentence.
As of now, the entire GTA series has sold more than 70 million copies. While that's not close to what the Mario games have sold (200-plus million), they're still two of the only 10 franchises to top 50 million in sales.
Of these 10 big sellers, two are sports franchises -- EA Sports' Madden and FIFA titles. But not all sports games are as successful as these two year-end, year-out winners. Sometimes developers create games that seem like a good idea at the time, but just don't end up selling that well.
So while the rest of the world is busy playing its fourth straight day of GTA IV, here's a list of 10 games that nobody bothered to play for as much as 20 minutes. It's the 10 worst-selling sports games of all time:
10. Lance Armstrong's 10 Speeds of Fury
The premise: Play as Lance Armstrong as you try to win the Tour de France.
The problem: Where to start? Perhaps that riding an actual bike is easier than riding a virtual bike? Or perhaps that sports gamers didn't really want to spend hours in front of the TV staring at a sea of virtual spandex butts.
9. Tecmo Super Lawn Bowl
The premise: After two classic "Bowl" games, Tecmo went for No. 3.
The problem: Maybe something was lost in translation, because Japanese company Tecmo didn't seem to understand that what made the Tecmo Bowl series so popular was football, not bowling. Rolling balls into other balls just didn't have the same draw as barreling over defenders with the late Ironhead Heyward.
8. World Championship Bridge
The premise: Poker games sell well, so why not bridge?
The problem: Nobody under the age of 50 plays bridge. Nobody over the age of 50 plays video games. You do the math.
7-T. Bungee Jump '93
The premise: Create a game based on bungee jumping -- one of the most popular alternative "sports" of the early '90s.
The problem: There's only so far you can take a game when all it involves is a dude in a flannel shirt jumping off a bridge. Plus, grunge kids had better things to do than play this game when swingin' on the flippety-flop.
7-T. XFL Xtreme
The premise: A game to accompany the XFL. What could go wrong?
The problem: Well, maybe because nobody thought it was fun to try to break a nonexistent rushing record with "He Hate Me." Wasting time watching Division 12-quality football is one thing. Wasting time reenacting it is another.
6. Radical Racquetball
The premise: An '80s computer game about the hottest yuppie recreational activity.
The problem: Sure, Pong was a classic, but it was outdated by the time this paddle game came out. Also, people play sports video games to step into the shoes of their idols -- not some investment banker on his lunch break.
5. Brian Boitano's Triple Lutz Skating
The premise: Finally! A figure skating video game.
The problem: People who play sports video games tend to not be interested in minutiae like choosing their characters' tights and finding the right button combination to execute the perfect Lutz.
4. EA Sports' Spring Training '95
The premise: Eager to rush out a baseball game after the strike-shortened 1994 season, EA Sports released a spring training teaser game featuring replacement players.
The problem: While it was nice to have baseball back for the first time in nearly a year, something just wasn't right about manipulating a bunch of plumbers (and Kevin Millar) in big league uniforms.
3. Tai Chi Champion
The premise: One more arcade-friendly martial arts game.
The problem: The makers of Mortal Kombat thought they'd have another hit on their hands by creating a Tai Chi game. What they didn't realize was that Tai Chi is often practiced alone. And an arcade game in which players make a character stretch in a park just didn't have the same staying power as the average kicking game.
2. Prefontaine: The Game
The premise: Video game version of the 1997 movie about long distance runner Steve Prefontaine.
The problem: Running is boring enough when you're actually doing it.
1. WNBA Live
The premise: NBA Live with chicks.
The problem: See for yourself.
