On Thanksgiving, people across the United States gather around tables overflowing with turkey — but today we’re carving out a different kind of tribute. Let’s honor the cultural “turkeys”: the flops, oddballs, and misunderstood works that failed to find their audience at first but still spark affection.
We approach this with good faith: this isn’t a mean-spirited takedown. At Polygon we don’t re-evaluate things purely for contrarian headlines. Still, we love arguing, defending, and celebrating tastes at the dinner table. Some projects were dismissed prematurely, others were awkward in execution yet charming in ambition — and those deserve a seat at the feast, much like the one dish everyone insists on making even if only one person enjoys it.
So, in the spirit of giving thanks, here are the turkeys we can’t help but champion:
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Fallout: New Vegas — A bumpy debut that became a classic
Image: Obsidian Entertainment / Bethesda Softworks With the Prime Video series stirring renewed interest, it’s a good time to revisit the games. After replaying the series, my view hasn’t changed: Fallout: New Vegas stands out as the most compelling entry. Despite a notorious, glitchy launch in 2010 and the fact that Obsidian — not Bethesda — handled development, the game’s writing, factions, and moral complexity have aged remarkably well.
New Vegas stumbled out of the gate for many reasons: a different lead studio, rough technical execution, and lofty expectations. Yet beneath the rough edges sits a richly textured role‑playing experience that critics and players have come to revere.
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The biggest gaming flops that actually deserve praise
Image: Ascendent Studios / EA Not every underperforming release is worthless. Games like No Man’s Sky and Shenmue were maligned at launch but later found redemption — and many other interesting titles have been unfairly sidelined. Middling review scores or poor sales shouldn’t be the final word on creative ambition.
These underappreciated projects often try something off‑kilter or idiosyncratic, and while they may not become mainstream hits, they enrich the medium and can influence future work in surprising ways.
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I love Heavy Rain — but often for the wrong reasons
Image: Quantic Dream Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain is a strange, earnest experiment in interactive storytelling. Its premise — four characters entangled with the Origami Killer — promises high drama, but awkward dialogue, overused quick‑time events, and tonal missteps often produce unintended comedy.
Still, those rough edges are part of its charm. The game is an ambitious, imperfect piece of interactive fiction that continues to provoke strong reactions, laughter and awe in equal measure.
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Universal’s Waterworld stunt show redeems the infamous flop
Image: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Waterworld earned its reputation as a costly disaster — overblown budgets and lukewarm returns made it a running joke. But seen through a modern lens and paired with Universal’s live stunt attraction, the film’s scale and daring stunts can feel oddly triumphant.
Viewed on its own merits, Waterworld is a strange, immersive piece of cinema: flawed and ambitious in equal measure.
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In defense of Click — a messy, oddly endearing Sandler outing
Image: Sony Pictures / Everett Collection I’m a long‑time Adam Sandler fan, yet even I’ll admit Click is a chaotic mess — a film that swings between mawkish sentiment and broad slapstick. Still, it’s weirdly watchable: Sandler reaches for sincerity and occasionally lands something genuine amid the absurdity.
Click is a perfect example of a movie that critics and audiences wrote off, but which retains a small, loyal following who find value in its odd tonal mix.
Source: Polygon
