Full Throttle: Hell On Wheels (PC, PS2, Xbox, 2003)

LucasArts' Full Throttle was one of the most popular adventure games of the 90s, and for good reason. The game involves motorcycle gangs roaming around a post-apocalyptic futuristic landscape similar to that of the "Mad Max" movies. It became well-known for its rich storyline, quirky humor, professional voice acting - including "Star Wars" actor Mark Hamill - and exquisite graphics, courtesy of the adventure game engine SCUMM. While the original FT wasn't a blockbuster per se, it remains one of the most beloved adventure titles, more than a decade after its release.

FULL THROTTLE: HELL ON WHEELS Slide Show (8 images)

Naturally, LucasArts was keen on making a sequel, and tried not once but twice to get another Full Throttle title out the door. The first attempt came in 2000 with Full Throttle: Payback, but the title was cancelled before it ever got going. (Original FT developer Tom Schafer departed LucasArts that same year, which may have had something to do with the game's cancellation). Fast forward a few years to 2003, however, and LucasArts gave it another shot with Hell on Wheels.

The LucasArts sequel to the classic Full Throttle was riding high until the publisher put the breaks on Ben and the Polecats.

The story for Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels had Ben, the bad-ass, wise-cracking biker himself, returning to action with his gang, the Polecats. They battle a rival biker gang called the Hound Dogs, while investigating the destruction of the roadways around his town of El Nada. Hell on Wheels added full 3D animation to the Full Throttle series, as well as action gameplay that puts Ben in fist fights and bar brawls.

While some FT purists disliked the addition of combat to the adventure game formula, Hell on Wheels still had that LucasArts magic. The cartoon-like animation was a major upgrade from the old 2D graphics of the first FT, and character designs were fantastic (see the slide show for more). Plus, the game reportedly boasted 20 different environments and a whopping 35 levels, which sounds like it would have made up for the short length of the first Full Throttle.

Hell on Wheels came to a grinding halt, though, just months after LucasArts showed off the new title at E3 2003 with a two-minute trailer and a playable demo. Worse, the game was scheduled for a winter release that year. So why did LucasArts pull the title? The company issued a short statement about this: "We do not want to disappoint the many fans of Full Throttle, and hope everyone can understand how committed we are to delivering the best-quality gaming experience that we possibly can," said Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. I'm not really sure what that means, but LucasArts pulled a similar fatality on Sam & Max Freelance Police the following year. And since 2000's Escape From Money Island, LucasArts hasn't released a single adventure game, which has led to some accusing the publisher of effectively killing the genre. That may be a stretch, but LucasArts sure whacked Hell on Wheels.