The years going by is often a pretty well-working filter when it comes to the value of cultural products. Important things are kept alive, but those which are not noteworthy disappear into obscurity. This makes looking back at a past time so much easier!
But it does not always work as intended. There is another major factor which can also lead to history forgetting about something, regardless of quality, and that is obscurity in its basic sense: If the target audience is small in the first place, standing the test of time is much, much harder. Which is a trap the game we will be discussing today fell into.
What makes for an excellent first-person shooter? Good graphics, challenging opponents, diverse weaponry, creative level design, smooth controls, atmospheric sound effects and maybe, to top it off, a thrilling story, are surely amongst the top ten on the list of things most players will immediately think of. But considering this, the fewest will think of Extreme Paintbrawl. Why? The concept sounds rather nice: Paintball offers a fresh setting. Getting your enemies to surrender, instead of blasting them to bloody bits, for a change has something to it. Two teams, each one defending a flag, may be genre standard, but especially fitting in this case. But as soon as you get to see how all this got implemented the disillusionment sets in.