Post by DrJones

Posted: 6/23/2006 6:36 AM
(Edited: 6/23/2006 4:36 PM)

Post subject: Weird Video Games

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Heisanevilgenius

Active player (406)

Joined: 3/22/2006
Posts: 708

I figured this would be the perfect place to ask. I've been working on an article for my site for about 6.8 forevers, where I review all the weirdest video games that have ever been released. A lot of the videos on this site are fairly obscure and some of them are pretty weird (Kabuki Quantum Fighter anyone?) so I thought some of you are likely to know of some really strange games I haven't turned up yet. Here's a list of the ones I've found so far: http://heisanevilgenius.pbwiki.com/WVGalpha Some of these games I haven't tested. They've just been recommended to me and I haven't had a chance to play them, so comments like "Why is X game there! It's not weird" aren't really necessary. I'm going to try to find and play them and see for myself anyway. Here are my criteria:

The games have to have been released in some form. Prototypes or games that you yourself made in your basement don't count. Freeware games are acceptable if they've been popularized. Stuff like flash games, unless really widespread, won't fit my criteria. It is acceptable if it's a game that you can only get as part of a special offer, say, by drinking enough Kool-Aid and sending in proofs of purchase. Bootleg games may or may not be eligable depending on the conditions. If in doubt, just mention it and I'll look into it.
If the game has an idea or format that's unusual for a video game (like Tic Tac Toe or a game where you have to grade homework) it doesn't really count unless weirdness abounds inside the game. (Example: Tic Tac Toe where the loser is eaten by a living cactus, or a game where you have to grade homework while being attacked by angry bees)
If a game is intentionally made weird (for comedy, for example) it's not quite the same thing. However, I'll usually give such games an honourable mention.
Finally, just to be absolutely clear, I'm looking for games that are WEIRD. Not necessarily bad. People sometimes assume I'm looking for bad games, but I'm looking for anything weird. Example: Katamari Damacy is a really fun game, but it's pretty odd, don't you think?
(Edit) Almost forgot. No hacks or mods, please. A game that uses a modified engine is fine, but using a hack editor to make River City Ransom characters nude and then spreading it on the internet doesn't count.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Posted: 6/23/2006 8:04 AM

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moozooh

Senior Moderator

Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5777
Location: Away

Excellent idea man! Here are the first ten games that have come on my mind. • Ancient Domains of Mystery/ADoM (or its fellow NetHack; both are PC/freeware) — not sure if they generally are weird, but both of them have tons of, well, really strange things (imagine a level full of the killer bunnies for example); • Carmageddon (PC/commercial) — well, it made a revolution successfully turning a racing game into something that doesn't actually resemble racing at all, not even a little bit. • Darwinia (PC/commercial?) — weird storyline and graphics. • Destruction Carnival (PC/freeware) — very funny Smash TV clone with ridiculous graphics and MIDI music ripped off some games like Mega Man, Super Metroid, Axelay and others. Probably win9x only. • Dungeons of the Unforgiven (PC/shareware? more like freeware, actually) — just look at the screenshots, and add this to the Honourable Mentions section ASAP! • Exile 1/2/3 (PC/shareware) — the series don't really look weird until you actually start reading some text messages and listening to the game sounds (Exile 1 splashscreen sound is just priceless), not to mention some monster sprites. All three games, however, are VERY cool, thoroughly made and really interesting to play. • Jumper! (PC/freeware) — a game with ridiculous story and, as a result, even more ridiculous main character. • RAM: Rural Anti-alien Militia (PC/freeware) — quite a moronic game with nice sound effects. Probably win9x only. • Sensible Massacre (Amiga/commercial) — more info here. • Triptych (PC/shareware) — a hybrid of Tetris and Bejeweled, based on a physics engine (that is, with gravity and control over the figures' movements).

Warp wrote:

Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:11 PM

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Inzult

Active player (435)

Joined: 9/27/2004
Posts: 650
Location: Canada

I think that pretty well every video game is weird. I mean, there's a game where an Italian plumber somehow winds up in a magical mushroom land and fights a giant turtle so he can change some anthropomorphic mushroom people back from stone to 'normal'. By the way, they have floating bricks there and if you pick up a flower, you can throw fire. Speaking of fire, balls of fire literally jump out of pits of lava, and there are long beams of fire that rotate around some of those floating bricks I mentioned before.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:22 PM

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moozooh

Senior Moderator

Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5777
Location: Away

Inzult wrote:

I think that pretty well every video game is weird. I mean, there's a game where an Italian plumber somehow winds up in a magical mushroom land and fights a giant turtle so he can change some anthropomorphic mushroom people back from stone to 'normal'. By the way, they have floating bricks there and if you pick up a flower, you can throw fire. Speaking of fire, balls of fire literally jump out of pits of lava, and there are long beams of fire that rotate around some of those floating bricks I mentioned before.

http://heisanevilgenius.pbwiki.com/WVGalpha wrote:

Honourable Mentions […] Super Mario Bros. (NES)

Warp wrote:

Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:22 PM

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mikwuyma

Joined: 12/20/2004
Posts: 226

You're missing Ninja Baseball Batman for arcade. Not only is the game weird, it's also a great beat em up.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:25 PM

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Halamantariel

Player (105)

Joined: 1/30/2005
Posts: 564
Location: Québec, Canada

Why isn't Shaq Fu there? I think it definetly deserves a spot on that page.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:26 PM

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AnotherGamer

Former player

Joined: 2/2/2005
Posts: 198

"Fuck Quest (PC) {Don't ask. PLEASE don't ask.}" Translation: By adding a game with such a name, I automatically want everyone who reads the list to ask about it, as I have failed to include a description of it.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:27 PM
(Edited: 6/23/2006 3:30 PM)

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zefiris

Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[

Inzult wrote:

there's a game where an Italian plumber somehow winds up in a magical mushroom land and fights [...] I mentioned before.

I swear I played that game long ago! what was it's name... Um... I don't remember ( I remembered "dominator" game, tetris clone where you move not piece, but walls, and pieces that have already falled are moved by walls, so that I could not find a way to make piece fall NOT on top of the pile =(

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:27 PM

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AdmiralJonB

Joined: 6/20/2004
Posts: 292
Location: United Kingdom

Well, i suppose technically you could include any Lemmings game, i mean it may be popular but i can't think of many games like them, if any at all.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:31 PM

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zefiris

Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[

The incredible machines? No, its clone... Something with toons... Incredible toons? Right, Incredible toon. Very weird game :D And Yeti sports! That one with flying far away penguin ^__^

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:36 PM

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AnotherGamer

Former player

Joined: 2/2/2005
Posts: 198

As for the list, you misspelled Chou Aniki. Besides that... PuLiRuLa (arc) I'm Sorry (arc) Chiller (arc) Dangun Feveron (arc) Urban Yeti (GBA) Panic!! (segaCD)

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:42 PM

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zefiris

Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[

Boy and his Blob! :D Watch run from this site and you will understand what I mean :D :D :D

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:43 PM

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moozooh

Senior Moderator

Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5777
Location: Away

zefiris wrote:

Boy and his Blob! :D Watch run from this site and you will understand what I mean :D :D :D

Already on the list.

Warp wrote:

Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:44 PM

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zefiris

Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[

I did not notice it even though I looked =(

Posted: 6/23/2006 3:59 PM

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moozooh

Senior Moderator

Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5777
Location: Away

Ladies and gentlemen, B-CLOPD. Part one, part two.

Warp wrote:

Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.

Posted: 6/23/2006 4:09 PM

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moozooh

Senior Moderator

Joined: 8/4/2005
Posts: 5777
Location: Away

Some more demoscene: • Porrasturvat: Stair Dismount. • Rekkaturvat: Truck Dismount. • B.A.L.L.O. • Gerbera Quarry. • Zen Bondage. • Kumoon. • Immortal Kombat!!!!!!111

Warp wrote:

Edit: I think I understand now: It's my avatar, isn't it? It makes me look angry.

Posted: 6/23/2006 4:34 PM

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Heisanevilgenius

Active player (406)

Joined: 3/22/2006
Posts: 708

mikwuyma wrote:

You're missing Ninja Baseball Batman for arcade. Not only is the game weird, it's also a great beat em up.

I could have sworn I put it on there. Maybe I removed it after I realized it was intentionally weird. I guess it should fit under Honourable Mentions then.

AnotherGamer wrote:

As for the list, you misspelled Chou Aniki. Besides that...

That's now the third spelling I have seen for that game. I wish Japanese to English translators would make up their mind.

Inzult wrote:

I think that pretty well every video game is weird.

Trust me. Some of the games I have played through make Mario look like the picture of normality. Okay, yeah, Super Mario Bros is weird, but it's become the norm as far as gaming is concerned. Maybe that says something weird about us as gamers, but a whole bunch of games have based their style on Mario and it's nothing unusual now. What is unusual is a game where you play as a Buddhist monk that walks through crowded subways and shoots fireballs at harried businessmen. By the way, here are a few screenshots I've captured: http://hyena.kiwibonga.com/weirdshots.html

Posted: 6/23/2006 4:46 PM

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Heisanevilgenius

Active player (406)

Joined: 3/22/2006
Posts: 708

AnotherGamer wrote:

"Fuck Quest (PC) {Don't ask. PLEASE don't ask.}" Translation: By adding a game with such a name, I automatically want everyone who reads the list to ask about it, as I have failed to include a description of it.

Not true. I just didn't want to have to explain why it didn't make it to the list, or be reminded of it ever again. I guess that backfired.

Posted: 6/23/2006 5:10 PM

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zefiris

Joined: 4/11/2006
Posts: 487
Location: North of Russia :[

some screenshots look like gamehacks =\ topmost one in right column is Gradius, isn't it?

Posted: 6/23/2006 6:08 PM

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Inzult

Active player (435)

Joined: 9/27/2004
Posts: 650
Location: Canada

moozooh wrote:

http://heisanevilgenius.pbwiki.com/WVGalpha wrote:
Honourable Mentions […] Super Mario Bros. (NES)

I swear I looked for it before I made any sarcastic remarks :( I was going to follow this up with serious suggestions, but you have some pretty odd ones on there. Orb 3D (NES) is pretty strange, I think.

Posted: 6/23/2006 6:55 PM

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Heisanevilgenius

Active player (406)

Joined: 3/22/2006
Posts: 708

zefiris wrote:

some screenshots look like gamehacks =\ topmost one in right column is Gradius, isn't it?

It's Parodius. It's made by Konami. It used the same engine. I do some research on every game to make sure they're official. (Usually just a quick search on gameFAQs clears that up but on occasion I have to probe a little deeper) So I'm pretty sure all of the screenshots there are not gamehacks.

Posted: 6/24/2006 4:50 PM

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DrJones

Joined: 4/3/2005
Posts: 575
Location: Spain

I suggest Takeshi no Chousenjou (NES). You can learn more about this game here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_no_Chousenjou Also, Golden Goblins (Amiga), a sport game in which you have to throw Belons (a race of sentient balls) to the face of your opponent. And the best Tamagotchi ever, Little Computer People - pet person - (Commodore 64).

No.