Weirdest games of all time

grumpysmurf · **Joined:** 6th Nov, 2008 **Posts:** 298

I'm putting together a feature about the weirdest games of all time. (Yeah, I know it's been done to death, but in ten years of operation, the website I work for has never run a piece of this nature.)

Anyway, the rule is, the game must have received an official Western release. Otherwise the whole thing will be filled with octopus rape simulators and bipedal animal spanking games. Here's a few I just thought of:

Super Mario Bros (no really, think about it)

Wizball

Llamatron

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

Vib Ribbon

Killer 7

I heart Katamari

Anyone got anything better?

metalangel · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 7:12

Earthworm Jim
Captain Blood
Zombie Nation
Bad Mojo
Space Bunnies Must Die!
Panic Restaurant
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Plok!
Burger Time (seriously... I think Pepper Pete was hallucinating from eating undercooked food)
Vangers
Woodruff and the Schnibble of Azimuth
Joust
Impossible Creatures
Hopkins FBI

more if I think of any...

grumpysmurf · **Joined:** 6th Nov, 2008 **Posts:** 298

Ooh! Captain Blood and Joust are especially good ones. Doubt I'll find any decent images for 'em though. (I must say, the nerds of the Intaweb have disappointed me - you'd think old videogame screen shots would be pretty easy to come by, but no. Lazy blighters.)

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Two Speccy games -- The Fury and, umm, dammit. One where there were no instructions and the game booted to a login screen which then crashed and let you into an interface where you were driving robots about through undersea tunnels. The screen was split into four, like Space Hulk. As the game went on you found documents suggesting you'd stumbled on some sort of worldwide conspiracy.

metalangel · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 7:56

Joust screenshots should be easily obtainable - it's on XBLA, there was a port to the GBC, or you could just use MAME.

Captain Blood, same - emulate it. There's shots on Mobygames and Wikipedia too.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

From the looks-normal-now-but-at-the-time-we-were-all-WTF-file: Tetris. I remember reading a review of Tetris in a magazine in, I dunno, the early 90s or something that had to explain the game to people who had never played it, without making it sound rubbish. It's really difficult to do that.

metalangel · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 8:04

Most people I know had their first exposure to Tetris from the Gameboy - specifically, the demonstration pods that popped up everywhere when it came out.

grumpysmurf · **Joined:** 6th Nov, 2008 **Posts:** 298

MetalAngel wrote:

Most people I know had their first exposure to Tetris from the Gameboy - specifically, the demonstration pods that popped up everywhere when it came out.

I've always felt sorry for that Russian bloke. He never got a cracker from all those millions of Gameboy sales, did he?

Edit: Also, why did all the ports adorn their boxes with Russian iconography (which often carried over to the in game artwork?) Surely that was just rubbing his face in it a bit?

myp · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 8:16

I was playing Killer 7 last night. What. The. Fuck?

Bobbyaro · **Joined:** 18th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 11896

The Raymna Raving Rabbids games are not exactly sane, but it depends what you mean by weird. Manhunt is pretty weird, but for an entirely different reason.

tossrStu · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 1326

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

One where there were no instructions and the game booted to a login screen which then crashed and let you into an interface where you were driving robots about through undersea tunnels. The screen was split into four, like Space Hulk. As the game went on you found documents suggesting you'd stumbled on some sort of worldwide conspiracy.

Sounds like you're getting Hacker (drive a robot around undersea tunnels) and Hacker 2 (4-way split screen) mixed up?

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:06

Katamari is pretty odd.

Dimrill · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:08

Kingpin. The design decision to have constantly undulating flesh.

Sir Taxalot · **Joined:** 5th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 4818

Kuri Kuri Mix (cookies and cream in the US) was pretty odd. I only bought it because the cover made my sister laugh.

Wizkid was (intentionally) quite weird, but in a good way.

Harlequin was a little trippy and had a terrific maudlin atmosphere.

Not really the weirdest in general, but I found them strange.

metalangel · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:31

Dimrill wrote:

Kingpin. The design decision to have constantly undulating flesh.

The characters were all quite fat... I heard if you stood still for 20 minutes the undulating would stop.

Also, Bishi Bashi Special got a western release and was odd, as was that similarly bizarre game about the various family members trying to get home through strange situations. And Mr Moskeeto, where you suck the tit of a teenage Japanese girl while she's in the bathtub.

Bart's Nightmare is pretty strange as well.

DBSnappa · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:33

Space Station Silicon Valley
Goeman's Great Adventure
Dynamite Headdy

GazChap · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:43

Darkseed (or it's sequel, can't remember which one) was pretty weird - some of the shit that happened in that game was beyond strange.

Your mother telling you off for dragging mud into the house (or something like that) before her head explodes in a glob of blood and goo.

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

grumpysmurf wrote:

I've always felt sorry for that Russian bloke. He never got a cracker from all those millions of Gameboy sales, did he?

Alexey Pajitnov didn't get any royalties from Tetris because the Russian government took them all. He's made money from it since though, he founded the Tetris Company and many of the later ports are copyright owned by that entity, I think.

tossrStu wrote:

Sounds like you're getting Hacker (drive a robot around undersea tunnels) and Hacker 2 (4-way split screen) mixed up?

Aha. Yes, you are correct.

Nik · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 1982

I seem to remember Frankie Goes To Hollywood on the Spectrum being quite weird. Or maybe time is just making the concept seem weird retrospectively.

devilman · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:56

Nik wrote:

I seem to remember Frankie Goes To Hollywood on the Spectrum being quite weird. Or maybe time is just making the concept seem weird retrospectively.

I'd say that was a pretty good choice. Solving a murder by playing mini-games and feeding cats whilst having bugger all to do with Frankie Goes to Hollywood is perhaps a little odd.

devilman · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 9:58

MetalAngel wrote:

Also, Bishi Bashi Special got a western release and was odd, as was that similarly bizarre game about the various family members trying to get home through strange situations.

That's been bugging me as I've tried to remember the name of that game before and I've just had to wrack my brain again trying to think of what it was... Incredible Crisis?

Nik · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 1982

devilman wrote:

Nik wrote:

I seem to remember Frankie Goes To Hollywood on the Spectrum being quite weird. Or maybe time is just making the concept seem weird retrospectively.

I'd say that was a pretty good choice. Solving a murder by playing mini-games and feeding cats whilst having bugger all to do with Frankie Goes to Hollywood is perhaps a little odd.

Yes, the lack of connection with the band was a bit of a puzzler. Might have been even odder though if it had been a text adventure where you play Holly Johnson, negotiate a deal with ZTT, conspire with Trevor Horn to stop the rest of the band appearing on the singles etc.

metalangel · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 10:01

devilman wrote:

MetalAngel wrote:

Also, Bishi Bashi Special got a western release and was odd, as was that similarly bizarre game about the various family members trying to get home through strange situations.

That's been bugging me as I've tried to remember the name of that game before and I've just had to wrack my brain again trying to think of what it was... Incredible Crisis?

That's it! Well done.

Curiosity · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 10:01

Kurushi is an odd concept.

SkyKid · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 98

Freak Out (PS2)
Molar Maul (Spectrum)

chinnyhill10 · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 15695

Rasterscan

Even after Ste explained what I needed to do to me, I still can't get my head around it. It's a weird game, but not intentionally. Seems the Binary Design team got overexcited about the video digitiser and forgot to write a game.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 11:03

Manic Miner, obv

TBH all the early computer games that relied on abstract ideas due to graphical limitations where kinda kooky.

MikeB · **Joined:** 2nd Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 47

grumpysmurf wrote:

Ooh! Captain Blood and Joust are especially good ones. Doubt I'll find any decent images for 'em though. (I must say, the nerds of the Intaweb have disappointed me - you'd think old videogame screen shots would be pretty easy to come by, but no. Lazy blighters.)

I dare say I've probably got a whole bunch of screengrabs I made of Joust that were left over from the RG making of feature still sitting on my HD somewhere - drop me a line and I'll locate them and bung them your way

myp · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 11:49

Space Giraffe is pretty weird, if you think about it. A giraffe. In space.

|_()|_

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 11:52

Written by a sheep loving homohippy (and a funky dread

), you couldn't make this stuff up, no matter how hard you Boosh.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 11:53

Armored Core 4: For Answer is weird too, you are in a magical metal suit that can fly and shoot other things!

kalmar · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 11:56

How the Space Giraffe got its name: http://www.yakyak.org/viewtopic.php?f=2 ... a&start=75

And as MrD said:

Quote:

The strangest thing about 'Space Giraffe' is that the Giraffe isn't in space. It's in a space, to be sure, but it's not space space.

You could describe the space the Giraffe inhabits as 'Giraffe Space' (or 'The Space of the Giraffe'), if you wanted. Then, to be accurate, the game would be called 'Giraffe Space Giraffe'. (Or more simply Giraffe of Giraffe Space.)

As you can see, this is no ordinary giraffe. A distinction must be made as to exactly what type of giraffe we're dealing with. Clearly, the most readily available information is that regarding the space in which the giraffe is seen. Therefore, the giraffe itself could then be given the title 'Space Giraffe' ('The Giraffe of the Space'), or more correctly, 'Giraffe Space Giraffe'. ('The Giraffe of the Space of the Giraffe')

Combining these two elements together, a case could be made that the final title should be 'Giraffe Space Giraffe Space Giraffe'. (Or The Giraffe of Giraffe Space, in Giraffe Space'.)

The two seperate descriptions only fleetingly mention the Giraffe: what kind of Giraffe inhabits 'The Space of the Giraffe'? And what kind of space does 'The Giraffe of the Space' inhabit?

The answer to both of these questions has is implicit: The Giraffe of the Space inhabits the The Space of the Giraffe. (And conversely, within the Space of the Giraffe, the Giraffe of the Space can be found.)

Therefore, the final title should be: Giraffe Space Giraffe Space Giraffe Space Giraffe Space Giraffe. (The 'The Giraffe of Giraffe Space' Giraffe in 'The Giraffe of Giraffe Space' Space)

myp · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 11:56

Zardoz wrote:

Armored Core 4: For Answer is weird too, you are in a magical metal suit that can fly and shoot other things!

The only thing weird about that game is that anyone's playing it.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:03

I wrap myself up in tin foil and boxes and suspend myself from the ceiling when I play. 4 DA EMERSHUN

myp · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:17

Did you also get that Xbox 1 game with the massive control thingy? I can't remember what it's called.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:20

Dr Dildo and the Fudgetunnel?

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:21

Steel Battalion.

No, did I fuck. It was £120 quid.

myp · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:22

Obviously not a mecha fan, then.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:23

That's just not cricket.

myp · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:23

I don't like cricket.

Da5e · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:23

LSD - The Dream Emulator is a bit hatstand. I don't know about Western releases though.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:26

myp wrote:

I don't like cricket.

You love it. Up you.

metalangel · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:27

Oh yeah... what was it... er... Endorfun?

Dimrill · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:28

Is that sex with ewoks?

Dimrill · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:32

Man. Thinking about it, Ewok intercourse would be great. They'd all be like "yab yab" to start off with until you'd eased in the first 3 or 4 inches. Then they'd realise what was happening and try to dissuade you from going up to the conkers. "NO! NO! I'M A MAN!" it would be saying, but you'd be too far gone to care by that point. "MY NAME IS WARWICK DAVIES! OH GOD HELP!" it'd scream, as the costume slid and slithered around like a second loose skin. Plus after you'd finished you actually want to cuddle it.

Zardoz · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 12:33

HAIL DIMRILL!

ChocoboOfDoom · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 279

Maybe I should get you lot writing my features, too.

Runcle · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 13:35

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfXCJZA_1T0

not sure if it did get a western release but it deserves a little mention.

The Rev Owen · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 13:40

Runcle wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfXCJZA_1T0

not sure if it did get a western release but it deserves a little mention.

http://www.goozex.eu/trading/games/1175 ... yStation_2

Yours for 300 points!

The Rev Owen · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2009 19:59

Dimrill wrote:

Man. Thinking about it, Ewok intercourse would be great. They'd all be like "yab yab" to start off with until you'd eased in the first 3 or 4 inches. Then they'd realise what was happening and try to dissuade you from going up to the conkers. "NO! NO! I'M A MAN!" it would be saying, but you'd be too far gone to care by that point. "MY NAME IS WARWICK DAVIES! OH GOD HELP!" it'd scream, as the costume slid and slithered around like a second loose skin. Plus after you'd finished you actually want to cuddle it.

I've just got back from the pub and that is the funniest thing I've ever read.

Be Excellent To Each Other

Weirdest games of all time
Japan excluded, obv.

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Be Excellent To Each Other

Weirdest games of all time Japan excluded, obv.

Who is online

Weirdest games of all time
Japan excluded, obv.