Worst Videogame Concept Ever?

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:37 pm

I know quite a few people here will suggest Sonic Labyrinth.

But few things will defeat Shaq-Fu in terms of sheer idiocy.

Don't know what that is?

It's the story of Shaq - the basketball star. Who gets pulled into an alternate asian world by an old chinese man to rescue a little boy by fighting against monsters in a kung-fu tournament.

What was going on in their minds? I mean, I know Mortal Kobat and Street Fighter were all the rage at the time. But what would posess a developer to think "We just got the license to use one of the hottest basketball players of our generation in a videogame! Let's have him kick catgirls in the face!"? It boggles the mind.

And if you want another disturbing celebrity game, well . . . there's always Moonwalker. In which you play Micheal Jackson, on a quest to find children.

No, I'm not making this shit up.

Anyone else have a suggestion for the worst videogame concept of all time?

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:46 pm

Good call on Shaq-Fu. One of the most "WTF?" games of all time. It would've been a little better if they'd marketed it as such.

I remember reading an article in EGM a year or so ago about this same thing. Wasn't there a game for the NES called "Custer's Revenge" that was essentially a porn game set in the wild west?

A porn game in 8-bit. That's worse than beating off to The View.

BlazeHedgehog · Post by **BlazeHedgehog** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:50 pm

An Eco-Friendly Possum that constantly shouts Green Peace slogans and self-praising monologue at himself.

Spazz · Post by **Spazz** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:51 pm

Amazing Grant wrote:Wasn't there a game for the NES called "Custer's Revenge" that was essentially a porn game set in the wild west?

I'm pretty sure it was an Atari game. I remember seeing something about it on G4 awhile back. You were this cowboy guy and you walked right up to this indian girl and the black censorship bars just started moving around like crazy. Creepy..
Sorry, there weren't any nekkid boobies in it though.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:52 pm

Wasn't there a game for the NES called "Custer's Revenge" that was essentially a porn game set in the wild west?

That was on the Atari 2600. It didn't even get the benefit of 8-bit technology.

I'd have to mill over this for a while, but off the top of my head, I'd say Berenstein Bears Extreme Sports.

Post by **Crazy Penguin** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:11 pm

The Doc · Post by **The Doc** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:34 pm

Ahem...http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/egm.htm[/url]

Post by **Esrever** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:48 pm

Hah! And I would have thought Gibbon was joking about the Berenstein Bears extreme sports!

Ash Holt · Post by **Ash Holt** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:02 pm

Cool Spot. A game starring the 7-Up mascot? Dumb as hell.

But it managed to be a pretty fun game, if my memory serves me right.

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:25 pm

But it managed to be a pretty fun game, if my memory serves me right.

There was one of them that was kind of cool. I believe it was just plain "Cool Spot" on the Genny and SNES. It was made by Virgin at the beginning of their cool phase, which lasted through a few of those Disney-licensed games. I think the Lion King was the last good game they released. I think the company still exists, but they haven't made games in six or seven years.

And I would have thought Gibbon was joking about the Berenstein Bears extreme sports!

When I'd just started working at GameStop years ago, back when it was still Babbage's, that was the first major reality check I experienced on the job. I hadn't even been there a month, and as I was organizing the Game Boy section I saw that. And well, things just got worse and worse thereafter.

Spazz · Post by **Spazz** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 7:31 pm

The GameStop down here is <i>still</i> called Babbage's.

And I thought Cool Spot was actually pretty cool. As a kid, who didn't want to play as a cool red dot from a soda who wears shades n' stuff?

chriscaffee · Post by **chriscaffee** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:00 pm

Barney tag (I don't know the proper name) seems to be the only game that comes to mind. I think it was on the Pico or Genesis, though I don't remember. I saw it at Innoventions at Epcot.

And for the record, Cool Spot rocked. I would by a Cool Spot game if one was made.

Ash Holt · Post by **Ash Holt** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:21 pm

http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg ... H||||||199

There it is. Yup, that's the one I remember playing.

Ha, it had the Sega Seal of Quality, so it just had to be good.

Zeta · Post by **Zeta** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:34 pm

I've actually seen two people play Extreme Chess. It amounts to both players getting so drunk, that they become master chess players and start shouting insults at one another. Also, they also constantly imply that the other is homosexual.

X-TREME!

chriscaffee · Post by **chriscaffee** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:35 pm

Yup. That train level was damn hard too. The scrolling background certainly didn't help.

plasticwingsband · Post by **plasticwingsband** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:35 pm

Boong-Ga! Motherfucking Boong-Ga!

http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/naughty02.htm

aso · Post by **aso** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 8:36 pm

Clock Tower Ghost Head. Make a sequel that has nothing at all to do with the rest of the series and make the game hinge on 'personalities'. This personality can open these doors. Can't open the other doors. Drop your amulet and then you can open those doors. But remember to follow an unseen set of rules early on in the game or else you'll get a bad ending just before the very end.

Cuckooguy · Post by **Cuckooguy** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 9:45 pm

The guy who worked on the Berenstain Extreme Sports teaches a videogaming class at the local community college near where I live called Palomar College. <a href="http://www.franksilas.com/News2.htm">ht ... ws2.htm</a>

I went to Palomar for a year during high school, but I never took the videogaming class.

His site can be found here: <a href="http://edmagnin.com/">http://edmagnin.com/</a>

I also recently figured out I live less than thirty minutes away from Sammy Studios.

And about a week or two ago, I got a call from Sony for an interview to be a game tester (because a friend of a friend was a game tester working there), which is about an hour away from where I live, but after figuring out the available schedules, it didn't accomodate my college schedule =( So now I work a miserable life at Target.

For the record, the most terrible game concept ever is probably Barney's Tag or that one Ronald McDonald game. Maybe there should be a rule in this topic that you can't choose a game based off an existing franchise?

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:13 pm

In reality, working at Target is probably a more enjoyable job than being a game tester. That's one part of the industry I'd never eagerly stick my nose in.

And actually, there was a Ronald McDonald game on the Genesis that was made by Treasure before they became famous. It wasn't too bad, and it's where alot of the ideas from Dynamite Headdy originated.

Post by **Segaholic2** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:14 pm

You got an offer to be a game tester for Sony? I hate you.

Light Speed · Post by **Light Speed** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:16 pm

My friend had a Barney game where you ran around hugging people. Is that Barney Tag?

aso · Post by **aso** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:19 pm

Yeah, the Ronald McDonald game was an early Treasure title on the Genesis.

The Barney game that people are referring to is Barney's Hide and Seek.

Cuckooguy · Post by **Cuckooguy** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:20 pm

Green Gibbon! wrote:In reality, working at Target is probably a more enjoyable job than being a game tester.

What planet did you come from?

aso · Post by **aso** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:25 pm

Everything you never wanted to know about game testing!

Post by **Green Gibbon!** » Fri Aug 20, 2004 10:28 pm

What planet did you come from?

Look at it this way: you probably had no particular interest in retail before you began working at Target. So it sucks and nothing in your life has changed. If you became a game tester, it would eventually soil your love for games, then your whole fucking life would be ruined.