Creating a classic game is hard. Equally challenging is creating one that’s so terrible, it’s friggin' hilarious. Below are five games that are awesomely bad in the same way that fanny packs are hideously amazing. Whether ill conceived, poorly executed or both, these hallmarks of low-brow software development exist for our amusement, just not in their way their creators intended. Enjoy.
Homie Rollerz
As if playing Mario Kart on your DS didn’t already exude street cred, now you can roll through virtual hoods in Homie Rollerz, a thuggish new breed of kart racer. Not only does this game let you trick out your go-kart with 20-inch blades, it’s also the definitive game for people who love perpetuating detrimental stereotypes.
Self Defense Training Camp
Self-defense is no laughing matter, but trusting a poorly developed and horribly rated video game to help boost your physical safety is downright hilarious. Ironically, players who dedicated serious time to this game probably don’t get out much, meaning they’ll never get to show any muggers those sweet new Judo skills.
Stalin Vs. Martians
Unlike the other games on this list, Stalin Vs. Martians was supposed to be funny, and it actually succeeds. The gameplay, for instance, is laughable. Even so, the game’s developers got the last laugh with premise that spells doom for anyone who might mock their brilliance: If the Martians win, humans get destroyed by aliens, but if the humans win, we enjoy the continued reign of one of history’s most notorious dictators. It’s a wonder they didn’t call this game Sunshine and Rainbows.
Pocket Pool
Perhaps no video game has ever made such terribly cheeky use of the double entendre as Pocket Pool. See, it’s a portable billiards game that fits in your pocket. Get it? As for the Pocket Pool’s second meaning, check out the description on the back of the box, which tells you to “grab your stick” and “shoot pool with some of the hottest honeys in the bar.” Subtle.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
Sometimes, creating something awesomely bad is as easy as mixing the right ingredients. In the case of this hack-and-slash blood fest, those ingredients were samurais, bikinis and zombies. If that sounds like the makings of a direct-to-DVD movie, that’s because it is. Bikini Samurai Squad was adapted into a live-action film and released in Japan on July 3rd, 2009.
