Organization: Penn State University
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 10:09:07 EDT
From: <JPE1@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: Re: Top Ten Most Laughable Games

In article <rauser.712139788@sfu.ca>, rauser@fraser.sfu.ca (Richard John Rauser)
says:
>
>   2. Q*Bert III (Super NES): Maybe I'm just being unreasonable, but who's
>going to pay sixty-odd bucks for bloody Q*Bert??? No matter how flashy
>the colours might be, it's still, well, Q*Bert.
>
     I don't understand what you've got against Q*Bert.  I thought it was a
fairly decent game and it adds _variety_ to the SNES roundup.  These days
before I buy a game, I like to ask myself "Do I have a game in this genre yet?"
As you can imagine, there are very few games for SNES or Genesis that aren't
eliminated by this principle (though I sometimes buy one anyway...)
     By the way, did anyone ever play Pogo Joe on their C64 (I don't know
whether it was released on other systems) - my vote for best Q*Bert variation
(it had different - i.e. non-pyramid - 'maps', more interesting enemies, warp
holes...)

>     3. King Salmon (Genesis): A fishing game. Need I say more? I can just
>picture junior sitting on the couch playing King Salmon, furiously pounding
>on the joypad as he tries to reel one in...oh, the excitement! "I got
>a bite, mom!" Yuck.
>
     This one I tend to agree, although they must have done _something_ to
make it more interesting, I mean, the essence of fishing is _waiting_ (and
waiting and waiting and waiting and...)   Sounds like a winner game to me!
(NOT!)  Anyone know what the appeal of fishing video games is?

>     4. Universal Soldier (Super NES): The game itself might be all right,
>but the idea is just pathetic. Making a game based on a great movie is
>one thing, but making a game based on a mediocre movie is something else.
>
     Well, this actually isn't a game based on the movie, it's a conversion
of Turrican (which has appeared on Amiga, ST, NES, Genesis, and Gameboy so
far as I know.)  Turrican I & II are some of my favorite games for my Amiga.
But I really had to laugh when one of the game magazines said that the game
"followed the storyline of the movie" - what, did they base this movie on
the video games?  I think not!

>     10. Kung Food (Lynx): How can anyone take seriously a game where
>you fight food in a fridge? It might be a very fun game for all I know...
>but is stupidity the price you have to pay for originality? How about an
>unoriginal game instead, one that won't make you giggle at the concept?
>
     Actually, I thought this was a really good idea.  Why do you have to
take the game seriously?  Why not just have fun?  Do you really take SFII
seriously?  If so, you may be a menace to society :)  (well, I really meant
that as a comment on violent behavior, but we all know that SFII fanatics
can also be a menace to the sanity of your average net reader...)  I take
my video gaming 'seriously' only in the sense that I devote too much time
and money to it and I take an interest in knowing what's going on in the
video game world and such.  As for the games, I _enjoy_ them.  Yes, I get
frustrated and angry sometimes, I occasionally get emotional about characters
in a game (especially RPGs) and I generally care if I win or lose, - all
all of this could be considered as signs of 'taking games seriously'.  But,
as for the _content_ of games, if I took that 'seriously' I'd have to be
a little sick - too much violence and blatent sexism etc etc (I won't bore
you with a speech on that stuff...)
     Whoops, sorry for that, I got carried away. My point is this: don't
take your games too seriously, just have fun!  If I can enjoy the gameplay
of a good chop-socky game _and_ laugh at the concepts embodied in the graphics
(such as fighting carrots and such) all the better.  Games are fun - when I
want serious, I pick up the _Critique of Pure Reason_, when I want to enjoy
myself, I turn on one of my game systems.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 John Emmer               "...reason has no dictatorial authority; its verdict
 Philosophy, Penn State    is always simply the agreement of free citizens..."
 JPE1@psuvm.psu.edu                       - Immanuel Kant, CPR, A738/B765
------------- The Emmer Arcade:  Amiga, Genesis, SNES, Vectrex ----------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.video