This thread is great! I'm surprised there aren’t many strange/weird games for the recent consoles.
What are the strangest games of all time?
- Thread starter boringnick
- Start date
I'm not. Today mainstream gaming industry is almost entirely controlled by large corporations, controlled by dreaded 'suits'. The costs of an individual project also rose dramatically. Innovation, on the other hand, is always risky, so the usual strategy is to throw together blobs of excruciatingly generic, but tried concepts, dumb it down for the lowest common denominator, lubricate with the newest graphical fireworks, spice a bit with irrelevant but trendy gimmicks (cover system, bullet time, QTEs, minigames, etc.), then feed to the unsuspecting public consisting mostly of individuals (heh) politely referred to as 'casual gamers'.
Lather, rinse, repeat - decline of gaming ensues.
Hopefully there will still be something salvageable once the industry impacts the photorealism barrier and turns into an ugly, greasy spot.
@topic:
How about MDK? It was rather typical TPP shooter with platformer elements, but the style of it was right out of this world (speaking of which, I'd mention "Another World" AKA "Out of This World" too, but I fear it wasn't weird enough, even if it definitely was sufficiently awesome).
Another game:
Anachronox
jRPG, but PC-exclusive, made in the west and doesn't suck.
A little known, but cult game, particularly notable for it's plot, hitchhikeresque humour and flawlessly brilliant in-engine cutscenes. The gameworld was generally weird, and the characters... it should suffice to say that my friend's room-mate reacted to one of them with "Whoa. And I thought PS:T had original characters" (well, it was probably the strangest character in the entire game, but the point still stands).
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I suppose the game industry is no different to any other industry. When it first started people were limited by the capabilities of the machine so inventiveness was the mainstay of the programmers,Elite being probably one of the best examples of this.
Programmers had the licence to create anything they wanted, but as the "suits" started to sniff out a profit, this was curtailed somewhat.
I hope we are at the beginning of a bit of a Renaisance in the industry. with people trying new ideas and directions and actually understand that trying to make good games could be a good idea.
Programmers had the licence to create anything they wanted, but as the "suits" started to sniff out a profit, this was curtailed somewhat.
I hope we are at the beginning of a bit of a Renaisance in the industry. with people trying new ideas and directions and actually understand that trying to make good games could be a good idea.
Hopefully. The industry is also limited by the capabilities of human senses, so the trend of making flashier and bloomier games, has to end somewhere, thankfully. First, the returns from investing in GFX will diminish, because increasing investments will yield only marginal improvements, second, many suits will inevitably wake up with their hands in their chamberpots, which has all the potential to be quite hilarious, even if the implications for their employees will not.
I don't know, games like the XNA Community Game - Jello Car, and games like Crayon Physics are pretty good - both innovative, interesting and created on a small scale.
There is certainly more room now for people to make games which can be created by one or two people, and still do well as the platforms are there for it now (XBLA and the iPhone most notably).
But yes, off topic a little... though I guess a controlling a car made of Jello could be construed as being a little strange!
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So, time for another entry:
Flying Saucer
This game was made in 1998, at the height of the UFO craze, when shows like X-files, Dark Skies and the like were at their peak.
What is strange about this game?
Well, first of all, this game was never released! It was "done", but the company went into bankruptcy just a month or so before release. The only place where this game got eventually published, was Germany.
That is because the German publisher "Software 2000" got the rights to the game before the developer went the way of the dodo.
Unfortunately, Software 2000 went down the crapper too, a few years later. As a result, this game is almost totally unknown, which is very unfortunate.
But a weird release history is not what a game makes strange, so, why is the game in the list?
The story: The girlfriend of the protagonist is abducted by aliens before his eyes. So, what does he do?
Easy: He sneaks into Area 51(!!) and steals an UFO (!!!!) ! Seriously: The intro shows that this guy just moves into Area 51, tricks the guards (who are stupid as hell) and steals a flying saucer, which is totally unprotected. Then he even flys it out, as if it's an ordinary car.
The setup is SO stupid, you just expect a total stinker.
Just before his girlfriend is abducted, our hero gets contacted by a former buddy of his telepathically. This is shown by zooming on his face in a totally ridiculous way, here is a screenshot:
As I said, the setup really sets the mood for a ridiculous expierence..
But then, after the real game starts, this thing genuinely surprises you. I was SHOCKED that this thing is actually quite good!
In the first mission you must destroy the shield generator, which protects Area 51, so that you can escape.
You're flying this UFO now, and it's carefully modelled to what a "real UFO" might be like. The controls are difficult at first, but you learn it very fast after a few minutes. The flying saucer flies unlike any other craft in other flight simulations that I have played so far.
You can even abduct people and other things. This is the probably the best part of the game.
And the music of the game is fantastic.
Between the missions you can access some sort of library inside the UFO, it contains the background of the game. More pages are getting unlocked the further you progress. And this is the biggest surprise: The story is GREAT. It's the usual X-files stuff, but made with great detail. It's about a huge a conspiracy with the usual suspects, the pages are written most of the time in some sort of military speak with lots of acronyms like "RETE", "PQR", "EBE" and "RES" and are very interesting to read.
The fictional world is VAST, with detailed descriptions of the various technologies, people, places, events and so forth.
There are around 50-70 pages, Here are some of them:
What's so strange about this game is the extremely ridiculous setup and initial story, but then the HUGE turn for the better once you're in the UFO. It's unbelievable that the same people who wrote these library pages came up with the idea for the initial setup.
The other cutscenes besides the intro are sometimes really ridiculous too (once the protagonist shows up) - again, in sharp contrast to the rest of the game, which is most of the time dead serious.
Unfortunately, due its release history, this game is pretty much unknown. It's probably one of the best unreleased games of all time.
Fortunately, a press release copy of the game got leaked and found its way to some abandonware sites, so it is not totally lost.
Flying Saucer
This game was made in 1998, at the height of the UFO craze, when shows like X-files, Dark Skies and the like were at their peak.
What is strange about this game?
Well, first of all, this game was never released! It was "done", but the company went into bankruptcy just a month or so before release. The only place where this game got eventually published, was Germany.
That is because the German publisher "Software 2000" got the rights to the game before the developer went the way of the dodo.
Unfortunately, Software 2000 went down the crapper too, a few years later. As a result, this game is almost totally unknown, which is very unfortunate.
But a weird release history is not what a game makes strange, so, why is the game in the list?
The story: The girlfriend of the protagonist is abducted by aliens before his eyes. So, what does he do?
Easy: He sneaks into Area 51(!!) and steals an UFO (!!!!) ! Seriously: The intro shows that this guy just moves into Area 51, tricks the guards (who are stupid as hell) and steals a flying saucer, which is totally unprotected. Then he even flys it out, as if it's an ordinary car.
The setup is SO stupid, you just expect a total stinker.
Just before his girlfriend is abducted, our hero gets contacted by a former buddy of his telepathically. This is shown by zooming on his face in a totally ridiculous way, here is a screenshot:
As I said, the setup really sets the mood for a ridiculous expierence..
But then, after the real game starts, this thing genuinely surprises you. I was SHOCKED that this thing is actually quite good!
In the first mission you must destroy the shield generator, which protects Area 51, so that you can escape.
You're flying this UFO now, and it's carefully modelled to what a "real UFO" might be like. The controls are difficult at first, but you learn it very fast after a few minutes. The flying saucer flies unlike any other craft in other flight simulations that I have played so far.
You can even abduct people and other things. This is the probably the best part of the game.
And the music of the game is fantastic.
Between the missions you can access some sort of library inside the UFO, it contains the background of the game. More pages are getting unlocked the further you progress. And this is the biggest surprise: The story is GREAT. It's the usual X-files stuff, but made with great detail. It's about a huge a conspiracy with the usual suspects, the pages are written most of the time in some sort of military speak with lots of acronyms like "RETE", "PQR", "EBE" and "RES" and are very interesting to read.
The fictional world is VAST, with detailed descriptions of the various technologies, people, places, events and so forth.
There are around 50-70 pages, Here are some of them:
What's so strange about this game is the extremely ridiculous setup and initial story, but then the HUGE turn for the better once you're in the UFO. It's unbelievable that the same people who wrote these library pages came up with the idea for the initial setup.
The other cutscenes besides the intro are sometimes really ridiculous too (once the protagonist shows up) - again, in sharp contrast to the rest of the game, which is most of the time dead serious.
Unfortunately, due its release history, this game is pretty much unknown. It's probably one of the best unreleased games of all time.
Fortunately, a press release copy of the game got leaked and found its way to some abandonware sites, so it is not totally lost.
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I think I have read about it in Polish largest gaming mag back when it was good. Is it the one where you chose direction you wanted to fly in by looking that way and pressing the button?
I'd probably nominate potential sequel to Terra Nova or to Anachronox.
Or one of those games never made:
-TES IV
-Deus Ex 2
-Unreal 2
-Drakan 2
-Homeworld 2
One game I still love to play every now and then is Psychonauts. It's so twisted and funny, you just gotta love Tim Schafer. Sadly it never got the attention it deserved. "Beware the cows! Not all milk is enriched!"
The review on zero punctuation does bring it to a point.
And American McGee's Alice was great with it's insane dark approach. I hope Tim Burton's movie will head in this direction.
Crayon Physics was good fun, especially when using a graphics tablet. And World of Goo. I think strange independent games have a bigger chance and market than ever.
The review on zero punctuation does bring it to a point.
And American McGee's Alice was great with it's insane dark approach. I hope Tim Burton's movie will head in this direction.
Crayon Physics was good fun, especially when using a graphics tablet. And World of Goo. I think strange independent games have a bigger chance and market than ever.
rojertwose
R
Hello
I think this is the best of all time
Puffy - NiGHTS Into Dreams...
Your Reflection - Prince of Persia
Mr Shine & Mr Bright - Kirby's Adventure
The Fairy of Love and Dreams [D'etoile] - Mystical Ninja starring Goemon
The UFO - Treasures of the Deep
Cricket 2007
Nsf2
WWE
Etc..
I think this is the best of all time
Puffy - NiGHTS Into Dreams...
Your Reflection - Prince of Persia
Mr Shine & Mr Bright - Kirby's Adventure
The Fairy of Love and Dreams [D'etoile] - Mystical Ninja starring Goemon
The UFO - Treasures of the Deep
Cricket 2007
Nsf2
WWE
Etc..
Devo Presents: Adventures of the Smart Patrol
From mobygames:
"You control a Monkees-style group of musicians called the Smart Patrol who take it upon themselves to stop the mad schemes of the evil mutant "Turkey Monkey" who wants to unleash a virus all over Spudland."
The "musicians" are actually Devo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devo
If you still have no idea what the game is about, here is a more detailed description:
---
History: There once was an alternative rock group founded on the principle that man is devolving from the human intelligent ape to a sub human ape, and loosing all the nobility of the savage beast. This is a sentient creature fallen from grace due to sloth, gluttony, and the other five cardinal sins. This is a man disgraced. But devo comes off a a nerdy high-tech group of the far future, definitely men out of time and not before or after, just out of it.
Plot: Here's the scoop. The future is getting thrashed. It's up to you and the DEVO-lutionary rebel forces of the Smart Patrol to, uh..."Whip it" into shape. Explore a far-flung netherworld seething with mega-corporate villainy, rabid techno-science, come-hither erotic naughtiness and dangerously mutated humor.
Plunge into a surrealistic, Blade-Runner-on-steroids urban wasteland where disease means profits. Lock 'n' load your trusty Spudgun and do your darndest to net the heinous recombo-DNA nightmare known as the Turkey Monkey. Or, fail miserably and watch as the dreaded Osso Bucco Myelitis disease reduces all of humanity to moaning skin-bags of pulsating ooze. Duty now!
Game Features: 12 high-intensity "hours" of action in 8 dazzling Spudland locations. Command your own personal Spudmobile, Spudgun, and Spudfinder.
You pilot and manipulate the Spudmobile, Spudfinder, Spudgun, Tubar Card, and Jelly Donut.
-----
http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/reviews/smartpatrol.htm
Hope it's clear now.
From mobygames:
"You control a Monkees-style group of musicians called the Smart Patrol who take it upon themselves to stop the mad schemes of the evil mutant "Turkey Monkey" who wants to unleash a virus all over Spudland."
The "musicians" are actually Devo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devo
If you still have no idea what the game is about, here is a more detailed description:
---
History: There once was an alternative rock group founded on the principle that man is devolving from the human intelligent ape to a sub human ape, and loosing all the nobility of the savage beast. This is a sentient creature fallen from grace due to sloth, gluttony, and the other five cardinal sins. This is a man disgraced. But devo comes off a a nerdy high-tech group of the far future, definitely men out of time and not before or after, just out of it.
Plot: Here's the scoop. The future is getting thrashed. It's up to you and the DEVO-lutionary rebel forces of the Smart Patrol to, uh..."Whip it" into shape. Explore a far-flung netherworld seething with mega-corporate villainy, rabid techno-science, come-hither erotic naughtiness and dangerously mutated humor.
Plunge into a surrealistic, Blade-Runner-on-steroids urban wasteland where disease means profits. Lock 'n' load your trusty Spudgun and do your darndest to net the heinous recombo-DNA nightmare known as the Turkey Monkey. Or, fail miserably and watch as the dreaded Osso Bucco Myelitis disease reduces all of humanity to moaning skin-bags of pulsating ooze. Duty now!
Game Features: 12 high-intensity "hours" of action in 8 dazzling Spudland locations. Command your own personal Spudmobile, Spudgun, and Spudfinder.
You pilot and manipulate the Spudmobile, Spudfinder, Spudgun, Tubar Card, and Jelly Donut.
-----
http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/reviews/smartpatrol.htm
Hope it's clear now.
boringnick i elected your game as truely the strangest of all displayed here
i wonder where i can get it from, would be interesting. i don't like those dark, ******, slaying games at all, but choices are different.
strangest game i played? hm maybe "vectron" from good old intellivision (way back in the 80's), different gameplay. allready games developed by the "blue sky rangers" are often uncommon and they created a lot of games with strange or complete new gamplay or even new genres unknown before, like "utopia" first round based strategy game (known to me), or "psychedelic lights" (never released, finished), or even simple "shark,shark" big fish eats small fish, and finally advanced dungeons and dragons (ok simply a role playing game, known to human kind since writing books) those guys where payd just for thinking of new games to be released in future (wow, what a job)! ****** not allowed here? that's really strange i thought of blood spilling
i wonder where i can get it from, would be interesting. i don't like those dark, ******, slaying games at all, but choices are different.
strangest game i played? hm maybe "vectron" from good old intellivision (way back in the 80's), different gameplay. allready games developed by the "blue sky rangers" are often uncommon and they created a lot of games with strange or complete new gamplay or even new genres unknown before, like "utopia" first round based strategy game (known to me), or "psychedelic lights" (never released, finished), or even simple "shark,shark" big fish eats small fish, and finally advanced dungeons and dragons (ok simply a role playing game, known to human kind since writing books) those guys where payd just for thinking of new games to be released in future (wow, what a job)! ****** not allowed here? that's really strange i thought of blood spilling
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also amused finding people who played "putty"
amiga live's forever
amiga live's forever
Well, since the game is effectively abandonware, you coul try bitto..... (is it allowed to write that here?) or ebay
Oh, and here's a trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz_8O0dMrMc
Remember: It's strange, no one said it's good.
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edkaini753
E
Casper is the most weird game.
