So now that I’ve been able to detox the drunk cast with the help of many bottles of water and plenty of rest, I thought I’d see if I had any other guilty pleasure games that I like to play, despite the quality being a bit lacking…or that the game really isn’t that much fun…or that it just has this really weird style to it. Mind you, this is my list, so don’t judge…out loud anyways.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? – NES (LJN)
I had completely forgot about this game until Matt brought it up in the drunk cast. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? was one my favorite movies growing up and still ranks high on my list, not just for its creative and imaginative story, but for the technological feat of combining live action and animated characters. When I saw it was going to be a NES game, I was pretty excited…until I started playing it. It was very different than the movie or many games on the NES at the time.
You pick up items that you didn’t know what they did, so there was a lot of experimentation to find out what worked to make progress in the game. There was an easter egg in the game when you gave a rose to Jessica Rabbit, you would get a 1-800 number to call for a special message. Plus, who didn’t like winding up their punch and clocking Roger Rabbit repeatedly?
Little Nemo: The Dream Master – NES (Capcom)
When I played this game the first time, I didn’t know anything about the 1902 comic it was based on, nor have I made any attempts to read any of it. All I know is that as soon as I started playing this acid-laden dream world, I was having fun, jumping into animal suits before Mario did in Super Mario Bros. 3. I never understood why your primary weapon through about 4/5ths of the game was candy…and you can stun enemies with them. Why? Were they diabetic?
Virtual Pinball – Genesis (EA)
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I love pinball. I cut my teeth on a pinball machine when I was four and I’ve been a fan ever since. I’ve tried almost every pinball video game rendition out there, so when Virtual Pinball came out I was curious. The box said you can custom make pinball tables of your own design. Wait, what??!? Are you for reals??!? That alone sold me. I tore through all the pre-gen tables on the cart, and then started making my own, lanes and bumpers all over the place, rollover and drop targets, spinners, the works. Sure, the sound was crap, the music was of MIDI quality, but customizable tables made it all worth while.
Parappa the Rapper – PS (Sony)
Probably just as much as pinball, I also have a soft spot for rhythm games. One of the first ones I played was Parappa the Rapper. The commercials were bizarre and funny, and the art style of flat 2D cutouts animated somewhat three dimensionally piqued my interest. Parappa goes through events over a few days, rapping his way along, to ultimately impress his crush, Sunny Funny, to go out on a date with him. Though it was quote-unquote successful, it became more of a cult classic with an extremely niche market. Infectious songs with the lyrics on screen so you can sing along to and tap the buttons in time with the rhythm made it a joy to play, albeit being a short game and could be completed in under an hour. I guess it was successful enough that it warranted a sequel.
Umjammer Lammy – PS (Sony)
Another rhythm game except it featured Lammy, a not so confident lead guitarist for local band Milk Can, along with some supporting characters from Parappa the Rapper. Instead of rapping, Lammy strums a guitar, but the game play formula is the same so as not to be unfamiliar to fans. It featured an even more ridiculous storyline of Lammy trying to make it on time to her band’s first major concert but being sidetracked by events that impede her progress, even getting sucked into the underworld. Not as catchy and not as fun as it’s predecessor, it did feature an unlockable mode after the game was finished that featured Parappa, and a competitive two player mode…if you could find another friend that liked this game.
Frequency – PS2 (Harmonix)
Before DJ Hero, before Rock Band, before Guitar Hero, there was Frequency. This was the company’s first foray into the rhythm games, using remastered tracks of licensed songs, splitting them into their separate instrument tracks (drums, keyboards, bass, vocals, etc.). Using your cursor along each track, you must release each beat as they pass through your cursor, but what set the game apart was its visuals. Your cursor traveled along the path via a tube, rotating it around to select different tracks to work on unlocking them. As you completed tracks, more elements of the song could be heard until you heard the entire complete song. It also featured online play on the Sony Network. And of course, it had a sequel too.
Amplitude – PS2 (Harmonix)
Harmonix took everything that worked from the first game, ramped it up a few notches, included a tighter two player co-op and competitive mode, more songs, unlockables, four game difficulties, and an edit mode where you can create your own unique remix of any song and submit it for others to play online. They were able to snatch songs from the Chemical Brothers, P.O.D., Garbage, David freaking Bowie, and other various artists from pop, hip hop, and electronic, including my favorite band out of the bunch, Freezepop. This title especially had me in its clutches for a few years when I found out a friend of mine also played the game. We were both at the same skill level, so play was intense but fair.
So, what about you? Do you have any guilty pleasure games that you enjoy?
