Realism can be overrated, which is why some games have gained fame and popularity by creating wild stories, absurd weapons, and bombastic characters.
Some games get praised for their gritty realism, authentic settings, and lifelike gameplay. Other games, however, don’t seem to want anything to do with reality and instead create bombastic, wild worlds filled with excitement, comedy, and over-the-top scenarios that make «jumping the shark» seem like a good thing.
From campy plotlines to absurd weapons, unbelievable challenges, and truly memorable characters, some games prove that ridiculous escapism can be a rejuvenating and hilarious experience for players.
Becoming a doctor is always a popular childhood dream, with many people wondering what it must feel like to save someone’s life. In the Surgeon Simulator games, players get to do just that… or, at least try.
Without knowing what to do, gamers are left scrambling while trying to perform life-saving operations, often leading to absolute hilarity. Sawed-off limbs, misplaced organs, and bloody carnage fill the operating table by the end of each round, creating a game that’s both grotesque and hysterical.
The Dreamcast was known for releasing some truly odd games, many of which went on to develop a strong cult following. One of those titles is the rhythm game Space Channel 5. Players take on the role of Ulala, a space reporter who is sent to investigate an alien invasion at a spaceport.
Upon arriving, she discovers the aliens are forcing people to dance, and she too must dance to defeat them… despite the fact that she has a gun, which is what she uses to actually defeat the aliens, making the dancing completely arbitrary (yet incredibly fun). The game is glossy, bright, and colorful, and takes massive inspiration from the Jet Age and the Spice Girls.
Rare was known for producing some of the N64’s most beloved titles, like Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo Kazooie, so it was a bit of a shock when they released the M-rated Conker’s Bad Fur Day. On the surface, it was a typical Rare-made platformer full of bright colors and cartoonish design. However, the game’s protagonist, Conker the squirrel, was anything but kid-friendly.
Instead, he used vulgar language and smacked up enemies with a frying pan. The dichotomy of the childish graphics with Conker’s foul mouth continues to make Conker’s Bad Fur Day a hilarious and bizarre must-play game.
In Roombo: First Blood, gamers take on the role of an unassuming Roomba sweeper. After the home’s owner heads out for the night, burglars break in and it’s up to the electric vacuum to bring them to justice.
Players can break windows, cause ceiling fans to drop, and even pick up knives. By the end of the night, the house is a bloody, muddy mess and, naturally, it’s up to Roombo to sweep up the house before the owner returns. The game is short, simple, and endlessly entertaining.
Goat Simulator is an odd game because it was bashed by critics but loved by fans. In the game, players take control of a goat and cause mayhem around a suburban town. From running head-first into traffic to pushing people off buildings, there’s no shortage of obscene and hilarious antics to get into.
The game has lots of physics-based elements that help create tons of humor, allowing gamers to watch their goat fall off hillsides, get launched airborne by a speeding truck, or get blown backward by a fiery explosion. Goat Simulator is less about being an actual simulator game and more about letting players create hysterical chaos.
Upon release, Bulletstorm became the target of conservative media (per The Guardian), who once again brought up the old «violent video games cause real-world violence» argument that’s been debunked hundreds of times. Sadly, this controversy led to abysmal sales numbers, which is a shame, because the game actually has a lot of heart is totally campy in all the right ways.
Bulletstorm is an excellent sci-fi first-person shooter that’s filled with great dialogue and completely wild moments, including a level where players get to operate a 100-foot-tall remote-controlled dinosaur. Even wilder, in the game’s re-release, the campaign can be played through with Duke Nukem and all his classic one-liners.
Maneater allows gamers to take on the role of a baby bull shark who grows up in the swampy waters of the Fawtick Bayou. The shark’s goal is to kill and eat in order to grow bigger, slowly navigating its way towards the open ocean. Along the way, players must compete against gators, other sharks, killer whales, and of course, a boatload of humans just waiting to be eaten.
Adding to the frenzy is the game’s leveling mechanic, which lets players give their shark some very unnatural features like emitting an electrical shock and the ability to breathe on land.
The beauty of South Park: The Fractured But Whole is that it somehow developed an incredibly addictive RPG while also creating the feel of actually being inside a South Park episode. The game relies heavily on the Coon and Friends subplot and gamers can unlock a team of superheroes, upgrade their powers, and mix-and-match them depending on the battle.
In the game, the boys discover that a real crime spree has overtaken South Park, and only they can stop it. And, as with all things South Park, the game is incredibly funny, irreverent, and at times, hilariously stupid.
After a soda company invents a new drink that turns people into zombified monsters, it’s up to gamers to save the city. To do this, Sunset Overdrive uses a «grind» mechanic that encourages gamers to gain speed and evade enemies by grinding along rails, electrical wires, and basically everything else in sight.
That, along with an arsenal of wild weapons that fire off everything from bowling balls, to vinyl records, and even explosive teddy bears, help make Sunset Overdrive a fast-paced, unique, and incredibly fun game. It’s also considered by many to be one of the best Xbox-exclusive games ever.
Somehow, a GTA-inspired franchise about gang warfare in the gritty streets of Stilwater snowballed into the wild and rollicking Saints Row IV. The Boss is now the United States President and gets sucked into an alien-created simulator that allows him to obtain superpowers and totally ridiculous weapons like an alien abduction gun.
Some say Saints Row IV went completely overboard… which it most certainly did… but for a lot of players, that only made the game better, giving it a playful and addictive quality that made gamers laugh and feel more connected to the characters.
Keith Langston is a writer for ScreenRant, as well as Travel Channel and Passport Magazine. He holds a deep passion for film, travel, and adventure. He fully believes that ‘The Faculty’ is the greatest movie ever made.
