Race Drivin’ is almost like an unironic version of the joke game Desert Bus. I don’t probably need to spend too much time telling you why a game that often runs at four frames per second is bad, but even if it weren’t for that little problem, Race Drivin’ may find itself in the bad game hall of fame by virtue of it massive HUD, painful music/sound effects, and controls that make it nearly impossible to actually stay on I suppose we are supposed to assume is the track.
2. Lester the Unlikely
Given that Lester the Unlikely stars a “nerd” who is essentially helpless in terms of the things we usually judge video game characters by, it’s easy to assume that this whole game is just an elaborate troll job. However, all evidence suggests that the developers of Lester the Unlikely really were trying to make a genuinely good SNES action/adventure platformer.
The idea of making a platformer starring a character who can barely walk (much less jump or fight) is questionable enough, but the first time that Lester decides to run away or cower without you asking him to do so is probably the last time you’ll bother to try to play this game. Mind you, this abomination’s terrible animations, delayed controls, constant fall damage, and overwhelmingly difficult enemies do a pretty good job of making you feel like the unlikely star of a video game.
1. Pit Fighter
Pit Fighter is maybe the best example of a SNES game that looked like it was going to be great right up until the moment you played it. The cover was awesome, the graphics looked good in photos, and the arcade version of the title was the kind of smash hit that many people thought they’d never get to properly play at home unless they bought one of the Pit Fighter cabinets.
Unfortunately, those fans were pretty much right. This game is a technical disaster on every conceivable level, but it’s really the gameplay and unnecessary difficulty that made it a particularly painful part of many retro gaming childhoods. Even if you were determined to eventually beat this title’s nearly impossible foes, the game’s lack of continues and sporadic health refills ensure that even those who somehow manage to get good at this broken game will likely never see the end of it.
Pit Fighter isn’t just arguably the worst arcade port ever; it’s a game capable of reopening any personal wounds you might have acquired as a result of growing up at a time when certain games were straight-up rip-offs. It is truly as bad as this generation of gaming gets.
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