I was watching replays of AGDQ this year when I decided to watch a speedrun of an absolutely terrible title from back in the day, Sneak King! For those unfamiliar, Sneak King was a Burger King promotional video game that was released for the original Xbox and was, and I’m 100% serious, a stealth-action game in the vain of Hitman which saw you playing as the titular Burger King, sneaking up on unsuspecting citizens and surprising them with fast food.
The premise alone is ridiculous, especially for 2006 when it was released. However the thing that makes it more insane is the fact that it did indeed release, though it is as terrible as you may imagine. However, seeing it being run as a speedrun and the fun people were having just experiencing this terrible game, it reminded me of terrible films that are a blast to watch.
You know the ones. Your Birdemics and The Rooms, these terrible films that nonetheless gain a cult following for how entertaining they are to experience with others. Games have a more difficult time doing that as you mostly play them alone and have to commit yourself to the experience which can lead to frustration rather than entertainment. In fact, the only other games I can think of that match this ‘So bad they’re good’ category are Ride to Hell: Retribution and Sonic 06. It’s a distinct experience, but sometimes you just need to play a bad game, laugh at the misery of its creation and remind yourself of just how good games can actually be. Or you can just sneak up on people as a fast food mascot… like a normal person…
What games would you describe as ‘So bad they’re good’? Leave your terrible experiences in the comments below! That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.