Baby, where did the lulz go?June 27th, 2008 by Brittany
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So I’m chugging through Gears of War, gunning down Locust left and right, lighting paths in the streets to avoid being eaten alive by the Kryll. I’m having a good old time and then suddenly I pause the game. It is then, sitting at the pause menu, that I am struck with a realization.
Some of my most favorite games have little or no sense of humor.
Worse, many games these days are serious, dark, and brimming with self-importance.
Just think about what has been released recently–Metal Gear Solid 4, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Dark Sector, Alone in the Dark, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2–they’re all great in their own rights, but they all have one thing in common. Save for the occasional joke or easter egg, there’s hardly any humor to be found. Now, should there be? No, because in the context of most of those titles, humor is not always appreciated.
However, I’m thankful for any one-liners I get out of Gears, because if it weren’t for those, it’d be a pretty depressing atmosphere. I could overlook it in this case, however, since the chainsaw bayonet is just too much fun.
It just seems there are hardly any humorous games to be found these days. While I do love my fragging and questing to save the world, sometimes I just want to laugh. Sometimes I want to be light-hearted.
With all these ominous, dark, and super-serious games emerging left and right, one has to wonder where all the genuinely funny games have gone. Growing up I got to experience classics such as Sam and Max, Commander Blood, Grim Fandango, Duke Nukem, and of course kids’ games such as Lenny’s MusicToons. They cracked me up. You want to know a secret? Barbie and her Magical Dreamhouse had me rolling on the floor because I could fill out a little questionnaire at the beginning of the game about myself just like a madlib. That way, when I got letters from Barbie she’d ask me how Poop (my best friend) and I were doing and if I’d had any toilets (my favorite food) lately.
But now? It’s as if game developers are of the mindset that the only product gamers will buy has to include storylines where you are central to saving the world, sinking a maniacal enterprise, or keeping life as you know it from being plunged into darkness. While I enjoy this as much as the next person, sometimes I like when I’m pleasantly surprised by a game that constantly brings on the laughs. It’s not like I’m asking for some kind of madcap comedy in game form. It would just be greatly appreciated from time to time if characters didn’t take the in-game world or themselves so seriously.
After all, laughter is the best medicine, right? I have to wonder why many of my non-gamer friends flock to casual games, and it could be attributed to 
the fact that they feel that there is so much pressure put on them in “regular” games. For instance, they might enjoy serving customers in Diner Dash 2 but they cannot stand gunning down the Flood in Halo. It could be that it creeps them out. Maybe they just feel overwhelmed. Sounds funny, but you never know. Gaming is supposed to be play, not always work.
I could be wrong, of course, but it seems to me that if there were a few more comedic options that still had viable stories and gameplay, perhaps then some individuals would feel less intimidated. Obviously not everyone is like me and they may not enjoy God of War or Silent Hill. Plus, most of the population just loves to laugh. I know I do. I’ll watch that “What’s Your Problem” video on YouTube about a thousand times just so I can laugh like an idiot. Nothing wrong with a little tale of angst and destruction and he-killed-my-brother, as long as it’s balanced every now and then with something to grin about.
This has actually been done right a number of times, but as it turns out there really is a dearth of genuinely humorous games. I was hard-pressed to think of as many as I did. Of course, these aren’t all of the games out there that will make you chuckle. There are more, of course, but I’ve dug up a few of my favorites. I can only hope that more follow in their footsteps.
Katamari Damacy may be a lot of things, but serious it is not. Come on, how can rolling up a man with hair protruding about a foot from his head NOT put a smile on your face? From the excessively flamboyant King of All Cosmos’s comments during each stage to the ridiculous descriptions of items you pick up during your journey, the entire game was pretty much designed to keep you grinning from ear to ear.
The cut scenes of the original Katamari were priceless. In one, you have a little girl standing amongst a backdrop of the stars who suddenly blurts out in a subdued tone, “Oh. I feel it! I feel the cosmos.” A close favorite of mine is a scene where the two children and their mother of the Hoshino family are watching television. There is a special news report that cuts in to an Ultraman-like program announcing that the stars have disappeared from the sky. Then it cuts right back to the show. Of course, no one is affected and everyone is still going about their business.
This is all relevant to the story (your dad, the King, broke the sky and you’re creating stars to fill it back up again), but it’s so bizarre and wild that you’re either laughing or asking what in the world is going on. It’s a fun and colorful diversion that will either get you giggling because of the subtle jokes it tosses your way or provoke snarky comments about the King’s purple tights and why he’s wearing purple tights. Katamari: get it now if you want to laugh.
I never realized that snowboarding could be so funny–that is, until I got myself a copy of Amped 3. Honestly? It has to be one of the silliest games I’ve ever gotten a chance to play. That’s really saying something, considering it is just a sports title, and I don’t generally dig those. With character names like Weinerboy and J-dawg, though, it’s kind of hard not to get into this one. At the very start of the game you’re treated to an old-school 8-bit recreation of the characters and you, represented by a bland avatar with a generic graphic obscuring your face since you create your own character to play the story with. “YOU ARE WIN!” proudly proclaims the cutscene, as it is quickly interrupted by a villain saying “I hate cutscenes!”. Already, just within the first five minutes of the game, I was genuinely entranced.
Until you create a character you’re boarding down your first hill in a pink bunny suit while listening to “Blinded By the Light”. It’s…random, to say the least. The characters are wholly quirky and stereotypical, but that’s what makes them great. You have the free spirit Sebastian, boarder girl Hunter, energetic Weinerboy, and the charismatic J-dawg. Quite a motley crew.
As you traverse the mountain completing various challenges to earn new gear, respect points, music tracks, money, and costumes, there are insane cut scenes between each. There is a Robot Chicken-like recreation of Weinerboy’s homemade jumps and grinding locations, aptly titled Weinerland. In the Weinerland playset being advertised, you can play with your Weinerland toys, “because you have no real friends of your own!” Great.
After the announcer proclaims this, J-dawg proudly announces that he just swallowed a nickel.
Don’t think for a second that any area of the game isn’t infected with wacky humor. Even the loading screens hold special importance. My favorite loading screen? “Amped 3 recipes: Take a banana and poke stuff you like in it!” I mean….wow. Just wow. Give it a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed. It’ll liven your day up, that’s for sure.
I’m sure most people would agree that back in the day LucasArts dominated the point-and-click adventure game scene, cranking out many of the funniest titles gamers have ever been treated to. Sam and Max, Day of the Tentacle, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Grim Fandango. They weren’t the only ones, as many, MANY adventure games were created that tickled my funnybone such as Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist. I haven’t seen that game in ages. All amazing in their own rights, and hilarious experiences that yielded good times such as chasing after purple tentacles who were trying to take over the world and visiting enormous balls of yarn. They all had a charm about them that is missing in action these days. I can’t think of any adventure game released as of late that is capable of making me laugh as much as those games could, and that saddens me.
How could we forget Laverne of Day of the Tentacle getting lost after walking up a simple flight of stairs? Guybrush greeting a blind lookout will forever stand out in my mind. Those games always offered a stream of laughs that I just can’t find in many these days. Granted, I do try to look. That’s why I find myself all over quirky or odd games that most people tend to shy away from. I’m always looking for the game full of inside-jokes, one-liners, and easter eggs that almost make me wet myself.
However, there is one game that has been released that brings to mind the comedic stylings of Grim Fandango and Monkey Island, and that is Psychonauts. This would make sense, considering that its creator, Tim Schafer, was responsible for those two games as well. You take control of Raz, a boy with psychic abilities off to a camp (against his father’s wishes) to develop them. As usual, there are goings-on within the camp that only Raz can take care of. Isn’t that typical? He meets a ton of odd characters in the camp who are also developing their psychic abilities.
The game is FULL of memorable quotes such as Lili Zanotto’s response to Raz’s warning that psychic soldiers are being created to take over the world: “Oh my God! Let’s make out!” I especially enjoy the fact that a camper’s brain was removed because Dr. Loboto (the “dentist) referred to it as a “bad tooth”. The real icing on the cake is that Raz is voiced by the amazing Richard Horvitz, who you may recognize as the voice of Zim. Need I say more?
Not only is the game full of hilarious quotes, but it just looks funny. The visuals are lush and colorful, as are the characters. Razputin has an abnormally elongated head. Some characters have necks like giraffes and others have no neck at all. It’s a world of zany illustration that you rarely see these days in favor of realism. Not EVERY character has to look like they were pulled right of the streets and plunged into a game. A little creativity now and then is appreciated!
If you’re looking for the same brand of humor you found in the LucasArts point-and-click days, then Psychonauts is definitely the way to go.
I’m still waiting.
I’m waiting for the day that games have already been established as a valid form of entertainment to the masses so that (just like movies), more genres are created instead of the big blockbuster action flicks. Of course, don’t get me wrong, those are great. I’d just like to see a lot more humorous games that poke fun at themselves, their characters, and their (sometimes) implausible storylines. Some masterpieces could be made if done right.
So what are you waiting for? Go out there and start demanding some hilarious games! I know you want them too. Speaking of you, loyal readers, what are some games that you’ve cracked a smile over? If you have ‘em, I wanna hear ‘em!
June 27th, 2008 at 11:41 am
YET ANOTHER WELL WRITTEN ARTICLE!
I must say your choice of games are always classic and well thought out. Looking forward to the next one
XD
June 27th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
LOVED Psychonauts. Whenever I think of the level with the secret agents all “I am on the road crew. I work on the road,” or my personal favorites, the ones with the rolling pins pretending they are fifties housewives, I smile. I also loved the theatre level, and the many hilarious things that can go wrong if you have the wrong set on for the “show.” Comedy gold.
I never could get into Day of the Tentacle, but I adored the prequel Maniac Mansion. In fact, if I am thoroughly honest with myself, the REASON I couldn’t get into Day of the Tentacle was that I was viciously disappointed Razor wasn’t still around, in a band with the Green Tentacle. There’s just something hysterical about a green tentacle eating too much food because he feels depressed.
Another game I found hilarious was Kings Quest… V? Whichever one had you playing alternately between Rosalyn and her mother. You got to become a jackalope: never not funny. You also had to eat some salt to go into the faux shop, thus showing you were “taking it with a grain of salt.” BRILLIANT.
I also found the text game for Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy hilarious, but that was mostly because I found the source material wildly hilarious as well.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I wouldn’t call Tales of Symphonia a hilarious game, bit it did get me laughing more than twice. Nintendo Wii’s Paper Mario is also pretty funny too THITH ITH THO HIGH TECHNICAALLL!!!!
But I guess I’m more of a Nintendo girl, and Nintendo games just tend to be funnier. Katamari Damacy was very fun and funny as well.
June 27th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Yeah, the Paper Mario series has lots of funny moments and often breaks the fourth wall.
June 28th, 2008 at 7:20 am
You write an article on video game humor, and fail to mention Portal? For shame.
June 28th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I agree Paper Mario is a great series!! And so is the Mario & Luigi RPGs.. those are funny as hell. They have 1337 Hammer Bros.. so bad ass. Banjo-Kazooie was delightful as well. Those games own.
But yeah great article Sparkk
June 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Great article. I sat here for a good couple minutes trying to think of a game I’ve played recently that had any humor in it… and I could not come up with much! Professor Layton and the Curious Village caused alot of smiling on my part, but not really any lolz. Overlord for the 360 has a few good lines, but overall the subject matter isn’t rofl material. You’re right, we need less carbon copy outdoor FPSs about testosterone filled cadets and more light hearted humor!
June 28th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
It’s worth noting that Erik Wolpaw, the man who wrote Portal, also co-wrote psychonauts.
I’m so glad you touched on the old Lucas Arts adventure games. Those were a staple of my childhood.
Also, am I the only one who thought that the second Paper Mario was by far the funniest?
June 28th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Oh - right up there with those is an old game called ‘Threads of Fate’. You can actually play through it twice, once as the real ‘hero’ and once as Princess Mint, the anti-hero. She. Is. Hilarious.
She’s booted from the heir position by her sister (with the blessing of the entire kingdom) and chased out of the kingdom by pumpkins, which she hates, and goes on a quest to get her kingdom back. Spoiled rotten and rude, she has to learn to not insult people to get them to do what she wants. At one point you have to outrun a giant boulder. You’re there with the hero, who doesn’t make it down and gets hit by the thing (very Indiana Jones). You can go back up and loot his body and continue on with the dungeon. XD It’s fantastic - from the guy who’s there to teach you moves whose shirt covers just his nipples and is purple, to the woman named Fancy Mel who lives in pink pastel mini-game hell… yeah. Gotta play it. It’s awesome.
June 28th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
@ Cole: You know, I thought about including Portal but that just seemed way too easy of a choice. I feel everyone’s talking about Portal so I decided to bring up a couple games that might have been forgotten lately. It was hilarious, though. I just wanted to pick up all the turrets and hug them. o_o
@ Navie: Nice to see you here! I have heard great things about Overlord. I’m thinking of picking it up when I have some spare cash. It seems like it might have some funny parts in it.
@ Alii: I’ve heard of Threads of Fate but I’ve never gotten my hands on a copy. It sounds like a unique time, and I’m going to keep an eye out for it. If my memory serves me correctly, it’s for the PS1…I’m probably going to have to shell out the cash. XD
June 29th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I read the first paragraph and I had one thought
GTA
June 29th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
I agree that Psychonauts was a very funny (and very quotable) game but don’t overlook that Team Fortress 2 is designed to be a lighter game from the cell shaded textures to the taunts to the well designed characters with backstory.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Saints Row 2 looks like it’s going to be really funny. There’s a car surfing, bass jumping, and STREAKING.
http://www.gametrailers.com/player/34873.html
It’s basically GTA with all sense of realism and self control being thrown in front of a train.
June 29th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I don’t know about the new MGS, but MGS 2 and 3 were hilarious, especially 2. I spent hours with friends just thinking up new ways to make the guards go nutty. Maybe humor was not the main point of the game, but one could make it quite comical if they looked for it.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Not too sure about this one - it seems to me that there are plenty of intentionally funny games about. The second game you mention is Metal Gear Solid, which is renowned for its tendency to take a break from its self-importance to poke a little fun. Katamari Damacy just had a new title on XBox 360. Sam and Max Hit The Road was a fantastic game, but the twosome aren’t missing from our PCs now - Telltale Games are currently developing their 3rd season of excellent, hilarious episodic Sam and Max games, with season 1 about to hit WiiWare.
Telltale are also on the brink of releasing a new Homestar Runner series of games, “Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People”. Add to that Greenhouse’s Penny Arcade Adventures, and you’re pretty spoilt for LucasArts-style graphic adventure games!
Portal and Overlord have already been mentioned - they’re both right up there in my favourite games, and it’s the sense of humour that put them there. I’m holding the Overlord expansion back for next time I hit a dry spell.
I totally agree with what I see as your core point: “more comedy games, please!” I just don’t think we’re really short of them yet!
Oh and I LOVE Psychonauts! :V
June 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Skimming through, I believe this story was already done, entitled (roughly) “Why Nintendo is best.” It compared how all the other consoles focus on the dark, gloomy storylines. And I need not compare how Nintendo differs. I don’t remember where I read the other article, and I’m sure this is far more in-depth. So props for it.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
TF2
June 30th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Well agreed there but Metal Gear Solid 4has its humor! Some of the cutscenes are downright hilarious! Akiba’s stomach problems, Snake meeting Naomi Hunter, i lol’d during those
June 30th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I loved this article! But you forgot Ratchet and Clank! If you’re into platformers, humor, and the most creative arsenal of weapons I’ve ever seen, you simply must play through this series.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
mmk…if you want humor in your games…get of 360 and play some PS3…I know it sounds conformist….but its true….have you played Ratchet and Clank? How about Devil May Cry 4? both humorous, oh and of course, one of my faves is Uncharted…..great stuff in that one lol.
July 4th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
@Auzara, Levi: I have actually played Ratchet and Clank. :] They were very funny, and I just didn’t even think about them when I wrote this, to be honest.
@ Levi: I don’t always use my 360. In fact, I only just got it two months ago. I have played DMC4, as well as the rest of the series, and they’re one of my favorite storylines. Dante has some priceless lines. I haven’t gotten to play Uncharted yet, though. I would love to!
July 5th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Have you even played Metal Gear Solid 4, let alone any of the Metal Gear Solid games? Hideo is famous for his extremely quirky easter eggs and humour scattered throughout his games.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:52 am
@ Pocky: Yes, I have played the entire series except 4. As I have been saying, I did not mention them simply because I wanted to focus on the bigger picture. It is common knowledge that Portal is funny, or that in MGS Raiden is running around doing cartwheels naked.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
What about Earthbound for the SNES? Despite it being an RPG it had some of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen in a game. From the enemies (Ramblin’ Evil Mushroom? New Age Retro Hippie? Unassuming Local Guy?) to the characters (Brickroad the Dungeon Man is a favorite of mine) to the situations (having your path blocked by the police who state that they’re going for the record for most blocked roads) it’s one of my favorite games out there.
July 20th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
What about Earthworm Jim? Nobody? C’mon that was a wacky series IMHO. I tried to play Metroid and then played Earthworm Jim afterwards and I pretty much preferred blasting slimes with eyeballs more than frustrating myself on how to open this door leading to the rest of the epic venture.
Serious Sam series, me and my childhood buddy LAN’d those games just run-and-gunning headless freaks that would charge after you no matter where you went.
July 21st, 2008 at 11:48 am
There’s also another SNES one that (I think) was remade for one of the newer consoles, or is in the process of being remaked: Conker’s Bad Fur Day. C’mon, what could be more funny than beating a boss who’s a giant lump of singing poo by flinging rolls of toilet paper at it? Or whacking things with a frying pan?
July 21st, 2008 at 11:49 am
Remaked. >.
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
I disagree with what you said regarding MGS4 - it has plenty of humour in it.
It’s just subtle humour (apart from meeting Johnny again).
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 am
get team fortress 2
its hilarious, and the gameplay is really diverse and entertaining
also
battlefield 2, although not intentionally funny, has enough WTF moments to make it somewhat hilarious (thanks to it being a crappily made game)
however, it is still very fun as well
i noticed that in general Valve tends to include more humor in their games than other companies; I even found myself laughing in the half life 2 and up series
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 am
oh, and almost forgot
team fortress 2 also has a really friendly, humorous community
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
It’s war, let’s all laugh and joke! No, doesn’t work. To take Gears, Call of Duty, Bioshock and others as an example of how games are lacking any humour is pretty silly considering the target audience and the setting. If my plane had just crashed next to a secret underwater world full of mutants, I highly doubt I’d be in the lightest of moods.
If you want funny, or light hearted games, there are dozens out there. Ratchet and Clank, Jak, Uncharted, Little Big Planet etc. Hell, even Metal Gear Solid is chock full of easter eggs (and also a lot without ever deviating) which are hilarious. Codec conversations have proven to be some of the best written pieces in gaming.
The reason casual gamers flock to Diner Dash is because it’s simple. No other reason. The Wii is a big hit because anyone can pick it up and instinctively know what to do. It takes time to become accustomed to any foreign device and most controllers are foreign. Hitting more then one button at once is tough. Give me a drill and I’d look at it like some sort of alien weapon. Give me an hour with it and I’d drill a thousand holes with ease. Non-gamers just have never put the time in to learn how to experience the fun of the tougher games.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Benny, did you even read the article?