10 Crazy Games That Were Successful

What’s the most ridiculous game you’ve ever played? We’re not talking ridiculous as in “Whoa, crazy head-bashing violence, blood and guts everywhere” (although there’s plenty of that). We’re talking “How the hell did this get past the creative meeting?” Who approves these ideas? An even bigger question: how do these ideas become successful games?

We present you a list of our favorite crazy games from recent years.

10. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

This game is an example of how someone’s clever little joke became a reality, and a sweet one at that. An homage to 80s action movies, Blood Dragon gives us neon lights, ridiculous cybernetic villains, SO MUCH SYNTH, horrible catch phrases (“I’ll go to bed when you’re dead”), and dinosaurs!! What’s not to love about this maniacal series’ definitive tumble into insanity?

9. Hitman: Absolution 

Okay, not your typical choice. 47 has always been a bit more on the serious side (although he’s dressed up in a chicken suit at least once before, but I guess that’s kind of scary in its own right), but his latest adventure definitely crossed over into the realm of WTF. The game takes place in Hope, South Dakota (Population: 1, after 47 gets through with it), the most random setting for a video game ever, and who’s out to kill 47 this time? Gun-toting nun assassins, of course. This game is the closest you will ever get to a Machete video game adaptation.

8. The Binding of Isaac

If not horrifying for its 2D sacrificial lamb viciousness, it definitely is over-the-top. You play as a crying naked child named Isaac, who must make his way through his ghoulie-infested basement in order to escape his Jesus-freak mother, who believes God has asked her to sacrifice her child. A terrifying gaming experience becomes a carnival act as the arcade feel renders Isaac’s situation almost humorous. This game proves that we’re all a bit f***** up in the head as we watch little Isaac curled up in the fetal position, sobbing for his life.

7. Dead or Alive 5

I’m tempted to draw an obscene picture and move on to the next one…But seriously, if this game isn’t the prime example of the objectification of women, I don’t know what is. Sure, these women also kick ass, but do they have to do it which such huge…Listen, I’m no prude and do enjoy playing this game with my bros after a long night of drinking. Somehow, the over-the-top objectification of women in the Dead or Alive series must be working, since, you know, they keep making these games.

6. Bayonetta

Okay, so maybe THIS is the ultimate example of what a woman with a super nice bod can do, especially when she has semi-automatics strapped to her stilettos. And if staying fit and sexy while you murder everything in your path isn’t enough to satisfy the most hardcore gamers, how about those awesome catchphrases full of sexual innuendo that make you sweat while you thrust your finger into the A button…video game erotica at its best. Miss Boobshirt even moans while she dismembers things. Again, objectification of women isn’t a strange concept in video games, but Bayonetta is one of the prime examples of taking it too far.

5. Fahrenheit

In retrospect, this game had every right to become successful and ascend to the level of cult classic, but taking it out of the box for the first time, it was just plain weird. I mean, you wake up and realize that you somehow murdered someone in a public bathroom and don’t remember how it happened. The first thing you do is pee in a urinal to lower your stress level, and thus begins a quest of timed bowel movements, claustrophobia and panic attacks, spirits, otherworldly cults, and the Mayans.

4. Deadly Premonition 

This game is cut from the same cloth as Fahrenheit: a supernatural mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously and embraces everything that was fun from shows such as Twin Peaks. Much like the aforementioned show, this game stars an FBI Agent who comes to the small town of Greenvale to investigate a series of murders. Along the way, he has conversations with his imaginary friend Zach, who turns out to be more real than he expected, and spends some time talking to a traveling tree salesman (do those even exist in real life?). There’s also this whole yarn about a secret gas experiment from the ’50s. Although this game was originally billed as survival horror, the overall experience is a lot more dark comedy with very bad dialogue and quirky characters who don’t seem to know if this is real life. This game is so bad it’s good.

3. Super Meat Boy

A big brother to The Binding of Isaac, this game brought us the original f***** up experience for the DLC market. You play as Meat Boy, a fuse between Mario and, well, a bloody hunk of ground beef. Your mission: to rescue your beloved Bandage Girl and defeat the evil Dr. Fetus, a embryo in a spacesuit. This is a platforming classic full of saw blades and crumbling blocks that are sure to dismember you over and over and over. It was one of the highest selling games on XBLA and Steam.

2. F.E.A.R. series 

Why? Is it scary? Yes. Is there a little Asian girl that pops out at you from behind desks just for a good scare? Yes. Cannibals with supernatural powers? A smoke wall of death? Oh, and there’s also that part where the evil spirit girl rapes you and becomes pregnant with your child. So, there’s that.

1. Saints Row IV 

This game is going to be successful, and mostly because of its over-the-top storyline and gameplay. You play once again as the leader of the Third Street Saints, only this time he’s also the President of the United States and your gang has been called upon to fend off an alien attack. This sounds very promising.