The lights are on
Ride to Hell: Retribution is a bad game, but it has an entertainment factor that cannot be denied. It’s the reason our Test Chamber of the game is so entertaining, and why a group of editors stayed up all night live streaming the game. It’s a hilarious train wreck with fully-clothed sex scenes, and you just can’t look away.
There are a number of games like Ride to Hell that are described as, “so bad, it’s good,” but I wonder if the second part of that statement – “It’s good” – is true. Do you actually want to play these types of games by yourself? Is there joy in playing these games without an audience, or is being part of the audience that watches the game be played the only way to truly enjoy it?
Pictured above: Tim Turi severely regretting his decision to play Ride to Hell: Retribution all night, and Ben Hanson. Photo courtesy of GI intern Brian Albert.
I was among the many editors that crowded around Dan Ryckert as he reviewed the game, and I tuned into the live stream to see more of it, but I will never take the time to play the game myself. How about you? It's hilarious, but it's an experience I am perfectly comfortable letting somebody else endure for my own entertainment.
Also, while we're at it, what are some of your favorite hilariously bad games?
Email the author Kyle Hilliard, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.
Yes I do buy what you call bad games but some of them are amazing and not bad just because the "mainstream reviewers" say its bad does not really mean its bad the gamers are the real judge
for example back in the PS2 days I bought Urban Reign and I loved it so much even though the reviewers said its a bad game
and now on PS3 I played RE6 SH HOMECOMING and NINJA GAIDEN 3 and many more and I love them all :) even though alot of ppl and reviewers hate them lol I only care about my opinion and what I think about the games I play :) I dont care about what other ppl think about them
Honestly, I have only bought a bad game once. And that was AvP ONLY bc I wanted to see for myself if it indeed was a bad game. Other than that, every game purchase has been a pretty badass game in my opinion. All my games are usually rated 7 and up on various rating systems/game sites.
Ben not in the face Hanson
These days, I don't buy bad games mostly to comparing reviews from multiple sources but I bought my share of them back during the SNES and PS1 days due to lack of information or simply because of the cover art.
Board Game:Top Shop
Only with friends! Then you have something to make fun of together.
Ben " Big Poop" Hanson
I fondly remember that line of budget titles that Take-Two put out for the PSone. Some were pretty good (Darkstone) while others actually made me cry out of pure frustration at how bad the game was...referring to Martian Gothic. But there are ones I've played that were so bad to the point of being good,like Countdown Vampires.
I've never played a bad game before, at least in my opinion. I try to think carefully about the game I'm getting. Usually my best friend suggests games or helps me pick it out and she's always on the ball with it. The only way I could think any of the games I play are bad is because of some bugs or coding or difficulty installing mods. But as for gameplay, storyline, graphics, etc. go... None have been bad.
No, I think buying something because it's bad is a waste of cash. Cash that could be spent on masterpieces like, say, The Last of Us.
I don't throw away money on games that I know will be bad; however, I have played a game, realized how bad it was, but decided to keep playing anyway because there were enough redeeming factors for it.
I'm somebody who doesn't buy or play bad games or so-good-they're-bad games, but I sometimes end up buying a game I thought was going to be good but ended up being bad. I just don't have the money to afford those kinds of games. One game I have played before that was so-bad-it's-good has to be Surgeon Simulator 2013. The game is terrible and the controls are, too, but it's just so funny that you'll like it.
I have played a lot of games that have been poorly rated or have been technically defecient in one way or another. Some have just plain been annoying, but others have had just enough of charm, story, humor or some other element to keep me playing to the end. Ventica, The Last Rebellion, Damnation and Wanted are all games I completed and enjoyed more than they deserve technically speaking.