If you’re like me, you believe that no game is safe from having a bit of fun poked at it. Just about every game in history has some kind of devoted following, even if they don’t exactly hold up quite as well as we all like to think. Even games released just a few years ago are hilarious now for one reason or another.
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PostsMaybe a game was taken ultra-seriously, but now the mechanics and graphics have slipped quite a bit. Maybe a game forever changed a genre, but now does nothing but provide hours of laughter. Whatever the reason is, there are plenty of old games that are just waiting for you to play in a brand-new way.
Updated on April 21, 2024, by Dennis Moiseyev: Let's face it, old games just can't help but crack you up, whether they were meant for that or not. Some of them, however, can even go the extra mile into becoming so bad they're good or just have mechanics thrown in there that you can't help but find funny.
If you're looking for more classics where seriousness should be taken with a grain of salt, you're in luck. Here's a couple more!
15 Max Payne
Max Payne
Third-Person Shooter Released July 23, 2001 Developer(s) Remedy Entertainment Publisher(s) Gathering of Developers Platform(s) PC, PS2, Xbox (Original), Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Android, iOS Powered by Expand CollapseMax Payne is meant to be a hard-boiled detective noir with ultra-gritty aesthetics, narration, and cutscenes that make it seem as though you're in an Alan Moore or Frank Miller graphic novel. But once you get out of those cutscenes and hear how enemy NPCs react when they are shot and how silly their facial animations appear on 3D polygonal bodies, going from a strained face to a closed mouth, you quickly enter laugh-out-loud territory.
Not to mention that, in the first game, Max Payne is comically wearing the face of the game writer and creative director of Remedy, Sam Lake. If the remake Remedy has planned is anything like Alan Wake 2, it definitely won't join the original game on this list.
14 Wario Land 4
Released
2001
Platforms
Game Boy Advance
Developer
Nintendo R&D 1
Nintendo is just awesome at creating characters and worlds, and there's no better example that sets apart the distinct characters and styles of its Mario platformer games than Wario Land. Here, you'll be in the shoes of the more antagonistic yellow-and-purple-colored-schemed plumber, featuring mechanics and design choices that prove far more humorous than in Super Mario Bros.
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PostsWario gets big (and by big, we mean pretty hefty) when he swallows apples that enemies throw at him, and can then use his heavier weight to break through tiles. And let's not forget he needs to get stung by a bee to trigger an allergic reaction that will blow up his head like a balloon so he can fly. The way he crawls through tight spaces, throws enemies, falls through spirals, and creates doubles of himself whenever he 'speedster' runs elicits nothing but joy.
13 Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death
Released
2005
Platforms
PS2, GameCube, Xbox, PC
Developer
Rebellion
Just prior to the launch of Sniper Elite, perhaps now one of the best and finest sniping series out there in gaming, developer Rebellion created a video game adaptation of the comic book character Judge Dredd. Especially after all the success and fun that Teyon's Robocop: Rogue City brought players in 2023, this game is now pretty laughable and meme-worthy, at best.
You thought P-3's dialogue in Atomic Heart was cringy and bad? Wait until you get a load of some of the things Judge Dredd has to say in this one; phrases like "Halt lawbreaker!" and "The only good perp is a caged perp." The arrest mechanics don't help its case either, and there's additionally Redbull product placement, with crates full of it in one mission, and Dredd running over a can that lands directly in front of the camera for a close-up.
12 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand
Released
2009
Platforms
PS3, Xbox 360
Developer
Swordfish Studios
Rapper 50 Cent is not only an entertainer through his chart-topping music and the Power Universe TV series on Starz, but he's also had two video games following himself and fellow G-Unit rap group members in fictional third-person shooter scenarios. Blood on the Sand was a particularly fun classic that had so much outrageous stuff in its design, that you can't help looking back now without losing it.
The G-Unit logo is everywhere, whether it's the directional markers, barriers, or the points you earn in the game, and unlocking new tracks to play in the background and purchasing finishers will never fail to be comedic gold. The still animation of 50 Cent's model taking cover and then the helicopter boss fights also become comical with how rough the combat is designed. Even the very setup of the game, of it being about the "last show of the tour" and needing to reclaim a diamond skull, puts the cherry on top.
11 Rogue Warrior
Released
2009
Platforms
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer
Rebellion
Rebellion really enjoyed making unintentionally funny games, didn't it? Here's another one of its gems, published by Bethesda and with voice acting from Hollywood star Mickey Rourke, no less, of Sin City, Iron Man 2, and The Wrestler fame. What was meant as a serious Call of Duty-style tale inspired by real-life SEAL Team Six commander Richard Marcinko, turned into a hilarious foul-mouthed FPS romp.
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PostsTruly, it has some of the most vulgar dialogue that's quite unnatural-sounding and poorly timed, to the point where Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket might even be left scratching his head. Every single line will have you burst out laughing in tears at just the sheer message of what was said. If you want proof, you can listen to some of Richard Marcinko's wonderfully explicit dialogue here. He's got some funny words about goats, North Korea, Karl Marx, and enemies' moms.
10 Heavy Rain
Released
2010
Platforms
PS3, PS4, PS5, PC
Developer
Quantic Dream
People are going to immediately take issue here, but have you played Heavy Rain recently? The game is hilarious. You have full control of what is essentially a movie, and you can make that movie as absolutely silly as you want it to be.
Even the incredibly meme-worthy press X to Jason is funny without ever trying to make it that way. It’s just a game that was tremendous when it was released, but like many other similar games, fell out of date in a hurry making them prime meme material for the entire game’s runtime.
9 Resident Evil
Released
1996
Platforms
PS1, Sega Saturn, PC, Nintendo DS
Developer
Capcom
If you haven’t played the original Resident Evil recently, or just ever, you need to go back to experience the hilarious survival horror. The gameplay itself actually holds up surprisingly well; the area that has become hilarious is the voice acting.
We’re so used to every game featuring Troy Baker and Laura Bailey and their fantastic performances that it’s easy to forget games were once like Resident Evil. It’s poorly written and poorly acted but in the best way possible. Just hearing Barry’s iconic Jill Sandwich line in its original glory is a necessity for every gamer.
8 Deadly Premonition
Deadly Premonition
Survival Horror Released February 23, 2010 Developer(s) Access Games Publisher(s) Ignition Entertainment, Marvelous Entertainment, Rising Star Games, Aksys Games, Numskull Games Platform(s) PC, PS3, Switch, Xbox 360 Powered by Expand CollapseIt’s hard to discuss Deadly Premonition to someone who hasn’t played it because the game is an absolute must to go into with as little information as possible. With a title as serious as that, you might expect a game along the lines of something like Silent Hill.
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PostsInstead, Deadly Premonition is filled with bizarre animation choices, unintentionally hilarious lines, and plenty of fantastic music. It’s like if you took The Room, gave it a horror-sleuth spin, and then put it in game form. Please, go play this absolute gem.
7 Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Snap
Adventure Released July 26, 1999 Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Publisher(s) Nintendo Platform(s) Nintendo 64 Powered by Expand CollapseSetting aside the realization that Professor Oak and you the photographer are utterly evil, Pokemon Snap is actually a hilarious game. The original still holds up and is a fun yet relaxing experience, but the things you can do and the detailed animations make it so funny.
As cruel as it is, bumping a Pokemon with an apple is never going to not be funny. The care that the team behind the game put into the Pokemon reactions when getting bumped or hit with a pester ball is something we need more of these days.
6 Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
RPG Released March 11, 1995 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Platform(s) SNES, PlayStation (Original), PC, Nintendo DS, Android, iOS Powered by Expand CollapseHave you ever been Rick-Rolled by a video game? If your answer was no, then you’ve probably never played Chrono Trigger. If you’re scratching your head at what exactly I’m talking about, go give Robo’s Theme a listen.
That is absolutely a SNES take on Never Gonna Give You Up, and it’s amazing. It’s hard not to burst into laughter every time you know Robo’s Theme is coming up. Even more surprising, the song fits the personality of the little robot perfectly despite his dark origins.
