15 Bad Games Preserved By Nostalgia

We've all got them. When you're a kid, pretty much anything that's not school or chores is fun. When I was young, there was no such thing as a "bad video game". Today, I realize that there are a few choice games that I remember fondly even though I probably shouldn't.

I was born in 1991, so most of these games come from the 4th and 5th generations. Also, I've included an aggregate score from GameRankings.com with each one, just to give you an idea of how bad some of these games were.

In no particular order, here they are!

List items

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  1. Frantic Flea

  I remember my mom bringing this home from a business trip for me and my brother, so I guess that's where the sentiment comes from. The game itself looked good, but played pretty poorly. I may have even realized it back then, but I must not have cared.

  GameRankings Score: 58.70%

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  2. The Itchy & Scratchy Game

  It was the Simpsons, and that's all I really needed to know as a kid. You couldn't even play as any of the actual family members, but whatever. I think I was hoping it would be like the stellar Simpsons arcade game.

  GameRankings Score: N/A

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  3. Radical Rex

  Look at this guy! It's a tyrannosaurus rex on a skateboard! What am I supposed to say? "No"? Come on. It controlled like absolute shit, and I think I knew it back then, too. "It's not Radical Rex's fault," I'd say, turning off the system. "I'm just not rad enough." Maybe I'm still not.

  GameRankings Score: 61.50%

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  4. ClayFighter 63 1/3

  Jeff actually wrote a review on this one! Check it out: http://www.gamespot.com/clayfighter-63-1-3/reviews/clayfighter-63-1-3-review-2544260/

  He cites a lot of flaws, and he's probably right, but a six year-old me would have had words with him.

  GameRankings Score: 47.96%

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  5. Bomberman 64: The Second Attack

  Back then, I was a sucker for any game with a pet component. In The Second Attack, you could feed and raise a little fuzzy... something into a bigger, fuzzy... thing. I don't know. I just remember that you could play as him, and it was badass.

  GameRankings Score: 68.60%

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  6. Chameleon Twist

  This one was a Mario clone--WITH A TWIST! AHAHAHA

  There was no twist. It was uninspired and controlled awfully (a trend that I've noticed with most of these games; did my motor skills just suck back then?) But for some reason I remember playing this one AND its sequel to no end.

  GameRankings Score: 58.69%

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  7. Fighting Force

  One of the most generic titles in gaming history? Yeah, it's up there. But I distinctly remember playing as the big guy (Ben "Smasher" Jackson, I mean, come on) and throwing shit all over the place with my brother.

  GameRankings Score: 64.17%

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  8. Hey You, Pikachu!

  I distinctly remember opening this game up on Christmas morning and just flipping the fuck out. I was about to talk to Pikachu through what seemed like goddamn hidden magicks. It ended up being me just shouting (apparently incoherent) commands at the little feller, but I was smiling the whole time. And when he *did* listen? Well, let's just say it's been 12 years and I still have never felt as fulfilled as I did in those moments.

  I guess that's kinda sad. :(

  GameRankings Score: 56.04%

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  9. Blasto

  This may very well have been the first game I played on the original PlayStation. I guess, in a way, it was like nothing I had ever seen. God, that's depressing.

  GameRankings Score: 64.71%

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  10. World's Scariest Police Chases

  This game was amazing in every way. If I remember correctly, it allowed for co-operative play in which one player drove and the other shot. That's standard these days, but it was the very first time I had encountered it, and I loved it to pieces.

  GameRankings Score: 66.11%

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  11. Digimon World

  Oh man, hours of good memories with this one. Before I owned a PlayStation of my own, I would rent the console and this game for the weekend all the time. I would lose my data every single time, and I didn't even care because I loved running through the first dozen hours of this game. Man, I miss being a kid.

  GameRankings Score: 52.55%

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  12. Dragon Valor

  This was the first time I experienced branching story paths, and my seven year-old mind was blown by them. Awesome title.

  GameRankings Score: 55.62%

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  13. Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout

  It was a Dragon Ball game, cut me some slack! Apparently this game was fairly rare, so when my brother and I discovered it at our local gaming store while we went insane. We didn't have any money on us, so my brother ran home, begged my mom for some, and sprinted back. I stuck around so no one else would pick it up; yes, that was a legitimate concern! We ran back home didn't put down our controllers for hours.

  GameRankings Score: 46.20%

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  14. Glover

  This motherfucker. Why did I like this game, even in my childhood? You're a goddamn glove on a ball with the most sensitive controls known to man. I think it was before I owned a PlayStation, and it was as close to Spyro as I could get. It better have been a damn good reason.

  GameRankings Score: 70.05%

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  15. Iggy's Reckin' Balls

  What was I doing? No, seriously, what was I thinking?

  GameRankings Score: 67.88%