History Horrible / VideoGameGenerationsFirstToFourth

* ''Metal Morph'' for SNES is a very rare entry for Origin (of ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' fame) in the field of console action games, and playing it shows why. The game is about a being composed of living metal traveling into a wormhole and being captured by evil aliens who want to replicate his morphing ability to invade our universe. It's actually divided into platform sections, where the hero can turn into living metal a la [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay T2]] to avoid being hit and travel into pipes, and third-person space shooter sections making use of the SNES' Mode 7. As [[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/kusoge/kusoge-metalmorph.htm this article]] shows, the former are frustrating because of the convoluted level layouts, drab graphics, abundance of unlabeled switches and the uncanny ability of the enemies to shoot us the exact moment we're out of the mostly invincible living metal form (and we're also an OneHitPointWonder). The latter are pretty much unplayable and feature headache-inducing flashing textures for the planets' sky and surfaces. The controls are bad, the music is bad, the graphics are bad and, if you somehow manage to complete it, [[CruelTwistEnding the ending]] shows that some traitor sold the aliens the secret of the metal morphing, making all the rest of the game totally pointless.

* ''VideoGame/FelixTheCatByDragonCo'' (AKA ''Felix the Cat 3'', [[UnInstallment despite there not being a Felix 1 or 2]]) is an NES bootleg game created by the obscure Chinese game company Creator/DragonCo and released in '''1998''' (years after both the NES ''and'' the SNES had been discontinued), and an utterly atrocious platformer. While it's thematically similar to the [[NoProblemWithLicensedGames very good]] [[VideoGame/FelixTheCat 1992 licensed game]] made by Creator/HudsonSoft, it manages to get every aspect of what made it fun wrong. Like many bootleg games, [[NintendoHard its very hard]], but [[FakeDifficulty for all of the wrong reasons]]; for starters, Felix can [[CameraScrew only see a couple feet ahead of him]], and many levels have bottomless pits or platforms with enemies on them just offscreen with few or any chances to prepare yourself for them [[TrialAndErrorGameplay except by memorization]]. Felix's default form has a barely-functional, very short range boxing attack with a useless charge attack that'll lock Felix in place for a few seconds and have him charge up a bigger punch if you try to punch ''while moving'', which leaves him a sitting duck for enemy attacks. To make matters worse, the game flat out '''hates''' Felix if he doesn't collect power-ups-—he's a OneHitPointWonder in his default form, and even if he does collect power-ups, he has no MercyInvincibility, and certain enemies and the two boss fights can exploit this by trapping Felix in place, whittling down his power-ups until he dies, [[ContinuingIsPainful and you lose all of your power-ups if you fall into a pit anyway]]. On top of that, Felix has very stiff jumping controls (he has a very short jump that you have to use while walking or it'll be just too short to cross certain chasms), and if you so much as walk off a platform without jumping, Felix will sink like a rock and you lose any mid-air control over him (which is a bad thing in a game with lots of BottomlessPits, too) and the terrible level designs are ''not'' conductive to this or any of the other control or design problems--[[EarlyGameHell the first world is unreasonably difficult]] due to the clunky controls and nasty enemy and platform placement, and the sixth is probably the worst, mainly because of the sheer amount of times it can blindside you due to obscuring enemies offscreen and making you take many blind jumps to reach the right platform, often leading you plunging into a pit. The game even has the nerve to use [[PowerUpFood milk bottles]] [[FollowTheMoney to guide you to a platform offscreen]], but they'll often be platforms with ''offscreen enemies on them too'' ([[HitboxDissonance which have bigger hitboxes than their sprites let on]]). To top it all off, you get an [[AnticlimaxBoss absolutely pathetic final boss]] who tries to attack you solely with CollisionDamage, and he can be killed in ''seconds'' if you have power-ups on hand, with a KaizoTrap pit directly after your fight with him added (just before the exit, in fact) to rub salt in the wound. Oh, and your reward for beating the game? [[AWinnerIsYou A screen of Felix hugging his friend Goldie Goose with the words "The End" hanging over them.]]

* ''VideoGame/FelixTheCatByDragonCo'' (AKA ''Felix the Cat 3'', [[UnInstallment despite there not being a Felix 1 or 2]]) is an NES bootleg game created by the obscure Chinese game company Creator/DragonCo and released in '''1998''' (years after both the NES ''and'' the SNES had been discontinued), and an utterly atrocious platformer. While it's thematically similar to the [[NoProblemWithLicensedGames very good]] [[VideoGame/FelixTheCat 1992 licensed game]] made by Creator/HudsonSoft, it manages to get every aspect of what made it fun wrong. Like many bootleg games, [[NintendoHard its very hard]], but [[FakeDifficulty for all of the wrong reasons]]; for starters, Felix can [[CameraScrew only see a couple feet ahead of him]], and many levels have bottomless pits or platforms with enemies on them just offscreen with few or any chances to prepare yourself for them [[TrialAndErrorGameplay except by memorization]]. Felix's default form has a barely-functional, very short range boxing attack with a useless charge attack that'll lock Felix in place for a few seconds and have him charge up a bigger punch if you try to punch ''while moving'', which leaves him a sitting duck for enemy attacks. To make matters worse, the game flat out '''hates''' Felix if he doesn't collect power-ups-—he's a OneHitPointWonder in his default form, and even if he does collect power-ups, he has no MercyInvincibility, and certain enemies and the two boss fights can exploit this by trapping Felix in place, whittling down his power-ups until he dies, [[ContinuingIsPainful and you lose all of your power-ups if you fall into a pit anyway]]. On top of that, Felix has very stiff jumping controls (he has a very short jump that you have to use while walking or it'll be just too short to cross certain chasms), and if you so much as walk off a platform without jumping, Felix will sink like a rock and you lose any mid-air control over him, often in spots with BottomlessPits, too) and the terrible level designs are ''not'' conductive to this or any of the other control or design problems--[[EarlyGameHell the first world is unreasonably difficult]] due to the clunky controls and nasty enemy and platform placement, and the sixth is probably the worst level in the game when it comes to this, mainly because of the sheer amount of times it can blindside you due to obscuring enemies offscreen and making you take many blind jumps to reach the right platform, often leading you plunging into a pit. The game even has the nerve to use [[PowerUpFood milk bottles]] [[FollowTheMoney to guide you to a platform offscreen]], but they'll often be platforms with ''offscreen enemies on them too'' ([[HitboxDissonance which have bigger hitboxes than their sprites let on]]). To top it all off, you get an [[AnticlimaxBoss absolutely pathetic final boss]] who tries to attack you solely with CollisionDamage, and he can be killed in ''seconds'' if you have power-ups on hand, with a KaizoTrap pit directly after your fight with him added (just before the exit, in fact) to rub salt in the wound. Oh, and your reward for beating the game? [[AWinnerIsYou A screen of Felix hugging his friend Goldie Goose with the words "The End" hanging over them.]]

* ''VideoGame/FelixTheCatByDragonCo'' (AKA ''Felix the Cat 3'', [[UnInstallment despite there not being a Felix 1 or 2]]) is an NES bootleg game created by the obscure Chinese game company Creator/DragonCo and released in '''1998''' (years after both the NES ''and'' the SNES had been discontinued), and an utterly atrocious platformer. While it's thematically similar to the [[NoProblemWithLicensedGames very good]] [[VideoGame/FelixTheCat 1992 licensed game]] made by Creator/HudsonSoft, it manages to get every aspect of what made it fun wrong. Like many bootleg games, [[NintendoHard its very hard]], but [[FakeDifficulty for all of the wrong reasons]]; for starters, Felix can [[CameraScrew only see a couple feet ahead of him]], and many levels have bottomless pits or platforms with enemies on them just offscreen with few or any chances to prepare yourself for them [[TrialAndErrorGameplay except by memorization]]. Felix's default form has a barely-functional boxing glove attack with a useless charge attack that It'll lock Felix in place for a few seconds and have him charge up a bigger punch if you try to punch ''while moving'', which leaves him a sitting duck for enemy attacks. To make matters worse, the game flat out '''hates''' Felix if he doesn't collect power-ups-—he has no MercyInvincibility (the two boss fights can even exploit this by trapping Felix in place, whittling down his power-ups until he dies), [[ContinuingIsPainful and you lose all of your power-ups on falling into a pit anyway]]. On top of that, Felix has very stiff jumping controls (he has a very short jump, and if you so much as walk off a platform without jumping, Felix will sink like a rock and you lose any mid-air control over him, often in spots with BottomlessPits, too) and the terrible level designs are ''not'' conductive to this or any of the other control or design problems--[[EarlyGameHell the first world is unreasonably difficult]] due to the clunky controls and nasty enemy and platform placement, and the sixth is probably the worst level in the game when it comes to this, mainly because of the sheer amount of times it can blindside you due to obscuring enemies offscreen and making you take many blind jumps to reach the right platform, often leading you plunging into a pit. The game even has the nerve to use [[PowerUpFood milk bottles]] [[FollowTheMoney to guide you to a platform offscreen]], but they'll often be platforms with ''offscreen enemies on them too'' ([[HitboxDissonance which have bigger hitboxes than their sprites let on]]). To top it all off, you get an [[AnticlimaxBoss absolutely pathetic final boss]] who tries to attack you solely with CollisionDamage, and he can be killed in ''seconds'' if you have power-ups on hand, with a KaizoTrap pit directly after your fight with him added (just before the exit, in fact) to rub salt in the wound. Oh, and your reward for beating the game? [[AWinnerIsYou A screen of Felix hugging his friend Goldie Goose with the words "The End" hanging over them.]]

* ''VideoGame/FelixTheCatByDragonCo'' (AKA ''Felix the Cat 3'', [[UnInstallment despite not being a Felix 1 or 2]]) is an NES Chinese bootleg game created by Creator/DragonCo and released in '''1998''' (years after both the NES ''and'' the SNES had been discontinued), and an utterly atrocious platformer. While it's thematically similar to the [[NoProblemWithLicensedGames very good]] [[VideoGame/FelixTheCat 1992 licensed game]] made by Creator/HudsonSoft, it manages to get every aspect of what made it fun wrong. Like many bootleg games, [[NintendoHard its very hard]], but [[FakeDifficulty for all of the wrong reasons]]; for starters, Felix can [[CameraScrew only see a couple feet ahead of him]], and many levels have bottomless pits or platforms with enemies on them just offscreen with few or any chances to prepare yourself for them [[TrialAndErrorGameplay except by memorization]]. Felix's default form has a barely-functional boxing glove attack with a useless charge attack that It'll lock Felix in place for a few seconds and have him charge up a bigger punch if you try to punch ''while moving'', which leaves him a sitting duck for enemy attacks. To make matters worse, the game flat out '''hates''' unarmored Felix—he has no MercyInvincibility (the two boss fights can even exploit this by trapping Felix in place, whittling down his power-ups until he dies), [[ContinuingIsPainful and you lose all of your power-ups on dying]]. On top of that, Felix has very stiff jumping controls (if you so much as walk off a platform without jumping, Felix will sink like a rock and you lose any mid-air control over him, often in spots with BottomlessPits, too) and the terrible level designs are ''not'' conductive to this or any of the other control or design problems--[[EarlyGameHell the first world is unreasonably difficult]] due to the clunky controls and nasty enemy and platform placement, and the sixth is probably the worst level in the game when it comes to this, mainly because of the sheer amount of times it can blindside you due to obscuring enemies offscreen and making you take many blind jumps to reach the right platform, which can often lead to you plunging into a bottomless pit. The game even has the nerve to use [[PowerUpFood milk bottles]] [[FollowTheMoney to guide you to a platform offscreen]], but they'll often be platforms with ''unseen enemies on them too'' ([[HitboxDissonance which have bigger hitboxes than their sprites let on]]). Oh, and to add insult to injury, you get an [[AnticlimaxBoss absolutely pathetic final boss]] who tries to attack you solely with CollisionDamage and can be killed in ''seconds'' if you have power-ups on hand, with a KaizoTrap pit directly after your fight with him added to rub salt in the wound. Oh, and your reward for beating the game? [[AWinnerIsYou A screen of Felix hugging his friend Goldie Goose with the words "The End" hanging over them.]]

* ''Super Maruo'' for UsefulNotes/{{NES}} is a terrible unlicensed pornografic game, that has nothing to do with Mario. The gameplay consists of one screen, where our titular character needs to catch a woman while avoiding the dog, each time he does that, awfuly drawn picture of naked woman appears on the screen.

* ''Bill and Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure'' is a godawful mess of a game where the main gameplay consists of randomly jumping into things like bushes/rocks/fences, etc in order to find objects to return to people in their proper time. There's no map to help you (unless you've got ''Magazine/NintendoPower'', and even then it's kind of vague) figure out where they are, so you can easily spend an hour jumping into stuff and not find a damn thing. To top it off, the controls are shit; the game is in an isometric perspective, ambitious for an NES game admittedly but executed dreadfully. You can't walk on grass (most of the time) so you have to follow a path, and you can only go faster with this awkward jump; if you get stuck on grass (easy to do since the path has so many turns) it's tedious to get back off, and throwing weapons at enemies is terribly awkward. Plus, in order to even begin a level, you have to go through a tedious process--first, flip the page of the phone book to the famous historical person's phone number, then manually dial the number, then go to a time circuit, which is completely pointless, not to mention confusing, as dialing the last number in most circuits is a major GuideDangIt in itself which most players would never guess. WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd, who's reviewed many a crappy Creator/{{LJN|Toys}}[=/=]Acclaim licensed game, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A5B8fXp0aU opined in his review]] that ''Bill & Ted'' is easily the worst of them all. Even [[WebVideo/CygnusDestroyer the LJN Defender]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM5zkwHW69U&t=0s couldn't really defend this game]], despite trying his hardest.

* ''Super Maruo'' for UsefulNotes/{{NES}} is a terrible unlicensed pornografic game, that has nothing to do with Mario. The gameplay consists of one screen, where our titular character needs to catch a woman while avoiding the dog, each time he does that, awfuly drawn picture of naked woman appear on the screen.

* ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfNinjaNannyAndSherrlochSheltie'' can be easily described as [[MindScrew an edutainmant game]][[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotMadeOnDrugs on drugs]] that hilariously failed at being educational. The graphics are very crude and look like they're drawn by a bored kid on MS Paint and Power Point, the sound design is badly compressed and [[SensoryAbuse loud beyond belief]], the "scenes" happen via annoyingly small pop-up windows with blurry AVI files, the interactivity is similar to early interactive encyclopedias, which poorly fits the type of game, and features voiceover that sounds like it's recorded in one take and with a cheap mic. The story makes no sense whatsoever, changing setting every second, and whatever expalation ''to'' the story is exposed with [[WallOfText walls of text]]. Apparently, this is one of two games developed by Silicon Alley, which vanished from existence after making this broken mess.

* ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfNinjaNannyAndSherrlochSheltie'' is a [[MindScrew rather bizarre]] and hilariously failed attempt at an educational PC game. The graphics are very crude and look like they're drawn by a bored kid on MS Paint and Power Point, the sound design is badly compressed and [[SensoryAbuse loud beyond belief]], the "scenes" happen via annoyingly small pop-up windows with blurry AVI files, and features voiceover that sounds like it's recorded in one take and with a cheap mic. The story makes no sense whatsoever, changing setting every second, and whatever expalation ''to'' the story is exposed with [[WallOfText walls of text]]. Apparently, this is one of two games developed by Silicon Alley, which vanished from existence after making this broken mess.

** The "game" was presumably made by people who know very little about programming: In fact, there is a separate launcher for ''every single part of the game'', with the first one titled "BEGIN HERE". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSxaUHT3yoI LGR]] reviews this, and even he is baffled by its sheer nonsense. Main/{{Vinesauce}} also streamed it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6bFYaxEdug here]], and he considered it to be a huge mistake on his end.

** The "game" was presumably made by people who know very little about programming: In fact, there is a separate launcher for ''every single part of the game'', with the first one titled "BEGIN HERE". [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSxaUHT3yoI LGR]] reviews this, and even he is baffled by its sheer nonsense.

* ''SQIJ!'' was released on the Commodore 16, UsefulNotes/Commodore 64 and UsefulNotes/ZX Spectrum. The former two versions are bad on their own, but the ZXSpectrum version [[PortingDisaster cranks the shittiness up to eleven.]]. While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys [[labelnote:*]]The game can only register lowercase input, but also forces the Spectrum to be uppercase at all times, [[EpicFail therefore failing to register any player input at all]][[/labelnote]], the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Should the player be knowledgeable enough to do this, they will still be confronted with further unplayability: even when working, controls are massively unresponsive, with considerable input delay; the game runs at an abysmal framerate, which does not help the already deficient controls; collision detection is fidgety and alternates between not working at all and detecting objects not even remotely close as colliding; the graphics are hideously drawn and experience constant glitches; and finally, the game itself is prone to crashing randomly at times for no adequate reason. Very few dared to play it properly; so much that the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

* ''SQIJ!'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum is astonishing in its sheer incompetence, which goes well beyond the [[NightmareFuel creepy]] [[http://plus4world.powweb.com/dl/covers/s/sqij_front.jpg cover art.]] While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys [[labelnote:*]]The game can only register lowercase input, but also forces the Spectrum to be uppercase at all times, [[EpicFail therefore failing to register any player input at all]][[/labelnote]], the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Should the player be knowledgeable enough to do this, they will still be confronted with further unplayability: even when working, controls are massively unresponsive, with considerable input delay; the game runs at an abysmal framerate, which does not help the already deficient controls; collision detection is fidgety and alternates between not working at all and detecting objects not even remotely close as colliding; the graphics are hideously drawn and experience constant glitches; and finally, the game itself is prone to crashing randomly at times for no adequate reason. Very few dared to play it properly; so much that the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

** ''SQIJ'' was one of the first Spectrum games to attain true infamy for its low quality. In his book, Creator/StuartAshen mentions it as ''the'' worst game he has ever played, and the comp.sys.sinclair Usenet group named its annual StylisticSuck competition after it. It's currently the lowest rated game on the [[http://www.worldofspectrum.org/worstgames.html World of Spectrum Bottom 100]], with nary a word of praise to be seem. As a side note, the game itself is illegal to own or distribute. It's written not in machine code (as Spectrum programmers were expected to), but in BASIC. And not even the Spectrum's built-in BASIC, but a proprietary dialect of it called Laser BASIC that compiled into machine code more efficiently than the built-in version and some other shortcuts. The game was distributed uncompiled, with a copy of the entirety of Laser BASIC (a £65 utility) still in it! [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And to top it off]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oahxwu8kbd0 the song on the cassette's B-side is utterly hideous.]]

It doesn't end there. Cutscenes, even ones that are supposed to take place in castles, are composed of WallsOfText between people standing in some field. Sprites are poorly made — only cloak color differentiates the hobbits from each other, and no one but Gimli and Gandalf looks any different from the generic [=NPCs=]. The cities look like any other part of the world, except they have lazily designed houses in them. And at the end? You fight the Balrog, using the horrendous control scheme which causes you to either control every member of your party at once or let them wander around and die — not that it matters, as the fight is more or less {{Unwinnable}} anyway. There are noticeable loading times between areas despite this game being on the SNES. The game's sole redeeming point is its beautiful music... but it only has three tracks, and one of them is reserved for the title screen. Now here's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff1dBjHP528 Lost in the Warp Pipe]] to tell you about it.

* ''SQIJ!'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum is astonishing in its sheer incompetence, which goes well beyond the [[NightmareFuel creepy]] [[http://plus4world.powweb.com/dl/covers/s/sqij_front.jpg cover art.]] While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys [[labenote:*]]The game can only register lowercase input, but also forces the Spectrum to be uppercase at all times, therefore failing to register any player input at all[[/labelnote]], the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Should the player be knowledgeable enough to do this, they will still be confronted with further unplayability: even when working, controls are massively unresponsive, with considerable input delay; the game runs at an abysmal framerate, which does not help the already deficient controls; collision detection is fidgety and alternates between not working at all and detecting objects not even remotely close as colliding; the graphics are hideously drawn and experience constant glitches; and finally, the game itself is prone to crashing randomly at times for no adequate reason. Very few dared to play it properly; so much that the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

* ''SQIJ!'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum is astonishing in its sheer incompetence, which goes well beyond the [[NightmareFuel creepy]] [[http://plus4world.powweb.com/dl/covers/s/sqij_front.jpg cover art.]] While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys [[labenote:*]]The game can only register lowercase input, but also forces the Spectrum to be uppercase at all times,EpicFail therefore failing to register any player input at all[[/labelnote]], the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Should the player be knowledgeable enough to do this, they will still be confronted with further unplayability: even when working, controls are massively unresponsive, with considerable input delay; the game runs at an abysmal framerate, which does not help the already deficient controls; collision detection is fidgety and alternates between not working at all and detecting objects not even remotely close as colliding; the graphics are hideously drawn and experience constant glitches; and finally, the game itself is prone to crashing randomly at times for no adequate reason. Very few dared to play it properly; so much that the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

* ''SQIJ!'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum is astonishing in its sheer incompetence, which goes well beyond the [[NightmareFuel creepy]] [[http://plus4world.powweb.com/dl/covers/s/sqij_front.jpg cover art.]] While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys[[labenote:*]]The game can only register lowercase input, but also forces the Spectrum to be uppercase at all times, [[EpicFail therefore failing to register any player input at all]][[/labelnote]], the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Should the player be knowledgeable enough to do this, they will still be confronted with further unplayability: even when working, controls are massively unresponsive, with considerable input delay; the game runs at an abysmal framerate, which does not help the already deficient controls; collision detection is fidgety and alternates between not working at all and detecting objects not even remotely close as colliding; the graphics are hideously drawn and experience constant glitches; and finally, the game itself is prone to crashing randomly at times for no adequate reason. Very few dared to play it properly; so much that the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

* ''SQIJ!'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum is astonishing in its sheer incompetence, which goes well beyond the [[NightmareFuel creepy]] [[http://plus4world.powweb.com/dl/covers/s/sqij_front.jpg cover art.]] While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys, the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Should the player be knowledgeable enough to do this, they will still be confronted with further unplayability: even when working, controls are massively unresponsive, with considerable input delay; the game runs at an abysmal framerate, which does not help the already deficient controls; collision detection is fidgety and alternates between not working at all and detecting objects not even remotely close as colliding; the graphics are hideously drawn and experience constant glitches; and finally, the game itself is prone to crashing randomly at times for no adequate reason. Very few dared to play it properly; so much that the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

%% Do not add ''Shaq Fu'' to this list. It has a massive cult following, on par with the Room.

It doesn't end there. Cutscenes, even ones that are supposed to take place in castles, are composed of WallsOfText between people standing in some field. Sprites are poorly made — only cloak color differentiates the hobbits from each other, and no one but Gimli and Gandalf looks any different from the generic [=NPCs=]. The cities look like any other part of the world, except they have lazily designed houses in them. And at the end? You fight the Balrog, using the horrendous control scheme which causes you to either control every member of your party at once or let them wander around and die — not that it matters, as the fight is more or less {{Unwinnable}} anyway. There are noticeable loading times between areas despite this game being on the SNES. The game's sole redeeming point is its beautiful music... but it only has three tracks, and one of them is reserved for the title screen.

* The [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario franchise]] was unfortunately prey to a bevy of educational games, many of which were mediocre at best. The absolute nadir, however, would be ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhMGDXM7OV8 Mario's Early Years: Preschool Fun.]]'' It's ridiculously simplistic, beyond the point of enjoyability, with all the gameplay built around preschool-level teachings... It's clear every word of the voice acting is an individual clip, as [[MadLibsDialogue each word is emphasized and separated by a brief pause]], to unsettling effect. Framerate issues occasionally cause the music to randomly change tempo, and the graphics make everyone look... [[UncannyValley off.]][[note]]Yoshi, for one, seems to have the width of a two-by-four.[[/note]] LetsPlay/ProtonJon and Kelekin play through the entirety of the game [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VJaLVR94YI&feature=plcp here]], as well as its other incarnation (''Mario's Early Years: Fun With Letters'') [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa81s4mw3a0&feature=plcp here]].

* ''SQIJ!'' for the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum is astonishing in its sheer incompetence, which goes well beyond the [[NightmareFuel creepy]] [[http://plus4world.powweb.com/dl/covers/s/sqij_front.jpg cover art.]] While "unplayable" is mostly used as a figure of speech, ''SQIJ!'' is one of the few cases where this is literally true. Due to a programming bug regarding caps lock keys, the game can't register the player's input; in order to play the game, the player must break into the Spectrum's memory and run a POKE command to turn caps keys off. Even then, the fact that the game has ''more than one room'' only became public knowledge [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc3D5GEwWY8 in 2016]], because you could only escape by shooting every enemy with your (invisible) lasers.

* ''VideoGame/DarkCastle'' was a groundbreaking game for AppleMacintosh computers (being one of the first games to use fully recorded sound effect samples), but it got a pair of [[PortingDisaster terrible ports]] on the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis and UsefulNotes/PhilipsCDi by Creator/ElectronicArts and Three-Sixty Games--with the CD-i port being the worse of the two despite being on a more powerful console. The lack of mouse or keypad control in these ports make it difficult for your hero to properly aim his projectiles, and the bad controls are worsened by the hero's habit of [[TheKlutz stumbling and falling all over the place]]. It's possible to defeat the final boss [[SequenceBreaking without even exploring some of the rooms in the castle]][[note]]really confident players can simply opt to go through the middle doors to tackle the boss' sanctuary[[/note]], making almost half of the game superfluous. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZmXbtvGG4E You can see how much of a failure the game is in this UrinatingTree review,]] as well as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4-7mWeY_Cs the Angry Video Game Nerd's review for the Genesis and CD-i versions.]]

* While the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis was home to [[NoProblemWithLicensedGames some of the most memorable]] Disney-licensed games, the video game adaptation of ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}'' [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames was not one of them]]. With sloppy programming, awkward controls, and haphazard level design, it falls well below the standards of a typical Disney game, and its tinny music hardly does the film's soundtrack any justice. To add insult to injury, Chernabog [[DemotedToExtra doesn't even appear as the]] FinalBoss, rendering whatever [[JustHereForGodzilla motivation]] there was to complete this game [[ShaggyDogStory moot]]. It ranked #6 on ''Mega's'' "10 Worst Mega Drive Games of All Time," and is [[TheScrappy reviled]] by UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis fans across the net; UrinatingTree [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N43TFSTbpdQ sympathizes with them]].

* Much like ''Dragon's Lair'' for the NES mentioned above, the SNES [[ReformulatedGame version]] of ''VideoGame/SpaceAce'' was meant to translate every single level from the Laserdisc original into a platformer. The controls are sluggish and unresponsive; combined with poorly placed hit boxes and fast-scrolling screens, that makes for a frustrating time. It is almost impossible to land your jumps, and missing jumps kills you in most levels. If you want to shoot someone, good luck — there are ''two'' buttons to draw your gun, one for each direction. Then there's the Space Maze, painful {{padding}} sandwiched between every level; in these sections, you have to steer your impossibly fast ship through a bunch of narrow alleys while shooting obstacles. The graphics are ugly at times -- the developers did include a few of the [[FullMotionVideo FMVs]], but they're so grainy and disjointed that you have to wonder why they bothered. The result is a long, frustrating, poorly designed game. JonTron took a look at this game [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GOWxtGaAOk here.]]

* ''VideoGame/TransformersConvoyNoNazo'' has Ultra Magnus as a OneHitPointWonder, [[PaletteSwap palette-swapped]] bosses (including three instances of the Decepticon logo), Trypticon as a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere, and an ending that is [[AWinnerIsYou nothing but text]]. You had to [[SpellingBonus collect letters that spelled out Rodimus]] and then beat the game to play as Rodimus Prime (also a OHPW); if you beat the game with him, then you got [[AWinnerIsYou "Congratulation!"]] and your high score. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking On top of that, the logo of the company who made the game has some guy in blackface.]][[note]]This belonged to Takara (presently [=TakaraTomy=]), who distributed the toyline and its predecessors ''Diaclone'' and ''Microman'' in Japan.[[/note]] It is yet another horrible video game that WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km9vYa2GIUI reviewed on his show]].

* ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfNinjaNannyAndSherrlochSheltie'' is a [[MindScrew rather bizarre]] and hilariously failed attempt at an educational PC game. The graphics are very crude and look like they're drawn by a bored kid on MS Paint, the sound design is badly compressed and [[SensoryAbuse loud beyond belief]], the "scenes" happen via annoyingly small pop-up windows with blurry AVI files, and features voiceover that sounds like it's recorded in one take and with a cheap mic. The story makes no sense whatsoever, changing setting every second, and whatever expalation ''to'' the story is exposed with [[WallOfText walls of text]]. Apparently, this is one of two games developed by Silicon Alley, which vanished from existence after making this broken mess. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSxaUHT3yoI LGR]] reviews this, and even he is baffled by its sheer nonsense.