Well... March has gone by, and now we're into April. Every month I choose something that the month commemorates and I tie it into video games. April is National Humor Month, so I've taken it upon myself to tell you some of the funniest games I've played.
Unfortunately I haven't played Portal or Portal 2, so I'm just letting you know so we can get the disappointment out of the way because damn, those games are loved.
Grim Fandango
Grim Fandango has an interesting plot. I'll let Wikipedia take it away:
Grim Fandango takes place in the Land of the Dead, where recently departed souls aim to make their way to the Ninth Underworld. Good deeds in life are rewarded by access to better travel packages to assist in making the journey of the soul, the best of which is the Number Nine, a train that takes four minutes to reach the gate to the Ninth Underworld.[6] Souls who did not fulfilll a kind life are left to travel through the Land of the Dead on foot, which would take around four years. Such souls often lose faith in the existence of the Ninth Underworld and instead find jobs in the Land of the Dead. The travel agents of the Department of Death act as the Grim Reaper to escort the souls from the mortal world to the Land of the Dead, and then determine which mode of transport the soul has merited. Each year on the Day of the Dead, these souls are allowed to visit their families in the Land of the Living.
Grim Fandango has memorable and hilarious characters and plays with Film Noir conventions incredibly well. It's a dark comedy due to the subject matter, but it's a blast to play.
Conker's Bad Fur Day
The Nintendo 64 had some mature games, but even back then I'd say they started to focus more on family affairs. But not Conker's Bad Fur Day. No, this game is gross and immature, but there's a lot of clever writing on display here. The game also parodies various things, such as Saving Private Ryan, and it does a great job. To this day I still remember coming across one of the other characters and it says, "I'm just wandering around... aimlessly."
Saints Row: The Third
When Saints Row first came out, it was a decent Grand Theft Auto clone. I had no desire to play the second one because of this so I don't know if they started carving their own path at that point or not. But then the third came out, and oh my god.
It's another game that may seem juvenile, but it's cleverly juvenile, and it made me laugh a lot with its parodies and jokes.
Jazzpunk
Jazzpunk came out this year, and it's one of the funnier games I've played in the last few years. It takes the spy genre and flips it on its head, crafting a genuinely humorous game. It's just a shame that it isn't a little bit longer.
Earthbound
Ah, Earthbound, the legendary SNES RPG. As a kid I laughed at the jokes, but as an adult I can truly appreciate just how smart and funny it is. And dark. Somehow Earthbound manages to be comical yet tackle some pretty serious issues. Don't get me wrong... it's all about the quirky characters and environments, but there is more to this game than meets the eye. One of the best RPGs of all time and also one of the funniest games.
South Park And The Stick of Truth
Another game that just came out this year, but I had to put it on here because it does what a South Park game should do -- it makes you feel like you're playing an episode (or season) of the show. This is the highest praise I can give it because when South Park is on, it is one of the funniest shows on television. The same can be said about this game. It has all the South Park flavour and characters that fans know and love, while maintaining the gross out satire that it became famous for. For fans of the show you can't do much better than The Stick of Truth.
The Simpsons Game
The game has some gameplay issues, but it's still a fun game. However, like The Stick of Truth, The Simpsons Game perfectly nails the look and feel of the show it's based on. It's a joy watching the classic Simpsons characters interact with each other in context of a video game. It's an homage and parody of the medium.
Psychonauts
I'm not sure if Psychonauts is an underrated/overlooked game at this point or not. Some games get that title so much that they stop being it. Regardless, Psychonauts is an hilarious game.
HK47 from Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
While not a game, I had to throw some love for HK47 in here because he's a great character in a series that's epic and serious. He provides comical relief in the form of being a homicidal droid that has no respect for human life. Seriously, just go Youtube HK47.
Borderlands 2
Borderlands was funny, but Borderlands 2 is even funnier because of one person -- Handsome Jack. The rest of the game makes me laugh, but when Handsome Jack basically calls me up just to shit talk me (for the entire game), I can't help but smile and chuckle to myself.
What games make you bust a gut (I've never said that before in my life)? Let me know in the comments below, or if you really want to bitch at me about how Monkey Island isn't on here then tweet me on that Twitter thing @ArtBathednCrime and hurt my feelings.
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