There have been some truly awkward moments in gaming. Some were weird and disturbing, while others were either amazing or hysterical–sometimes both. But no matter the subject or game, awkward moments dot the landscape of the video game world and have entertained and aggravated us all. So we thought it might be kind of fun to take a quick look into some of the most awkward and odd bits that we have experienced in video games over the years. In no particular order, here are out top ten awkward moments in video gaming history.
Shameless Marketing
The first item on our countdown features the final scene in the original Leisure Suit Larry . Now, the entire LSL series of games is all about getting laid, but Larry isn’t the social butterfly you would expect from someone with such a goal as the protagonist of his own game series. No matter what the situation, it’s always a little awkward and sometimes just downright wrong, but this one instance happens in the final scene. You have finally bagged the girl of your dreams and while you are sealing the deal, the actual CEO of Sierra games walks right into the room where you are working your mojo to start advertising upcoming LSL titles. He’s like that annoying roommate that doesn’t knock before coming in.
Denied
Nothing is more awkward than being left at the altar on your wedding day… except maybe getting totally denied in public when you propose. I mean, how bad is that? You profess your undying love to someone in front of the whole world. You pour your heart out for all to see in hopes that the woman of your dreams will accept your proposal. Then the unthinkable happens; she looks at you with those beautiful eyes and then totally craps on your whole existence. Well, that’s exactly what happened to Heihachi’s bear, Kuma, at the end of Tekken 3 . He drops to one knee and proposes to Panda, only to have his heart crushed as she turns him down flat.
Have at you!
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was not a bad game. We actually rather enjoyed most of it, but it had one huge issue that we did completely take offense to. The voice acting and character dialogue was absolutely atrocious. When the voice acting in Wii Sports is more convincing than the character interaction in a Castlevania game, you know there’s a problem. But once you fight your way to the end to confront Dracula, he starts in on this whole “What is a man?,” speech that is so God awful that you can’t help but chuckle to yourself. Then, to top it all off, he actually throws his goblet on the ground before yelling, “Enough talk! Have at you!” What is this? A sequel to the Princess Bride or a freakin’ Castlevania game?
More Coffee, Sir?
The game that undoubtedly started the sex-craze in video games wasn’t really responsible for it at all…at first. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was modded and the infamous “Hot Coffee” sequence was born. Okay, maybe that was a bad analogy to use. Anyway, the Hot Coffee mod allows you to take your hooker friend back to the crib and get your freak on, but if this scene actually got you aroused, then you should have yourself checked out by a physician and ensure that you are not some sort skin-wearing robot. This clunky and terribly awkward sex scene was nothing more than a quick time event that resembled poorly constructed LEGO people rubbing on, and bumping into each other.
They’re After Me Lucky Charms!
I am a fan of dungeon crawler games. From the early days of Gauntlet to the amazing experience of Diablo 3 –I love them. But every now and again something will happen in a game that leaves me scratching my head as to what just happened. It’s like there’s this moment where all is right with the world. You have earned a short time of relaxation and rest, but then little elves, who have obviously been laid off from Santa’s workshop for being thieves, wander into your camp and start trying to jack your loot. Such is the case in Golden Axe . So instead of being able to kick back and relax, you spend your time kickin’ the crap out of elves to get your stuff back.
Wait, isn’t that?
The one thing that the Silent Hill games did was get our minds playing tricks on us. Though often scary, the biggest thing about these games was the way that they just made you feel unsettled and uncomfortable quite frequently. But every once in a while these games just shocked the crap out of us. Most of you may already know where I am going with this. Pyramid Head is a scary dude; he busts in at random times and tries his best to murder you in gruesome and horrific ways. He taunts you in the shadows and bangs around, letting you know he’s always close, but in Silent Hill 2 he reveals his true colors. You walk in on him raping mannequins. This scene was entered into the game to make the gamer feel incredibly uneasy. Well it most definitely worked.
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…
Nope. It’s a horse. In the sky. That’s right. If you’ve seen it, then you already know we are talking about that incredible glitch-fest that is the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . There were so many glitches in this game that it actually got kind of comical to see what would happen next. However, the moment of true awkwardness came in the form of a flying horse. Well, actually it was a standing horse that somehow managed to learn how to fly…without moving a muscle. I was in the Riverside section of Markarth. It was the waning hours of the day as I entered the lower part of the city. I walked among the people making conversation and then suddenly I saw it. Flying effortlessly across the evening sky was horse that did not move, but somehow wisped its way through the clouds and into the horizon. But the most awkward part to me was that I seemed to be the only one who saw it. Everyone else just went about their business as if nothing was going on.
Barry
If you have played the original Resident Evil then you know what we are talking about. Literally every time Barry opens his mouth to speak, it is the most awkward or inappropriate thing for that moment. Combine that with the fact that he is always flailing around when he speaks and nods his head at weird and seemingly random intervals as well. In a game that is so intense and even frightening at times, it just seems so weird to have that one guy as an attempt at comic relief. Now we realize that if that situation were actually real, someone would most likely attempt levity to deal with an otherwise atrocious set of circumstances, but there are some moments where Barry just really needs to shut up.
You Are One Sad, Strange Little Man…
It’s no secret that people have been hacking and modding games forever. It seems like every time we turn around someone else is hacking something to get an edge on the rest of us playing whatever game it is. But every once in a while, a hacker or modder will do something truly epic. Such is the case with Grand Theft Auto 4 . There is a mod out there that will allow you to play as Buzz Lightyear or Woody, from Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story, but it doesn’t stop there. This mod also allows you the ability to get your freak on, as one of those two characters, right in the middle of the street. Yep…they went there.
Yeah No One Cares, Man
When you are at a video game trade show, you expect things like the President and CEO of major game companies like Sony to be on stages. You expect them to show some excitement at their company’s new game or console being released. You expect crowd excitement to build, not only from the excitement displayed by the person speaking, but also by the product being talked about. So see Kazuo Hirai on stage at E3 was a normal thing. To see him showing some excitement about a new game was normal as well. Then it happened: he opened his mouth and Sony fans gasped in excitement as to what game he was going to announce. A new God of War ? A new inFAMOUS handheld title? Nope. Riiiiiiidge Racer ! The announcement was celebrated only by the concert of crickets, awkwardly irking as the dumbfounded audience shook off the shock and feigned a clap.