The 10 WORST Games Based on Cartoons

The 10 Worst Games Based on Cartoons

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to video games based on cartoons. However, we won’t be including games based on Anime because they could make up their own list.

“Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion” (2011)

Although technically based on many cartoons, since it brings multiple characters together, “Punch Time Explosion” has too many sins to ignore. First, there’s the incredibly lazy nature of ripping off “Super Smash Bros.” without bringing anything new. It’s not the first or last game to do so. But clunky controls, poor hit detection, and bland movesets make it a temporary replacement at best. The roster and uninspired stages also leave a lot to be desired, missing representation from a lot of famous Cartoon Network shows. It all just feels so empty, like it was a quick way to throw some characters together and be one of the many others to rip off Nintendo’s fighter around the same time.

“Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse” (2012)

It’s no secret that “Family Guy” has struggled to break into the space of quality video games. But “Back to the Multiverse” is definitely a contender for the show’s worst. Inspired by its multiverse episodes, the game follows Stewie and Brian trying to save their universe from destruction. In a weird clash, it’s a third-person shooter, and just about the most generic one you could imagine. If the mind-numbingly dull gameplay didn’t get you to switch off, the writing certainly would. It seems like the game wanted to mirror the show’s humor, but instead came off as cringey and dated, even in 2012. When you had so many better shooters to choose from, or could just watch the show to get your fill, there was really no reason to pick this up.

“Popeye: Rush for Spinach” (2005)

Despite his cartoons being fairly old even in 2005, Popeye the Sailor got a new game on the GBA that very year. And it…was pretty bad. It’s basically a side-scrolling racing game, where you compete against three others, platforming and collecting power-ups along the way. Therein lies the biggest problem; racing on a small handheld screen is fine from a top-down or third-person view. But as a sidescroller, trying to stay ahead of your opponents without knowing what’s ahead of you is just irritating. And since you’re meant to go fast, the shoe-horned platforming mechanics are bare bones. At least it looks nice, because there’s little joy to be had elsewhere.

“South Park Rally” (2000)

When it comes to video games, “South Park” has seen some impressive highs and some disappointing lows, with this stinker of a kart racer sitting firmly in the latter category. It had none of the charm or smooth controls of those it attempted to copy at the time like Mario, Crash, Diddy Kong, or any of the others. Maybe we'd be able to forgive a little stiffness if not for the abysmal framerate issues and the frustrating track design. All of these aspects combine for a perfectly horrible storm. We know making a kart racer in 2000 was already an uninspired choice, but the developers could have tried a little harder to make it not come off as a lazy cash grab.

“Beast Wars: Transformers” (1997)

The “Transformers” IP got a nice dose of rad 90s attitude with the “Beast Wars” spin-off. As cool as it sounds controlling a group of fighter robots that can transform into awesome, mechanized animals, this shooter for PlayStation and PC is anything but. From the very start, it gets things wrong. You can only attack in robot form, but you also have a meter that continuously lowers, causing you to take damage when it’s empty. The beast form doesn’t have this problem, but is unable to attack. Needless to say, this constant back-and-forth switching to progress gets very old, very quickly. It looks horrendous, too, with muddy visuals and dull level designs. This one is better left forgotten in the annals of “Transformers” history.

“Darkwing Duck” (1992) - TurboGrafx-16 Version

Unlike Capcom’s “Darkwing Duck” on NES, also released in 1992 but which is actually pretty solid, this adaptation of the Disney character does him a huge disservice. With a lackluster jump and an incredibly weak weapon, navigating and fighting your way through this immediately becomes a chore. It didn’t look good, from its level design to its sprites, nor did it sound good, as an underwhelming soundtrack failed to bring any sense of adventure you’d feel while watching the cartoon. That’s not to mention a handful of glitches and the questionable hit detection to really make sure you aren’t having fun. Even if we didn’t have Capcom’s superior game to compare it to, there was nothing of value here.

“Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know!” (2013)

This “Adventure Time” dungeon crawler offered slightly different levels of quality depending on the platform. All of them bad, but different nonetheless. Across all versions, fans were subjected to some of the most boring and repetitive gameplay in the genre, simplistic to the point of being mind-numbing. The tediousness of the gameplay matched the unimaginative level layouts, turning a relatively short playtime into a slog. It wasn’t a good-looking game on any platform either, not being representative of the show’s visually engaging world. But graphics were particularly poor on the 3DS. For a show as weird and silly as “Adventure Time,” this game is surprisingly dull.

“The Simpsons Wrestling” (2001)

Like “South Park,” “The Simpsons” has produced games of varying degrees of quality. And it’s a pretty safe bet that “The Simpsons Wrestling” is the absolute worst display of the characters of Springfield. While other games have been great at translating the show’s visuals, that’s definitely not the case here, with horrible, distorted character models and noticeable framerate dips. Gameplay is a mess, too, with hardly any skill involved. The roster is completely unbalanced in power levels, but no one has much in terms of a unique moveset, so you wind up just button mashing your way through each match. It’s honestly a shame, because a mash-up of wrestling and “The Simpsons” is such a whacky, video game-y idea, but the execution completely squanders it.

“The Powerpuff Girls: Chemical X-Traction” (2001)

Putting the cast of “The Powerpuff Girls” into a fighting game should have been an easy win. Sadly, the makers of “Chemical X-Traction” forgot to put in anything that actually makes a fighting game fun. It's a pretty poor excuse for an arena fighter without the thrilling action you’d expect from them. Most of the time, you simply punch and kick, or pick up various items to throw at your opponent from afar. Even with the occasional super move, it’s clearly very simple, and becomes very boring almost immediately. The N64 version is the slightly worse of the two, with the show’s short theme on a constant, ear-bleeding loop. But both it and the PS1 version are dreadful representations of the source material.

“Superman: The New Superman Adventures” (1999)

More commonly known as “Superman 64,” the legacy of how astoundingly horrible this game is sometimes makes us forget that it was based on the animated series of the 90s. Fans of the show, and just of Superman in general, had to suffer as the Man of Steel became emblematic of awful licensed games for years to come. Painfully stiff controls, thick fog to try and hide the abysmal draw distance, unfun mission objectives that yes, include the several infamous ring flying sequences with strict time limits; it’s all a mess. And a big one. Superman has never had a truly great, standalone game. But if anyone ever wants to try again, it can’t get any worse than this.

Is there a video game out there that dragged one of your favorite cartoons through the mud? Share your troubles with us in the comments, and we’ll see you next time!