The 20 WEIRDEST Licensed PS2 Games

The 20 Weirdest Licensed PS2 Games

Welcome to MojoPlays and we have to believe most of these games were nothing more than blatant cash grabs, but we still have to wonder why ANYONE thought these concepts would work for the respective licenses.

Mr. Bean (2007)

No one can deny that Rowan Atkinson is a comedic genius and Mr. Bean is a national treasure that must be protected at all costs, but the Mr. Bean video game is a crime against gaming. Adapting the cartoon series rather than the short-lived live action, players control Mr. Bean through a series of extremely linear levels solving puzzles and battling basic everyday creatures as he attempts to rescue his kidnapped Teddy. The art style is the only high point of the game as it almost perfectly recreates the animated series style, but everything else in the game just feels rushed and lazy and fails to capture the spirit of Mr. Bean even as the scenarios become increasingly absurd just like the man himself.

50 Cent: Bulletproof (2005)

And now we have a concept so bizarre it had no right to work as well as it did, 50 Cent Bulletproof. Partially inspired by the real life shooting that almost killed him, 50 lays down tracks and a trail of bodies in pursuit of the hitman who tried and failed to take him out. The 3rd person shooter mechanics were solid, and the story was far more entertaining that it had any right to be. Full of cameos from other famous musicians, including Eminem and Dr. Dre, Bulletproof might have been one of the strangest ideas to star the rap sensation but it surprised everyone by actually being a decently made game that eventually spawned an even better sequel 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand which had an equally ridiculous premise, but was saved by its solid gunplay and story. Maybe We Crazy but we actually love this game.

Neopets: The Darkest Faerie (2005)

Remember Neopets? These browser-based Tamagotchis were all the rage in the early 2000s, so naturally a more interactive video game adaptation wasnt far behind. What makes this adaptation truly strange is the direction they took with the license. Instead of simply adapting the typical Neopets experience for consoles, The Darkest Faerie has surprisingly deep lore and game mechanics that rivaled other action RPGs of the time. Taking elements from many other action-adventure RPG titles, in particular The Legend of Zelda, players are given a wonderfully crafted world to explore and by equipping different special moves, can customize their combat abilities to their preferred playstyle. Players can also bring along the titular Neopets on specific missions who will grant them additional abilities. The game itself might not have ever reached anything beyond mediocre, but you have to give them credit for their ambition.

Big Idea's VeggieTales: LarryBoy and the Bad Apple (2006)

Seems like at one point of another every childrens cartoon has one superhero episode that proves to be so popular, theyll keep cashing in on that concept at every chance they can get. Such is the case with Veggietales: Larryboy and the Bad Apple, in which Larry the Cucumber becomes the superhero Larryboy and hops his way around Bumblyburg solving numerous puzzles while trying to defeat the titular Bad Apple. The game itself is pretty standard platforming fare, besides the gameplay being significantly slowed down by the fact that Larryboy must hop everywhere. Fans of the show might enjoy the numerous cameos from the other Veggies as well as the series trademark humor, but even the most die-hard fan is likely to get bored trying to control the extremely slow Larryboy to his next objective.

Jaws Unleashed (2006)

Jaws is one of the greatest movies ever made and almost single-handedly responsible for the Summer Blockbuster, so naturally it got a video game adaptation decades after the films release. Now in most games, swimming is the worst part of the experience and Jaws Unleashed continues that proud tradition. As players battle the games unwieldy camera, theyll not only get to munch on tasty beach-goers but also battle other marine life with a myriad of different upgradeable attacks. In addition to dealing with the expected sea life and swimmers, this shark is a clever one and must take on a mega corporation building countless structures such as oil derricks and any boats unlucky enough to travel in your beautiful waters. No matter what, its still better than Jaws: The Revenge.

Lassie (2007)

In another case of too little too late, the Lassie video game released too late to capitalize on the poochs popularity and even too late to coincide with the release of the 2005 film. Not that it would have done much good as almost nothing about the game resembles either the film or even the famous Collie. While the art style is at least interesting in its minimalistic approach, the game itself is extremely bland and repetitive. Lassie will complete tasks such as rounding up sheep, tracking down lost puppies, befriending other dogs, and even showing off her sick sledding skills, but nothing about the game really captures the spirit of the tales of Lassie. Also sadly, there is no Timmy stuck in a well. Really a missed opportunity there.

The Bible Game (2005)

Yes, this is technically not a licensed game, and we may be stretching our criteria here, but this game is based on the best selling book of all time. Now, beyond the odd premise of adapting the Bible into a game, who thought the game show approach was really the best way to go? After answering questions related to the Old Testament, players then take part in a series of minigames, all based around specific stories from the Bible, such as cross the Red Sea. The devs wanted to make something with a broader appeal and non-violent, you know because so many of the events in the Bible are so G rated to begin with. Naturally the game was for a very niche audience, but even then, the events and presentation were extremely bargain bin and didnt even manage to attract even the most devout believers to take even a passing interest.

The Muppets Party Cruise (2003)

The Muppets already have something of a checkered history with video games and the audience that loves Jim Hensons creations already arent typically the kind to play video games to experience their favorite puppets, so why did anyone think a Mario Party clone was exactly what the creatures needed to break into gaming? Combining a mixture of pachinko, mini games and oddly enough, gambling into probably one of the worst party games ever created. The characters move ploddingly slow across the board and the minigames themselves vary between awful to just plain boring and every variation in between. The Muppets themselves are entertaining as ever, they just deserve better than the greatest hits of the nursing home games. Then again, this is the same dev that gave us the abomination Shrek Super Party, so it was probably in their best interest to stay in their wheelhouse.

Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (2005)

Marvel is typically one of the most bankable licenses in gaming these days, but that wasnt always the case and Rise of the Imperfects is a prime example of why. The title initially seems to offer the best of what Marvel team up games are known for: give players a large roster of Marvel heroes to combat an alien invasion and set them loose with the heroes' many powers and abilities. What makes this such a strange case is that Rise of the Imperfects had all the ingredients but somehow still came out half-baked. A weak as hell villain and a nonsensical plot tying everything together, an oversimplified combat system, muddy and blurry graphics and nearly every aspect of Rise of the Imperfects feels like a game that was hastily thrown together to take advantage of the popularity of X-Men Legends and the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Fight Club (2004)

Another case of who was asking for this years later, and Fight Club answered the question of how do we adapt the cult favorite Fight Club, but make it lame? By doing the absolute bare minimum, Fight Club managed to completely misunderstand the subtext of the novel and the film its based on and focused only on the underground brawls to the most middle of the road results. Its only impressive feature was the damage system which realistically displayed characters injuries and would even show x-rays of the bones broken during the match. With static cutscenes and even more bizarrely Fred Durst as an unlockable character, everything about the game felt strange and failed to recapture the brutal tone of the source material. Remember rule number one: We never talk about Fight Club the game.

Playboy: The Mansion (2005)

Playboy: The Mansion takes all the mechanics of The Sims and makes it a bit naughtier, focusing primarily on the Woohoo. Players become the famed Hugh Hefner, building their mansion from the ground up and maintaining the magazine by scheduling photo shoots as well as designing the latest issue cover to cover. As Hugh, players are also expected to build relationships with the other characters and NPCs in the mansion, but do so by discovering their interests through numerous Playboy-style events such as parties and various other mini-games. Playboy: The Mansion divided and disappointed both fans and critics as some were expecting to experience the sexy lifestyle of Hugh Hefner and those looking for a Sims-style experience were also let down by the games shallow mechanics.

The Sopranos: Road to Respect (2006)

The release of Grand Theft Auto 3 revolutionized gaming on not only the PS2, but industry wide. Suddenly every developer was attempting to find a way to make their game an open world experience, even if the property clearly wasnt designed for it. The Sopranos: Road to Respect looked to ride the line between a linear, story-driven experience and an open world to explore within the wildly popular Sopranos universe and failed at both. As players attempt to rise through the ranks, theyre met with minimal game mechanics, a glitchy and buggy un-open world and frequently battle falling though the environment more than any other rival family. Press X to get made at your own risk. At least the shows cast made sure to give it their all.

Dancing with the Stars (2007)

As one of the longest and most popular dancing competitions on TV, it was only a matter of time before the series got the video game treatment. And within the context of the show, applying the also wildly popular Dance Dance Revolution mechanics to the title seemed like a no brainer. However, outside of the basic dance steps that can be completed using the included dance pad or the PS2 controller, the devs forgot to build any other meaningful content into the game and included a lackluster track list compared to the well established DDR games on the market. Dancing with the Stars could have made a great tie-in with the far more popular DDR, but as a standalone game, it couldnt nail the steps and was unfortunately eliminated.

Pimp My Ride (2006)

Pimp My Ride was one of MTVs most unexpected successes, running for multiple seasons as viewers watched Xzibit take peoples broken down junker cars and make them into the envy of the highway. An adaptation easily could have focused on the customization aspect of the show, allowing players to detail their dream ride from top to bottom. However, the developers seemed to focus on this aspect last, along with much of the rest of the games production values. Instead of immediately jumping into the garage, they first must drive the jalopy around Pimp City (no, Im not kidding) and earn enough money for the vehicle's upgrades by crashing into other drivers and knocking the change out of their cup holders. Even the customization aspects are diluted into simple press the button mini-games leaving much of the customization OUT of the players hands.

American Idol (2003)

American Idol took the world by storm upon its release, giving normal people the chance to live out their dreams on stage and sing for all the world to see. For those of us less musically inclined, American Idol released a home version of the game on PS2 but forgot what the show was ACTUALLY about. Instead of players actually singing the onscreen lyrics, after making their own custom Idol wannabe, the players finger coordination gets more of a workout than their vocal chords. Because why would a singing competition really be about singing, right? Using the PS2 gamepad, players perform DDR-style rhythm button prompts and are critiqued by the judges for their mediocre renditions of popular songs. American Idol could have been such an easy win had the developers taken more cues from Karaoke Revolution than DDR.

Def Jam: Fight For NY (2004)

What happens when you get some of the biggest names in Hip Hop to duke it out in the underground New York fighting scene? Honestly, one of the best games on this entire list that has no right to be as engaging an experience as it is. As the follow-up to the equally well-received Vendetta, Fight for NY expands on the fighting styles allowing for fighters to use not only wrestling like in the original, but also street fighting, kickboxing, and numerous other forms of martial arts. Players can also use the environment to their advantage, utilizing not only the various obstacles in the arena but the crowd as well. Even more interesting is the games story mode that manages to be surprisingly complex and engaging while also introducing numerous celebrity cameos such as Danny Trejo and Carmen Electra in addition to an impressive 67 other playable characters.

Little Britain: The Video Game (2007)

Another venture into video games no one was asking for, Little Britain: The Video Game is not only one of the weirdest licensed games on the PS2, but it might also very well be one of the worst video games of all time. Based on the popular British sketch comedy show of the same name, even beyond the outright crude humor, theres barely anything that would be considered a video game here whatsoever. Featuring a collection of only seven mini games based on sketches within the show, Little Britain: The Video Game would have trouble passing as even a budget title with abhorrent controls and physics as well as unappealing visuals and presentation. Even diehard fans of the show would have a hard time defending this games existence.

Marc Eckos Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure (2006)

Although carrying the creators name, Marc Eckos Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is not in fact about making rhino-themed clothing. In Contents Under Pressure, gamers step into the dystopian city of New Radius and must fight and tag their way through the numerous boroughs to start an uprising against the faceless tyrannical regime in power. Using their spray paint cans, players leave their mark across the city in a variety of colorful styles and occasionally come to blows with rivals as well as the military patrolling the streets. Even with the ludicrous premise, the game plays things completely straight, rarely cracking a joke as the title escalates the levels player character Trane must go to in order to leave his mark. Unfortunately, despite being well received, the game never earned a sequel in which to build off the markings of a great title.

WWE Crush Hour (2003)

Strange kart racers based on popular properties are nothing new, just look at Star Wars: Super Bombad Racing, but something so childish would never fit the bone crushing action of the WWE, so instead they took inspiration from the Twisted Metal series. The developers at Pacific Coast did a surprisingly admirable job adapting the normal wrestling nature of the show to a destruction derby style of gameplay with many of the arenas being based off matches directly from the series as well as each wrestler's car feeling appropriate to their character. With 20 playable characters after everyone has been unlocked as well as special moves for each, what could have been a cheap gimmick might not have all the complexity or gameplay depth of the series it took inspiration from but also could have ended up as nothing more than a very weird cash grab.

Akira: Psycho Ball (2002)

Out of all the ways to adapt the beloved Akira anime, why out of all the many, many possibilities, why was pinball seemingly the only option? You could have done something similar to Galerians which in itself is essentially an Akira game in all but name anyways. You could have done a racing game using the games awesome assortment of bikes racing through the neon soaked streets of Neo-Tokyo. You could have even done a shooter-style game as either the military battling a mutated Tetsuo or Kenada attempting to rescue his friend. But no. We got a pinball game. A competent pinball game, but still, a pinball game.

Which licensed game made you question its existence the most? Share your picks in the comments.