Summary
Sony released banger after bangeron thePlayStation 3throughout the mid to late 2000s and into the 2010s, packing the console with critical darlings and exclusives that established beloved franchises. It’s a great coincidence, then, that a lot of those games had the secondary goal of making the player double over laughing.
Some of these games arefunnyentirely on their own merits. Alternatively, they come from developers who may fill their casts and writing rooms with some big names in the entertainment industry in order to make the funniest games even funnier. When this happens, it can mean big things for players who want to have a good time.
Lollipop Chainsaw
GRAB A CHAINSAW AND PREPARE TO GRIND ONE OUT. THE TWISTED MINDS OF SUDASI AND FAMED-HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR JAMES GUNN COLLABORATE TO DELIVER A TITILLATING RIDE INTO A ZOMBIE INFESTED BLOOD BATH.
Lollipop Chainsaw’s3rd-person action gameplay gets stale pretty quickly, but its over-the-top premise involving a high school cheerleader fighting through a zombie apocalypse accompanied by her boyfriend’s bombastic, reanimated head dangling at her waist is more than enough reason why it’s worth giving this game a try.
The banterbetween Nick and Juliettestrikes a delicate balance between being genuinely funny and pretty adorable. This is no doubt because it comes in part from the mind of James Gunn, who’d go on to create HBO’sPeacemaker, as well as Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise.
WithSaints Row 4, developer Volition pulled out all the stops to create one of the funniest open-worlds there is. The devs continued the series' forward marchinto the absurdby having the player’s created character be elected President of the United States, immediately preceding an alien invasion.
Saints Row 4is a ridiculous power fantasy where players can leap between rooftops and use their newfound abilities to take down alien threats. This drastic shake-up to the gameplay of the series is comical, but definitely welcome after realizing that the game’s map is essentially the same as its predecessor.
Short but sweet,Bulletstormpacks a lot into its7ish-hour runtime. It tells the revenge tale of Grayson Hunt and his mates after being set up to do some heinous deeds by their commander. That being said, the story is secondary to the action-packed gameplay, which is essentially a score attack game.
Players play solo or in co-op, using an arsenal of guns, grenades, and a handy whip to stylishly dispatch enemies. The more creative the kill, the more points are doled out. This game heartily embraces its fun ragdoll physics to great effect as the player characters fill the air with their crass wit.
Step Into An 80s Sci-Fi Film
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Welcome to an 80s vision of the future taking place on a bizarre open world island crawling with evil, now on the current generation of consoles. Become Sergeant Rex Colt, a cyber commando. Get the girl, kill the bad guys, save the world.- As Sergeant Rex Colt, you are part man, part machine, all American. You are a state-of-the-art Mark IV cyber commando on a mission of vengeance.- Experience updated graphics and gameplay for modern platforms to allow players to experience every cliché of this VHS-era vision of the nuclear future.- Take down the enemy with ninja stars, guns, or even just good old explosives. Your battle. Your way. Their tough luck.
What could possibly follow up one of the console generation’s most important FPSs, one that helped to define a decade of open-world games? Why, an80s sci-fi actionflick infused DLC that completely changes the look and feel of the game, of course.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragontakes the great and influential gameplay ofFar Cry 3and gives every bit of it a neon-tinged makeover. The main character in this outing, Rex Colt, is readily equipped for all the explosive fun in store, and that includes having bundles of quips and one-liners to deliver. The DLC was so popularit got its own Netflix adaptation.
Think Tactically About Rock-And-Roll
Brutal Legend
Brütal Legend is an action-adventure that marries visceral action combat with open-world freedom. Set in a universe somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Spinal Tap, it’s a fresh take on the action/driving genre, which in this case is full of imitation cover bands, demons intent on enslaving humanity and Heavy metal tunes.Featuring the talents of comedian, actor and musician, Jack Black as super roadie Eddie Riggs, as well as cameos by some of the biggest names in metal music it’s a wild ride in the belly of the beast that is not to be missed by gamers and Metalheads alike.Included as a free bonus in the PC version of Brütal Legend are both the Hammer of Infinite Fate and Tears of the Hextadon multiplayer map packs.The vivid and wildly creative world of Brütal Legend is brought to life through a spate of chrome, leather, rocker babes, epic music, fire-breathing/stud-wearing beasts, mountains made of guitar amps, and more. Follow Eddie as he embarks on a tour of epic destruction with an axe, a guitar, and his minions as he commands the power of rock in epic band battles. It’s lighter-flicking awesomeness that will melt your face clean off.
One of the biggest surprises of 2009 was the 3rd-person real-time strategy isekaiBrutal Legend. The game follows roadie Eddie Riggs, voiced by and modeled after none other than actor/musician Jack Black, as he works to find his way through a heavy metal-soaked fantasy land.
Brutal Legendis unique in its gameplay, as an action game with some surprisinglydeep RTS elements. Every faction is some sort of play on the culture of rock and roll, with units that go even deeper, like Headbangers and Gravediggers.
Join The Kids Of South Park In An Epically Funny RPG
South Park: The Stick of Truth
From the perilous battlefields of the fourth-grade playground, a young hero will rise, destined to be South Park’s savior. From the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes an epic quest to become… cool. Introducing South Park™: The Stick of Truth™.For a thousand years, the battle has been waged. The sole reason humans and elves are locked in a neverending war: The Stick of Truth. But the tides of war are soon to change as word of a new kid spreads throughout the land, his coming fortold by the stars. As the moving vans of prophecy drive away, your adventure begins.Arm yourself with weapons of legend to defeat underpants gnomes, hippies and other forces of evil. Discover the lost Stick of Truth and earn your place at the side of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as their new friend. Succeed, and you shall be South Park’s savior, cementing your social status in South Park Elementary. Fail, and you will forever be known… as a loser.
After years of 90s kids being barred from watchingSouth Parkbecause of its iconic raunchy humor,The Stick of Truthcame along to let them know what they were missing. In this game, players are made to create their own “new kid” and take part in an epic, city-wide LARPing adventure.
While turn-based games aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, it just makes sense as a vehicle to deliver Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s unique brand of meta-comedy. Every inch of this game is full of references andthe comedic charmthat fans of the show know so well. It all just works best at the slow pace of an RPG.
TheGrand Theft Autoseries is a tour-de-force in many respects, having influenced countless other open-worlds over the years (including some on this list). However,GTA 5is just another beast entirely, putting players in the shoes of three different characters each experiencing their own, at times, hilariously presented issues.
It’s a masterclass in how to blend satire with exceptional gameplay and off-the-wall characters. Speaking of characters, they are wild, each getting themselves into some hairy situations before their fates inevitably come careening to an emotional head.
Gearbox’s formula of mixing comedy andlooter-shooter gameplayhas simply never steered them wrong throughout their time developing theBorderlandsseries. This is especially true withBorderlands 2, where the series' addictive gameplay, original cell-shaded art style, and consistently wacky cast of characters were perfected.
The greatest feat ofBorderlands 2, though, has to be Handsome Jack, the game’s deliciously diabolical antagonist. He is incredibly unlikable, but still somehow gets the player to laugh alongside him during his many maniacal monologues.
It’s hard to understate how important thePortalgames are to the comedy scene in video games. Valve created one of the most well known video game characters in GLAdOS during their first go around. This was followed up byPortal 2, further fleshing out the Half-Life adjacent series with more wise-cracking characters like Stephen Merchant’s Wheatley, or by J.K. Simmon’s portrayal of Aperture CEO, Cave Johnson.
ThePortalseries had gamers thinking through puzzle solutions in a completely different way from what other puzzlers would require. They tended to be massive head scratchers, but struck a balance that kept players pushing toward the next story beat, as well as the next joke.
