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Lamers?
I'm trying to figure out if Lamers is ambitious enough to fit under our definition of a glorious trainwreck, or if it's sufficient for your game to be ridiculous.
Lamers, of course, is a parody of Lemmings in which little people wander around aimlessly, occasionally stacking blocks like Builder lemmings, and it is your job to kill them before they reach the goal. I've always found it strangely compelling despite the fact that it lasts all of ten minutes (which is merciful, since that's about as long as the joke stays funny). The final stage is a pretty good example of not letting yourself get caged in by your game mechanics, though.
Why not?
I'd say yes. It's silly and off-the-cuff; I can imagine it being thrown together over a long weekend after a drunken night with some buddies. It's notable that it doesn't take itself too seriously, even as a parody (as evidenced by the short length.) Maybe it's not glorious per se, but I'd say we should err on the side of inclusiveness.
What about Barkley, Shut Up
What about Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden? I don't think so, myself - I haven't actually tried it yet, but it seems almost too well-thought-out. (Space Commander Frasier Crane would probably count if it existed, though.)
I'm a little loath to try to rigidly define criteria, but I guess it'd be helpful to have some sort of baseline.
Well, my goal isn't to
Well, my goal isn't to rigidly define criteria; I just want to get a better feel for what this movement is really all about.
I totally want to be inclusive of Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden, though. I have played it, and it is god-damned hilarious. It takes a standard mechanic (the JRPG, in this instance), and then piles all manner of absurdity on top, which is practically my working definition of the genre. It's not necessarily the same KIND of reckless, joyful game design that amateur game developers in the early 90s embraced, but I think the mindset is definitely there. Definitely, if for some crazy reason they decided to post a developer diary for it here, that would be more than OK with me.
Yeah, so I played it
Yeah, so I played it yesterday and I totally take back what I said. It is delightfully nutter.
Incidentally, I totally just
Incidentally, I totally just now bought a used shareware games CD that has Lamers on it! SERENDIPITY.
More serendipity: at the
More serendipity: at the beginning of the week I picked up an SNES game more or less at random from a $3 bargain bin. As it turns out, Excalibu- um, X-Caliber 2097 is the game from which Barkley: Shut Up and Jam Gaiden takes its setting (and the battle sequence sprite for Balthios/Hellbane.) It is pretty terrible!
The link to Lamers is
The link to Lamers is broken. =(
Here's a list of Lamers
Here's a list of Lamers download links, which I'm sure will be dead in another four years. If you're from the future or just feel like downloading the files one at a time, here is a link that will last at least until Jason Scott keels over dead. And here's a fairly pleasant Let's Play video of Lamers.