Top 10 Worst PS1 Games

Unsurprisingly, given the title of the game, this was more of an interactive ad for the soft drink rather than a proper video game. With bizarre humor and even weirder live action cutscenes, the faceless Japanese Pepsi Mascott runs around various environments trying to avoid different obstacles. This is all in aid of solving some Pepsi-themed problem like an empty vending machine or helping a thirsty soldier. If you’re a devout supporter of Pepsi then this may just be the game for you – but the gameplay is so bad it might make you wanna switch to Coke.

Many licensed games are often slack with the quality of the game as they rely on the profile of the show or film they are based on to distract from poor gameplay. Such was the case with this awful wrestling game that has been labeled as one of the ugliest games ever. The gameplay is similarly hard to watch as the collision detection is almost non-existent and the move sets are woefully limited. It could have been so much fun but such poor execution for a basic game premise makes it a struggle to play.

A PC version was released to critical disdain in 2000 so when the same action game was ported to the PS1 4 years later, there was an understandably negative reaction. The graphics were incredibly outdated for its era and the whole game was simply a misguided attempt to ride off the back of the release of the first Hellboy film released the same year. The controls were almost unfathomable and too few people were familiar with the character at the time to ever give it a chance of success.

The thought process for the publishers at the time for this game must have been: ‘How about we copy every other 3D platformer from the era but this time, but make it look, like, bad?’. Looking to ride the coat tails of far more successful games like Super Mario 64, Rascal was a poor imitation if there ever was one. The camera had a mind of it’s own and the controls were so poor that most of the time it is up to the will of the Rascal gods to where you actually end up.

It seems like the first superhero family have always been cursed when it comes to any sort of digital media. Once you start the game the problems become apparent almost immediately, thanks to control response time issue, hilariously bad character animation, lack of combat variety and some of the most irritating sound effects to come from the console. It’ storyline lacked any sort of substance and your foes were sometimes inexplicably hard to beat. If you manage to grind your way through the game and want more punishment, then be sure to watch the latest film featuring the quartet for maximum nightmare fuel.

A game that’s so bad that even series creator Ed Boon doesn’t want to acknowledge it’s existence. Mortal Kombat: Special Forces is a game that had a really troubled development history, and it shows. First problem: despite this spinoff focusing on the Special Forces taking on Kano’s Black Dragon, the game lacks a pivotal character: Sonya Blade, so instead we’re stuck with Jax. Secondly the iconic hand-to-hand combat the series is well known for, is not only terrible but also undermined by the extensive use of firearms. We could go on about the horrid level design and terrible story … but that would require a list of its own.

If you have ever been to London then you will know that there are almost as many cars as people. Traffic is everywhere and this racing title ignored the one thing that could have distracted from it’s awful collision detection and short completion length. Having Mini Coopers smash into each other on the streets of England’s capital could have been great but there is barely another soul on the tarmac. Adding to this is a laughably short draw distance and strange visual aborations galore – no fun at all…

It’s unclear how many Christmases were ruined for kids who received this painfully slow platformer, but no doubt Saint Nick himself would be upset by the quality of this title. The player must help Santa escape from his imprisonment in some unspecified magic lands but after 10 minutes playing time you will want to leave him there and get as far away as possible from this abysmal game. It boasts awful graphics and laborious gameplay where every boss battle takes place on the exact same level. Despite this it’s almost worth a play to see a front-flipping Father Christmas.

What happens when you take the rolling movements of Lara Croft, levels that seemed ripped out of Crash Bandicoot, all while trying to mimic the charm of Indiana Jones using one of the most vapid dolls in existence? A disaster that defies explanation. It could have worked well as a simple platform game but instead the bad camera angles and incredibly clunky controls make navigating the repetitive landscape an arduous task. It is wholly unoriginal and a sloppily created adventure as lifeless as the doll that serves as your protagonist.

Before we reveal our top pick let’s take a look at some dishonorable mentions.

“WCW: Backstage Assault” (2000)

“Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi” (1997)

“Resident Evil: Survivor” (2000)

“Rascal Racers” (2004)

“The Fifth Element” (1998)

This 3D platformer truly is an attack on almost all of your senses: every level is as ugly and fluorescent as the one before, the controls are completely random and every sound grinds on you like nails down a chalkboard. Worst of all is Bubsy’s horrible personality. He is whiny and arrogant so it is no surprise that the random assortment of enemies are trying to kill him. Every attempt at humour falls embarrassingly flat meaning it has almost no redeeming features whatsoever. It is well worth it’s infamy as one of the worst games ever.

Do you agree with our list? Which PS1 games will you never go near again? With so many bad games out there we are bound to have missed one or two. For more worst of top 10s be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.