10 Games That Had An Identity Crisis

Self-awareness is a powerful thing, particularly when it comes to video games. It's more important than you might think for a game to know exactly what it is - or, more importantly, what players want it to be. Knowing exactly what to aim for helps developers to make a good game, whereas including features that don't belong generally leads to a confusing mess. Sometimes, though, these stray ideas find their way into the finished game regardless. When this happens, it's practically impossible for players to miss, because they stick out like a whole big bag of severed sore thumbs. They really are that noticeable. Here are 10 Times Video Games Experienced an Identity Crisis.
VO: Ben Potter (@Confused_Dude)
Script: Niall Gray
Video Editor: Charlie Walsh (@ATopLad)
#Spyro #TonyHawk #Soulcalibur
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[@rhodrage]

Spyros Skateboarding was great. I love how he has a ripto picture on the underside of the board.

[@Zaron_Gaming]

MK racing is honestly really fun. It is not exactly balanced but it's always interesting each race

[@ukiuki3834]

I have such strong nostalgia towards Armagedon and Motor Kombat specially

[@Zontar82]

the chess in the previous game was much better

[@r-rod8116]

​​@@Zontar82 Including puzzle kombat on deception.

[@Zontar82]

@@r-rod8116 agreed

[@AsterYTMusic]

Number 11 - Brutal Legend. The aesthetic, music, world, characters and story were really good, but the gameplay was all over the place. In one moment, you are playing a hack n slash game, 5 minutes later a RTS, 5 minutes later a racing/vehicle combat game. Hope they make a sequel tho, the game had a lot of potential.

[@alterego6075]

It really did. I replayed it recently and found it pretty enjoyable all around. Being a longtime gamer and metalhead makes it that much better.

[@StudioInkblot]

The problem was they didn't really advertise anything but the hack and slash bits

[@ellnats]

it freaking rocked

[@eddiehimself]

In terms of featuring the "Majima Construction" RTS mini-game of Yakuza Kiwami 2, I think most fans of the series would say the biggest identity crisis was the 2012 game Yakuza: Dead Souls, which turned a brawling game featuring Japanese organised crime gangs into a 3rd person shooter/survival horror game with zombies lol.

[@Phrogly]

Revisited Soul Calibur 3 a bunch since it came out, and I can't lie I loved Chronicles of the Sword!

[@Zontar82]

agreed

[@monkaWGiga]

Chronicles of the sword is great. It's a pity it makes the save file unstable and kills your save data if you move/delete any data made before the SC3 save. Wish I'd known what caused it as a teen.

[@wanderlustwarrior]

@@monkaWGiga That bug is actually inconsistent, IIRC. I never encountered it.

[@Justforvisit]

@@monkaWGiga THAT'S what causes it?! DAMN! I had this bug back in the day and just thought I played just way too much with over 300 hours and maybe overflowed the save file...good to know that this wasn't the case then! Wish I had known that before....needless to say, I loved that game and played it to death! Literally....well, at least the save file....

[@Angel_Beats]

Chronicles of the Sword was so fun they should definitely have brought it back

[@Zontar82]

definitely

[@nellyp2622]

Sonic seemed to have an Identity crisis all throughout the 2000s into the early 2010s. Remember when he was a Werehog, and when he had a sword, and Sonic 2006 when he had a human girlfriend? You likely do remember no matter how hard you are trying to forget

[@theunknownstuntman4010]

Trying hard to forget, yeah thanks for that lol

[@DVGBlur]

Cod Vanguard had a bigger identity crisis than IW did

[@dylanthevillain1513]

You take video games way too seriously if you dont think Undead Nightmare is the single greatest DLC ever made.

[@KZRobbo]

I loved Peter Shiltons Handball Maradona as a kid, I feel like the only one to have ever heard of it so seeing it on a list has just made my day. Time for an HD remake.

[@frankbrodie5168]

I love how Ben is totally missing the point that the entire name was just a p-take on a rather infamous incident of the time. Also saying that the game wasn't really football. When it clearly was. Albeit a small part of the game. For a small price for the game. Like you, I loved the game. And will still occasionally find myself shouting out "SAAAVE!" in that deep voice from the game, if someone does something to save something falling etc.

[@rayceeya8659]

I feel like Brutal Legend belongs on this list but I'm one of the few who even remembers that game. A combination openworld, beat-em-up, RTS game with Jack Black as the hero. It's a hot mess but damn such a good game. The best soundtrack EVER!

[@wizzardoffuzz]

Really? You’ll accept soul calibur 3 having an identity crisis, but not even a mention of Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball?

[@loch3765]

Motor Kombat is a great Kart Racer though. It could easily be it's own full game that I would buy

[@putasdelfanta]

im here for the thumbnail.

[@nickjasperse9903]

Mortol kombat kart

[@tomojw3677]

Me too. Motor Kombat was great.

[@MontyDotharl]

All the PS2 Mortal Kombat games had weird shit. They all had "Konquest" mode for the story, with you running around fighting random guys, and one of them also had a puzzle mode.

[@revwroth3698]

I'd have put Kingdom Hearts on this list, they had a fantastic space shooter and they hid it in all this weird RPG mechanics with like, both Disney characters and final fantasy characters, and you had to play as a clown and nobody seems to understand that the word "blade" carries the expectation of there being an edge somewhere.

[@ryancraig110]

There is it's just at the top

[@revwroth3698]

@@ryancraig110 ... So it's a chisel? Alrighty then...

[@DMaster8686]

Chronicles of the Sword was by far my favourite mode in SCIII

[@jamalvargas6146]

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Mega Battle this tie in game had a huge Identity crisis all I can say is thank goodness for Legacy Wars and Battle For The Grid

[@SuburbanProperty]

Spyro’s skateboarding levels were some of the most memorable parts of that game…

[@dynamon911nz]

I Remember some rumblings around that time soul calibur 4 was still under development where supposted to have Chronicles of sword mode for fun but in the end was probaly scrapted in favor of the tower Battle. What a shame because It was the solely reason why they made create your character for Major potential into the story.

[@Marc_Araujo]

Even though it was only one game, I'd throw Brutal Legend onto this list...awesome game though.

[@motombo87]

American Wasteland is still my favourite of the Tony Hawk's series.

[@TheLarryburns84]

love Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. even the soundtrack alone is pretty damn good.. but yeah, I replayed it in full recently and it sure is a strange one. I laughed at some of the stuff in the story but a ton of it hasn't aged well I feel

[@aceassn716]

I get the criticism of the bmx bike (I didnt mind it) but the combo run out timer started in tony hawk underground, this was the 3rd game to use that feature

[@TheLarryburns84]

@@aceassn716 I actually kinda liked the bike once I learnt how to use it. the parkour has *always* confused me. from release date to that newest playthrough I've always found it unnecessary and the missions that use it annoying. as a kid, when it was new (very young, probably about 6 or 7) I actually couldn't beat the story once the parkour came into play because it controls so awkwardly, lolol

[@nicksorenson940]

Now I'm just imagining what the Techno Syndrome theme variation would be for a kart racer. "TEST YOUR SPEED... TEST YOUR SPEED... TEST YOUR SPEED... TEST YOUR SPEED... MOTOR KOMBAT!" "DRIVE!"

[@Sailor_alan]

Karmagedon was great same with the puzzle fighter mini game.

[@mattalan6618]

HONORABLE MENTION: goes to Puzzle Kombat and Kombat Chess

[@alvstar84]

Bowling in Tekken Tag (was good though)

[@derekwilhelm1555]

I still hold THAW very close to my heart its my favorite tony hawk game

[@cloudstrife1983]

How about an actual "Wheres Potter" or "Wheres Ashton" or "Wheres Ben" book?

[@wbcwinnipegbeltcollector]

Say what you will Khess Kombat was awesome 😂

[@army103]

Undead Nightmare is one of the only DLCs I've ever paid for, and it was worth every penny!

[@rickyrosay33977]

For the whole games category the crew is the first that comes to mind the first game was a story driven revenge plot racing/driving game while the second was a hollywood esque tv show racing/driving game while the 3rd one is considered a forza horizon clone

[@DragonKazooie89]

Banjo-Tooie: The game switches from 3D platformer to FPS at various points of the game, mostly in Breegull Blaster zones Also, Nuts & Bolts

[@theconductor20]

Chess Kombat in MK Deception and the Dr. Mario style puzzle game were both dope. Hope they add chess again to a future MK

[@wanderlustwarrior]

There has been a persistent rumor from shortly after the release of Shadow the Hedgehog that the game included guns because some younger fans had written in to SEGA asking for Sonic to use them. Indeed, guns were common in some of the other "edgier" platformers at the time. Soul Calibur III's Chronicles of the Sword, and Mortal Kombat Armageddon's Motor Kombat, were not only contemporaries and fitting with the evolution of fighting games at the time, but also consistent with their series' expansion into different mechanics in minigame modes: - Soul Calibur II had Weapon Master, an adventure mode. Soul Calibur IV had Tower of Lost Souls, a more straightforward battle tower. Both had special battle conditions in actual fights. - Mortal Kombat has had many minigames over the series, with the preceeding mainline entry having both Chess Kombat and Puzzle Kombat (which are exactly what they sound like). Various ports of games have even had balance minigames, a Fruit Ninja clone, etc. Of all of the above, the only ones I've actually played were Chronicles of the Sword and Weapon Master (and some of the minor MK minigames), and I liked both.

[@aceassn716]

Soulllllcalliiburrrrr On Sega Dreamcast has weapon master mode as well Namco always had nice modes Tekken force or volleyball anyone??

[@KrazyKain]

Dunno about this one. Doing something fun and unexpected isn't an identity crisis, it's silly fun.

[@DaFireman33]

Soul Calibur 3 is the the middle child of the franchise... it was trying a little bit of everything and had a few wacky elements. It made the game very unique, the most unique amongst all of em and the game that had alot of soul Chronicle of the Sword was my fav feature of Soul Calibour 3. Every soul calibur game after 3 was pretty lackluster and uninteresting, especially 4

[@Hungry800]

Not gonna lie but chronicle of the sword is a kinda fun campaign

[@jeremycheetham3605]

Every timeI hear Ben say Mario, I shudder like a ghost just passed through me

[@kvonjaco]

I've always felt that the RTS parts of Brütal Legend were completely unnecessary and out of place

[@gfear24]

Undead Nightmare is essentially the equivalent of zombie mode in Call of Duty. Has nothing to do with the cannon story. Just something different for those who want to have some fun trying something else. That's not an identity crisis. Identity crisis would be if it was a section in the main game and treated as cannon.

[@megaman7799]

I can't find the source for this so take this with however many grains of salt you fancy, but I remember reading that the reason Shadow the Hedgehog was so edgy and dark was because Sega thought that's what western kids were into and considered "cool". Given the fact that the 2000s saw nu metal dominating youth culture, they probably weren't too far off, but just because they got the hypothetical target market right doesn't mean the product was right because nobody wants to play edgy Sonic.

[@dylanogg347]

Seems Spyro was making tribute to one of the lesser known deities: Robo Hawk.

[@NostalgiaNate]

Jak II. Completely off the rails from a very solid first game in the series.

[@TheFriendlyYTuser]

number 12: cod vanguard Call of duty vanguard was supposed to be a WW2 game, however the two studios didnt agree on Nothing, so its what we know today.

[@CrimsonNick171]

I would genuinely pay for a full Motor Kombat racing game.

[@StudioInkblot]

American Wasteland was the first time I had heard of parkour.

[@putasdelfanta]

I need chest kombat to come back 😂

[@beewell1600]

OI... i draw the line on Sould Calibur 3 CotS... that was my favorite mode

[@5fingerdpunchfan]

Honestly thaw was the last good Tony hawk game before they tried to go away from the arcade feel and lean more into the sim/realistic side. Bike or no bike, the story was fun and the first open world Tony hawk game was a pretty big deal when it launched on ps3 and Xbox 360. Motor kombat was also my favourite mini game/ game mode in any of the mortal kombat games. They definitely need to bring it back. Great list though. Fun watch

[@motor4X4kombat]

the number one was literally what inspires to create my usser name

[@trillcrunk]

Have a feeling I’ll disagree with all of this. Hold on, be back.

[@dylanogg347]

American Wasteland, Proving Ground and Project 8 do stray from the Pro Skater formula. Even more so than the Underground games. But they're still fine games well in line with the Tony Hawk's Series. And they didn't go off the rails as much as Ride or Shred.

[@CorrespondentCat]

Can’t lie, I enjoyed Tony Hawks American Wasteland 🥳

[@PowuhToSeven]

I'm nominating Saints Row

[@aceassn716]

The third did go a bit out there hahaha

[@B.Sleazy]

I clearly remember people wanting a edgy Shadow game

[@WhatIsMatter101]

Shadow The Hedgehog is what happens when Sega wants to have a Wario to their mascot but doesnt know whether to be edgy, stay true to a Sonic 3D game or even research how SMGs doesn't have pump action. LOL

[@matteste]

The modern Shin Megami Tensei games clearly fall into this given how they clearly fail to understand what the series is about. Guilty Gear Strive also somewhat fall into this as well due to how it tosses away what the series is about in the name of mass appeal.

[@michaelsoto8490]

Soul Calibur 3 was my favorite 🤷

[@SuperCisMan]

American Wasteland is an incredible game. Only real ones know this fact. Hence why it's still highly sought after, sealed xbox 360 copies sell for 100 bills

[@simontabony]

I wish the Assassin's Creed series would just drop the whole modern day virtual experience simulator thing and just make games taking place exclusively in the setting they're supposed to be in. That being said, I haven't played any of them since Black Flag/Rogue, so it seems to be less of a focus these days. But still, they were the worst part of the 360-era titles. I remember playing the original when it first came out and was completely blind sided by the fact the story took place around all that stuff.

[@Potter13579PSN]

This list wouldn't be complete without Jak.

[@aceassn716]

Dark Jak along with combat racing haha I love those games

[@jackdoyle7453]

CoD's realism...

[@Livoynju]

resident evil 6?

[@pelago_]

Undead nightmare wasn’t trying to fit with the earnest western feel of the main game though. The reason why it worked so well was because it absolutely knew what it was. I love you guys, but this is a really weak list.

[@alterego6075]

Superman64. Lol

[@Nbflowers1989]

Like spike!

[@countgrammar04]

This list should only consist of games where the mechanic didn't work or function properly. Otherwise, who cares.

[@aliensweathands]

👽

[@Zontar82]

red dead revolvere had a nice story about revenge, where you played the good guy killing bad guy, but rockstar has to shit that up in favour of "gta gangster hurr durr" and make you a villain in rdr 1 and 2

[@EmpSkit]

I'm early

[@lifespanofafry1534]

I’m gay

[@evolancer211]

I mean COD can do a futuristic game, if they took some inspiration from how Titanfall did it. That is some massive air on those backflips lol

[@jackdoyle7453]

Anyway Infinite Warfare was the best game in the franchise.

[@GacMan47]

I think this video proves you guys need to slow the fuck down with these top 10 lists.

[@lifespanofafry1534]

I farted

[@brandenaguilar2962]

I sharted😊

[@DirtyRottenTaylor]

Worst. List. Ever.