Humongous Entertainment Games RANKED From WORST to BEST

[@BinglesP]

6:20 I know that “Putt-Putt Verbs the Noun” is supposed to be the blank example of the naming scheme, but that title would’ve been a great name for an English-educational spinoff of Putt-Putt

[@LeafRazorStorm]

I'm still convinced that "Enters the Race" may have began development as a remake of "Joins the Parade."

[@ShadowEl]

the latter two Putt-Putt games before Pep's Birthday Surprise are pretty blatant attempts at aping Joins the Parade and Saves the Zoo respectively. I wish he'd gone back to the moon instead of throwing Pep a party...but budgets.

[@feIon]

theyre both very very similar

[@13StJimmy]

To me the art style of these games are just unparalleled, I know nostalgia plays a big factor but it’s such a good mix of surrealism and Saturday morning cartoon that’s just so pleasing to look at

[@hytalegermany1095]

it also has those dark moody vibes especially in pajama sam 1, do not know what they remember me of but I reaally love those vibes.

[@UltraSilverRaven]

I know this is becoming an older video at this point, but I really just wanted to give you a huge, gigantic thank you for making these Humongous Entertainment videos. I genuinely was searching for a loooong time for a channel that did deep dives into even just a couple of the games and to find your channel with videos on every game in every series AND the history of the company AND ranking the best games? Dude just hats off to you in every way. I’ve 100% found one of my new top favorite channels, thank you for what you do 😄

[@Starpotion]

Your HE videos are what got me into your channel and style of content, and I still stand by the fact they are the single greatest documentations of Humongous Entertainment, there isn't anything out there like it, and probably won't be forever. The amount of research and dedication in that series clearly shows that you have the talent and aptitude to cover something with spectacular results and it's what makes me a little sad to see your departure from this channel. I can only imagine the toll that covering Backyard Sports took, and quite frankly I think it would have been for the best to stop once HE was dissolved. But you did it, you uncovered and reviewed every single piece of history about Humongous Entertainment and I think that's something to be proud of, even if the end result of that labor didn't quite pan out. Even if I'm just one voice in a sea of many, you did a fantastic job making something special for a game series dear to you, and I'm happy to have been able to witness that journey.

[@skyleague9844]

Great video! Here are my takeaways: 1) #15-20 I predicted exactly right. All of them were very well placed. Definitely some twists and turns from there, though. 2) I was shocked with how low Spy Fox 3 was. Felt like it would have been in the top half for sure, maybe only a spot or two lower than Spy Fox 2. 3) On the contrary, Putt-Putt Enters the Race was definitely not something I expected to see in the top half, but maybe that’s just me. 4) Your ranking of the Freddi Fish series shocked me. Sure, you already said that you preferred 1 over 2 and 3 over 4, although I personally disagree with both. But unless I’m forgetting something, I thought for sure that Freddi Fish 5 would be your favorite of the series? Freddi Fish 3 is great and all, but I did not see that one being in the top four coming. 5) The top three. I knew for sure which games would be there, but had the order completely wrong. I thought Pajama Sam 1 was going to take the top spot for sure, then Spy Fox 1, then Pajama Sam 2. Putting Pajama Sam 2 as your #1 overall was quite the twist, and while I wouldn’t do the same I totally respect it. The dialogue in that game is elite, although the setting and general premise of the first game are just unmatched for me.

[@JacobsonCinema]

This was an incredibly awesome list Shadow Streak! I don't play video games but these were an exception and I'm grateful that this studio was a huge part of my childhood. Thank You for reminding me how much I love these games.

[@Asaylum117]

Some of these games from this list gives me flashbacks of my childhood. I remember playing some of these games on my old friends PC that was located at a farm and the other time I played one of the games on my old potato PC. Good times!

[@mercenarygundam1487]

All this brings back good memories. It's just a shame Humongous Entertainment died out the way it did. Oh well, as Dr. Seuss once said: Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

[@CheeseburgerTurtle]

When did Dr. Seuss say that?

[@killjoy7346]

Well now we can relive some of them on ps4

[@joshcoy6748]

It's still a shame, some of these games were a part of my childhood.

[@choochoo1963]

My parents were so nice to me as a kid, I played a ton of these and they mean a lot to me. I haven't finished this video nor have I revisited these games in 10+ years but I'll give my top 3 beforehand: 1. Pajama Sam: No Need To Hide When It's Dark Outside 2. Spy Fox in Dry Cereal 3. Putt-Putt Travels Through Time Alright hope my childhood taste wasnt bad hahaha

[@choochoo1963]

Pajama Sam 2 huh, I'll need to revisit that one! Great video man, me and my girl are trying for our first child and I can't wait to play these games with them. Kudos, good sir.

[@P_araps]

a tiny bit unrelated but omg another person with pajama sam as their profile picture lol

[@choochoo1963]

@@P_araps what’s up pajama sam homie

[@MattLemonsackMusic]

I forgot I had a couple of these. I remember enjoying all the ones I had. Pajama Sam 1 was almost definitely my favorite. A significant moment in my childhood was in Freddi Fish & the Missing Conch. It had a little thing where you could make music, and that’s when I discovered how much I enjoyed creating songs. That was my takeaway from that game lol

[@Zaiqahal]

I have SO much to watch from you that includes my childhood. I honestly think you're my favorite KZbin channel of all time. I'm sad that I couldn't have found you much sooner. It was only until I randomly searched for a retrospective on Humongous Entertainment that I was finally aware of your existence.

[@yogibear8683]

Out of all the favourites I say Pajama Sam and Spy Fox are my personal tied favourite, but If I still had to choose only one I got with Pajama Sam.

[@Woodswolf]

Just found this randomly (the Algorithm has blessed you on this day, may plentiful view-counts be soon to come) and wow is this great. The HE games (at least the subset of the collection I played as a kid) were a huge part of my childhood and all really great. Glad to see the respect for Freddy Fish 3 and 5 (and Chumlet), though I personally would've ranked Pajama Sam 3 way higher solely because its soundtrack is STRAIGHT bangers. If I had to make a tier list (unordered within tiers except S), I'd rank them something like this: S tier: Freddi Fish 3 >= Pajama Sam 1 = Pajama Sam 2 A tier: Freddi Fish 5, Pajama Sam 3, Putt Putt Travels Through Time B tier: Freddi Fish 1, Putt Putt Saves the Zoo C tier: Freddi Fish 2, Freddi Fish 4 Are the first two Pajama Sams objectively better games than Freddi Fish 3? Yeah, probably. But Freddi Fish 3 has always been my favorite simply because the last section in the temple is in my opinion the best and most memorable "final section" out of any of the Freddi Fish games. If the Pajama Sam series had any of those like the Freddi Fish series did, the first two would be literally perfect games. That being said, this video has convinced me to try to track down the Spy Fox series and try those! As should be obvious, I never played any of those as a kid, though I've always wondered what they'd be like - this video just pushed me over the edge into "hm, I should do that maybe sometime soon instead of within the next 50 years".

[@wanderer.1993]

No. Just no

[@RainbowJemHxC]

How I missed this channel. It's been a long time since I visited. I really am thankful to binge watch your series. It was AMAZING.

[@lardratboy]

I don't comment on videos often but this video made me smile, thank you

[@gnus78]

"Fatty Bear Birthday Surprise" was one of my first 3DO games, and I spent a lot of time playing it. It was my favorite children's game at the time because I liked how you could interact with every object on the screen.

[@jeremythomaswebb1485]

Hey thanks for going to so much trouble to cover all of Humongous Entertainment. It's quite a impressive feat. I've always loved these games and I never get tired of them. Watching your videos has encouraged me to play them all over again. And they are just as fun as before. I've enjoyed watching all your videos and I've managed to get through all of them before the end of 2022 (smashing through the backyard sports retrospective in two days flat!!). Hope you have a awesome New Year's and all the best in 2023!! :D ;) :)

[@amesstarline5482]

I wonder if "Pep's Birthday Surprise" could be renamed "Putt-Putt Preps for Pep"?

[@scottleung9587]

That would've rolled off the tongue much nicer, but apparently those evil corporate overlords didn't care whatsoever.

[@shimyku7820]

Thank you very much for bringing me back to my childhood. Hugs from France !

[@Stark21293]

I absolutely love this HE videos; but it makes me so sad/nostalgic that they went out of business……..I, to this day, think that Humongous Entertainment is easily in the top 3 developers/producers of all time in terms of just straight BANGERS of games

[@Tourettes0]

rewatching this video and then the entire series right now

[@Tourettes0]

oh look, here we are again

[@shtembyduelsson]

Me and my friend played Pajama Sam 2 and Spy Fox in Dry Cereal as kids. Since English isn't our primary language (we're Czech), we finished the games when we were 12 and randomly stumbled upon them. I'm so glad that these two were the ones that he owned.

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

Great companies come and go, but at least we will always have Chumlet.

[@rodvx2]

Putt-Putt saves the zoo was MY first computer game, and you are SO right about it being a great introduction. It holds such a precious spot in my heart

[@Tourettes0]

why didnt they call Peps Birthday Surprise “Putt Putt Plans Peps Party”

[@scottleung9587]

That would've been great alliteration! But of course a couple years after Infogrames pretty much beheaded HE with what they did at that hotel, creativity just took a back seat.

[@olliesmith7578]

Or if you had to do “verbs the noun” you could have “putt putt plans the party”

[@vincent1935]

This was a great video and a great retrospective!

[@seankim8908]

Well, since we don't know when you will be back from your break, sayonara for now, Shadow!

[@Pooky1991]

Growing up I played a ton of Reader Raabbit, Jumpstart, Math Blasters, Mystery Finders, and other educational games, but somehow the Humongous Entertainment games slipped right by me. It's ashame because these look like games I would have loved as a kid.

[@happythekatt8419]

Would you ever consider looking into the Nancy Drew series? I know it’s a bit of a far cry from Humongous games but they’re charming games that had a long run despite how niche the audience for them is. I’m not even mentioning this for a retrospective or any sort of video, at this point I’m just trying to share these games with anyone who’ll listen lmao.

[@scottleung9587]

Outstanding job on capturing the entire HE franchise, Shadow! After I grew out of these, I was afraid it would fall under the radar and into the obscurity abyss forever. Paradoxically though, you breathed new life into all this nostalgia with these retrospectives and I can't thank you enough. Now I have a peace of mind, knowing that I wasn't alone playing these supposedly obscure games by any means. The 5-year-old in me is definitely beaming with joy and excitement!

[@d-baer4161]

Freddi fish was such a revolutionary game to be a part of. Thank you so much for dedicating time and effort to our games and preserving the effort that has been put into these pieces of history. Such a great feeling

[@jayreed632]

I feel much vindication that Pajama Sam 2 landed at its rightful spot at number 1. Thanks for the great videos about my childhood... I mean, Humongous Entertainment games.

[@aaww1010]

My favorite thing in Freddy fish case of the missing kelp seeds is the Easter egg if you change one number and the code the fish eats Luther

[@madyshae7890]

I've enjoyed all of these humongos videos so much! Thanks for making them

[@chameleoncove]

I just had an idea for a Pajama Sam game called "A Special Event is Time Well Spent" in which Pajama Sam attends a wedding for Carrot on Mo-Top island.

[@Newwaytoofeelthepain]

I would like to see YOUR personal ranking list one day

[@BugsyFoga]

Putt travels through time will always be a classic in my eyes

[@soapsub001]

Nicely done. How about to do video about The Learning Company and their titles?

[@brianblumenreich9026]

You could replay it a thousand times and you can replay it over and over and over again!

[@donkoberna6889]

So on point!!! I'm so glad you just explained what I've been thinking for so long!!!

[@doctorshutup9817]

Awesome series, man. These games felt like a steroid shot to my imagination as a kid and they all have so much heart. I think that's what makes them so timeless.

[@Stark21293]

SpyFox got me into James Bond lol

[@doctorshutup9817]

@@Stark21293 Right on man!

[@robbiewalker2831]

54:03: Missed Opportunity to say “Instead, it aged like Wine, which goes great with Cheese.” Something to go with the expectation being “Aged like milk”.

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

Brutalmoose intriduced me to the knowledge these games exisy, and with the collection on switch soon, I'll finally experience them(his fatty bear video was my first exposure to these devs, so shame he didnt make the cut as I don't remember brutalmoose's clips making him look bad 😂)

[@uforad170]

I remember actually owning and playing "Life is Rough" a lot as a kid. Genuinely I didn't remember it looking so ugly, I just really liked the missing sock song and the tiny deflated balloon. I think I owned one or two of the other games -- I only say this because I remember Sam's voice being different than the one from "Life is Rough". Still kind of weird looking back on it that I was so hype about such a crummy game as a kid. It still holds a special place in my heart though, alongside a number of other Humongous titles.

[@bunnithebunbun]

My bff had some Putt-Putt games we played as kids and I LOVED them! SOOOOO nostalgic! My favorites were Putt-Putt Travels Through Time and Putt-Putt Goes to the Zoo!

[@GoDrifts]

i love how you make your videos, its greattt!!!

[@timothyfogarty5829]

You can buy the bundle with all these games plus the others he didn't add minus backyard sports for 106 dollars on steam if you're looking for a nostalgia trip

[@pgj1997]

5:40 You do know there's a skip button, right? It's usually Escape or Enter.

[@brianblumenreich9026]

Putt-Putt: Travels Through Time IS THE BEST!!!

[@sonofbelz]

You know HE were some awesome children's oriented game devs when even the "bad" games were still good enough for kids. I had both Birthday Surprise and Life is Rough and I enjoyed them just as much as all the rest back when overall quality just didn't matter as much as a kid. I recognize they have a lot of issues now and they're not nearly as good as their predecessors, but they certainly still did their job at the time.

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

I agree with most placements in this HUMONGOUS ranking! Pep's Birthday Surprise is definitely the worst, an unfortunate display of the company's sad fate. And Pajama Sam 2 is an absolute masterpiece! I may be biased, as that is the first PJ Sam I played back in the day, and it makes me incredibly nostalgic, but in their prime, HE's games were truly brilliant.

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

This video was very nice,I like these videos Hope to see more and have a nice day.

[@SynysterGoose]

Pajama Sam is GOATed

[@fishingwithdom1657]

I thought the lollipop from PJ Sam 3 would play a bigger role. Still a favorite of mine!

[@Tibor0803]

I was totally surprised that Freddi Fish 1 got so low ranked while Pajama Sam 2 got first placed.

[@thenextbigthing3167]

Can you review the humongous classics collection on nintendo switch to see if it's a direct port or are there some improvements that have been made

[@marymurphy1429]

I know HE has been defunct for a while but are there people out there making adventure games for kids though? I feel like you could make Junior adventure like games for mobile devices pretty easily with click points and everything and a lot of younger kids would get a kick out of it (heck I'd enjoy it too but I'm weird lol) Idk it just makes me sad to think how few mobile games for kids on the market currently seems to have any amount of care and story details put into them, not to mention the predatory way most mobile games are monetized. Just feels bad

[@alexanderklepp]

Great job, Shadow. Enjoy your hiatus. You deserve it for all the hard work you’ve done.

[@tp456]

Who else really wanted a dumwaiter from the kitchen in pajama sam. To use as an elevator was a dream of mine

[@jacksonavino1524]

did you know in pajama sam you are what you eat there a disturbing easter egg where sam and a girl broccoli have to get past a candy security but if you put a code the candy security becomes seattle WTO guards they even have shield and gas mask too

[@shpostmile1510]

Ayy good watch! I was ready to throw hands over spy fox before I watched it but hey, turns out not everybody is dismissive of it

[@FlyingDuckMan360]

I'm excited to play Humongous Classics Collection on Switch, as it will have six classic HE! games, five of which are in this video's top five.

[@bunnithebunbun]

My bff had some Putt-Putt games we played as kids and I LOVED them! SOOOOO nostalgic!

[@Kieran113]

Freddie fissh 1 came out the day before my first birthday and and Freddie is my favourite humongous character

[@wusstunes]

Mr. firebird isn't in putt-putt enters the race because hes in jail.

[@betamaxblocker]

Freddi Fish 3 will always be my favorite (although it is a close one.) In terms of both visuals and gameplay, I see it as the magnum opus of the Junior Adventures.

[@citroenboter]

I agree with a huge chunk of this list, however I do feel while PS2 is a LOT more extensive and I have a lot of fond memories, but when it comes to atmosphere the first one can't be beat. I always really enjoyed the 'Land of Darkness' and how it feels just SO right.

[@pilozar_8]

Just Thank You! I view full video. My lover games from kidness!

[@wisconsinrebelhomes7587]

Putt-Putt Travels Through Time I love the most as well

[@SynysterGoose]

And I have pajama Sam 1-3 on my phone to play whenever

[@NocturnalViruss]

Freddi Fish was the only ones I never played! Trying them out now, though 😂

[@shualopez1288]

Oooh I have to disagree with where you’ve placed Freddi Fish 2. That’s always been the best(from an objective standpoint). It has the most detail in its songs and environments and it set the standard for point and click games for years to come. I think that ramping down the stakes was also a good idea. The intense themes were why I rarely replayed Freddi Fish 1 as a kid.

[@Mew_Master]

So long, for now.

[@thesaltlordt]

I think I got some of these games on one of those 50 pc games or something at Costco when I was a kid

[@jramz5176]

Putt Putt Birthday Surprise is actually my 3rd fav putt putt game, I agree with a decent amount of your criticism. Some of it I can personally look past and be unbothered with it mainly animation and some of the voice acting. I think it's because it was the first game I ever played I believe, unless it was the Zoo, cant remember but one of the two. Pajama Sam 4, yeah that can easily be the worst.

[@ThousandDollarSparkler]

i audibly GASPED when i heard sam’s voice in “life is rough when you lose your stuff” and it was not pamela adlon. bobby hill 🤝 pajama sam.

[@charliesplaytimeadventures4011]

have you played the switch ports of the humongous entertainment games yet? the only one i haven't played yet was spy fox 1.

[@robbiewalker2831]

How were the He! Games that you did get?

[@charliesplaytimeadventures4011]

@@robbiewalker2831 they're good, thanks for asking.

[@brianblumenreich9026]

I had to look through a walk through on KZbin of PUTT-PUTT ENTERS THE RACE just to know what to do.

[@cofagrigusfan24]

with how popular remakes are these days imagen if Humungous Entertainment had the chance to recreate the original DOS titles in the Travel Through Time style with the original team comming back together, as an indie team or something

[@the1magageneral323]

The best Humongous Entertainment games was the Backyard sports series starting with Backyard Baseball.

[@Snartfoodler]

I honestly really loved Putt-putt joins the circus, but I'm not sure why lol. It just struck me as more charming than the rest.

[@drawingfandome]

YO! Putt putt goes to the moon is my fav putt putt game in the series if only because it’s the first one I ever played and what got me into humongous entertainment! Rip that title for being so low. 😢 Tho since pajama Sam (my actual all time favorite humongous entertainment series excluding the fourth title in the pajama Sam series.) is much higher ranked I can forgive your lower ranking of putt putt goes to the moon.

[@bakrobertjohnston4889]

Its a shame pajama sam only got 3 games, yup only 3 no more that ever existed or will exist

[@rommix0]

There were actually 4, but I don't blame you for not knowing that because 4 was not that good.

[@NevilleTheDevil361]

@@rommix0That was the joke. It’s the idea of “We don’t talk about 4”.

[@rommix0]

@@NevilleTheDevil361 thanks for stating the obvious

[@HunterR1223]

These videos were a fun walk down memory lane! Good stuff!

[@youngfella75]

I love KZbin ❤️....it has every video you want to look up.

[@DopamineSk8Vidz]

I love these games I got the whole collection on steam and have yet to play through them all haha

[@wisconsinrebelhomes7587]

Pajama Sam 1 & 2 I love as well

[@EmeraldCoasttt]

One thing I don't like about the later humongous games is that characters move their entire head while talking, and I find that really distracting And this is specific to Sam but I think that when he went off model in the first game it really accentuated his emotions in really fun ways, but in 2 & 3 when he goes off model it's just his eyes being too far up his face in close ups In general I think being off model in animation is only bad when it results in the character looking worse, it's great for when you want to exaggerate a chatacter's features to portay specific emotions, and of course smear frames. Lots of good smears in humongous games

[@Crazd22]

The first two Putt-Putt games are good. They may sit at the bottom of the ranking but they're good games. Pajama Sam 4 is also a pretty decent game that featured original characters and material. I can forgive those 3. It's mostly just Pep's Birthday Surprise that stands out as feeling very unfinished and reusing materials from Enters the Race.

[@brianblumenreich9026]

I found PUTT-PUTT: PEP'S BIRTHDAY SURPRISE and PAJAMA SAM: LIFE IS ROUGH WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR STUFF SOOOOOOOO underwhelming!!!!

[@ohboiherewego6831]

So what’s it called when you recall memories that you didn’t know you had? Asking for a friend.

[@aaww1010]

I think it’s funny that most of your top five ended up coming to switch and other platforms

[@NobleAbsinthe]

Your speech cadence is the exact same as demodcracy, it's "bouncy."

[@Ensign_games]

fun-fact I can speedrun operation ozone I had memorized every random aspect and I did it at the age of 12. . .

[@maddog197x]

The amount of times I ran the race with Putt Putt is not something I can count, that was so much fun for me as a kid. Also, your praises for Freddi Fish 3, Spy Fox 2, and Pajama Sam 2 really make me wish I had them as a kid. Those were the only HE games I didn't have. That said, I actually do have SF2 on Steam but I never got around to playing it. I should buy the others on Switch since they recently got released on the eShop. This video just brings back so much nostalgia for me and I really love your thoughts on every single one of them, good or bad. And I learend a few new things too, so just more trivia to tell my family.

[@raymundallan]

dougdoug should do Pajama Sam 2!!!

[@LateNightTableCo]

48:08 Top Ten Vehicle Universes Better Than Pixar’s Cars: Number 3, Putt Putt

[@wisconsinrebelhomes7587]

Freddie Fish 3 is awesome

[@brianlevine871]

Unless pure memory counts, and maybe watching Let's Play videos, I can't rank any of these games myself (excluding the games I never played). Nonetheless, it was great seeing your placement for these games and the following reasons for each one. It's especially amusing how everything beyond the bottom two could be considered serviceable in some way. And man, just hearing the soundtrack from many of these games really takes me back to my childhood, including the MS-DOS games.