10 Worst Games Of 1997

Ah, 1997, what a wonderful 365 days. It was the year of the Tamagotchi, Spice Up Your Life, and Steve Irwin’s Crocodile Hunter. It was also a fantastic time for fans of video games, with developers churning out the likes of Goldeneye 007 and Final Fantasy VII. Sadly though, it wasn’t all good news, and whilst 1997 was great for all of the aforementioned reasons, the games industry also unleashed its fair share of absolute stinkers. For this list, we are once again taking a look back at one particular year and shining a light on its worst video game offerings, at least according to GameRankings. As always, a game must have received a minimum of seven professional reviews in order to qualify, so if you’re looking for The Crow: City of Angels, then I’m afraid you’re right out of luck. Here are the 10 Worst Games of 1997.
VO: Ben Potter (@Confused_Dude)
Script: Cat Elliot (@cat_elliott_)
Video Editor: Ciaran Henry (@CiaranHenry268)
#StarWars #Frogger #BeastWars
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[@dawnofapril3055]

As bad as Masters of Teras Kasi may be, I still have fond memories of it. My dad was a big Star Wars fan, so he played it with me a lot growing up, even if he wasn't good at it.

[@SaraphDarklaw]

I gave away my copy to my neighbor.

[@rvcklvss]

@@SaraphDarklaw I was that neighbor! And I still treasure that copy to this day

[@Starvino]

I played it young, so I have some not unpleasant memories of it. However, it was overshadowed by Star Wars Demolition and Episode 1, both of which hold a soft spot in my heart and I would still play today

[@theGodfather5870]

Right?? Same omg 😁 first saw it as a demo on a PSM demo disk I got as a wee fella, and played it OVER and OVER hehe :3

[@oldschoolm8]

I actually kinda liked it too, and got pretty good at it....why? I don’t know.

[@texamurai]

VMX seems to stand for Virtual Motocross. Motocross is called MX a lot and V is for Virtual I guess

[@MisfitOutfit]

The camera angles say it all.

[@jorgea8518]

I loved Clay fighter 63 1/3, I played it quite often with my cousins back then. It probably was a bad game, but we didn't know any better, so we still had fun just because of how silly the game was.

[@erainmartinez8175]

I like too I can't belive he put this on the worst list games of 1997

[@jorgea8518]

@@erainmartinez8175 Well it was because he was basing on game rankings score, not exactly because of his opinion. I also personally think it wasn't that bad, but I guess the critics back then thought it was.

[@theslickrips5904]

Yeah man I loved me some shaq fu when I was young

[@SuperPeterok]

Was surprised it was considered one of the worst of 1997. I wonder if Sculptors Cut would have reviewed any better.

[@Hugsloth]

FLABBALANCHE

[@MrStag-gy9yn]

Holy cow I had Caesar's Palace for my SNES as a little kid. Had no clue what I was doing but it was easier than Lion Kind and Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday. This video just got a jackpot of nostalgia from me! Thanks guys

[@RainingMetal]

I actually owned that Frogger game on PC. We got through a few levels but not many due to its difficulty.

[@wesleywolfe2]

I absolutely love that Frogger game, would pass it everytime , unlock all levels and stages. Certain maps feel like universe all on its own

[@cherrydrums456]

Yes, it’s a lot of fun and I love it, but it sure knows how to get on my nerves

[@XxLIVRAxX]

Same here...the soundtrack was mesmerizing though

[@Thepopcornator]

I've always had a soft spot for the Beast Wars game. True, it was objectively crap, but I was obsessed with the series at the time, and I also thought it was really cool that you could transform at any time.

[@Hugsloth]

It was given to me for Christmas as a child, and I recall hating it because it was extremely obtuse and barely explained your objectives. I tried many times just to progress past the first level or two but would always end up lost or running out of energy.

[@Auron710]

I was too young to sit there and be like "well these graphics don't look that good" or complain about the control scheme. I just loved the cartoon and so wanted to play the game. I found it really hard to get very far though a couple times a day for one summer I would have a go at it and get a little further each time. I just loved turning from animal into robot tbh but I have fond memories of my grandmother looking after me in the summer holidays and I sat at the dining room table playing that game. So yes its a terrible game but I have a soft spot for it.

[@XxLIVRAxX]

I feel the same, played the game on PC, horrible graphics even for the day, but I could not get enough of the franchise.

[@TJDious]

We just gonna pass over the fact that Teras Kasi has a character called Hoar?

[@jasonblalock4429]

I wonder if Hoar is a fan of jizz.

[@TrashbashMan]

Hey hey hey watch your language young man, that's a horrible thing to call someone.

[@drgonzo123]

I remember laughing my ass off when you hear Hoar wins then he makes that sand people cry! Made me cry tears of laughter every time

[@kurtpaulsen6579]

Shame that Sluut didn't make the final roster...

[@Melsharpe95]

What made this game INFINITELY funnier is that "Kasi" is British slang for the toilet. Even though we spell it Khazi, it's still pronounced the same way. We just called it "Masters of the Toilet."

[@SteveBrandon]

The interesting thing about Rush Hour is that it has a very similar "helicopter view"-type camera angle to the recent indie racing game Art of Rally, which was quite well received for its stylized minimalist art style. In 1997, though, the helicopter view was used probably because it was a game made on a limited budget and having a zoomed out view meant that they didn't need to put nearly as much detail or polygons on the cars though I still find the perspective in Rush Hour a bit appealing in that it makes it seem like its a game where you're racing radio-controlled MicroMachines, like a next-generation version of Codemasters' 2D MicroMachines games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.

[@DilRyeMaster]

I absolutely adored Rush Hour back in the day! In a pre-Gran Turismo world it was awesome seeing licensed cars, and on a 20” CRT the lack of detail on the models didn’t seem to bother me one bit. The helicopter view was practically cinematic in those days. Replaying it nowadays I can see why it was never a big hit. Still, I gotta hand it to the developers. They made something unique and fun despite not being able to go head-to-head with the likes of Ridge Racer, Daytona USA etc...

[@jasonblalock4429]

I'm still annoyed that Teras Kasi got re-canonzied in Solo. I mean, really, out of everything in the old EU, *that's* what they decided the fans wanted to see name-dropped? I would have been quite happy letting that one stay buried deep in the memory hole.

[@licksludgee]

All the fans going mad for Kyle Katarn & the JK series, Rogue One burying it whilst wondering wtf they talking about Teras Kasi for......they could have picked anything else to canonise in Solo

[@Alucard-A-La-Carte]

If that's all that annoyed you about that movie, count yourself lucky.

[@onlyashes89]

🙄

[@TRJ2241987]

I had a teacher in high school who once told the class that in college they had a Masters of Teras Kasi tournament in his dorm. I'm pretty sure I was the only one who even knew what he was talking about. It was probably his peak college experience. It was at that moment that I truly understood the level of cringe dork I had for a teacher. Years later the movie 'Grandma's Boy' came out and I questioned if they had plagiarized his likeness for the JP character

[@squigin3380]

Solo was dog shit so it doesn't matter. Hate that movie.

[@jmacher4048]

Nothing quite makes my day like the soothing sound of Ben Potter and the melodic melodies that triple jump plays

[@simplyhuman3982]

All while triple jumping. 🍻

[@TimGaukerToons]

Even if Frogger is frustrating and at times poorly designed, it holds a special place in my heart for being one of the very first games I ever played and for being very, very addicting It also has really nice music.

[@TheRealAmericanMan]

I’m surprised Frogger is rated that low since it’s a million seller and everyone I knew loved it

[@JefOliveira90]

I remember getting War Gods as a kid and having such a miserable time with it I literally begged my dad to trade it in at the store the next day. I had never played a game so BORING at that point in my life, and to be honest, I think War Gods still holds the spot as the most boring game i have ever experienced. I wasn't even gonna comment on this video, but when I saw War Gods in the list i had to show my displeasure for such a piece of work

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

I rented it and yeah it was pretty terrible

[@joeboshears4210]

Rented war gods and got really frustrated. Took it back and picked up blast corp instead. Equally frustrated.

[@frightfang]

I had that Frogger remake on the PC. It wasn’t downright terrible and the soundtrack was fun to listen to, but the maps were so utterly convoluted. It was sort of a dizzying experience at best and not as fun as the original game.

[@cherrydrums456]

I LOVE Frogger! I actually just recently got that game again on my ps1 and living my childhood memories. The game is very hard and makes me really mad but it’s still a really good game! 50%?? Must me my nostalgia, I would rate it 8/10

[@Nov-5062]

I really cannot understand why people hate this game. It's truly awesome

[@DaRealJohnDaGamer64]

The sequel was pretty dope too.

[@macrussell78]

Clay fighters holds a special place in my childhood. Me and my brother would rent it from Blockbuster. Was able to button mash and get the doctor character's fatality.

[@Robocopnik]

In defense of the Beast Wars game - You can be a robot that's also a dinosaur, that's the coolest thing in the universe.

[@hunternoll5897]

My grandparents had the PC version of that Frogger and we loved it. Now I want to find it again to see if it was just a case of us being super young and thinking everything was cool ...

[@anonmouse15]

Leave nostalgia untouched. You'll just ruin those memories.

[@justinratcliffe947]

My favorite games of 1997 1.Turok 2.Goldeneye 3.Diddy Kong Racing 4.Yoshis Story 5.Grand Theft Auto 6.Rampage:World Tour 7.Lost World: Jurassic Park (for both arcade and PS1) 8.Doom 64

[@CobaltT9]

I wouldn't mind an HD remake remastering of this Frogger after seeing the gameplay and just fix the difficulty and controls. The various levels are creative.

[@jimrdiger]

Star wars Masters of teräs käsi is a masterpiece. The fun part is you have to guess the controls sometimes. Special moves are not all listed in the booklet. Darth Vader and other unlocked characters aren't even mentioned in the booklet.

[@RaphaelRemington6969]

For some reason it was decided the word "Wars" was too offensive for us young Canadians so instead we watched "Beasties" rather than "Beast Wars". Thank you higher powers for protecting my impressionable, young mind, I'm forever thankful.

[@zmbdog]

Frogger was great! How can they bring up the new maps as if they were a negative? That's one of the best remakes I've ever played.

[@freddiejohnson6137]

I think the problem with many games from this time period is that the aggregate scores don't take into account the magazines of the time which were by far much more varied in their scoring of certain games back then. Especially some on the magazines that only catered to a single platform frequently giving higher scores to platform exclusives to make them seem amazing.

[@bes03c]

PS Frogger is a great game. The PC version still has an active modding scene in 2021. I played it a ton as a kid and I replayed it recently. It still holds up.

[@reagandow850]

I absolutely love this series. I hope you guys count all the way back to the beginning of time when it comes to games.

[@DiegoRYT]

i remember Frogger being kinda unfair(difficult) in the PS1...

[@KnockOut101inc]

I was searching deep in your videos for more 10 worst games and this popped up! Thank you

[@eddiedelgado60]

These worst game of the year videos your team has been making are great. Nothing adds to a good day like a video from triple jump.

[@matthewmcgowan9341]

I LOVED the PS1 Frogger game!

[@leviwarren6222]

Who else watches big gaming channels ironically? Triple Jump isn't that bad but they're starting to take on a bit of that gameranx feel. There's definitely a feeling of, "I read this on a review and I'm going to regurgitate it.".

[@zackspiker_]

So I think Frogger got fun the more time you put into it.

[@SinghROAR]

4:36 8 year old me rented this game from the library and totally had a great time. I never thought the game was too difficult either. Maybe my hand eye coordination was at an all time high.

[@raphaelcalado4335]

I used to love War Gods, till I’ve played it on an emulator recently and realized how cringe it was, also its gameplay is very clunky. Great memories don’t always translate to great nostalgia. Still I had a lot of fun with this game and that is what really matter.

[@budaroddy]

The Crow should be an honorable mention

[@Weaknessisnotavirtue]

What a genuinely terrible game!

[@xymos7807]

Clay fighter was under rated and under appreciated. Easily one of the best games of my childhood.

[@MichaelPastz]

I still have Frogger for the ps1 and it was my favorite game as a kid lmao 😂

[@jimx117]

I would occasionally play 4-player Frogger with friends back then and I remember it was an absolute blast

[@kebsis]

The Crow: City of Angels didn't get enough reviews? That's surprising, because I remember multiple magazines shitting on it at the time.

[@FingerBreakerWu]

You reminded me on why I hate snarky Brit "Top 10" lists with still images of people in cringy poses and jokes that are only funny to you. Didn't make it past Crypt Killer, and I can't be bothered to try again.

[@orinanime]

Fun fact: Tommy Tallerico did the soundtrack for VMX Racing

[@dylanogg347]

The best thing about #3 on this list is that it happens to share it's name with an obscure Dragon Ball character. And one who doesn't deserve to have his legacy tarnished by association with this gunk.

[@DeimosXVX]

Recently found your channel and have binged my way through most of your "Worst Of" series. Keep up the good work team.

[@VinnyHaw]

Frogger is on this list? I grew up playing this like crazy. Absolutely loved this version

[@StreetLugeNetwork]

War gods wasn't necessarily meant to be good. It was a proof of concept for mortal kombat 4 when the series went to 3d for the first time

[@shanephillips617]

VMX, my assumption would be it means Virtual Motor Cross

[@Goblin_Hands]

Star Wars Masters of Teras Kasi needs a remake. Vader and Yoda were really fun to use in Soul Calibur; a Star Wars fighting game is honestly something we all need. The closest we have is the multiplayer in Star Wars Episode 3 for PS2, etc.

[@thomasrdiehl]

Vintage Motocross (The X is a cross). That is motocross with bikes built before 1975. You are welcome.

[@AnimeGirl4891]

1997 was also the year the movie Titanic came out.

[@BrandyBrandalia]

Clayfighter 63 1/3 and Frogger being on here is criminal.

[@martinramirez9647]

I'm glad I found this video so I know what games from 97' avoid, since they are everywhere nowadays

[@Plague_Architect]

I imagine "VMX" is just supposed to be "Virtual Motocross"

[@sameoldsameold9239]

Woah, this is probably the year I played the most crap. To be young and naive...

[@ryanzepp8897]

Rush Hour actually looks kinda fun for like an hour

[@Thunderbeingz]

I had beast wars on PC. It ran like a sideshow, lol

[@JosephAlanMeador]

As a Star Wars kid, Masters Of Teras Kasi was fun tbh. It may not have aged well, but at the time it was a nice novelty fighter for me and a friend. Only ever rented it though

[@AntonQvarfordt]

6:58 *Memory.. Jolting... * *Backstory... Flashbacking* Mad Dog McCree!!! You shot the out the fuse of the dynamite sticks by a mine at the end!

[@orinanime]

VMX means Vintage Motocross. It's a particular type of motocross racing utilizing bikes from before 1975

[@twistedinnocence8617]

I had Teras Kasi. It wasn't that bad at the time. It's no Tekken or Soul Calibur but my friends and I had some fun with it.

[@monkaWGiga]

Honestly the 50%ish score it got seems pretty spot on.

[@thestranger9608]

I played it all the time. Pretty fun.

[@Drforrester31]

I love Teras Kasi, I don't care if it could be frustrating as all hell. In what other Star Wars game could you hear "Hoar vs Hoar"?

[@Unotuchable]

Man Teras Kasi being just 53% proves that reviewers didn't want to go too harsh on big franchises back then. It's legit such an awful fighting game.

[@bram5825]

Is Ben's voice a little lower (especially around the intro)? Thought I heard Peter for a second. Still loved the video. Just wondrin'.

[@mario-mario822]

My lime green Konami justifier works perfectly fine on Crypt killer on my PS1& crt. I wonder what those reviewers were thinking. Great replay value for them endings☃️⛄

[@shamusfarmer]

Wow, this was a great idea for a video. You should make a series out of it

[@bloodrunsclear]

Wait...Frogger DIES when he lands in the water? What kind of frog is he?

[@Weaknessisnotavirtue]

Man, I was 13. *Le sigh* Edit - How does one kill a crypt exactly?

[@ddgnp1057]

2:37 A rare "I spose" Simon Miller

[@ereignishorizontab7218]

Fun fact, in europe manta rays are known as " crocodile-hunter-hunters".

[@ImagineABear]

When you're a kid and didn't know better, these games were all you had. When you rented a game from Blockbuster, that was your weekend. Clayfighter 63 1/3 and Frogger were great when I was I was an oblivious child.

[@matthewrock4725]

I still love Teras Kasi idc. Still sitting upstairs in my bookcase. .......I'm not sure what people were imagining for Caesar's Palace.......it's a casino game package lmao. It's not going to be super exciting

[@CGB_Crash]

Frogger (PS1) is a great game and its low ranking is proof that game critics hating even remotely difficult games is not a new phenomenon.

[@Dionysius8421]

I loved that Frogger game actually 😅

[@scarrantsandreviews]

I didn't have many games for the PSone or N64 and yet somehow I had both Frogger and Superman 64. Also this weird cowboy game that no one seems to know exists called Lucky Luke

[@DaRealJohnDaGamer64]

War Gods wasn't that bad of a fighter. I actually enjoyed it. The game was meant to be a test for the 3D transition of Mortal Kombat 4. And yes, War Gods was made by Midway. Frogger was definitely tough as nails but not a terrible game. Another enjoyable game in my book. The sequel was definitely better. Clayfighter 63 1/3 wasn't bad either. It's a fighting series you don't take seriously. I loved the nods to other fighting games in this one. For example, they reference Killer Instinct when they jokingly insult your combos with funny names like Little Girly combo, lol. Claytalities, obviously referencing Mortal Kombat's Fatalities, and Street Fighter's Hyper Combo system. Plus, it's the first fighting game to ever have Earthworm freakin' Jim. Crypt Killer has a special place in my heart. I remember playing this back in the day at the New York New York arcade in Las Vegas. The enemies in the game looked so damn creepy thanks to the graphics. Especially, the bad ending where you see all the bosses and they kill you at the end. It was such a campy and fun light gun game. Don't really understand the hate for these games but then again I don't care about other people's opinions.

[@wildfya6657]

VIDEO CONCEPT: Rank all the consoles/handheld Sims games from worst to best

[@carlgrace8761]

I loved that frogger game as a kid, played the hell out of it. Crypt Killer was one of my favorite arcade machines to run into.

[@AstroMallard]

I have so many fond memories of playing Frogger on the ps1 with my family as a kid.

[@njk3498]

Frogger PS1 is, to this day, one of the absolute hardest game I've ever played

[@MrBroken030]

7:20 Crypt Killer is actually pretty fun. There is a patch that enables the use of Namcos Guncon 1 which fixxes the aggrevating accuracy issue. For anyone whos got a crt and a Guncon i would recommend checking this game out, its cheesy 90s fun :D

[@nodieza]

I owned 2 of these. Parents clearly loved me 🙃

[@josephcarvalho7713]

I remember war gods. The only reason I brought it was because the name and box art

[@KingZuma]

That Beastwars game had potential. With the right team I think a remaster would be badass

[@Geek2Meet]

It’s funny that gamepro magazine have the Star Wars fighting game perfect 5.0’s across the board.

[@paulchilds1893]

I think the intro means "Mario Kart 64 and the *far better* Diddy Kong Racing". Masters of Teras Kasi is probably the worst game I've spent a very long time playing.

[@dri_him]

This is why we got modding on consoles since too many games were cash grabs that we refused to pay for them!

[@danwilliams1989]

I used to love playing the console version of Frogger when I was younger.

[@nikkiwileman7033]

Crypt killer also came out on the Saturn aswel as the psx or did the psx version on game rankings score lower than the Saturn version?

[@TheLemonyBard]

Some of the highest scores yet in this year. I quite enjoyed Frogger on PS1, it was indeed hard and had blah controls though

[@drgonzo123]

Oh 1997 how I miss ye. Of course I was a final fantasy 7 obsessed kid but thanks to blockbuster and Hollywood video I played most of these and liked them enough as a wee lad. Especially the Star Wars fighting game. Of course I loved playing as Luke and Vader and they were extremely overpowered but I did not care and was happy with the power fantasy.

[@michaelq92]

My mom refused to buy me computer games for about 4 years after she played frogger. Looking back I’m kind of proud of her.

[@ChaseMC215]

I wish Rush Hour was based off the movie of the same name. I wannt a video game version of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, god damnit!!!!

[@dquinnster47]

You missed "Spawn the Eternal" for PS1. I can promise you that not only is it the worst game of '97, it is one of the worst video games made EVER, and everyone overlooks it.

[@scarcesmile9518]

A lot hidden gems were released the year I was born

[@Livithen86]

I never played that frogger but did the swampys revenge or whatever it was called and remember liking it back in the day

[@ShowdeQuetzal]

Beast Wars deserved better

[@SuperDuperGamimg]

Frogger? Frogger! How bloody dare they!

[@zetandpeligaming]

1997 was the year I got my Playstation, and the year I really became a gamer. I'm gobsmacked some of these games came out so long ago as they still feel pretty new to me in some cases 🤣🤣

[@JoseMedina-hs9st]

I actually have that game war gods That game was made just to test the engine for mortal kombat 4 And the game was not made by the mortal kombat developers It was made by a different team

[@njk3498]

Omg I totally forgot about Clayfighter. Thanks for the childhood throwback boys!

[@springer90]

Totally forgot about Beast Wars!

[@malarky345]

I loved the PS1 frogger and the PS1 Q-Bert. I had no idea that it was so hated by critics. I still love it though