Top 10 weird games

>> Sell drugs! Kill deer hunters! Drive a Japanese teenager insane! Let the games begin!

By PAULINA BOZEK

Gaming ain't what it used to be. The days of eating pellets and collecting power-ups have evolved into massive multimedia undertakings with revenues rivalling those of major movie productions.

Text-based role-playing games have transformed into huge intricate worlds, complete with cultures and history. Plots and storylines have become as complex as literary sagas, with heroes evolving into brand names and gaming enthusiasts becoming celebrities.

Meanwhile, there are a host of lesser-known, unusual and just plain bizarre games available. They come in a variety of platforms, and many are the pet projects of eccentric game designers and unpredictable developers, starring such unlikely heroes as drug dealers, wicked dancers and skilled sandwich makers.

Here are 10 underground, unconventional titles making gaming waves..

Deer Avenger

Simulation PC game. Published by Simon & Schuster

A parody of the traditional deer hunter genre, Deer Avenger stars Bambo, a not-so-gentle deer out for revenge. Conceived by Late Night With Conan O'Brien writer Brain McCann, it takes place in three locales: Connecticut in the spring, Minnesota in the winter and West Virginia in the fall. As Bambo, you track the hunters by following empty beer cans, rolls of toilet tissue and discarded porno mags, luring them with calls such as "Free beer, here--who wants a cold one?" or a female voice calling "Help! I'm naked--and I have a pizza."

Dance, Dance Revolution

An arcade video game, also available from Konami for Playstation and Dreamcast

Give your thumbs a break and bust out your best moves. Dance, Dance Revolution is an arcade game where you physically jump around and execute the selected moves. As you step onto the elevated platform, the bass booms, you choose your fly guy or girl and select your dance track.

The game accommodates two players simultaneously, and you've got to execute the combos better than your partner does, as onlookers cheer you on and the computer urges you to "stay cool."

To see the pros of Dance, Dance do battle, go to the Amusement 2000 Arcade (1381 Ste-Catherine W.). Bring your own water bottle.

Last Call

A bartending sim for the PC. Published by Simon & Schuster

Move over bartending school--let Last Call teach you the tricks of the trade. In this game you become the bartender of a popular NYC bar. A variety of questionable characters order drinks, which you must concoct. Make the martini their way and you'll get a bigger tip; to amass the greatest wealth in gratuities, you must learn to make over 100 drinks.

The reality factor is high, complete with young couples constantly making out at the bar and models complaining about photos that make them look fat. The recipe for success is standard: flirt a little, be prompt and make a stiff drink.

Pressure Cooker

A classic Atari 2600 video game, available also as an emulated/ROM game

A bit of a blast form the past, Pressure Cooker puts the player behind the counter of a popular NYC deli. The basic idea is to make a sandwich. After receiving your orders, a pressure cooker shoots out deli items, like a bun, meat, tomatoes and lettuce. You've got to catch the right items to make the right sandwich, so if you've already got tomatoes you have to dodge them. Once you get the single orders down, you can move onto making multiple sandwiches.

To check out this Atari classic download the MAME emulator and find the ROM at sites like www.classicgaming.com.

Sissy Fight (pictured left)

A multiplayer Shockwave game played free on the Net. Published by Word.com

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Dubbed "the meanest game in the schoolyard," this is all about dissing your opponent. Conceived by the staff of popular online magazine Word.com and game designer Eric Zimmerman, the game is full of savvy wit and cynicism. Before launching into a verbal attack, you get to customize your schoolgirl by choosing a name, a face and, obviously, a hairstyle. Trashing your opponent is complemented by grabbing, scratching, teasing, tattling and lollipop licking.

There's even a lesson to be learned: in order to win you've got to join forces and launch strategic attacks. The two girls left standing become best friends and win the game together.

Free from www.sissyfight.com.

Roommania #203

Simulation video game for Sega Dreamcast

Haven't you always wanted to observe the life of an average Japanese youth? Here's your chance. Playing voyeur, you control camera angles and watch young Neji brush his teeth, get ready for school, listen to the radio, etc, etc. During the game, you are presented with a number of objectives, like getting him to bleach his hair. But the real fun comes when you start interfering with his routine, like hiding his slippers and locking his door. You get to watch him freak out and express a variety of moods, from anger to insanity.

Unfortunately, this game is available only in Japan. For more info, check out their Web site at www.roommania203.com.

Dope Wars

Simulation PC game available free. Published by Beermat Software

Dope Wars is basically what it sounds like--a game about dope. In this enormously popular simulation of a drug market, you've got 31 days to buy and sell drugs as well as dodge the cops.

You have to keep track of your available drugs, from weed to E to speed, as well as your available trench coat space, as you penetrate the boroughs of NYC, Sydney, Derby and L.A.

After you've made your deals, you can post your stats on the World Tables (worldwide tracking of who's on top of the drug ring). There's also a "Dealer Den" chat room, open for some stylin' and profilin'. Since its release as a Windows-based game, Dope Wars has been downloaded 500,000 times. Check out www.beermatsoftware.com for your pick-up.

BRAD the Game

Single player Java adventure game played on the Net. Published by The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith

A text-based choose-your-own-adventure game starring Brad, a wild-haired burn-out who lives in his dad's basement and tries to recapture his most glorious moment, the day he made a cameo appearance on Webster.

The mission is to cruise around in a van, score with a teenager named Katie and maybe get another cameo on Webster. There are over 223 possible endings spread over 592 Web pages and the only rule of the game is do not use your BACK button.

Possible adventures include "defeating your doppelgaenger" and "becoming a famous rap star." Rumour has it there are over 320 people in more than seven countries playing BRAD on any given day. Check out www.bradthegame.com.

I'm Sorry

Classic game for the Atari 2600, available as emulated/ROM game

In a neat little blue suit, you play I'm Sorry (that's his name), a middle-aged Japanese salary man. Your skills include tax evasion, embezzlement and corrupt politics; your mission is to amass the greatest wealth while avoiding opponents such as the taxman and an omnipresent rolling barrel that tries to crush you. Emulator and ROM available at www.classicgaming.com.

Harry the Handsome Executive

Action game for PC and Mac. Published by Ambrosia Software

Let this be a lesson to corporate culture: cubicle life breeds malcontents. Enter Harry the Handsome Executive. His ride: an office swivel chair; his weapon of choice: an industrial staple gun. Ricocheting off tables and coffee machines, Harry wreaks havoc through the boardrooms and corridors of ScumCo.

Avoiding dart-throwing middle managers, customer service rebels and crazed chemists, Harry must use all of his devices--the swivel chair, staple gun, exploding soda cans and his wit--to defeat the ScumCo. President Dr. Ubbermann and finally get to ask the ubiquitous question, "Just what does ScumCo. do anyway?" zxyxzxx

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