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Terrible Old Games
Attack of the Flickering Skeletons: More Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of
YouTube sensation Stuart Ashen is back with his second installment of terrible old computer games you’ve probably never heard of, because what the world needs right now is to know exactly how bad Domain of the Undead for the Atari 8-bit computers was. Even bigger than the original Terrible Old Games You’ve Probably Never Heard Of , this second excavation of gaming’s buried past will not only unearth more appalling excuses for digital entertainment, but also feature guest contributors and several special interest chapters not based around single specific games. These are NOT the games you’ve heard of a million times in YouTube videos. This is a compilation of truly obscure and dreadful games. Dripping with wry humor and featuring the best, worst graphics from the games themselves, this book encapsulates the atrocities produced in the days of tight budgets and low quality controls. These are even more appalling games that leaked from the industry’s tear ducts, taken down from the dusty shelves of history by the man who has somehow made a living by sticking rubbish on a sofa and talking about it.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published November 2, 2017
14 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Ashen
3 books23 followersStuart Ashen makes videos for YouTube and writes comedy scripts and sometimes acts in things. He lives in Norwich, in a house filled with all sorts of useless items that he tells himself he needs for work.
He is obsessed with old video games and things that aren't quite good enough for their intended purpose. On his YouTube channel he reviews the best of the worst tat that the world has to offer, showing an equal amount of commitment and enthusiasm for both. He has produced over 440 YouTube videos over an eight-year period.
He is obsessed with old video games and things that aren't quite good enough for their intended purpose. On his YouTube channel he reviews the best of the worst tat that the world has to offer, showing an equal amount of commitment and enthusiasm for both. He has produced over 440 YouTube videos over an eight-year period.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 11, 2019
Read and enjoyed both this and the first book. Let me say how impressed I am with Ashen's versatility and creativity - I don't think I could come up with a million different ways of saying a game is bad the way he does.
There's not really anything to say about this book that isn't also true of the first - its brevity helps prevent it from becoming repetitive, but by the end of the book its wearing on you. The formattign is colorful, attractive, and nostalgic. The guest writers add welcome variety to the tone/subject/style. Ashens is hilarious. If you liked the first book, you'll enjoy this.
There's not really anything to say about this book that isn't also true of the first - its brevity helps prevent it from becoming repetitive, but by the end of the book its wearing on you. The formattign is colorful, attractive, and nostalgic. The guest writers add welcome variety to the tone/subject/style. Ashens is hilarious. If you liked the first book, you'll enjoy this.
November 12, 2020
These home computers were not particularly popular in the United States and reached their peak of popularity when I was still very young so I never had to experience loading games from tapes or the gamble that is a $3 game. So if nothing else, this book is interesting because it offered a glimpse into a world of gaming that I have just about no knowledge of. I've always found Stuart funny and if you enjoy his YouTube channel, you'll probably enjoy this as well.
I wasn't blown away by the comedy, and frankly it gets a little repetitive since of course the whole point is "this game's crap, isn't it?". But I'm looking forward to reading the other book (don't ask why I read book 2 before book 1 because I don't know).
I was disappointed by the Kindle version. I was at about 75% when the book suddenly ended, leaving a few pages of the names of the folks who backed this project and a humorous index that was fun to look at. It was not super easy to read digitally because of how the book is formatted and some of the background color choices made it tough. I would recommend reading a physical copy of this book, or at least reading on a tablet or something with a big screen.
I wasn't blown away by the comedy, and frankly it gets a little repetitive since of course the whole point is "this game's crap, isn't it?". But I'm looking forward to reading the other book (don't ask why I read book 2 before book 1 because I don't know).
I was disappointed by the Kindle version. I was at about 75% when the book suddenly ended, leaving a few pages of the names of the folks who backed this project and a humorous index that was fun to look at. It was not super easy to read digitally because of how the book is formatted and some of the background color choices made it tough. I would recommend reading a physical copy of this book, or at least reading on a tablet or something with a big screen.
January 21, 2018
Despite being an avid gamer since the 80s I’d never heard of any of the games dissected in this book. Just as well really, as they sound like complete dross and best avoided. This book, however, is a joy. A really enjoyable read that had me smirking throughout and laughing out loud more than once. The list of awful games is nicely interspersed with various youtubers detailing their personal gaming disappointments. And it’s all done with a love of gaming. I will be seeking out this book’s first volume.
February 27, 2018
Amusing if ultimately irrelevant.
January 30, 2025
A book looking back at the badly made computer games from the 80s-90s by Stuart Ashen. Similar to his YouTube videos and previous book, this one is funny and enjoyable. There’s new stuff here not in the previous book: guests writing about their most disappointing game purchases of said era, boxes with quirky facts and funny stuff. Some of the games are exhaustively British!, while I’m a fan of British comedy beyond the usual Monty Python (I totally love Tony Hancock, Dads Army..etc), but I never herd of Auf Wiedersehen Pet! Or Viz! And the chapter about Hareraiser is astonishingly amusing! I watched the presentation on YouTube after reading it. And a documentary about the thing!
Ah..nostalgia…that place that only exists today in our ever yearning desire to go back to an innocent time…that makes me think that however bad these games were, it’s a solace compared to the ocean of cheap garbage games flooding us today! The same with the game covers (Metro Cross gets me every time I unintentionally look at that page!). There is something charming (however silly) about a really bad game art that done in traditional media and maybe trying hard, while failing, to be good! Anyway, enjoyable colorful book.
P.s. ChinnyHill10 wrote: “Oddly ’carrying heavy items’ is a mechanic missing from most modern games” this statement is expired after the release of Death Stranding!
I thought Larry will throw in a “Hello you” in his entry!
Ah..nostalgia…that place that only exists today in our ever yearning desire to go back to an innocent time…that makes me think that however bad these games were, it’s a solace compared to the ocean of cheap garbage games flooding us today! The same with the game covers (Metro Cross gets me every time I unintentionally look at that page!). There is something charming (however silly) about a really bad game art that done in traditional media and maybe trying hard, while failing, to be good! Anyway, enjoyable colorful book.
P.s. ChinnyHill10 wrote: “Oddly ’carrying heavy items’ is a mechanic missing from most modern games” this statement is expired after the release of Death Stranding!
I thought Larry will throw in a “Hello you” in his entry!
April 27, 2019
This was an improvement over the previous entry. While the core game segments did feel repetitive still (note that the comments about the sound always came in the same exact place, etc.), the book as a whole changed it up as you went. I especially appreciated the longer bit in the middle about the Golden Hare fiasco.
November 11, 2017
Not an excellent book. I feel that Ashens Terrible Old Games series works much better in video format. Why waste time describing the game when he can show us - it's not like Ashens doesn't know how to make great videos.
I also feel that a lot of the humour and snark is lost in the written word. For example, there's very little difference in quality and humour between the guest posts and those of Ashens. And without Ashens hand gestures, it's hard to understand just how angry and disappointed he is with these pieces of tat video games.
Maybe this isn't an issue in the physical book, but reading the book in digital format is painful on the eyes. After almost every page turn the background colour/design changes, making your eyes have to readjust. Maybe Ashens did this to punish us for the pain he had to go through playing the games.
In Ashens defence, he probably didn't intend the book to be read from beginning to end, but rather for it to work as a coffee-table book, to be picked up and read for 5 minute intervals for a laugh. I did read the book from beginning to end over a week, and by the end I was finding myself skimming over the content. There's only so many ways poor sound, poor gameplay, poor graphics, and poor controls can be described without the whole book falling apart in a tedious mess.
My favourite part of the book was seeing my name at the end. Oh, and the piece on Masquerade and Hareraiser was interesting, although having already watched Ashens presentation of this on Youtube made it less interesting than it could have been. Just another example of why this would have been a lot better in video format than a book.
I also feel that a lot of the humour and snark is lost in the written word. For example, there's very little difference in quality and humour between the guest posts and those of Ashens. And without Ashens hand gestures, it's hard to understand just how angry and disappointed he is with these pieces of tat video games.
Maybe this isn't an issue in the physical book, but reading the book in digital format is painful on the eyes. After almost every page turn the background colour/design changes, making your eyes have to readjust. Maybe Ashens did this to punish us for the pain he had to go through playing the games.
In Ashens defence, he probably didn't intend the book to be read from beginning to end, but rather for it to work as a coffee-table book, to be picked up and read for 5 minute intervals for a laugh. I did read the book from beginning to end over a week, and by the end I was finding myself skimming over the content. There's only so many ways poor sound, poor gameplay, poor graphics, and poor controls can be described without the whole book falling apart in a tedious mess.
My favourite part of the book was seeing my name at the end. Oh, and the piece on Masquerade and Hareraiser was interesting, although having already watched Ashens presentation of this on Youtube made it less interesting than it could have been. Just another example of why this would have been a lot better in video format than a book.
May 6, 2021
I'd love to say this was an amazing book. But, in my opinion, it's pretty middle of the road. I liked it well enough, overall. I especially loved the gimmicky lenticular picture on the cover which gave my backer edition REAL FLICKERING SKELETONS!
Unfortunately my initial skepticism of a book about video games turned out to be right. It's really hard to capture how awful a video game is with words and a handful of screenshots alone. Video is the best medium for this. Fortunately, Ashens has done several "Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of" videos that includes footage from the games. And, more unfortunately still, some of the terrible old games featured in this book were already covered in Ashens' videos.
Despite all that, I will say Ashens has a way with metaphors and similes. His writing style is just as good as his speaking in his videos and despite it being the queen's English, it's quite enjoyable. The special guest appearances were also enjoyable since the games they featured provided some needed variety to the platforms Ashens generally features. Though, I was hoping for a feature from Mentski - the underrated king of old games. The bright colors and graphics throughout the book also make the book visually appealing.
So, all in all, where does that leave us? I'd say, it's definitely a great coffee table/conversation starter book. Is it a page turner? Well, kinda - it's a lot better than that "Inventions That Didn't Change The World" book I read a while back in that regard, which I also thought was a good coffee table book. Overall: enjoyable, decent, glad I backed it, but just not really the right medium for the topic.
Unfortunately my initial skepticism of a book about video games turned out to be right. It's really hard to capture how awful a video game is with words and a handful of screenshots alone. Video is the best medium for this. Fortunately, Ashens has done several "Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of" videos that includes footage from the games. And, more unfortunately still, some of the terrible old games featured in this book were already covered in Ashens' videos.
Despite all that, I will say Ashens has a way with metaphors and similes. His writing style is just as good as his speaking in his videos and despite it being the queen's English, it's quite enjoyable. The special guest appearances were also enjoyable since the games they featured provided some needed variety to the platforms Ashens generally features. Though, I was hoping for a feature from Mentski - the underrated king of old games. The bright colors and graphics throughout the book also make the book visually appealing.
So, all in all, where does that leave us? I'd say, it's definitely a great coffee table/conversation starter book. Is it a page turner? Well, kinda - it's a lot better than that "Inventions That Didn't Change The World" book I read a while back in that regard, which I also thought was a good coffee table book. Overall: enjoyable, decent, glad I backed it, but just not really the right medium for the topic.
January 4, 2018
Stuart Ashen returns with more of his acerbic wit, this time aimed at some more Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of. Looking at a later era than the previous book, and with guest appearances from Online Video Game experts Jim Sterling, Larry Bundy Jr, and the returning Baron Mentski (whose prose alone is worth the price of the book), you'll be greeted with Street Fighter rip-offs, racing games void of any racing, and the infamous tale of Hareraiser...
Ashen's humour easily translates to the page, and this sequel to the previous TOGYPNHO is a worthy successor. Pick it up, and embrace the horror of games gone past.
Ashen's humour easily translates to the page, and this sequel to the previous TOGYPNHO is a worthy successor. Pick it up, and embrace the horror of games gone past.
February 22, 2018
A big improvement over the first Terrible Old Games book. While the original is light on content, this features a lot more bang for your buck. It’s actually a lot more varied too with several guest contributions and features about other terrible video game stuff like the Cheetah tortoise joystick, bad video game covers and games that received multiple ports for the same system. It’s only really let down by the fact that the subject matter means every feature has an overall negative quality to it. It’s basically a load of people moaning about crap video games which can be a little tiresome.
February 11, 2019
Not formatted for use on standard kindles - you have use pinch to zoom to get it to readable size then have to mess about trying to scroll it to the next column of text
has loads of overtyped text randomly throughout that is spread over multiple lines making it difficult and down right confusing to read and then there are the awful multi coloured pages the text is on so when the inevitable next format issue strikes you're struggling to make sense of words in what may as well be an explosion in a Hallmark card factory
has loads of overtyped text randomly throughout that is spread over multiple lines making it difficult and down right confusing to read and then there are the awful multi coloured pages the text is on so when the inevitable next format issue strikes you're struggling to make sense of words in what may as well be an explosion in a Hallmark card factory
January 23, 2018
Possibly not as good as the first one, but still a very, very enjoyable book.
Sure, you may think 'why not just watch the videos?' but I do love the physical format and the book does do a good job at conveying a good amount of humor and old game reviewing. Stuart has also enriched this second volume with new sections and guest writers, which is a plus. Only gripe (as with the first): wish it was longer!
Sure, you may think 'why not just watch the videos?' but I do love the physical format and the book does do a good job at conveying a good amount of humor and old game reviewing. Stuart has also enriched this second volume with new sections and guest writers, which is a plus. Only gripe (as with the first): wish it was longer!
January 14, 2018
It's no secret I love anything about classic video games and gaming history so I snapped up the next installment of YouTuber Ashens terrible old games. Another batch of amusing video games reviews, on such classics as Kris Kross: Make my video, Domain of the undead and Murder at Mystery Manor. How these titles were ever commercially available never mind passed play testing we shall never know?!
May 17, 2018
I don't know what it was, but I found myself enjoying this book a lot less than the first terrible games book. I picked it up and put it down and kind of had to make myself read it, although I was distracted with other books at the time so maybe it was that. I ended up skimming the pages near the end. This is in no way a terrible book, it just didn't capture my interest.
July 9, 2018
This is a worthy follow up to the original. Suffers a little bit from knowing what to expect, but overall it’s another fun romp through the extremely niche world of terrible old computer games. Pick it up if you liked the first one.
February 10, 2018
Just as good as the previous book, nice to see some newer titles also included. Top it off with some great guest articles, consider it an educational and fun read.
June 10, 2020
A very good look at some old games good work ashens
September 27, 2021
A wonderful sequel to the original! Wouldn't say no if Ashens decided to start on a third to make this a lovely trilogy!
February 12, 2022
I've enjoyed Ashen's sense of humor on Youtube for years. Entirely enjoyed the book, it'll be on my coffee table for a long while so I can read about a bad game again here and there.
March 29, 2018
A joyous and snarky followup to the original TOGYPNHO, the sofa man from YouTube dredges up another collection of bizarre and dreadful home computer games from the past. Growing up my favourite part of getting gaming magazines was reading the negative reviews, as that was where the writers were able to pack the best jokes to appeal to my young brain, and I have a real pang of nostalgia for those reviews when reading through these collections. There are a few entries to mix up the formula, from guest submissions to a genuinely fascinating breakdown of "Hareraiser", but this is more of a book to dip into now and then. Rather than, as I did, read it through in a couple of sittings. Still, really fun, and a good spotlight shone on forgotten failures of the past, which is totally my jam.
May 28, 2019
This is Ashen's second book detailing awful old video games and it's more of the same.
In the books defence, Stuart Ashen's keen sense of humour continues to shine through and gamers will enjoy more than a few chuckles as Ashen desperately tries to describe the fiddly controls, nauseating graphics or ear-piercing sound of these terrible games.
Some of the newer features in the book are nice additions; the section that takes a look at more famous games (Street Fighter II for example) and briefly examines some of the nastier ports of the game that exist along with the extended and incredibly interesting entry about 'Hareraiser' make for nice changes of pace.
Ashen has also recruited some of the most well known gaming-based YouTubers to write guest entries for the book about their own personal nightmare game, though the anecdotes do end up feeling incredibly similar.
If you read the first book and enjoyed it then this is just more of the same, though I mean that in the best way possible.
In the books defence, Stuart Ashen's keen sense of humour continues to shine through and gamers will enjoy more than a few chuckles as Ashen desperately tries to describe the fiddly controls, nauseating graphics or ear-piercing sound of these terrible games.
Some of the newer features in the book are nice additions; the section that takes a look at more famous games (Street Fighter II for example) and briefly examines some of the nastier ports of the game that exist along with the extended and incredibly interesting entry about 'Hareraiser' make for nice changes of pace.
Ashen has also recruited some of the most well known gaming-based YouTubers to write guest entries for the book about their own personal nightmare game, though the anecdotes do end up feeling incredibly similar.
If you read the first book and enjoyed it then this is just more of the same, though I mean that in the best way possible.
March 24, 2018
A book filled with descriptions of terrible old video games runs the risk of being boring and repetitive - the phrase 'glitchy, unplayable and painful to look at' can only be used so many times. However, Stuart's writing and the tone which he takes provides an entertaining insight into the flaws of each of these hand-picked terrible old games to ensure that the format doesn't get stale, and a few other features in the book look at hardware, hilariously awful art on covers, guest pieces, and a particularly enjoyable investigative documenting of the tale behind the Games Hareraiser: Prelude and Hareraiser (which I highly recommend reading, as it is a standout highlight) provide just the right amount of variety to keep things fresh. I look forward to more writing from Stuart in the future.
June 22, 2020
Malý výlet do historie toho nejhoršího z nejhorších. Názorná ilustrace problémů a fenoménů tehdejší doby, jako nezvládnuté porty arkádových hitů, neoficiální sekvely nebo bizarní výtvory inspirované tv seriály. Kapitolou sám o sobě je pak Hareraiser, doporučuju záznam autorovy přednášky - Hareraiser (The Worst Game Ever) - Stuart Ashen - Norwich Gaming Festival 2017
February 13, 2019
Full of Stuart Ashen's usual sarcastic humour, this is a great read, especially for those with an affinity for terrible games. Highly enjoyable.
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December 27, 2017I feel like this may be a bit more repetitive than its predecessor - there's a lot of shoddy collision detection - and, with the obvious exception of Jim Sterling, for me none of the guest contributors contributed that much when compared to the quality of Ashens' own chapters. Nevertheless, it's another horrifying, hilarious odyssey through the inexplicable, unplayable and generally unsound.
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