To this day, I mentally perform Warhead's victory pose (the spinning one) and "YEEEAAAAH!" cry during any moment of triumph. There is truly no better declaration of sweet, sweet victory.
Appreciate the little background info about the development history, really puts it in perspective what the team was aiming for and what resources were available. My only real experience with the game during it's "hey day" was a single match at the local laser tag arena when the more popular games were being crowded. The mid to late 90s fighting game scene was something to behold, with seemingly a new title dropping every other week with only a handful having any sort of staying power but the sheer spectacle was somewhat magical when leaning hard on nostalgia.
This really made me think about Raiden's ending in MK 1, where he wins easily since he is a god, and then he invites all other gods to make their own competition. This would be a pretty fun premisse to a War Gods Remake, and if it ever happens, you heard here first.
Same. I want to see more games like that admittedly just to see whether or not games like Mace: The Dark Age and Eternal Champions are still fine enough games.
I think we need a New Tier between the *That'll be just fine’* tier. & the *Fairly Stinky* tier Something like: *''It could have been better, maybe?''* Tier Because War Gods was developed by people that had no experience with 3D The Arcade has weird Buttons & The Console is basically a 1:1 Port with NO Extra Content Also the absence of Dedicated Endings Also I could think of other ways this Game could have been improved Something like a Free Pratiche Mode Dedicated Rivals that recycles others Character Moves to save space (like Tekken 1 already did)
Funny story about this one: my uncle bought it for me (N64 version) out of the back of some dudes creepy white van. As a kid I didn’t know what a Kabuki was, so I thought Jo was some kind of clown god and he terrified me.
If someone explained kabuki theater to you do you think you would be less terrified? Does that imply you were terrified of the CONCEPT of a clown, but not the APPEARANCE of something that was extremely clown-like?
@@sebastianramirez9090 I would like to see Ed Boon, just as a joke, bring back one War Gods character as DLC for Mortal Kombat 12. Frankly, despite being part of the "Worst Fighting Game" series, War Gods is not that bad of a game, let alone, a bad MK-clone.
War Gods feels like one of those games where its main flaw wasn't doing anything that looked wrong at the time, but just betting on the wrong horse in terms of approach. You saw a lot of that in early 3D games; it's not that War Gods' approach to making its characters was wrong on its face, or even looks that bad in practice. It just happened to not be the approach that'd end up working in 3D fighting games.
Is that Killer Instinct Gold player selection screen music I hear at 5:49 ?! lol Also my fondest memory of playing war gods was not knowing how to perform fatalities so me and my cousin would always just opt for the uppercut at the end of each fight cause they'd send the person flying up like 100 feet before dropping back to ground lol
The moment you started talking about the development of this game, and showing a developer who clearly was trying but accepting he and his team just didn't do it right, I knew there was no chance of this game coming even close to the likes of Expect No Mercy. This might not be a _good_ game, but the effort that went into it _does_ show. So already it is on a whole other league than ENM.
I agree. Even if they failed, the devs had a goal they were shooting for and cared about what they were doing makes me want to appreciate it for what it is.
I agree, they tried and was very open to new ideas and trying something old but new. like once he got to that part as well as 'game feel' there was no way it was gonna be near 'expect no mercy'. hell i knew it wouldn't make top five
@@culturia3555 That just kind of proves the point, really. There _is_ stuff to like, because the developers put in their best effort, so some of the good they were trying to accomplish with the game showed through. Enough so for some people such as yourself to genuinely enjoy the game (which is totally fine to be clear; I'm not trying to make your opinion sound lesser for genuinely enjoying the game Just the sheer fact that it _can_ be enjoyed as such is testament to the developers were genuinely trying their best to make a good game).
I ADORE the animation for getting burned by the Kabuki guy’s ground fire attack. It’s so funny imagining all these stony-faced warriors going “Ooh! Yeowwch!!” and flailing about in mild pain
I adored this game growing up. My dad, sister, and I spent so much time playing it together and while it's not the best, it's one of my favorites! I remember drawing a picture of Voodoo doing his fatality and my dad was like "That's fantastic but DO NOT draw like this at school" haha
I played this for a summer as a kid. If you played MK3 you could play this. Same strategy and all. Run in combo. Run throw. Same basics. I actually used to think this was like MK4 dry run by midway. Didn’t know it was a separate team. Plays so similar.
I actually unironically love this game. Loved the announcer, color scheme, characters, and cabinet. Played the hell out of this. Still play it like once a month.
I remember when my aunt bought a N64 in the late 90s this game came with the console as a promotion at the video game store she got it at. Used to play it non stop when she babysat me.
There's something satisfying about how, despite all of the flaws that War Gods has, Matt still considers it to be something of a guilty pleasure and something that he'll surely hold near and dear to his heart until the end of time! 😊
I’d bet he only made this episode for two reasons: 1) an excuse to make another War Gods video; 2) so people would finally stop requesting it for Worst Fighting Games.
finally one of these that i actually played i remember being under 10 and being bored out of my mind came into my hands via a borrowed copy from a neighbor and after a short play session it sat on my shelf for a week untill i returned it
Before watching this video, I had a feeling that it would end up in the "Just Fine" tier. I actually remember renting this as a kid, and having a decent amount of fun with it. It's no masterpiece, but it's perfectly playable and hits plenty of the notes one would want an MK-adjacent fighting game to hit.
I remember reviews at the time describing it as "meh" to "average" so I'm somewhat surprised the game is so reviled these days. Then again, I've long described modern rating patters as absolutely binary, something is either perfect or absolute trash, no in between.
There was a War Gods arcade cabinet at the local roller rink when I was 6 or 7 and I was scared shitless of it. Something in the demo video loop really rubbed me the wrong way, but I don't remember what it was.
Back then as very early teenagers, a lot of games we'd consider 'bad' or clunky today, were games that we tolerated very well. At the time we 'put up' with a lot of "crap" without exactly being too critical of games. What was (mostly) important was the simple act of going to a local games store and rent _something_ and often without a single idea what we were about to play. The lure of the Front Cover box arts + back of the box preview pictures + lack of Internet and barely ever any actual chance to see any new games in actual motion in front of us would make us 'fly blind' in rental stores. To be 'fair' to WarGods (related to the above), back then we played the likes of Rise of the Robots, Clayfighter, Primal Rage, Masters of Teras Kasi, Street Fighter The Movie, Time Killers and many more without much of a problem. Sure, sometimes we'd say something like "dude, this game sucks" but in most cases we'd keep playing it, or even ignore that we didn't like it and eventually rent something similar anyway, or play a similar game at the Arcades just out of sheer curiosity; or out of the 'initial' honeymoon phase we might have with those games for anywhere between 10 mins to 1 or 2 days. It is only now, so many years later that it becomes so easy (too easy, actually) to judge any one of those games harshly. We've grown up, we perceive those games differently today, our brain is wired very differently in general at this point, 20, 25 or 30+ years later. So anyways, gist is: WarGods was tolerable at the time; it wasn't _popular_ per se, but I don't think it was exactly 'trashed on' either.
Yeah, much like how I instantly pegged Expect No Mercy to "win", I seen this War Gods was too competently made to get very high on the list. Just seeing in the interviews, this was a team that really gave a damn about trying to put out a good product. It wasn't a quick cash grab, its not some guys thinking 'oh making a fighting game is easy'.
We had this when I was a kid, a random buy from Toys R Us, when I was far too young to play something this violent. I remember reading Voodoo's backstory in the instruction booklet, about how he had been murdered by his fellow villagers for practicing black magic, or something of that nature, and was both terrified and intrigued. Funnily enough, I never did actually get to play the game itself. I think my Mom discovered it was actually rated M and made me get rid of it, because when I was 10 or 11, anything even rated T was a no-no.
Many years ago I was at Disney quest and they had this one fighter that I never got the title of. I thought it was okay until 2 things happened: 1) I was mostly mashing buttons to get a feel and apparently when you missed attacks you lost health. 2) After about 3 wins the AI got a bee in its bonnet and suddenly decided to brutalize you. I fought the same guy 3 more times and he did these monstrously impossible combos that I couldn't get out of. He also managed to hit me once at the match start and killed me instantly. When I saw the symbol on screen I knew immediately it was the characters for death touch. The game had a death touch move? Never saw it again. Also the characters had weird alternate outfits where they dressed as animals. That part was funny.
#2 is very believable because it'd be the typical Midway rubberbanding. It was in any of their mid-90's games. Being a persistent brat at the time I came to terms with it and pushed through, now I'd just call bullshit and leave.
I'm familiar with Bloody Roar and I don't think that was it as the animal costumes were just that, a cosmetic. My player turned into a frog. One of the opponents was a yellow duck, like for a bathtub.
I think if you made an MK spinoff of sorts, using every single guest character from the recent MK games, like Rambo, Robocop, and Spawn, the title of War Gods would fit it like a glove. Maybe make someone like Pinhead the final boss. This game was an interesting concept for the time, but the execution falls apart. Still, it's a guilty pleasure for me too.
I just finished watching the Criticom Saga compilation, wondering when and what the next game was going to be. Fuck yeah, love me some stiff, janky early 3D fighters
I can't hate any game where one of the fatalities is turning your opponent into a chicken and just... letting them live as a chicken. She doesn't even roast it. And then you can unlock the chicken as a hidden playable character. And then there's the Hanna Barbera sound effects library... yeah, I love this fever dream of a game.
"Body Blows" from Team17 was always a weird one for me when I was very little. There are sequels, so it might not have been as weird as I remember. It was the only thing me and my brother could play on our first PC in VS mode, on a single keyboard.
As a kid I always loved all these MK rip-off games, and sometimes I wish I could go back in time and be a part of the board meetings for some of these game developers. I just want to see what could’ve been if they had some input from an FGC member of today’s world. I feel like War Gods and Bloodstorm could’ve been awesome under the right ideas and opinions.
I remember seeing this one in the arcade. The cabinet seemed big and the screen was really bright but nothing about the characters or style made me ever want to play it. Even back then it had a weird look to it that I couldn’t put my finger on. You did a nice job explaining the design and motion capture method. I always walked past this on my way to Metal Slug 😁
So... my dad didn't know what to get me for a game when he bought me an N64. Couldn't even find a copy of Mario64 that close to Christmas. I did my best to pretend to enjoy it that Christmas day, but was secretly thinking that it was one of the worst games I'd ever played and after that weekend I spent with him I don't think I ever turned the cart back on.
I think this game would've been cooler if they used actual Gods instead of characters based on a mythology. Basically think if Smite and Mortal Kombat had a love child. I would play that game. Who even owns War Gods? Is it WB? Wouldn't mind seeing a reboot like that. Imagine having Odin or Freya in place of Vallah, Baron Samedi over Voodoo, Izanagi or Hachiman over Kabuki Jo. Would be pretty cool. Though I guess I don't mind the original characters too much the more I think of it but still would be cool to have a mythology fighting game that's you know, good? lol And if they wanted more human characters they could've also used real life warriors like Ragnar Lothbrok, Guan Yu, Leonidas, etc.
Man, I was just listening to the compilation yesterday thinking I'd like to see this game on the show, and here we are. Nostalgic memories of throwing rocks at people came flooding back watching this.
I agree with the placement. It's sort of what I'd call the gaming equivalent to where if you put Corn Pops on the grocery list, and your mom got Kix instead. It's not what you asked for, and it'd never be your first choice, but it'll do.
From the moment you started showing the gameplay, I said, "You know... This isn't that bad. It is not GOOD, but War Gods looks better than most of the other fighting games shown in this webseries." So I pretty much guessed it would end up in "That'll be just fine" on the list.
Generic-ness aside, those character models are actually really good looking by the standards of their time. If this game ever took off, I probably would have mained Voodoo just because of how cool he genuinely looks.
I used to play this game back in the 90’s. Not as good as Mortal Kombat or Killer Instinct, of course, but I liked it! My main was Vallah. Would love to see it get a makeover.
Would still love to see this series cover Mortal Kombat Trilogy on the GameCom. That version doesn't even have Scorpion or Sub-Zero, and is on one of the worst portable consoles ever made!
I remember playing War Gods once or twice in the arcade back then. I thought it was ok. The game probably would have been better received and remembered more fondly if it had been released a year earlier. Much like the devs said it was outclassed by other similar games in the genre at release.
I'd honestly really wanna see Flying dragon shown on the channel, period- I used to play it at a friend's and I think it was my first fighting game experience period. But I can't really find any sort of content about it here on youtube.
the problem with war gods was, by that point, Killer Instinct 1 and 2 had come out using the exact same 3d system but made by RARE, a team that knew what they were doing and know how to put polish into a fighting game. War Gods is comically inferior compared to either Killer Instinct in nearly every way imaginable. Where as the Killer Instinct series is considered a classic fighting series that is very well remembered by fans on par with Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat series, where as War Gods is relegated to junk status as among the worst fighting games of the era (certainly among the worst from a AAA publisher like Midway).
I know it's not exactly a new thing, but Matt's fighting game skeleton avatar (is that the right word? Avatar?) is so damn cool. Tell me you wouldn't buy an action figure of that. Glad there are more expressions and stuff since it first started popping up in videos. 💪 💀
Oh my God my dad worked for a company that fixed video games for bars and other locations so I got to play for free every once in a great while and I remember this game so much Tak was my favorite character and I distinctly remember hating the anubis's pyramid trap if only I could go back about 20 to 25 years ago
Oh I remember this. I like the style, but after stage 2, the AI will block every attack and counter whenever there's a chance, regardless the difficulty settings
I remember seeing this game in the big high class arcade near my cousin's home and especially remembered that 'make your opponent T pose' attack. Didn't even realize it had a bad reputation.
Given the devs seems like good people and knowing how it was made, I can’t help but have some affection for this game now. Edit: character models kind of remind me of Quake.
I was only made familiar to War Gods thanks to N64 emulation and I gotta say, that legend about War Gods being a beta effort for MK4 felt rather justified. I even remember mentioning to friends back in the day that I didn't get why Boon was so bold on denying the links because it's not like they were exactly too far off from each other. That said, Kerri Hoskins is always a great sight and I'll never reject that.
@@KingOfElectricNinjas Very much so, yes. I don't remember if this was known back then (think I remember speaking about it in 2007 with my friends of the time) but nowadays we know better.
If there was a fighting game I could nominate, it's definitely not the worst fighting game, at least in comparison to Criticom or Expect No Mercy, but I have nothing but bad memories regarding Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament; a PS2 game published by Atari. I remember there were a lot of balance issues, the controls feeling very clunky, and for some reason or another; there was a token based mini game. It had mixed reviews when it came out, so it's really up in the air how everyone else may feel about it.
War Gods was essentially a prototype for MK4, and in a lot of ways it's actually a much better game. The music is based and the voice of Exxor is badass.
War Gods is one of those games that I thought was bad but turned out it's perfectly in the middle. If I were to do a fighting game tier list of all fighters, it would be the perfect Mid game to measure from. Also Kabuki Joe needs to come back dammit!
This video had me confused the whole way through because my brain kept thinking that this was a different PC game I used to love, but also that it couldn't be because I remembered it being 2D instead of 3D. Anyway, it was Savage Warriors, which you should consider covering if you haven't already.
Hey Matt! Thanks for reviewing this one. I played it on N64 long time ago and didn't hate it. BUT you made me remember another one from the same era, also from Midway. *1998's Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.* That's my suggestion. I remember liking it because of the air combat mechanics, but I can't say its not garbage, so check it out if you like!
You've showed Tattoo Assassins in the intro since the first episode, when are we going to get to it? Also, Clay Fighter 63 1/3 should definitely be showcased at some point.
The team behind War Gods put way more effort and content into the game than MK team put into MK4. This game at least has some originality in it. With MK4 it clearly shows they were tired with the franchise and having it transformed into 3D was a task they didn't feel like being bothered with at the time.
MK4 was totally uninspired. War Gods wasn't that great but it was new and fairly engaging with some decent characters and fighting moves. I lost interest in MK after my its 3D incarnations.
The "Fairly Stinky" Tier was making me giggle just a bit too damn much!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I felt so childish but it was named so so right!!!... I'm glad we share the same immature mind when it comes to this stuff... (It's why I love your channel)
Hi Matt, I was wondering if you've ever heard of Brudal Baddle? An MS-DOS game from 1994. I remember playing a demo back in those days, never the full game, but I do remember the game was pretty terrible, though I remember it mostly for the music. Could be right up your alley. :)
When Midway releases a Mortal Kombat game, but refuses to call it Mortal Kombat, it’s very telling. Especially as a pretense to MK Mythologies and Special Forces…
This game is one of my guilty pleasures! For all its jank and kinda dumb designs, it's aesthetic just screams tons of personality. Is it a good game? Not even close, but it's a fun one. It's clear the team behind it were little wet behind the ears and but the effort is there. Making it excellent Mystery Game Tournament material.
Has anyone else looked at these Worst Fighting Games and wondered what would the hardcore competitive scene could possibly look like? Imagine commentators trying to hype up and explain the intricate moves of the likes of Paws of Fury.
It is wild how fast things were changing in those days. Cruisin USA came out in 1994 on the same hardware. If this game had come out just two years earlier as a launch game for that hardware, it would be remembered as wildly ahead of it's time. Today? I can't tell teh difference from stuff that came out in 2020 vs 2022 or whatever. The industry is just much more stable.
That was a good review and it is true that this game was overshadowed by better games like Tekken 2 and Mace and I really don't remember it being in many arcades in the first place. I have a suggestion for a game, Zero Divide. I don't see many people talk about it. It's kind of an interesting game I do remember it being kinda stiff and the special moves being weird to pull off.
Last I checked, my neighborhood bowling alley still had a War Gods cabinet. Should just start spamming Max with pictures of it. "Is MK12 announced yet?" "NO, but War Gods is!"
a'ight Matt, how much to hire an impersonator of the Killer Instinct presentator to SCREAM the title of the segments? Just seeing "PRESENTATION" without having to endure somebody blasting it from the bottom of his lungs kinda feels wrong.
Gotta do a Clayfighter Worst Fighting Game level deepdive someday. 63 1/3, MACE, War Gods, and MK4 were basically the best games ever made as far as 12 year old me was concerned.
I never got to play this since I was stationed in Japan at the time of release and VERY FEW American games get a release in Japanese arcades. Add to the fact that I only owned a Saturn at the time, I didn't get to play any of the home versions either! Looking at screens in magazines, I always thought "eh, MK wannabe in 3D." So I knew I'd be pretty indifferent about it. At least it made the "just fine" tier.
My favorite moment with this game was at a Nathan's and seeing a few drunk Mexicans playing this game after complaining that the Marvel Vs Capcom 2 cabinet was full. I learned so many words that day.
16:08 - Cyber Brawl/Cosmic Carnage? I would argue that its greatest downfall is its horrendous and inconsistent framerate, and its biggest asset is the absolutely fantastic soundtrack.
Have you ever tried the Genesis version of Mighty Morphing Power Rangers? I don't know if it tops some of the crapfests on the list but it really is quite a long long ways from a good game despite how much my younger self played it.
To this day, I mentally perform Warhead's victory pose (the spinning one) and "YEEEAAAAH!" cry during any moment of triumph. There is truly no better declaration of sweet, sweet victory.
I kill you and take your power lives in my head rent free.
love your hl content Man!
this comment made my day
I will never get tired of the aesthetic from late 90s/early 2000s Midway games. They're perfect.
100% agree.
Especially Bio Freaks, pretty cool game.
Wayne Gretzky’s 3d Hockey was my 💩
I love it. It's like the b-horror snuff films I watch.
Perfect victory….
Appreciate the little background info about the development history, really puts it in perspective what the team was aiming for and what resources were available. My only real experience with the game during it's "hey day" was a single match at the local laser tag arena when the more popular games were being crowded. The mid to late 90s fighting game scene was something to behold, with seemingly a new title dropping every other week with only a handful having any sort of staying power but the sheer spectacle was somewhat magical when leaning hard on nostalgia.
This really made me think about Raiden's ending in MK 1, where he wins easily since he is a god, and then he invites all other gods to make their own competition. This would be a pretty fun premisse to a War Gods Remake, and if it ever happens, you heard here first.
Honestly it feels just as much of a victory when a game gets into the ‘That’ll be just fine’ tier.
Also that ‘Max as Lenny’ bit is top tier.
Same. I want to see more games like that admittedly just to see whether or not games like Mace: The Dark Age and Eternal Champions are still fine enough games.
Honestly war gods looks better than mk4, especially considering it came out much earlier.
I think we need a New Tier between the *That'll be just fine’* tier. & the *Fairly Stinky* tier
Something like:
*''It could have been better, maybe?''* Tier
Because War Gods was developed by people that had no experience with 3D
The Arcade has weird Buttons & The Console is basically a 1:1 Port with NO Extra Content
Also the absence of Dedicated Endings
Also I could think of other ways this Game could have been improved
Something like a Free Pratiche Mode
Dedicated Rivals that recycles others Character Moves to save space (like Tekken 1 already did)
Funny story about this one: my uncle bought it for me (N64 version) out of the back of some dudes creepy white van.
As a kid I didn’t know what a Kabuki was, so I thought Jo was some kind of clown god and he terrified me.
If someone explained kabuki theater to you do you think you would be less terrified? Does that imply you were terrified of the CONCEPT of a clown, but not the APPEARANCE of something that was extremely clown-like?
I always thought that a modern version of this game would be awesome, maybe they could use it as their 3D fighter.
What do you think mortal Kombat is
@@samwisegame-geek3392 Mortal Kombat nowadays is a 2D fighter and i doubt they would make it 3D again, even as a spin-off.
Not a bad idea, really. We could use more 3D fighting games.
@@sebastianramirez9090 I would like to see Ed Boon, just as a joke, bring back one War Gods character as DLC for Mortal Kombat 12.
Frankly, despite being part of the "Worst Fighting Game" series, War Gods is not that bad of a game, let alone, a bad MK-clone.
@@AnhDonoi God of War would beg differ. Most people don't care.
War Gods feels like one of those games where its main flaw wasn't doing anything that looked wrong at the time, but just betting on the wrong horse in terms of approach. You saw a lot of that in early 3D games; it's not that War Gods' approach to making its characters was wrong on its face, or even looks that bad in practice. It just happened to not be the approach that'd end up working in 3D fighting games.
Perfect summary.
Is that Killer Instinct Gold player selection screen music I hear at 5:49 ?! lol Also my fondest memory of playing war gods was not knowing how to perform fatalities so me and my cousin would always just opt for the uppercut at the end of each fight cause they'd send the person flying up like 100 feet before dropping back to ground lol
The moment you started talking about the development of this game, and showing a developer who clearly was trying but accepting he and his team just didn't do it right, I knew there was no chance of this game coming even close to the likes of Expect No Mercy. This might not be a _good_ game, but the effort that went into it _does_ show. So already it is on a whole other league than ENM.
I agree. Even if they failed, the devs had a goal they were shooting for and cared about what they were doing makes me want to appreciate it for what it is.
I agree, they tried and was very open to new ideas and trying something old but new. like once he got to that part as well as 'game feel' there was no way it was gonna be near 'expect no mercy'. hell i knew it wouldn't make top five
To say the truth, for me, this was a good game. Not on par with great fighting games, but still entertaining.
@@culturia3555 That just kind of proves the point, really. There _is_ stuff to like, because the developers put in their best effort, so some of the good they were trying to accomplish with the game showed through. Enough so for some people such as yourself to genuinely enjoy the game (which is totally fine to be clear; I'm not trying to make your opinion sound lesser for genuinely enjoying the game Just the sheer fact that it _can_ be enjoyed as such is testament to the developers were genuinely trying their best to make a good game).
We have SEEN the amateur and it is…ENM
I ADORE the animation for getting burned by the Kabuki guy’s ground fire attack. It’s so funny imagining all these stony-faced warriors going “Ooh! Yeowwch!!” and flailing about in mild pain
I have fond memories of War Gods, Tak and Maximus were my guys. I still quote Maximus' "I kill you and I take your power" from time to time.
I adored this game growing up. My dad, sister, and I spent so much time playing it together and while it's not the best, it's one of my favorites! I remember drawing a picture of Voodoo doing his fatality and my dad was like "That's fantastic but DO NOT draw like this at school" haha
I played this for a summer as a kid. If you played MK3 you could play this. Same strategy and all. Run in combo. Run throw. Same basics. I actually used to think this was like MK4 dry run by midway. Didn’t know it was a separate team. Plays so similar.
I actually unironically love this game. Loved the announcer, color scheme, characters, and cabinet. Played the hell out of this. Still play it like once a month.
Same! I played the he'll out of this along with MK4. Loved those games
Same, this game was lit
Agreed
If I remember right the bosses were difficult as shit. They'd fuck you up instantly
Same, After seeing it in the Arcade I knew I had to have it on my N64. I was not let down. So much fun. Same with Mace the Dark Age.
I remember when my aunt bought a N64 in the late 90s this game came with the console as a promotion at the video game store she got it at. Used to play it non stop when she babysat me.
There's something satisfying about how, despite all of the flaws that War Gods has, Matt still considers it to be something of a guilty pleasure and something that he'll surely hold near and dear to his heart until the end of time! 😊
I’d bet he only made this episode for two reasons: 1) an excuse to make another War Gods video; 2) so people would finally stop requesting it for Worst Fighting Games.
finally one of these that i actually played
i remember being under 10 and being bored out of my mind
came into my hands via a borrowed copy from a neighbor and after a short play session it sat on my shelf for a week untill i returned it
I had this game for N64. I liked it a lot back in the day but have never gone back to it. This video is enlightening in ways I was not expecting.
Twas a good rental back in the day when the MK games were all checked out.
Before watching this video, I had a feeling that it would end up in the "Just Fine" tier. I actually remember renting this as a kid, and having a decent amount of fun with it. It's no masterpiece, but it's perfectly playable and hits plenty of the notes one would want an MK-adjacent fighting game to hit.
I remember reviews at the time describing it as "meh" to "average" so I'm somewhat surprised the game is so reviled these days. Then again, I've long described modern rating patters as absolutely binary, something is either perfect or absolute trash, no in between.
A War Gods character could make their way into a future MK game. I feel.
They sort of did that with Kotal Kahn, he's fairly close in design and concept to Ahau Kin.
I’d rather see War Gods characters in an MK game than the guest characters they have.
One of Ba Rai cho’s brutalities reference's Grox’s belly slam attack
I’m guessing Ahau Kin
There was a War Gods arcade cabinet at the local roller rink when I was 6 or 7 and I was scared shitless of it. Something in the demo video loop really rubbed me the wrong way, but I don't remember what it was.
I've been WAITING for this episode. I played the hell out of this game when I was in high school.
gotta love to see maximus special attack, the tiny net, is a death sentence, is a net and its tiny
I never played any of them much, but I always considered War Gods, Mace, and Bio Freaks as like Midway's non-MK trilogy.
Back then as very early teenagers, a lot of games we'd consider 'bad' or clunky today, were games that we tolerated very well. At the time we 'put up' with a lot of "crap" without exactly being too critical of games. What was (mostly) important was the simple act of going to a local games store and rent _something_ and often without a single idea what we were about to play. The lure of the Front Cover box arts + back of the box preview pictures + lack of Internet and barely ever any actual chance to see any new games in actual motion in front of us would make us 'fly blind' in rental stores.
To be 'fair' to WarGods (related to the above), back then we played the likes of Rise of the Robots, Clayfighter, Primal Rage, Masters of Teras Kasi, Street Fighter The Movie, Time Killers and many more without much of a problem. Sure, sometimes we'd say something like "dude, this game sucks" but in most cases we'd keep playing it, or even ignore that we didn't like it and eventually rent something similar anyway, or play a similar game at the Arcades just out of sheer curiosity; or out of the 'initial' honeymoon phase we might have with those games for anywhere between 10 mins to 1 or 2 days.
It is only now, so many years later that it becomes so easy (too easy, actually) to judge any one of those games harshly. We've grown up, we perceive those games differently today, our brain is wired very differently in general at this point, 20, 25 or 30+ years later. So anyways, gist is: WarGods was tolerable at the time; it wasn't _popular_ per se, but I don't think it was exactly 'trashed on' either.
Yeah, much like how I instantly pegged Expect No Mercy to "win", I seen this War Gods was too competently made to get very high on the list. Just seeing in the interviews, this was a team that really gave a damn about trying to put out a good product. It wasn't a quick cash grab, its not some guys thinking 'oh making a fighting game is easy'.
We had this when I was a kid, a random buy from Toys R Us, when I was far too young to play something this violent. I remember reading Voodoo's backstory in the instruction booklet, about how he had been murdered by his fellow villagers for practicing black magic, or something of that nature, and was both terrified and intrigued. Funnily enough, I never did actually get to play the game itself. I think my Mom discovered it was actually rated M and made me get rid of it, because when I was 10 or 11, anything even rated T was a no-no.
Many years ago I was at Disney quest and they had this one fighter that I never got the title of. I thought it was okay until 2 things happened:
1) I was mostly mashing buttons to get a feel and apparently when you missed attacks you lost health.
2) After about 3 wins the AI got a bee in its bonnet and suddenly decided to brutalize you. I fought the same guy 3 more times and he did these monstrously impossible combos that I couldn't get out of. He also managed to hit me once at the match start and killed me instantly.
When I saw the symbol on screen I knew immediately it was the characters for death touch. The game had a death touch move? Never saw it again.
Also the characters had weird alternate outfits where they dressed as animals. That part was funny.
That sounds so hard to Google. But also fascinating.
#2 is very believable because it'd be the typical Midway rubberbanding. It was in any of their mid-90's games. Being a persistent brat at the time I came to terms with it and pushed through, now I'd just call bullshit and leave.
Sounds like bloody roar
ya i was thinking Bloody Roar
I'm familiar with Bloody Roar and I don't think that was it as the animal costumes were just that, a cosmetic. My player turned into a frog. One of the opponents was a yellow duck, like for a bathtub.
I think if you made an MK spinoff of sorts, using every single guest character from the recent MK games, like Rambo, Robocop, and Spawn, the title of War Gods would fit it like a glove. Maybe make someone like Pinhead the final boss.
This game was an interesting concept for the time, but the execution falls apart. Still, it's a guilty pleasure for me too.
I love the sheer hubris of them deciding to put a big glowing "3D" button on the cabinet
I just finished watching the Criticom Saga compilation, wondering when and what the next game was going to be. Fuck yeah, love me some stiff, janky early 3D fighters
I can't hate any game where one of the fatalities is turning your opponent into a chicken and just... letting them live as a chicken. She doesn't even roast it. And then you can unlock the chicken as a hidden playable character. And then there's the Hanna Barbera sound effects library... yeah, I love this fever dream of a game.
That's Mace. Not War Gods.
@@MattMcMuscles Shoot, thanks. I get them confused all the time. I knew it was a Midway game, at least!
@@melasnexperience technically it isn't Midway, they just distributed it. Atari developed it
Midway really hit us with a Spicy Button
"Body Blows" from Team17 was always a weird one for me when I was very little. There are sequels, so it might not have been as weird as I remember. It was the only thing me and my brother could play on our first PC in VS mode, on a single keyboard.
As a kid I always loved all these MK rip-off games, and sometimes I wish I could go back in time and be a part of the board meetings for some of these game developers. I just want to see what could’ve been if they had some input from an FGC member of today’s world. I feel like War Gods and Bloodstorm could’ve been awesome under the right ideas and opinions.
Yeah, Same here.😂 Ist was awesome at the time.
I remember seeing this one in the arcade. The cabinet seemed big and the screen was really bright but nothing about the characters or style made me ever want to play it. Even back then it had a weird look to it that I couldn’t put my finger on. You did a nice job explaining the design and motion capture method. I always walked past this on my way to Metal Slug 😁
To everyone's surprise, instead of announcing MK12 or Injustice 3, we get War Gods II: Olympic Boogaloo
So... my dad didn't know what to get me for a game when he bought me an N64. Couldn't even find a copy of Mario64 that close to Christmas. I did my best to pretend to enjoy it that Christmas day, but was secretly thinking that it was one of the worst games I'd ever played and after that weekend I spent with him I don't think I ever turned the cart back on.
stumbled on an old AVGN and there was Tattoo Assassins, and Shadow: War of Succession. Should potentially make them candidates for future episodes
I think this game would've been cooler if they used actual Gods instead of characters based on a mythology. Basically think if Smite and Mortal Kombat had a love child. I would play that game. Who even owns War Gods? Is it WB? Wouldn't mind seeing a reboot like that.
Imagine having Odin or Freya in place of Vallah, Baron Samedi over Voodoo, Izanagi or Hachiman over Kabuki Jo. Would be pretty cool. Though I guess I don't mind the original characters too much the more I think of it but still would be cool to have a mythology fighting game that's you know, good? lol And if they wanted more human characters they could've also used real life warriors like Ragnar Lothbrok, Guan Yu, Leonidas, etc.
That's basically record of ragnarok lol, not that it's a bad thing
Man, I was just listening to the compilation yesterday thinking I'd like to see this game on the show, and here we are. Nostalgic memories of throwing rocks at people came flooding back watching this.
Took about 12 minutes into this video to realise I hadn't actually played War Gods, and that I was thinking of Midway's other gem Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.
Going to continue to nominate Funky Punch for the PSP Mini service, but also would like to throw in DnD Iron & Blood from this same era
I agree with the placement. It's sort of what I'd call the gaming equivalent to where if you put Corn Pops on the grocery list, and your mom got Kix instead. It's not what you asked for, and it'd never be your first choice, but it'll do.
From the moment you started showing the gameplay, I said, "You know... This isn't that bad. It is not GOOD, but War Gods looks better than most of the other fighting games shown in this webseries."
So I pretty much guessed it would end up in "That'll be just fine" on the list.
Generic-ness aside, those character models are actually really good looking by the standards of their time. If this game ever took off, I probably would have mained Voodoo just because of how cool he genuinely looks.
I used to play this game back in the 90’s. Not as good as Mortal Kombat or Killer Instinct, of course, but I liked it! My main was Vallah. Would love to see it get a makeover.
Would still love to see this series cover Mortal Kombat Trilogy on the GameCom. That version doesn't even have Scorpion or Sub-Zero, and is on one of the worst portable consoles ever made!
I remember playing War Gods once or twice in the arcade back then. I thought it was ok. The game probably would have been better received and remembered more fondly if it had been released a year earlier. Much like the devs said it was outclassed by other similar games in the genre at release.
I'd honestly really wanna see Flying dragon shown on the channel, period- I used to play it at a friend's and I think it was my first fighting game experience period. But I can't really find any sort of content about it here on youtube.
the problem with war gods was, by that point, Killer Instinct 1 and 2 had come out using the exact same 3d system but made by RARE, a team that knew what they were doing and know how to put polish into a fighting game. War Gods is comically inferior compared to either Killer Instinct in nearly every way imaginable. Where as the Killer Instinct series is considered a classic fighting series that is very well remembered by fans on par with Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat series, where as War Gods is relegated to junk status as among the worst fighting games of the era (certainly among the worst from a AAA publisher like Midway).
I know it's not exactly a new thing, but Matt's fighting game skeleton avatar (is that the right word? Avatar?) is so damn cool. Tell me you wouldn't buy an action figure of that. Glad there are more expressions and stuff since it first started popping up in videos. 💪 💀
Just buy a Skeletor figurine from He Man.
I like to call it his skele-sona
Yup, avatar is the right term I'd say
Oh my God my dad worked for a company that fixed video games for bars and other locations so I got to play for free every once in a great while and I remember this game so much Tak was my favorite character and I distinctly remember hating the anubis's pyramid trap if only I could go back about 20 to 25 years ago
Oh I remember this. I like the style, but after stage 2, the AI will block every attack and counter whenever there's a chance, regardless the difficulty settings
I remember seeing this game in the big high class arcade near my cousin's home and especially remembered that 'make your opponent T pose' attack. Didn't even realize it had a bad reputation.
Voodo and Ahau Kin had the most disturbing Fatalities
I wish we can get a Modern version of this, it seems like a cool idea to have Gods Of Different Religions fight each other.
Given the devs seems like good people and knowing how it was made, I can’t help but have some affection for this game now.
Edit: character models kind of remind me of Quake.
I can never hate this game. It was a staple of damn near every sleepover when I was younger.
I genuinely want the war gods roster to be added to a new Mortal Kombat game! JUST IMAGINE WARHEAD IN A NEW GAME!
Ed is gonna reveal War Gods remake for NRS' next game, calling it now
Not yet, anyway. 😞 I really hope they do!
I was only made familiar to War Gods thanks to N64 emulation and I gotta say, that legend about War Gods being a beta effort for MK4 felt rather justified.
I even remember mentioning to friends back in the day that I didn't get why Boon was so bold on denying the links because it's not like they were exactly too far off from each other. That said, Kerri Hoskins is always a great sight and I'll never reject that.
@@KingOfElectricNinjas Very much so, yes. I don't remember if this was known back then (think I remember speaking about it in 2007 with my friends of the time) but nowadays we know better.
If there was a fighting game I could nominate, it's definitely not the worst fighting game, at least in comparison to Criticom or Expect No Mercy, but I have nothing but bad memories regarding Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament; a PS2 game published by Atari. I remember there were a lot of balance issues, the controls feeling very clunky, and for some reason or another; there was a token based mini game. It had mixed reviews when it came out, so it's really up in the air how everyone else may feel about it.
I like the premise. As a history enthusiast I thought the idea of mythological fighting game was awesome.
Kabuki Jo was always my favorite as a kid because of how the announcer said his name 😂
The Shamed Samurai. He had an awesome air combo, could he be Liu Kang’s distant relative?
War Gods was essentially a prototype for MK4, and in a lot of ways it's actually a much better game.
The music is based and the voice of Exxor is badass.
I always thought Tim Curry voiced Exor
War Gods is one of those games that I thought was bad but turned out it's perfectly in the middle. If I were to do a fighting game tier list of all fighters, it would be the perfect Mid game to measure from. Also Kabuki Joe needs to come back dammit!
This video had me confused the whole way through because my brain kept thinking that this was a different PC game I used to love, but also that it couldn't be because I remembered it being 2D instead of 3D. Anyway, it was Savage Warriors, which you should consider covering if you haven't already.
My oldest sister learned how to do the unblockable jump attack by Anubis and used it to crush me many times
Hey Matt! Thanks for reviewing this one. I played it on N64 long time ago and didn't hate it. BUT you made me remember another one from the same era, also from Midway. *1998's Bio F.R.E.A.K.S.*
That's my suggestion. I remember liking it because of the air combat mechanics, but I can't say its not garbage, so check it out if you like!
Still waiting for a Savage Warriors clip… I remember getting this and being totally excited just to be horribly let down as a kid
This would be a perfect dlc to the next mortal kombat game
How fucking dare you include War Gods in this series, Matt
The mere fact of Kabuki Joe being in this makes it an S tier game
I used to play this every day with my friend back in the day. He always picked anubis and I picked the big rock guy. I always lost....
You could say this collection of War Gods weren't Gods at all. But merely pretenders!
I'd be okay with a possible revival.
You've showed Tattoo Assassins in the intro since the first episode, when are we going to get to it? Also, Clay Fighter 63 1/3 should definitely be showcased at some point.
The team behind War Gods put way more effort and content into the game than MK team put into MK4. This game at least has some originality in it. With MK4 it clearly shows they were tired with the franchise and having it transformed into 3D was a task they didn't feel like being bothered with at the time.
MK4 was totally uninspired. War Gods wasn't that great but it was new and fairly engaging with some decent characters and fighting moves. I lost interest in MK after my its 3D incarnations.
How cool would it be if there was a fighter with Egyptian Gods that have the ability to turn from their human to animal forms mid battle?
1:25 ooh shots fired
Man, I know it isn't a good game but this was the last arcade cabinet I ever played at my local movie theater. Super nostalgic over it! lol
The "Fairly Stinky" Tier was making me giggle just a bit too damn much!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I felt so childish but it was named so so right!!!... I'm glad we share the same immature mind when it comes to this stuff... (It's why I love your channel)
Hi Matt, I was wondering if you've ever heard of Brudal Baddle? An MS-DOS game from 1994. I remember playing a demo back in those days, never the full game, but I do remember the game was pretty terrible, though I remember it mostly for the music. Could be right up your alley. :)
When Midway releases a Mortal Kombat game, but refuses to call it Mortal Kombat, it’s very telling. Especially as a pretense to MK Mythologies and Special Forces…
Worst fighting game? Not even close. That (dis)honor goes to "Tongue of the Fatman."
This game is one of my guilty pleasures! For all its jank and kinda dumb designs, it's aesthetic just screams tons of personality. Is it a good game? Not even close, but it's a fun one. It's clear the team behind it were little wet behind the ears and but the effort is there. Making it excellent Mystery Game Tournament material.
Has anyone else looked at these Worst Fighting Games and wondered what would the hardcore competitive scene could possibly look like? Imagine commentators trying to hype up and explain the intricate moves of the likes of Paws of Fury.
There was a 3d Jurassic Park fighting game back on the ps1 and some other consoles, you should do a video on that!
It is wild how fast things were changing in those days. Cruisin USA came out in 1994 on the same hardware. If this game had come out just two years earlier as a launch game for that hardware, it would be remembered as wildly ahead of it's time.
Today? I can't tell teh difference from stuff that came out in 2020 vs 2022 or whatever. The industry is just much more stable.
That was a hilarious tidbit about the arcade version's 3D button.
No one played it, so I never knew it did have that issue of getting hot!
That was a good review and it is true that this game was overshadowed by better games like Tekken 2 and Mace and I really don't remember it being in many arcades in the first place. I have a suggestion for a game, Zero Divide. I don't see many people talk about it. It's kind of an interesting game I do remember it being kinda stiff and the special moves being weird to pull off.
Last I checked, my neighborhood bowling alley still had a War Gods cabinet. Should just start spamming Max with pictures of it.
"Is MK12 announced yet?"
"NO, but War Gods is!"
I'm just here for the smash cuts to the KI character select theme. What a banger!
would love to know if there was any talent crossover between this and Spike TV's Deadliest Warrior
3D was so hot at the time, it could literally scorch a 9 year old's finger tips.
a'ight Matt, how much to hire an impersonator of the Killer Instinct presentator to SCREAM the title of the segments?
Just seeing "PRESENTATION" without having to endure somebody blasting it from the bottom of his lungs kinda feels wrong.
Hmm!
This is still one of the most nostalgic fighters for me right along side DOA
Gotta do a Clayfighter Worst Fighting Game level deepdive someday. 63 1/3, MACE, War Gods, and MK4 were basically the best games ever made as far as 12 year old me was concerned.
I never got to play this since I was stationed in Japan at the time of release and VERY FEW American games get a release in Japanese arcades. Add to the fact that I only owned a Saturn at the time, I didn't get to play any of the home versions either! Looking at screens in magazines, I always thought "eh, MK wannabe in 3D." So I knew I'd be pretty indifferent about it.
At least it made the "just fine" tier.
My favorite moment with this game was at a Nathan's and seeing a few drunk Mexicans playing this game after complaining that the Marvel Vs Capcom 2 cabinet was full.
I learned so many words that day.
16:08 - Cyber Brawl/Cosmic Carnage? I would argue that its greatest downfall is its horrendous and inconsistent framerate, and its biggest asset is the absolutely fantastic soundtrack.
Have you ever tried the Genesis version of Mighty Morphing Power Rangers? I don't know if it tops some of the crapfests on the list but it really is quite a long long ways from a good game despite how much my younger self played it.