Growing up playing video games is a memory that many of us fondly remember as we were growing up. Staying up late on a Friday night trying to beat the levels to Super Mario 64 or Sonic Adventure was a notable memory that many of us won’t soon forget, and video games have yet to reach this same magic that they once had. That simple joy that came from playing a good platformer, whereas most video game franchises nowadays rely heavily on the multiplayer scene and online gameplay as opposed to a true storyline. Nevertheless, there have been quite a few storylines that were questionable in video games and left us scratching our heads.

There have been multiple games released over the last few decades that really made us question their stories, from the love triangle of Amy and Sonic that was introduced in Sonic Adventure to the awkward game that we know as Seaman. These interesting games were definitely a step ahead of their time, but the lackluster plot symphysis ended up with gamers yearning for more depth. We are going to be taking a look at some of the games that were released over the last few decades that either featured a; lack of a storyline, or one that was so confusing it left us scratching our heads. Gaming should be a fun experience, and with the right storyline a game can be more than a memorable experience but when the story is either repetitive or poorly written the quality of the game suffers tremendously.

25 The Amy & Sonic Love Triangle In Sonic Adventure 2

When the Sega Dreamcast burst onto the scene it made up for a lot of lost time that the Sega Saturn had caused. Sega worked hard to introduce to and exciting games that really took advantage of the Dreamcast. Sonic Adventure 2 is perhaps one of the best platformers of the new millennium, combining lightning fast gameplay with some of the most beautiful graphics to this day. But there was a hole in the storyline and it was the proposed love between Sonic and Amy, something that really had no place in a game that was based on the fight between good and evil.

24 The Wizpig Storyline In Diddy Kong Racing

During the nineties, there was an influx of “Kart” racing games that took the industry by storm, and one of the most addictive and fun to play titles was known as Diddy Kong Racing. This one of a kind game took different aspects of gameplay such as being able to fly an airplane or even drive a hovercraft, aspects which had not been introduced to a kart game yet. The hole in Diddy Kong came in the storyline, which revolved around a giant evil alien pig. The game never really had an in-depth storyline.

23 Caring For Seaman In The Weird Dreamcast Game

When it came to a unique burst of titles, the Sega Dreamcast had more than a few memorable games that are still fun to play to this day. But there was one title that still leaves gamers scratching their heads: the Leonard Nimoy influenced game that was known as Seaman. This game was ahead of its time in many aspects, as one of the few interactive simulations, especially to feature a fish that had a human face on it. The game lacked any real storyline though, and the game was downright creepy to look at which might have deterred many gamers from ever giving Seaman a chance.

22 The Life Transformer In TMNT For NES

During the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System, there was a franchise that was gaining a lot of steam. That was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a series which exploded in popularity during this time. The original TMNT game for the NES combined a good level of button smashing action while sticking true to what had made the arcade releases a success. Unfortunately, the original storyline in the TMNT series was lackluster at best, sending the player on a never-ending mission to find a life transformer.

21 Shredder Taking April O'Neil In TMNT The Arcade Game For NES

The next installment in the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise was a little more arcade focused than the original TMNT, centering around Shredder taking the turtles' friend, April O’Neil. While the story was in line with the TMNT television franchise at the time, we think that the game could have had a little more depth to it and portrayed a little bit more of a storyline. The arcade-style gameplay is addictive and the game remains a fun button smashing experience to this day.

20 The Legend Of Zelda Oracle Of Seasons: Triforce Calling Out Link

There is no doubting the significance that The Legend Of Zelda franchise had on the Game Boy Color, as the games are credited as being some of the best handheld games ever released on a console. The whole storyline in Oracle Of Seasons centered around the Triforce calling out to Link in his sleep. This was a different storyline then what the games had traditionally centered around. Not to mention the fact that the different seasons would affect different aspects of gameplay, and this was unique for a Game Boy Color game.

19 Conker's Bad Fur Day... The Whole Thing

Toward the end of its life, the N64 had some cool games. It also had some just plain odd games that never really made any sense. One such game was known as Conker's Bad Fur Day, which was more or less an episode of Family Guy crammed into a video game cartridge. This game was vulgar and didn’t really have a core audience, on top of being one of the most graphic games to be released around this time. It's a wonder that Conker's Bad Fur Day didn’t get the rare Adults Only stamp, based on its content.

18 The Crash Bandicoot And Neo Cortex Rivalry

In the race for the most popular console, there was a fight to have a mascot for each brand. Sega had Sonic The Hedgehog and Nintendo had Super Mario, but when it came to the new Sony PlayStation, the brand was missing an ambassador. Thus, Crash Bandicoot was born. The storyline behind Crash Bandicoot was a weird one, to say the least, and his relationship with Neo Cortex was odd. Nevertheless, the Crash Bandicoot series defined the PlayStation console.

17 The Forsaken 64 Lack Of A Real Storyline

There is no doubt that the Nintendo 64 had a plethora of interesting games that defined the console as unique, to say the least. One of the oddest games to be released on the console was a space shooter called Forsaken 64. This dark and dingy looking game featured an odd storyline and graphics that looked like they came right out of a space movie. Nevertheless, the gameplay was addictive and that managed to save the title from being a complete bust.

16 The Tennis College In Mario Tennis For Game Boy Color

Flashback to 2001 and the Nintendo Game Boy Color was one of the hottest selling portable game systems on the planet, in fact, it ruled the market for the majority of the time. One of the most popular titles was known as Mario Tennis, and the game managed to combine addictive gameplay with colorful graphics. But the storyline was anything but Mario related, as you were playing as a regular student in an elite tennis training school. A far cry from a real Mario adventure game, to say the least.

15 Sonic Trying To Save Little Planet In Sonic CD

Throughout the nineties, Sega went from being the dominant video game company to an irrelevant player that offered a plethora of gaming devices that no one really cared about anymore. Sonic CD was one such game that tried to reinvent the Sega console by offering CD quality graphics, but instead offered stale gameplay and a storyline that was just way different than anything that Sonic had done before. This didn’t sit well with the gaming public at all, causing the game to be a flop.

14 The Sonic & Knuckles Rivalry In Sonic & Knuckles

Sega continued to try and bolster their failing game consoles around the Sonic series of games, and the release of Sonic & Knuckles stood as one of the more unique entries. Without a real storyline to make the game unique, many were wondering what this port of Sonic was really about. It seemed like the developers were trying to build a brand around Knuckles more than anything, as the game seemed to be more centered around Sonic's new friend than an actual storyline.

13 The Chaos Emerald Theft In Sonic Chaos

There were so many Sonic The Hedgehog titles that were released during the nineties, it's interesting to see why consumers got tired of the Sega brand quickly. One such oddity was Sonic Chaos, which was another title that tried to ride on the success of the series. When it comes to Nintendo, the Super Mario franchise has been successful because the games are highly anticipated. With Sega, they were flooding the market with these Sonic titles and the consumers got burned out on the little blue hedgehog.

12 The Yo Noid! Pizza Mission - A Guy In A Rabbit Suit

Playing Yo-Noid! is a lot like playing an off-brand Super Mario Bros. title, and the game stands as one of the more classic platformers on the NES. The game is unique if for no other reason than the fact that a protagonist is a man in a rabbit costume who goes through the streets of New York looking to save Domino's Pizza. This was an interesting game that was tied to an advertising franchise more than anything and thus lacked any real storyline behind it. Still, Yo Noid! will go down in history as a memorable NES game for sure.

11 Dragons Being Interviewed By A News Crew In Spyro The Dragon

We have already discussed how Crash Bandicoot became the face of the Sony PlayStation franchise, but there was another notable little platformer who also attempted to become the face of the little grey console and that was Spyro The Dragon. Unfortunately, Spyro’s gameplay and storyline were much too cartoonish and many gamers decided to stick to Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot, which is why Crash has lived on to this day and has even recently had a highly anticipated game release to reignite the franchise.

10 Super Mario Sunshine - Mario Cleaning Up Sludge?

Nintendo was the last major video game maker to embrace the compact disk format, and when their GameCube console was released it lacked the DVD playing capabilities of the PlayStation and the Xbox that had both been released. The GameCube built its brand on games, and one of the star attractions was Super Mario Sunshine. What surprised gamers was this title's lack of a real storyline and the fact that our favorite plumber was running around with a pressure wash tied to his back cleaning up sludge.

9 Luigi's Mansion - Luigi As A Ghostbuster?

The other notable release for the GameCube was Luigi's Mansion, which interestingly enough was one of the first video game titles that actually feature Luigi as the title character. Luigi's Mansion was centered around the fact that Luigi was roaming around an abandoned mansion, and with his vacuum strapped to his back, Luigi is going through a level to level sucking up ghosts and ghouls. The game Luigi’s Mansion was a pretty unique title that could have gone a lot further in selling Luigi as his own platform superstar, but instead fell short.

8 Rayman... Is A Magical Something

Another unique platformer that defined the growing console era was Rayman, a unique “something” that was known for combining the use of magic and colorful graphics that looked great on the 16-bit consoles as well as the newer 32-bit consoles. But, there was never any real explanation to what exactly Rayman was, and the storyline was really bland, to say the least, which is why Rayman is more of a forgotten series that makes new appearances every now and then.

7 Kirby - Waddling Around To Find Crystal Shards

Kirby is another notable Nintendo platformer, which has spawned titles across a plethora of Nintendo consoles during its initial run. The Nintendo 64 title Kirby And The Crystal Shards was a notable failure in terms of a lack of a real storyline. We feel that this game could have gone so much further if it took the magic of Kirby’s Dreamland and combined it into a 3D world, similar to how Super Mario 64 hit the Nintendo 64 console with its addictive gameplay and interesting storylines.

6 Mario Golf - Lack Of A Story

There was another Nintendo based sports title that was released during the N64 console era, and that was the Mario Golf title. The game was unique and addictive at the same time, but with a lack of a real story, there was the question as to why the Nintendo star had a focus on a sports title instead of another memorable adventure game. Mario Golf will forever go down as one of the more unique titles, but lacking the storyline really made the game a forgettable experience.