An old friend once described this game to me as such: "The opening cinematics are nice, and were apparently designed as an apology for the rest of the game."
Tons and tons of youtubers review crappy games, and they're always the same ones. I'm really glad you guys are digging a bit deeper and doing stuff most people have already forgotten.
I think it's called "just bad games" because those are games that are... just bad. Instead of being hilariously ridiculous LGN trash that AVGN and his disciples review.
Lime Light more like a weapon you would get in a video game after you complete a certain side mission. “You obtained ‘Dr.John’s Axe of Science’.” Or something like that.
Yeah only problem I see with it is the gameplay stuff like the restricted view and lack of map indicators. Any criticism of the in game FMV seems a bit mean when this came out the same year as Wing Commander which had a budget of $12m which was extreme at the time and was the sequel in a very popular game franchise. I'd be surprised if this had more than a couple of million all in for everything Game and FMV included.
"I've got an idea, let's take the tonal dissonance of RoboCop and Starship troopers, to show a world lied to and manipulated to cope with the horror of the situation at hand, and you have a conflicted hero, half human half alien who can only survive by eating the flesh of the humans she must fight to save." "Wow, that sounds amazing, how do we write something that's secretly that hard but sounds easy?" "My 7 year old is stuck home with a head injury, should be able to knock it out in an afternoon."
This just screams 90s. The CGI, the references and even how you guys put it all together. It's just too funny to hate! It is a bad game, but besides that, I bet they had a little bit of laughs putting this together. I'd prefer this being a really bad sci fi film that got lost in the rankings.
Yup, that game is similarly cheesy, but the gameplay is actually good. Still, I kinda want this game now. Wonder if it uses the R and L buttons for anything important? If not I think it would be great fun with friends and my DDR mats, lol!
@@scottthewaterwarrior They move the camera in and out. Something this review left out is that with the camera fully pulled back you can see enemies approaching from far away.
“In the footage you’re about to see, farmer Wilma Johnson is being attacked by a cow. Fortunately, her husband Zeb was there to capture the tragedy on video.” lol and fast forward to 2021, where people will allow a child to be mauled as long as they capture the event in 4K. Seems Metal Harbinger was pretty far ahead of its time!
I never thought I'd see this game again, at some point I had assumed it was a fever dream but thank you for proving it's existence and it's terribleness.
The game itself, the bizarre camera / graphics / low-texture-low-poly early PS1 nature, and the insane enemies and design in general, mixed with the off-the-wall hyperactive over-editing and the truly maddening decision to have two guys go back and forth every single sentence off a script for the narration, plus the fact that one of those guys is putting every iota of his strength into this cartoonishly extreme over-acting voice, all combines as I watch this in the middle of the night to make me feel I'm well and truly losing my goddamn mind.
My unlce owned a Pawn shop in the late 90's and let my dad borrow games from it for me to play. This was one of them. Even at the age of 9, when I didn't really know what makes a game good and bad, even I knew this game was bad.
@@silvergoldgaming4354 the cutscenes are so bad that they are goood that they probably listed it as the only reason for getting it since you know, youtube didn't exist back so some brave solider who could buy the game and then get all the cutscenes and upload to youtube for all to see and laugh at without spending a single cent couldn't do that
Rerez is the only youtuber whose yelling is actually funny edit: oh come on, those little live-action skits were probably considered hilarious in the 90's
The adverts and some of the FMV cutscenes seriously feel like some of them would fit perfectly into something like Not For Broadcast, it’s that same kind of cheesy bad comedy which is just amazing.
Damn, I've never thought a game could be described as campy, not even Resident Evil. This actually seems like it would be enjoyable even if just for how weird and jank it is, like watching a b-horror movie. I'd look for a physical copy if they weren't so expensive, gotta emulate this some time.
Had this back in the day from a bargain bin....I had tons of fun with it and its frikin hilarious! Best bad game i ever had... im glad someone dug this one up... i highly recommend this if you like "bad" games! They forgot to mention if you stand still...a laser from space chases you down!
Dr.Bowen is played by Edward Albert, who was also the voice of Daredevil in 90s Spider-man TAS and Mr. Collins, the father of Time Force Red Power Ranger Wes Collins.
5:57: why is it that I’m now thinking of Kent Mansley’s comment about the Iron Giant being made by Canadians? “You think this metal man is fun, but who built it? The Russians? The Chinese? The Martians? Canadians? I DON'T CARE!”
I actually really like this game's aesthetics. It seems like unapologizing over the top homage to old timey bad scifi. Too bad the game around it is bad, and environmental design is terrible.
The funny thing is had this been made in the '80s as a low budget sci-fi horror film it would probably have a cult following, cosplayers everywhere, and demand for a Blu-ray release right now
I remember this game being so much fun (even though i died repeatedly as a kid).. I lost my copy a long time ago, but was trying to remember what it was, and could only remember "hot chick on cover". Finally found it after hours of sifting through PS1 game lists.. and now that i watch this it saddens me to see exactly how bad it was xD
0:00 Intro 0:33 Story 2:36 You can't change the camera angle other than zoomed in and zoomed out 3:28 Weapons 4:11 Enemies 4:37 Killing Humans 5:06 Eating 5:41 Enemies (Pt 2) 6:34 Fetch Quest 8:24 Saving 8:42 Cutscenes
Oh my god, this game uses 3d assets from Poser. The main girl is the original Poser 3 Posette with a freebie hairstyle. They literally rendered their main character in a variety of angles and poses then turned it into a 2d sprite to put in the game. That's why you can't turn the camera, because it would be too complex for their simple 2d model faking 3d.
The comments in your replies are sad. Someone (who likely doesn't know much about games) bought you a game, because they wanted to do something nice for someone they care about, and all these people can say is "durr, they hate you!" Horrible. I assume it was a grandparent or parent who is video game illiterate and they just wanted to please a child. Shitty game, or not, whoever was considerate enough to do that for you, is cool in my books.
This game was hilarious! It was meant to be bad and cheesy. Bought it for 10 bucks and didn't regret it. I didn't have half the problems you guys had. Loved every second of it.
I love how they edited the artwork of the protagonist for the cover to avoid issues of having an alien girl in a bikini but they keep the same artwork unedited for the promotional posters
"Shouldn't be too hard to find in a world where BODY PARTS ARE TOSSED AROUND LIKE *SPRINKLES ON A BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!*" I'm rolling at how he said that. 🤣
Don't care what you say, I was 9 when I got this, and it filled my mind with awe. I needed to beat this game. And since it was so campy , I remembered it still
The Axe of science is actually real. S.C.R.A.M is an acronym for safety control rod axe man. In the early days of nuclear reactors, if the reactor was to begin to crit, they would send a guy in with an axe to cut the rope holding the Cadmium control rod to scatter the reactor. Hilarious video as always...but don't forget the "axe of science!"
@@juliab1954 Watching crops/fields being burned during the Fall as I drove home at night (had a long commute), and also wanted to make a game with a female protagonist, which wasn't common at the time (Tomb Raider came out a month after SH).
Don't knock the "Axe of Science". Real life nuclear reactors had a dude with an axe whose job it was to stand by and cut a rope that would drop control rods if the control rod release mechanism failed to activate when something went wrong.
An old friend once described this game to me as such:
"The opening cinematics are nice, and were apparently designed as an apology for the rest of the game."
Bruh
I (dont) agree
@@lesliejen6644LAZINESS
Very close
I kinda wish they had scrapped the whole video game idea and just made a low-budget, sci fi horror movie.
??? Yes
Agreed... I mean, this is... wow...
They probably spent enough to do it...
@YaboiFenneko you tearing me apart
As if "Sharknado" wasn't trashy enough. 🤢
Tons and tons of youtubers review crappy games, and they're always the same ones. I'm really glad you guys are digging a bit deeper and doing stuff most people have already forgotten.
Yes, they are the same because... that's what they do.
Rerez and snes drunk are fresh!
I hadn't heard of any of these games
I think it's called "just bad games" because those are games that are... just bad. Instead of being hilariously ridiculous LGN trash that AVGN and his disciples review.
Already forgotten?.....how about never even heard of?
"The Axe Of Science"
Sounds like something bill Nye would use to explain lumberjacks jobs
Bill Nye is an engineer, not a scientist. Dolph Lundgren is more of a scientist than Bill Nye.
@@dr.hugog.hackenbush9443 He didn't call him a scientist.
Lime Light more like a weapon you would get in a video game after you complete a certain side mission. “You obtained ‘Dr.John’s Axe of Science’.” Or something like that.
Lime Light is a roblox user
@@tylern6420 correct
Im gonna argue here, all of that FMV footage was pure GOLD, and the art design seems pretty awesome. Too bad the core gameplay doesnt stand up
Yeah only problem I see with it is the gameplay stuff like the restricted view and lack of map indicators. Any criticism of the in game FMV seems a bit mean when this came out the same year as Wing Commander which had a budget of $12m which was extreme at the time and was the sequel in a very popular game franchise. I'd be surprised if this had more than a couple of million all in for everything Game and FMV included.
Yeah, in all honesty, if it weren’t for some of the glaring, god awful game design choices, I could definitely see myself playing this game a lot!
"That's not how an earpiece works!"
Hey, who said she was using an earpiece? Maybe those headworms have some superpowered psi-de effects.
LOL
Zachary Jarocki r/boneappletea
@@kesiaird8974 r/wooosh
@@kesiaird8974 its a play on words.
@@retrocademediaofficial you are so annoying
I bet the developers had more fun making this than the players ever did.
That wouldn't be hard
Well yeah, the players didn't make the game.
Bruh
@@cowbatboots282 R/woosh
6:18 The pump Jack part made me laugh so hard, something about the way they move followed by the ultimate question: “can you EAT the pump Jack”!
Honestly I'll bet the devs had a fun time making this game, not caring that it's bad
2:12 Little jimmy looks having so much fun here
I'm sorry but I can't hate this game. I can't hate this amount of 90's cheese.
Nov 5062 - dude...it’s pretty bad though. ;)
@@reagandow850 I doubt Nov 5062 was unaware :)
As if 90s cheese is somehow superior to current cheese
Brie and SJWS that cheese enough
I like any kind of cheese
10:36
Is... that guy using a pizza cutter as a microphone?
i tHINK SO LMAOOOO
He really wanted to cut up his pizza, but got caught off guard and decided to use his pizza cutter as a mic.
That seems to be a flat microphone it just looks like a pizza cutter so to the cutscene being compressed
i think so
At first glance, I misread it as "Steel Hamburger".
I'd rather eat a steel hamburger than play this game.
With the main character's buns always mooning you, I'm not surprised.
Robo-Sandvich in a nutshell.
A steel hamburger would've made a better game than this
Eating a steel hamburger sounds painful.
"I've got an idea, let's take the tonal dissonance of RoboCop and Starship troopers, to show a world lied to and manipulated to cope with the horror of the situation at hand, and you have a conflicted hero, half human half alien who can only survive by eating the flesh of the humans she must fight to save."
"Wow, that sounds amazing, how do we write something that's secretly that hard but sounds easy?"
"My 7 year old is stuck home with a head injury, should be able to knock it out in an afternoon."
Steel Harbinger: fake commercials. Nba 2k19: REAL commercials.
They glued gummi worms to his head!
What commercials are in this game?
JPgamerTV did....did you watch the video?
...Well, I'll be damned. Someone found a way to make the real commercials be tolerable in comparison.
This just screams 90s. The CGI, the references and even how you guys put it all together. It's just too funny to hate! It is a bad game, but besides that, I bet they had a little bit of laughs putting this together.
I'd prefer this being a really bad sci fi film that got lost in the rankings.
This is made by the same people who made Lego Island.
How did the guys that made this game could make something more better and great then this junk?
Yup, that game is similarly cheesy, but the gameplay is actually good. Still, I kinda want this game now. Wonder if it uses the R and L buttons for anything important? If not I think it would be great fun with friends and my DDR mats, lol!
@@scottthewaterwarrior you do have a point mister.
@@scottthewaterwarrior They move the camera in and out. Something this review left out is that with the camera fully pulled back you can see enemies approaching from far away.
@@absolutewanker4391 That is what I was thinking!
The Canadian disco ball of death, *eh?*
Sorry about that..........
It's called the Icarus beam
Yes we have them with our igloos.
Um, yeah, about that...
That's what us Canadians do in our free time...
The weapon that makes no apologies, and for that we're really sorry.
“In the footage you’re about to see, farmer Wilma Johnson is being attacked by a cow. Fortunately, her husband Zeb was there to capture the tragedy on video.” lol and fast forward to 2021, where people will allow a child to be mauled as long as they capture the event in 4K. Seems Metal Harbinger was pretty far ahead of its time!
0:38 "Many lives are lost...stupidly."
First World War in a nutshell.
I never thought I'd see this game again, at some point I had assumed it was a fever dream but thank you for proving it's existence and it's terribleness.
I'd play this game just for the pump jack.
Almost as magnificent as Cheesey's teapot enemy.
I say throw it in the trash and play Loaded
The game itself, the bizarre camera / graphics / low-texture-low-poly early PS1 nature, and the insane enemies and design in general, mixed with the off-the-wall hyperactive over-editing and the truly maddening decision to have two guys go back and forth every single sentence off a script for the narration, plus the fact that one of those guys is putting every iota of his strength into this cartoonishly extreme over-acting voice, all combines as I watch this in the middle of the night to make me feel I'm well and truly losing my goddamn mind.
Same
An edible enemy pump jack is probably the most random thing I've ever seen in a video game
Now I just want to see all of the cutscenes together. This game looks like it could have been a cheesterpiece of it was more playable.
My unlce owned a Pawn shop in the late 90's and let my dad borrow games from it for me to play. This was one of them. Even at the age of 9, when I didn't really know what makes a game good and bad, even I knew this game was bad.
Got a 7.2/10 from Gamespot by the way.
1996 Gamespot must have been very different, haha.
How did they give it such a good review?
WHAT LOL?
probably because of the hilariously bad cutscenes in the game
@@silvergoldgaming4354 the cutscenes are so bad that they are goood that they probably listed it as the only reason for getting it since you know, youtube didn't exist back so some brave solider who could buy the game and then get all the cutscenes and upload to youtube for all to see and laugh at without spending a single cent couldn't do that
Rerez is the only youtuber whose yelling is actually funny
edit: oh come on, those little live-action skits were probably considered hilarious in the 90's
AVGN: am I a joke to you?
Angry Joe :I'm a joke to you
The adverts and some of the FMV cutscenes seriously feel like some of them would fit perfectly into something like Not For Broadcast, it’s that same kind of cheesy bad comedy which is just amazing.
"We don't know! And we don't CARE!" - How very Ashens of you, Rerez.
As an Ashens fan, I couldn't agree more.
I just read this comment as soon as that sentence came up.
Damn, I've never thought a game could be described as campy, not even Resident Evil. This actually seems like it would be enjoyable even if just for how weird and jank it is, like watching a b-horror movie. I'd look for a physical copy if they weren't so expensive, gotta emulate this some time.
"And that folks is what happens when you eat a Pizza Pocket fresh from the microwave."
As someone who has done that, I can confirm.
Had this back in the day from a bargain bin....I had tons of fun with it and its frikin hilarious! Best bad game i ever had... im glad someone dug this one up... i highly recommend this if you like "bad" games! They forgot to mention if you stand still...a laser from space chases you down!
Yeah man, I still love playing this game. I usually go though it once a year or so for nostalgia purposes. Being a 90s kid was great!
This is the kind of game you see in a movie when they show someone playing a game.
Joke's on you. I just ordered a copy.
wHERE?
Yo I thought you left TH-cam
You just wait until Hollywood reboots this.
ngl this game looks dumb in a good way, the way Birdemic might be
And combine it with the mcu
SciFi channel, here we come!
If this was done right it could be good
With as stale as the movie industry is. They might actually consider rebooting this. Steel Harbinger could do a collaboration with predator!
if this is how Area 51 is gonna be, i’m gonna be genuinely disappointed.
Lol
Souper_ Sonic see you there, comrade
Better run with that Naruto run stance because even usain bolt can't run faster than bullets
LMFAOOOO
S o u p
You guys made me actually want to play this game!
oh no, they fused the two bad things together for maximum effect:
Bad FMV acting with terrible early 3D graphics. We're doomed!
9:48 Clearly this game accurately predicted the future.
I loved this game when it came out, it was a pure cheesefest…man, I miss the 90's.
The 90’s were better than the 2000’s.
Dr.Bowen is played by Edward Albert, who was also the voice of Daredevil in 90s Spider-man TAS and Mr. Collins, the father of Time Force Red Power Ranger Wes Collins.
Mindscape? They made LEGO Island! I'm kinda surprised they made too, since LEGO Island is freaking legit!
A full year BEFORE LEGO Island, as a matter of fact. Who knew?
The Axe of Science.
Not even 2 minutes in and I damn near choked on my dinner laughing at you idiots.
I love this freaking channel.
I owned Bubsy 3d, fantastic four AND Iron Man: Heavy metal on ps1...and I never heard of this game in my life
Man, "take your daughter to work day" really backfired! This why you *don't tap on the glass!*
Knock knock.....
I feel if this was a movie instead of a game it would be a beloved cult classic
5:57: why is it that I’m now thinking of Kent Mansley’s comment about the Iron Giant being made by Canadians? “You think this metal man is fun, but who built it? The Russians? The Chinese? The Martians? Canadians? I DON'T CARE!”
Lol
How have I never heard of this? This review alone makes me want to play this schlock.
3:46 The Canadian disco ball of death, eh?
The scream at 9:10 sounds oddly familiar...wait..no way! That same clip is used in Happy Wheels for some of the screaming women!
I actually really like this game's aesthetics. It seems like unapologizing over the top homage to old timey bad scifi. Too bad the game around it is bad, and environmental design is terrible.
I didn't even know those were called 'pump jacks'. Is that their real name?
We looked it up and yes that was the name. I always used to call them oil pumpies.
The other types are called Oil derricks I’m pretty sure.
@@rerez huh you learn something new every day
Dude fantastic editing and flow guys 👍👍👍
7:21-7:36
🤣🤣🤣🤣
You can feel the frustration.
1:39 My reaction to the final design of the main protagonist
holy shit, i wish i could of seen this "pitch" meeting, i would even settle with a "written log" of that day...
a-m-a-z-i-n-g
1:50 Love the comparison of the makeup appearance to that of Sharpie scribblings XD
Those FMV scenes are gold, should be preserved for their cultural significance.
Thanks for covering lesser known material - and more properly covering it. Especially in an entertaining way.
The funny thing is had this been made in the '80s as a low budget sci-fi horror film it would probably have a cult following, cosplayers everywhere, and demand for a Blu-ray release right now
Lol! The Canadian Disco Ball of Death, Eh still has me rolling around on the floor
I remember this game being so much fun (even though i died repeatedly as a kid).. I lost my copy a long time ago, but was trying to remember what it was, and could only remember "hot chick on cover". Finally found it after hours of sifting through PS1 game lists.. and now that i watch this it saddens me to see exactly how bad it was xD
0:00 Intro
0:33 Story
2:36 You can't change the camera angle other than zoomed in and zoomed out
3:28 Weapons
4:11 Enemies
4:37 Killing Humans
5:06 Eating
5:41 Enemies (Pt 2)
6:34 Fetch Quest
8:24 Saving
8:42 Cutscenes
Those cutscenes are legendary to me.
I WOULD say drugs where taken when making this game. But there aren't enough drugs in the galaxy to think of this!
I used to have a ps1 and been all over it and never heard of this game in my life until this video...
8:07 *Microtransactions!* The truest evil in this world!
10:27
*tentical* difficulties
Its just bad series is really awesome! Please make more!
I had no idea that Dethklok made the most metal PS1 game ever.
Oh my god, this game uses 3d assets from Poser. The main girl is the original Poser 3 Posette with a freebie hairstyle. They literally rendered their main character in a variety of angles and poses then turned it into a 2d sprite to put in the game. That's why you can't turn the camera, because it would be too complex for their simple 2d model faking 3d.
Yes I had this game I didn't pay for it it was given to me
Lol you had to say that as a disclaimer
Who hated you that much?
What did you do to that person to let them give this game to you?
Most likely still too much.
The comments in your replies are sad.
Someone (who likely doesn't know much about games) bought you a game, because they wanted to do something nice for someone they care about, and all these people can say is "durr, they hate you!"
Horrible.
I assume it was a grandparent or parent who is video game illiterate and they just wanted to please a child.
Shitty game, or not, whoever was considerate enough to do that for you, is cool in my books.
This game was hilarious! It was meant to be bad and cheesy. Bought it for 10 bucks and didn't regret it. I didn't have half the problems you guys had. Loved every second of it.
I dont remember dropping acid but I guess I must have
I love how they edited the artwork of the protagonist for the cover to avoid issues of having an alien girl in a bikini but they keep the same artwork unedited for the promotional posters
I've been trying to find the full-size unedited promo poster for years.
2:26 No, that’s when you cook a Hot Pocket TM* for 10 minutes and somehow can eat it
"Shouldn't be too hard to find in a world where BODY PARTS ARE TOSSED AROUND LIKE *SPRINKLES ON A BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!*" I'm rolling at how he said that. 🤣
When you really screw up in X-Com
Don't care what you say, I was 9 when I got this, and it filled my mind with awe. I needed to beat this game. And since it was so campy , I remembered it still
It's like the 90's threw up into a game disc.
Cow: *shits land mines*
Steel Harbinger: "I have achieved *COMEDI* "
The intro cinematic feels like someone tried to make a westernized reimagining of Parasyte and then handed off the story outline to Ed Wood.
The Axe of science is actually real. S.C.R.A.M is an acronym for safety control rod axe man. In the early days of nuclear reactors, if the reactor was to begin to crit, they would send a guy in with an axe to cut the rope holding the Cadmium control rod to scatter the reactor. Hilarious video as always...but don't forget the "axe of science!"
1:23 I just noticed that main scientist is Wes’s dad (Mr. Collins) from Power Rangers Time Force.
3:46 THE CANADIAN DISCO BALL OF DEATH EH
The scientist daughter looks like Travolta in that awful space movie he did lol
Ah, you mean "Battlefield Earth", right? Yeah, I agree.
The tone of this game is something I want in my life.
I pitched and created the original concept for this game and was the art lead and primary designer. AMA
how did you come up with the idea
@@juliab1954 Watching crops/fields being burned during the Fall as I drove home at night (had a long commute), and also wanted to make a game with a female protagonist, which wasn't common at the time (Tomb Raider came out a month after SH).
What is your name, and what are headworms made of
10:51 This looks like a Cinco product from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Something on par with that sun screen gel from Robocop 2
THE PUMP JACK ENEMY FUCKING KILLED ME, THE WAY IT RUNS SO GRACEFULLY
best game just for that enemy
Haha that worm commercial was funny as hell! Reminds me a little bit of the satire in Robocop and Starship Troopers.
If the gameplay didn't seem so cumbersome, I would say this looks fucking amazing lmao
The Steel Harbinger is Kirby's Spiritual Cousin!
Don't knock the "Axe of Science". Real life nuclear reactors had a dude with an axe whose job it was to stand by and cut a rope that would drop control rods if the control rod release mechanism failed to activate when something went wrong.
"Is this supposed to be funny?" It IS funny Shane. I think you blew a funny fuse or something.
Say what you want, but I'm sure the devs had an absolute blast making this. I'd honestly have loved to see how some of their meetings went. :P
A full head of worms so I can look twenty years younger?? Sign me up for that!!
First ps1 game i ever owned as it came bundled with a secondhand console. So glad i got final fantasy vii for Christmas that year.
Not gonna lie, I actually kinda got a chuckle out of the cutscenes.
Why you gotta RIP my childhood apart. This game terrified me when I was younger