Glitch or Feature?
Glitches. We all love them in one way or another. From making players laugh out loud with their comic absurdity to frustrating them to tears by crashing or ruining a game, glitches will almost always get talked about. These unexpected moments in the world of video gaming are just that… unexpected. With that in mind, here are 20 glitches that still have fans rolling.
1. Civilization I
Civilization I is a turn-based strategy game that allows the player to control a civilization from its early days as a small tribe to a developed global superpower. A well-known bug in the game is the sudden transformation of Gandhi, a typically peace-loving leader, into a crazed aggressor. This is caused by the game code for Gandhi's aggression rating being able to wrap around to the maximum value from the minimum, creating a bug that produces an outrageously psychotic Gandhi.
2. The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is a life simulation video game in which the player creates and lives a life with their Sims. Sometimes in the game, newborn Sims will be created with majorly distorted features. In the game, the parents will still love their babies just like normal, but it can be a rather shocking image.
3. Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is an open-world action game set in a large city. One of the game's funniest glitches is a swing set in Firefly Projects that, when struck by a car or player at high speed, launches them hundreds of feet into the air. Cars can fly hundreds of feet through the air and across the city.
4. Heavy Rain
A glitch in the game causes the main protagonist, Ethan, to repeatedly yell his son Shaun's name over and over in a climactic battle. The repeated line completely ruins the otherwise tense and somber scene. Fans of the game remember this moment as one of the funniest glitches due to the high amount of unintentional humor in a serious moment.
Nikita Kachanovsky on Unsplash
5. NHL 13
NHL 13 is a sports simulation game centered around the sport of hockey. In the “Hercules Check” glitch, a player that is being checked into an open bench door during a line change will fly off in an unrealistic way. EA Sports created their own video joking about this glitch. The sports gaming glitch is one of the most popular comedic ones.
LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash
6. Assassin’s Creed Unity
Assassin's Creed Unity is an action-adventure game known for its parkour mechanics and intricately detailed city environments. It had several bugs upon launch, but one in particular caused widespread fascination: the Missing Face glitch. As the name suggests, this bug causes some NPCs to lose their faces, leaving only their eyes visible.
Tim Bartel from Cologne, Germany on Wikimedia
7. Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption is a Wild West action-adventure with open frontier exploration. Players discovered a glitch in which vehicles can be modified with extreme hydraulics. This makes comical “pimped” wagons that bounce and tilt in ridiculous ways. The wagons cannot be controlled when moving, but players find them hilarious.
8. Madden NFL
Madden NFL is a series of sports simulation games noted for its in-game player models and realistic gameplay of American football. Rookie linebacker Christian Kirksey of the Cleveland Browns was given a glitch in an online challenge, making him a foot tall. EA Sports decided to leave it and embraced the glitch by calling him the "Tiny Titan," who was still able to make tackles with the same power.
9. Skate 3
Skate 3 is a skateboarding game with a physics-based trick system. The physics engine allows for many humorous situations. Characters will randomly fly through sidewalks and act in the most impossible ways. There are so many glitches that they are often funnier than playing the game.
10. Skyrim
Skyrim is an open-world role-playing game of dragons, dungeons, and massive scenery. One glitch will make dragons suddenly fly backwards in midair, launching themselves into impressive and physics-defying loops in the sky. Another involves using the Ice Form Shout on an enemy near a cliff, resulting in either an awkward freeze or an even more awkward position.
11. WWE 2K20
WWE 2K20 is a wrestling video game that aims to bring the experience of watching WWE to the comfort of your couch. However, it was an almost glitch-ridden product, with characters melting into each other, ropes acting unnaturally, wrestlers' bodies seeming to seize oddly, and many other problems. It made for a hectic but comically fun game.
12. Legendary Duck Hunt
In Duck Hunt, the objective is to shoot as many ducks as possible to score points. A sly dog taunts the player by sneering when they miss. Should one complete 100 levels, a glitch transports the player to round 0, where ducks fly for a few seconds before the title screen appears. This humorous bug has entertained players for years, showcasing early game glitches. It's a fun reminder that even basic games had their surprises.
13. Pokémon Red & Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue is a role-playing game in which the player catches and trains Pokémon. The MissingNo glitch causes a glitchy, pixelated Pokémon to spawn if the player performs certain steps, such as talking to a specific non-player character (NPC) and surfing along the coastline of Cinnabar Island. If the player encounters MissingNo. in battle, it can duplicate the items in the player's inventory and cause the Hall of Fame to crash.
14. Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros. is a platforming game in which the player guides Mario through levels set in the Mushroom Kingdom. By clipping through a wall at the end of world 1-2, the player may enter the infamous Minus World, an unbeatable glitch level. The glitch traps the player in an endless loop and remains one of the most famous and enduring glitches in video game history.
15. GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 is an N64 first-person shooter starring James Bond. Tilting the cartridge in any direction makes NPCs spin wildly, leading to very strange and unpredictable movements. This visual glitch was made into an internet meme set to music, causing the madly spinning characters to become a popular viral joke. Fans still consider this meme a classic example of early game glitches.
16. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a multiplayer online role-playing game with a fantasy setting taking place in the world of Azeroth. The Corrupted Blood debuff was introduced with a patch, but the spread of it through the players, NPCs, and their pets resembled a virtual pandemic. It was intensified to a level when the glitch caused the server reset. It was monitored by a number of researchers to understand human behavior and reaction to viral outbreaks.
17. Myth II: Soulblighter
Myth II: Soulblighter is a real-time strategy game made by Bungie. A major bug in the PC version caused the uninstaller to erase the user's hard drive. This expensive mistake had Bungie recall thousands of copies and nearly bankrupt the studio. The fiasco led to Microsoft purchasing Bungie and eventually Halo's development.
18. Fighting Games
Animation cancelling is a common technique in fighting games where the player intentionally interrupts an action to perform another faster than they normally could. The technique was a result of a bug in the game code that was later adopted by the player base as a strategic element. It is an example of how glitches can form a part of core game mechanics.
19. Halo 2
Halo 2 is a first-person shooter game famous for its multiplayer mode and epic sci-fi battles. One of its most well-known glitches is the super jump, which allows players to jump great heights and access areas that were never intended to be reachable. This glitch became an instant classic among fans for both its utility and just for plain fun. It is a prime example of a bug becoming a fan-favorite part of a game's culture.
20. The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world RPG that is highly regarded for its storytelling and graphics. Roach, Geralt's horse, became notorious for having glitches in the game that could defy the laws of physics, like walking through walls, standing on her head, or materializing on a rooftop. "Roach on the roof" even became a meme, inspiring fan art, cosplay, and April Fool's jokes.
