History VideoGame / EmoGame

* ImprobableAmmunition: The Tom Ridge Robeast had a gun that fired duct tape.

* ImpropbableAmmunition: The Tom Ridge Robeast had a gun that fired duct tape.

* ''The Anti-Bush Game'' -- Jason Oda created this game in the run-up to the 2004 election in response to what he saw as the [[TheWarOnStraw corporate greed, warmongering, and religious fanaticism]] of the GeorgeWBush administration. It features Wrestling/HulkHogan, Creator/MrT, and [[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] going on a righteous rampage to claim the five keys to activate Anime/{{Voltron}} and take down Dubya, ending with an endorsement of Bush's 2004 election rival, John Kerry. Sadly, it looks to have been taken down (perhaps as a result of Bush no longer being in office), as the link to it from the website is {{dead|Link}}.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Playing these games is like stepping back in time to 2002-04, what with all the pop culture references, '80s kid show nostalgia, hatred of GeorgeWBush, Music/{{emo}} treading the line between "underground" and "mainstream", and {{MTV}} [[NetworkDecay still, at the very least, basing its reputation around music videos]].

Jason Oda is still making games, which can be viewed through his website, [[http://starvingeyes.com/ Starving Eyes]].

* ''The Anti-Bush Game'' -- Jason Oda created this game in the run-up to the 2004 election in response to what he saw as the [[TheWarOnStraw corporate greed, warmongering and religious fanaticism]] of the GeorgeWBush administration. It features HulkHogan, Creator/MrT and [[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] going on a righteous rampage to claim the five keys to activate {{Voltron}} and take down Dubya. Sadly, it looks to have been taken down (perhaps as a result of Bush no longer being in office), as the link to it from the website is [[DeadLink dead]].

* TheCameo: Many, including the characters from ''GIJoe'', Enid and Rebecca from ''GhostWorld'', Pete Wrigley from ''[[TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete Pete and Pete]]'', and a truly colossal number of Music/{{emo}} musicians (most of whom are playable characters).

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Some of the concept art for the third game showed an [[MurderSimulators ultraviolent]] ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' parody (''Grand Theft Omaha'' -- [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 the most violenterest level eva!]]), levels that homaged ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' and ''{{Contra}}'', the main characters battling in [[AfterTheEnd a post-apocalyptic world]], and a boss fight against AshleeSimpson, who is [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever mutated into a giant spider]].

* ''Alkaline Trio vs. Hell'' -- The three members of Alkaline Trio get run over while taking RoseMcGowan home from a bar, and show up at the Pearly Gates. There, {{God}} tells then that, if they want a second chance at life, they have to go down into Hell and kill the Prince of Darkness himself, [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse Skeletor]]. No, really -- Skeletor, not {{Satan}}. In addition to serving as a standalone game, ''Alkaline Trio vs. Hell'' served as a preview of sorts for the upcoming second game in the series, released later in 2003.

* ''The Anti-Bush Game'' -- Jason Oda created this game in the run-up to the 2004 election in response to what he saw as the [[TheWarOnStraw corporate greed, warmongering and religious fanaticism]] of the GeorgeWBush administration. It features HulkHogan, Creator/MrT and [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] going on a righteous rampage to claim the five keys to activate {{Voltron}} and take down Dubya. Sadly, it looks to have been taken down (perhaps as a result of Bush no longer being in office), as the link to it from the website is [[DeadLink dead]].

* WeaponOfChoice / AbnormalAmmo: All of the characters throw seven-inch [=EPs=] at enemies.
** In the anti-Bush game, they flow American flag stars.

* TakeThat: The games sling tons of them at every target in [[TheNineties late-'90s]] / [[TurnOfTheMillennium early-2000s]] popular culture, including ''AmericanIdol'', {{MTV}}, Hot Topic, [[PointAndLaughShow point-and-laugh]] {{talk show}}s, [=SUVs=], pop music, {{reality TV}} and, of course, Music/{{emo}}. ''The Anti-Bush Game'' is also a pair of giant middle fingers raised at [[StrawmanPolitical the right wing of American politics]].

* ButYouScrewOneGoat: The first game features [[LimpBizkit Fred Durst]] raping a donkey, while the second has him [[SequelEscalation doing so with Puddle of Mudd]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice to form a man-train]].

The games are [[GeorgeLucasThrowback 16-bit-style]], action-adventure side scrollers that parody both popular culture and the Music/{{emo}} music scene. Most of the humor is derived from its over-the-top portrayal of media figures and TV shows, as well as in-jokes for emo fans, {{shout out}}s to [[TheEighties '80s]] and [[TheNineties '90s]] kids shows, and its willingness to [[CrossesTheLineTwice cross every line of decency]] to make the player laugh.

* GeorgeLucasThrowback: The final levels of the two main games (especially the second one) were throwbacks to old-school {{Metroidvania}} games. Most of the third game was going to follow the Metroidvania format, along with a few segments that homaged ''{{Contra}}'' and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Playing these games is like stepping back in time to 2002-03, what with all the pop culture references, '80s kid show nostalgia, Music/{{emo}} treading the line between "underground" and "mainstream", and {{MTV}} [[NetworkDecay still, at the very least, basing its reputation around music videos]].

* NonStandardGameOver[=/=]TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: At the end of the second game, you get the opportunity to rename Music/{{emo}}. If you choose a word that would insult the genre (e.g. "shit", "gay", "stupid"), you get a black screen with "game over" in small text.

** The Mandy Moore fingerbang minigame, which gets progressively more complex[[hottip:*:a simple push of a button in the first game, moving the mouse up and down in ''Alkaline Trio vs. Hell'', and alternating, and shifting, button presses in the second main game]] as the series goes on. Concept art for the third game featured Mandy as a [[HornyDevils succubus]], meaning that the gag likely would have continued.

* TakeThat: The games sling tons of them at every target in [[TheNineties late-'90s]]/[[TurnOfTheMillennium early-2000s]] popular culture, including ''AmericanIdol'', {{MTV}}, Hot Topic, [[PointAndLaughShow point-and-laugh]] {{talk show}}s, [=SUVs=], pop music, {{reality TV}} and, of course, Music/{{emo}}. ''The Anti-Bush Game'' is also a pair of giant middle fingers raised at [[StrawmanPolitical the right wing of American politics]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Some of the concept art for the third game showed an [[MurderSimulators ultraviolent]] ''GrandTheftAuto'' parody (''Grand Theft Omaha'' -- [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 the most violenterest level eva!]]), levels that homaged ''[[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' and ''{{Contra}}'', the main characters battling in [[AfterTheEnd a post-apocalyptic world]], and a boss fight against AshleeSimpson, who is [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever mutated into a giant spider]].

* ''Alkaline Trio vs. Hell'' -- The three members of Alkaline Trio get run over while taking {{Rose McGowan}} home from a bar, and show up at the Pearly Gates. There, {{God}} tells then that, if they want a second chance at life, they have to go down into Hell and kill the Prince of Darkness himself, [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse Skeletor]]. No, really -- Skeletor, not {{Satan}}. In addition to serving as a standalone game, ''Alkaline Trio vs. Hell'' served as a preview of sorts for the upcoming second game in the series, released later in 2003.

* ''The Anti-Bush Game'' -- Jason Oda created this game in the run-up to the 2004 election in response to what he saw as the [[TheWarOnStraw corporate greed, warmongering and religious fanaticism]] of the GeorgeWBush administration. It features HulkHogan, MrT and [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] going on a righteous rampage to claim the five keys to activate {{Voltron}} and take down Dubya. Sadly, it looks to have been taken down (perhaps as a result of Bush no longer being in office), as the link to it from the website is [[DeadLink dead]].

* GeorgeLucasThrowback: The final levels of the two main games (especially the second one) were throwbacks to old-school {{Metroidvania}} games. Most of the third game was going to follow the Metroidvania format, along with a few segments that homaged ''{{Contra}}'' and ''TheLegendOfZelda''.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Some of the concept art for the third game showed an [[MurderSimulators ultraviolent]] ''GrandTheftAuto'' parody (''Grand Theft Omaha'' -- [[UltraSuperDeathGoreFestChainsawer3000 the most violenterest level eva!]]), levels that homaged ''[[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]]'' and ''{{Contra}}'', the main characters battling in [[AfterTheEnd a post-apocalyptic world]], and a boss fight against AshleeSimpson, who is [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever mutated into a giant spider]].

* ''The Anti-Bush Game'' -- Jason Oda created this game in the run-up to the 2004 election in response to what he saw as the [[TheWarOnStraw corporate greed, warmongering and religious fanaticism]] of the GeorgeWBush administration. It features HulkHogan, [=~Mr. T~=] and [[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] going on a righteous rampage to claim the five keys to activate {{Voltron}} and take down Dubya. Sadly, it looks to have been taken down (perhaps as a result of Bush no longer being in office), as the link to it from the website is [[DeadLink dead]].

-->'''Matt:''' Yeah. I can't believe they canceled the ''[=~Dawson's Creek~=]'' marathon for this lame-ass show.

* {{Columbine}}: Referenced multiple times. The Hot Topic store in the first game sells Trenchcoat Mafia fashion accessories and a Columbine High T-shirt, and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold appear in {{Hell}}... er, Steven Tyler's dimension of evil in the second game.

* RapeIsFunnyWhenItIsMaleOnMale: A gag that is used multiple times throughout the series.

* AntiVillain: JimmyEatWorld in the first game. The reason they had for removing their ovaries ([[ItMakesSenseInContext just go with it]]) actually makes sense -- they wanted to keep making good music without breaking up, even if it meant making emo mainstream. The player character's criticism of them basically boils down to "[=~It's Popular, Now it Sucks~=]" more than anything -- he even grudgingly acknowledges that the music is still good, and that the only reason he doesn't like it is because of the airplay it gets. Of course, knowing this game, this was most likely intended as a parody of elitist music fans who think that music can't be both popular and good at the same time.

* ChristianRock: {{Creed}}'s tenuous relationship with the genre is parodied in the first game. Before fighting them, Scott Stapp asks you if you think it's cool to be a Christian. If you reply yes, then he goes on about how Creed is totally a Christian band. If you reply no, then he denies that Creed is Christian, claiming that "With Arms Wide Open" is about a stripper.
* {{Columbine}}: Referenced multiple times. The Hot Topic store in the first game sells Trenchcoat Mafia fashion accessories (including a Columbine High T-shirt), and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold appear in the second game.

The games are action-adventure side scrollers that parody both popular culture and the Music/{{emo}} music scene. Most of the humor is derived from its over-the-top portrayal of media figures and TV shows, as well as in-jokes for emo fans, {{shout out}}s to [[TheEighties '80s]] and [[TheNineties '90s]] kids shows, and its willingness to [[CrossesTheLineTwice cross every line of decency]] to make the player laugh.

* [=~But You Screw One Goat!~=]: The first game features [[LimpBizkit Fred Durst]] raping a donkey, while the second has him [[SequelEscalation doing so with Puddle of Mudd]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice to form a man-train]].