Worst Videogame Ever

"Car Mechanic Simulator." I kid you not.



Hey, kids! Want to spend several sweaty afternoons cursing and cutting your knuckles up trying to find the right wrench to undo a rusty bolt? Long to spend hours trying to figure out the right order to disassemble, clean, and then reassemble a carburetor? Care to memorize the timing sequences of numerous engines? Do we have a deal for you! For the low, low price of only....

11 comments:

E Hines said...

Better graphics than the B-2 maintenance simulator a company for which I used to work had.

Our music was better, though--it was nonexistent.

Eric Hines

raven said...

Strange- fixing cars and motorcycles was real life when I grew up...

Grim said...

Still is, around here. Last thing I want is to do it on my break. That's like dreaming about being at work.

MikeD said...

Let me play Devil's Advocate for a moment if I may. Have you ever wanted to work on a Shelby Cobra? A '69 Mustang? How about a 1952 Vincent Black Shadow? Most folks can't afford to get one of these and work on it, but I know plenty of people who would give their eye teeth to do so. And if a game lets you do so (even virtually) can there not be entertainment value in doing so?

Now, I'm not saying this game lets you. I honestly don't care enough about the topic to even research it. But I can see where some people would be drawn to such a game. Especially if you don't want to skin your knuckles trying to get that rusted bolt off.

Grim said...

Since we were just talking about Total Recall, this argument also reminds me of it: virtual is better than actual, the salesman promises, because 'When you travel with Recall, everything is perfect!'

Bolts aren't rusty in the virtual world, and if they are, a little spray of the virtual Liquid Wrench and it comes right off.

But as for me, I've never liked working on vehicles as much as riding them. There's a real sense of accomplishment in fixing something broken, or getting a difficult job done yourself. Still and all, I'd be happier to buy a robot that did all the actual work for me than to buy a simulator that would let me pretend to do more!

MikeD said...

As would I, when it comes down to it. But virtual is not better than actual. It only CAN be if actual is too dangerous/expensive to enjoy. In reality, I will never be able to develop and test full sized rockets (both far too expensive and dangerous), but using a game like Kerbal Space Program (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerbal_Space_Program) I can get a taste of what it is like and enjoy blowing up rockets.

Grim said...

Woah. The "Site is Down for Maintenance" graphic is way better than the game was.

E Hines said...

Have you ever wanted to work on a Shelby Cobra?

I offer you a deal, Mike: you fix it, and I'll drive it. How's that?

I will never be able to develop and test full sized rockets (both far too expensive and dangerous)....

Define "full sized." My high school chem and physics classes combined to do just this, testing in a farmer's field behind the school. Which, lucky me, was within walking distance of home. They wouldn't, though, let us brew up any nitroglycerin for decent fuel, so the best we could do was get a couple hundred feet of altitude.

Some friends and I built and fired mortars from scratch, including brewing our own black powder. A classmate of mine in grad school helped her baby brother mix up some gun cotton in one of our rat lab sinks for his high school science experiment.

It's all a matter of what risks you're willing to run. 'Course, the legal risks then were rather less than today....

Eric Hines

douglas said...

"a little spray of the virtual Liquid Wrench..."

PB Blaster is much better.

I've always liked working on cars and machines. Maybe I'm just a bit of a masochist!

MikeD said...

Define "full sized." My high school chem and physics classes combined to do just this, testing in a farmer's field behind the school. Which, lucky me, was within walking distance of home. They wouldn't, though, let us brew up any nitroglycerin for decent fuel, so the best we could do was get a couple hundred feet of altitude.

Full sized... rockets capable of escaping orbital velocities and reaching other celestial bodies (other planets and moons). All based upon real physics. It's really quite a fascinating little sim.

raven said...

Working on a motorcycle is ok, especially in a nice bright heated garage in the winter- good time to do all the mods- I have never cared too much for routine maintenance but improvements are fun. one of the nice things is M/C parts are usually not covered in grease, and are light enough to handle, and there is no need to be on ones back crawling around under them.