The 1990s were a golden age for gaming, but they were also a breeding ground for strange, head-scratching tie-ins. Licensed games were everywhere. Developers and publishers were eager to cash in on every pop culture phenomenon imaginable, from blockbuster movies to Saturday morning cartoons, even talk shows and food mascots. While some licensed games hit the mark (Aladdin, GoldenEye 007, The Lion King), others felt like they were dreamed up during a feverish boardroom pitch that no one dared question. That’s what makes exploring the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s such an entertaining deep dive.
I’ve always had a fascination with these oddball entries in gaming history. They’re often clunky, sometimes borderline unplayable, but they offer a bizarre window into how far companies were willing to go to slap a familiar name on a cartridge or disc. Some were clearly rushed out to meet marketing deadlines, others were ambitious but misguided, and a few are so weird they’re actually fun. Let’s take a trip back to the strangest corners of ’90s gaming and unpack some of the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s that somehow made it to store shelves.
Wayne’s World (SNES, NES, Game Boy)
If you ever watched Wayne’s World and thought, “This would make a great platformer,” you might be the only one. Yet, somehow, Wayne’s World was turned into a game not just once, but three times across different platforms. And every version is bizarre in its own right.
You play as Wayne, using his guitar as a weapon to blast out musical notes against walking instruments, floating lips, and other psychedelic enemies. The SNES version in particular leans heavily into surreal visuals that don’t quite match the movie’s tone, and the level design is filled with confusing layouts and nonsensical enemies. It’s a classic case of a developer trying to stretch a thin concept into a full-length game, and the result is something that lives on in infamy. Without question, this is one of the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s, simply because it exists at all.
Pepsi Man (PlayStation)
This Japanese-exclusive oddity is one of the most iconic cult classics in retro gaming. Pepsi Man puts you in the role of a silver-suited superhero whose sole purpose is delivering Pepsi to thirsty citizens in the middle of catastrophic situations, fires, car chases, natural disasters. You dash forward through linear levels, dodging obstacles and collecting soda cans along the way.
The gameplay is similar to an endless runner, but it’s the weird cutscenes that steal the show. Between stages, you’re treated to live-action footage of an American guy in a messy room drinking Pepsi and talking to the camera in the most awkward, low-budget way possible. It feels like a parody, but it’s real. And it somehow manages to be oddly charming. If you’re making a list of the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s, Pepsi Man deserves to be near the top.
Shaq Fu (Genesis, SNES)
There’s no way to talk about bizarre licensed games without bringing up Shaq Fu. In this fighting game, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal stumbles into another dimension while on his way to a charity basketball game in Tokyo. Once there, he’s enlisted to save a boy from an evil mummy using martial arts.
The game itself isn’t terrible from a mechanical standpoint, but the premise is pure madness. Shaq isn’t exactly known for his kung fu abilities, and the roster of characters he fights includes beings like “Beast,” “Mephis,” and “Sett.” Everything about this game screams surreal, its concept, its execution, even its overly serious tone in spite of the absurdity.
Shaq Fu became infamous over time, spawning memes and joke petitions to destroy all remaining copies. But it also carved out a special spot in retro gaming lore. It’s undoubtedly one of the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s and perhaps the most unintentionally funny.
Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (SNES)
If Shaq got a martial arts game, of course Michael Jordan had to get something even weirder. In Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City, MJ trades his basketball for a collection of “elemental basketballs”, fire, ice, bomb, and others, and heads into a series of dungeon-like levels to save kidnapped teammates from a mad scientist.
Enemies include robots, mutants, and other science lab monstrosities, all defeated by Michael’s super-powered basketball attacks. The game even includes key cards, levers, and puzzle-solving. It’s like a mash-up of Metroid, Mega Man, and NBA Jam, only without the balance or direction.
This is one of those games where you constantly ask, “Who thought this made sense?” It’s so earnestly delivered, though, that it’s hard not to enjoy it on some level. It’s a perfect example of how far developers would stretch a license, and another prime contender in the lineup of weirdest licensed games of the ’90s.
Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! (SNES)
Based on the popular sitcom Home Improvement, this side-scrolling action game turns Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor into an action hero. After some prototype tools are stolen from the set of his TV show, Tim grabs his power tools and ventures into a series of worlds, Dino World, Robot World, and others, to recover them.
The game includes nail guns, blowtorches, chainsaws, and everything else you’d expect from a home improvement-themed arsenal. What you wouldn’t expect is battling dinosaurs, robots, and mummies along the way. There’s no real explanation for any of this, and the manual even jokes about the developers not knowing what the plot is.
That kind of self-aware weirdness is rare. The game itself is functional but far from polished. What makes it stand out is its sheer commitment to absurdity. That earns it a rightful place among the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s.
Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool (Genesis, SNES)
It wasn’t uncommon for food mascots to make their way into video games, but Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool took things in a direction that defied logic. The game features the Cheetos mascot trying to escape from a zoo to recover his motorcycle, facing off against generic enemies and collecting parts along the way.
The controls are floaty, the difficulty is all over the place, and the level design is pretty uninspired. But the real weirdness is in the tone, everything is laid back to the point of sedation. Chester walks with a swagger, the music is smooth jazz, and the enemies barely seem interested in you. It feels like the gaming equivalent of a lazy Sunday.
It’s not a good game, but it’s weird enough to keep you playing just to see what happens next. That’s why it makes the list of weirdest licensed games of the ’90s, it’s like a slow-motion fever dream.
No Escape (Genesis, SNES)
Based on the quickly forgotten Ray Liotta sci-fi prison movie, No Escape is a side-scrolling action game that tries to inject a Hollywood blockbuster feel into 16-bit gameplay. But because the movie was already strange and filled with dystopian clichés, the game becomes even more baffling.
You run around shooting vaguely tribal enemies with makeshift weapons while trying to escape an island. The gameplay is clunky, the environments are uninspired, and the narrative barely makes sense. Most people didn’t even know the movie existed, let alone the game.
It’s a perfect storm of obscurity, poor design, and head-scratching source material. That combination firmly plants it in the list of weirdest licensed games of the ’90s, especially when you realize it was trying to be taken seriously.
Beavis and Butt-Head (Genesis, SNES, Game Gear)
Given the nature of Beavis and Butt-Head, it shouldn’t be surprising that their video game adaptation is strange, but the way it plays out still defies expectations. The goal? Find all the pieces of a torn-up concert ticket. The method? Wander around town, solve obscure puzzles, and occasionally engage in half-baked minigames.
The game doesn’t explain much, leaving you to experiment with random item combinations in hopes of stumbling on the correct solution. Some areas have surreal enemies or deadpan jokes, while others feel like filler. It plays like an adventure game but lacks the structure or humor of the show.
Still, there’s a weird charm to it, especially if you’re a fan of the original MTV series. It tries hard to be faithful to the source material and ends up creating one of the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s simply by refusing to make any sense.
Revolution X (Arcade, Genesis, SNES)
This one’s in a league of its own. Revolution X is a rail shooter where you fight against a totalitarian regime with the help of… Aerosmith. Yes, the band Aerosmith. They’ve been kidnapped by an evil organization, and your job is to rescue them using CDs as your main weapon.
The arcade version features digitized video clips of the band, over-the-top explosions, and a ridiculous storyline that somehow takes itself seriously. The console ports tried to replicate the experience but fell short due to technical limitations. Still, the idea of launching compact discs at bad guys to free rockstars is so ludicrous that it becomes entertaining.
This game wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t trying to be clever. It was pure ’90s excess, and that’s exactly why it lands firmly on any list of the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s.
Why These Games Still Matter
Despite their flaws, all these games offer something worth remembering. They’re the byproduct of a time when experimentation was common, licenses were handed out like candy, and developers weren’t afraid to get weird. These games aren’t just bad, they’re fascinating. They tell us about trends, marketing misfires, and the creative risks of an industry still trying to define itself.
Playing these titles now is like digging through a time capsule. Even the ones that barely function reveal something about the era: the obsession with celebrity culture, the willingness to gamify anything, and the wild west nature of ’90s licensing deals.
Conclusion
Not every game on this list is worth playing for long stretches, but every one of them is worth knowing about. They’re strange, sometimes hilarious, occasionally fun, and always unexpected. Exploring the weirdest licensed games of the ’90s is like flipping through a forgotten scrapbook of pop culture gone awry, filled with energy, excess, and just enough charm to stick in your memory.
If you’re ever looking for something different to pop into your retro setup or emulator, one of these bizarre titles might be the shake-up your gaming routine needs. They may not be polished, they may not make much sense, but they sure are unforgettable.