When I think back to the obscure, almost forgotten games from our childhood, I like to call them "Cousin Games."
To get into the right mindset for a Cousin Game, picture yourself being dropped off at a house that just doesn’t smell like yours. You wander into a room where someone who seems like an alternate version of you is sitting there playing on a Nintendo console. You recognize the console, but when you glance at the screen, you’re left thinking, "What is that? Seriously, what is that?"
A Cousin Game is one you don’t own and probably don’t feel the need to own. But don’t mistake a Cousin Game for a "bad game"—there are plenty of bad games that don’t fall under this category.
Here’s a quick rundown of what qualifies as a Cousin Game:
Cousin Games aren’t what you’d call "mainstream." For example, Madden doesn’t fit the bill. Sure, your cousin might play it, but it’s not considered a Cousin Game. This tends to be the case for most sports video games, although some extreme sports and motorsport games are exceptions.
While you might not find Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater on the Cousin Game list, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 features prominently. AirBlade is a classic Cousin Game too.
Games with Spider-Man as a character come with a 75 percent likelihood of being Cousin Games. It jumps to 80 percent with Wolverine and 90 percent with Taz.
Generally speaking, games with licensed tie-ins have a higher tendency to be Cousin Games.
You rarely see first and third-party mascot games classified as Cousin Games—except when it comes to the Sonic series, which has quite a few exceptions. First-party Nintendo games are usually exempt, aside from Geist, which is undoubtedly a Cousin Game.
While PC games can occasionally be considered Cousin Games, they’re often better categorized as Uncle Games—a topic we’ll have to save for another day.
The essence of a Cousin Game is wrapped in mystery. How did this game even find its way into that oddly-scented house? Was it a random pick from the shelves of a store by a well-meaning parent? Or did your cousin have a genuine enthusiasm for, say, BattleTanx 2? Do they revisit it with nostalgia, while you remember it as something bizarre?
And if any of the games mentioned here strike you as non-Cousin Games, you might need to confront the uncomfortable thought that you are, perhaps, the cousin in this scenario. Don’t worry, assistance is available.
