Much has been made about the general silliness of VCR games, because—let’s face it—they were pretty dumb. You’d sit at home in front of the TV and wait for a videocassette to tell you what to do in a board game, rather than just rolling a die or spinning a wheel. The first time through, the VCR game was thrilling. Every time thereafter, it was a huge bummer, considering you had already learned every twist and turn possible and laughed at the game’s hokey schtick.
That being said, it’s hilarious to actually watch these VCR games now. It’s even funnier to realize that there were whole games based on properties you might have loved that you never even knew about. Sure, you knew about Wayne’s World on SNL, Wayne’s World the movie, and Wayne’s World the SNES game—but did you know about the Wayne’s World VHS game? Lee Pete’s clip of Halloween With The New Addams Family led The A.V. Club down a rabbit hole that alerted us to that item’s very existence, and after actually having watched the 30-minute clip of the game on YouTube, we really must insist that everyone else watch it as well. Wayne’s World fans especially will find a lot to laugh about, from the game’s dependence on the backstage passes and “babelicious” dates to pre-run ads for another long-forgotten Wayne’s World game that seems to have been somehow based around yelling, “NOT!”
While VHS games are essentially pointless now, the Wayne’s World clip makes the premise look exceptionally dated, with the thin, poorly cut-out mouth describing the rules in a fashion that just screams early ’90s. Both Mike Myers and Dana Carvey make in-game appearances, encouraging players to grab “Party On” cards and attempting to make players wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes. Here’s hoping the pair got paid a whole lot.