Rediscovering the Classic Charm of the Overlooked Cousin Game Genre

I have a term for those obscure, easily forgotten games from our past that never quite made it to the front of anyone’s shelf. I like to call them “Cousin Games.”

To understand what makes a game a Cousin Game, picture this: you’re dropped off at a house with an unfamiliar smell, step into a room with someone who’s almost like an alternate version of yourself. They’re playing Nintendo, which you recognize, but you glance at the screen and think, “What on earth is that?”

Cousin Games are those titles you never owned and probably never planned to own. But don’t mistake “Cousin Game” as just another word for a bad game. There are plenty of bad games out there that don’t fit this category.

Let’s dive into some examples of Cousin Games.

These aren’t your typical mainstream games. Take Madden, for instance—it doesn’t qualify as a Cousin Game just because your cousin plays it. This usually applies to sports games, but with some exceptions in the realm of extreme sports and motorsport.

Consider Tony Hawk’s series: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater isn’t a Cousin Game, whereas Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 definitely is. AirBlade also falls into this category.

When it involves Spider-Man, there’s a 75% chance it’s a Cousin Game. For Wolverine, it jumps to 80%, and Taz tops the list at a 90% chance.

Generally speaking, licensed tie-in games have a knack for becoming Cousin Games.

Games featuring mascots, whether first or third-party, rarely enter this realm, but the Sonic series breaks the mold with several exceptions. On the other hand, first-party Nintendo games almost never become Cousin Games. Geist, however, breaks that rule.

PC games can sometimes fall into the Cousin Game category, but they’re more often what we’d call Uncle Games. But let’s save that topic for another time.

There’s a certain mystery surrounding Cousin Games. How did that game end up in this peculiar house? Was it a randomly selected gift from a parent shopping at Babbage’s? Or did your cousin truly believe in BattleTanx 2, cherishing it even now? Is it as dear to them as it is strange to you?

And if, while reading this, you thought, “That’s not a Cousin Game,” you might have to face the unsettling possibility that you are the cousin in question. Don’t worry, there’s help out there.