作者：Jillian Werner

如果你喜欢在有关猫的图像上打出一些欢快的短语，喜欢在获得高分时跟好友炫耀，或者同时结合这两种游戏机制，那你就幸运了！因为已经出现了上千种方法能够让你体验到这些机制，不过并非所有方法都值得你舍弃最新的暴走漫画生成器（一款Android平台轻松创建手机漫画的软件）。

我们挑选了一些基于米姆（游戏邦注：这是一种流行的、以衍生方式复制传播的互联网文化基因，米姆最初诞生时候具有匿名作者、较低娱乐性的特征，曾经风靡网络的绿豆蛙和兔斯基等卡通形象及其衍生作品，都可视作国内互联网米姆现象的萌芽）且具有体验价值的游戏。

《彩虹猫：迷失太空》

基础：Nyan Cat

1meme_nyan（from gamezebo）

忠于米姆灵感，《彩虹猫：迷失太空》便突出了我们的猫英雄如何在无尽的太空中穿梭着。Nyan需要在不同平台间跳跃着，并越过狗或外星人等障碍，保持自身的平衡以及玩家分数的不断提升。除此之外，像“supernyan”，“adrenyalin”以及“doggienyan”等都能在短时间内提供给Nyan一些有帮助的能力。因为持续且频繁的游戏更新，这款发行于2011年的游戏变得更加充实了。这些完善包括：整体的图像，Nyan的服装（让他变得与小丑一样可爱），各种背景，新能力，以及在最初发行时便引进的“牛奶”系统（用于挣得额外奖励）等等，从而创造出了这么一款让人惊艳的米姆游戏。

《面包喵星人》

基础：面包猫

2meme_bread（from gamezebo）

尽管我一直犹豫着是否在这个列表中包含两款与猫有关的游戏，但是《面包喵星人》却向我们证明了它是一款结合了怪物战斗与旅馆类型的独特且简单的游戏。游戏玩法分为两个部分，即烤面包——游戏中的实时环节，和打斗并收集猫——基于回合制的打斗环节。《面包喵星人》更吸引人的地方在于游戏陈述：不像大多数游戏中的描述那样（如“哈哈，这是一款有趣的米姆游戏”），它使用了“将面包套在猫的脸上”这样的玩笑，并将其转变成一款包括情节和目的的华丽游戏。游戏世界中的所有野猫都被邪恶的ChowCorp洗脑了，而唯一能让这些猫平静下来的方法便是用面包套住它们的脸。除此之外，面包还能作为一种提升状态和防御能力的铠甲，让你能够更有效地对抗一些较为强大的猫，如Maine Coons，进一步体现出了米姆的特性。尽管《面包喵星人》在游戏玩法上不是很完善，但是其游戏陈述，以及整体表现出的幽默感都为游戏加分不少。

《Slender: The Eight Pages》

基础：Slenderman

3meme_slender（from gamezebo）

Slenderman便是少数不可爱的米姆明星之一，他也是许多游戏角色的灵感来源，如《我的世界》中的“Enderman”。一开始，Slenderman只是一个高大，无脸，甚至有可能是虚构的旁观者形象。他那不可预知的容貌以及在实物与想象间的徘徊，都让他成为了生存恐怖游戏生物的最佳人选。《Slender: The Eight Pages》便利用Slenderman及其传说，让玩家在黑暗森林中漫步着，去寻找带有像“别看，否则它将吃了你”之类警告的纸张。每收集一张纸，遥远的Slenderman便越靠近玩家，如果双方靠得越近，或玩家长时间盯着Slenderman看，便会因此而丢失性命。游戏的简单性，目标，以及Slenderman恐怖的外表等都创造出了非常棒的游戏体验，很容易让玩家沉浸于其中，并且不会轻易忘掉这个怪物。

《牛铃英雄》

基础：来自SNL系列中的《Needs more cowbell》

4meme_cowbell（from gamezebo）

如果我们设立一块奖项是关于最慢的米姆游戏转化，那就非《牛铃英雄》莫属了。幸运的是，与《面包喵星人》一样，它也能够超越米姆而传达给玩家高质量的游戏体验。当我们在玩一些以《吉他英雄》为灵感的音乐游戏时，我们需要即时把握住屏幕上出现的音符快速轻拍着屏幕。而这次，玩家将在游戏中使用牛铃去演奏歌曲，包括《Don’t Fear the Reaper》。游戏中除了16首主要歌曲与10首附赠曲目（包括一首电子混合乐）外，《牛铃英雄》还强调了故事模式，即英雄梦想着能够带着牛铃成为音乐界上的一大传奇。自从12年前出现于一些严肃游戏以来，米姆便开始得到人们的广泛认识，而《牛铃英雄》既传达了这种米姆元素，同时也带动了“牛铃”的窜红。

《Gangnam Dance School》

基础：PSY的《江南Style》

5meme_gangnam（from gamezebo）

回到2012年10月，那时还未出现任何有关“江南Style”的游戏：所有游戏都在努力争取通过苹果的审批过程。但是现在，市场上一下子涌现出了上百款“江南Style”游戏，从这种风靡程度来看，这的确算是一种米姆效应。一些有趣的8位体“江南Style”游戏被糟糕的控制所破坏了；还有一些突出PSY并赋予他别的能力的游戏却缺少能够突显米姆的歌曲。所以我们得出一个结论，“江南Style”游戏需要两大元素：有趣的游戏玩法与辨识度高的《江南Style》。而《Gangnam Dance School》便包含了这两大元素：玩家将控制着PSY经过一个可怕的森林，越过狼人，跳进水里以躲避蝙蝠，并朝着700米远的目标穿越树木前行，同时还伴随着无声版本的《江南Style》背景音乐。《Gangnam Dance School》最大的缺陷（游戏邦注：除了无意义的万圣节背景外）在于总是会突然出现各种广告，并且玩家不能删除它们。但好消息是，玩家可以在每一轮中先暂停游戏而隐藏广告，然后再开始游戏。尽管如此，《Gangnam Dance School》也算是这一列表中排行较后的游戏，虽然有时候玩家也想要来个“Oppan 江南Style”嗨一下！

以下则是一些“荣誉奖”

《直到我的膝盖中了一箭》

基础：《天际》中的“直到我的膝盖中了一箭”

尽管在一周后很多人都厌烦了“膝盖中箭”的游戏玩法，但这却不能阻止这句来自《天际》的名言出现在T恤，电视节目，以及基于米姆的游戏上。尽管《直到我的膝盖中了一箭》因为糟糕的控制以及缺少变体而未能出现在上述列表中，但是单从有趣的背景故事来看，这还是不能忽视的射箭游戏。

《肥胆蜜獾》

基础：蜜獾

当一款米姆游戏是由最初米姆创造者而提供故事，它便是面向于原始资源。《肥胆蜜獾》便是一款非常出色的游戏，带有色彩丰富的卡通图像以及来自Randall本身对于蜜獾的描述，如“看，他正在挖土觅食”以及“哇，蜜獾在打冷颤”等等。不幸的是，草率的控制与不断的延误让玩家在玩《肥胆蜜獾》时很容易感到沮丧。

《烦人的橘子：厨房杀戮》

基础：烦人的橘子

这款游戏呈献给玩家的惊悚感让它丢掉了不少分数，但它也因为并未成为《水果忍者》的复制品而赢得了不少肯定。比起削灭水果，玩家将在一定范围内瞄准搅拌器，砧板以及圣诞袜而投掷水果。因为带有不同大小和难度的水果，三种类型的关卡以及对于“烦人的橘子”本身的描述，《烦人的橘子：厨房杀戮》可以说是一款非常棒的游戏——对于那些并不在乎水果的恐怖脸孔的玩家来说。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

5 memes that turned into surprisingly good games

By Jillian Werner

Love typing hilarious phrases on pictures of cats?  Spamming your friends with high score notifications?  Wishing there was a way to combine the two?  You’re in luck!  There are actually thousands of ways, but not all of them deserve to steal time away from the newest Rage Comics generator.

We’ve picked a handful that should slake your urge for playable – and worth playing – games based on memes.  Because we don’t always write lists about memes, but when we do… well, you get the idea.

Nyan Cat: Lost in Space

Based on: Nyan Cat

True to its meme inspiration, Nyan Cat: Lost in Space features our poptartted feline hero bounding through the endless expanse of space to the same addictively inane tune.  Nyan needs to jump between platforms, and over obstacles like dogs and aliens, to keep himself and your score moving forward.  Special abilities, like “supernyan,” “adrenyalin,” and “doggienyan,” give Nyan useful abilities (and outfits) for a short period of time.  What began as a fairly simple game in 2011 has become more fleshed out thanks to frequent updates that continue today: a graphical overhaul, costumes for Nyan (he’s adorable as The Joker), various stage backgrounds, new abilities, and even a whole “milk” system for earning extra bonuses have been introduced since its initial release, creating more than an amazing meme game: a fantastic game, period.

Bread Kittens

Based on: Breading Cats

Despite hesitations to include two cat-related games on this short list (a tough order anyway, considering cats basically invented the internet), Bread Kittens has earned its spot with a unique and simplified combination of the monster-battling and restaurant genres.  Gameplay is split between baking bread—the real time-based portion of the game—and fighting and collecting cats in turn-based battles. What makes Bread Kittens even more appealing is its presentation: unlike the average “Haha, funny meme game,” it uses the “bread on your cat” joke as merely a basis, turning it into a beautiful game complete with plot and purpose.  All the feral cats of the world have been brainwashed by the evil ChowCorp and the only way to calm them (and add them to your cat battle squad) is by “breading” them.  Bread is also used as status and defense-increasing armor so that you can have a better chance against stronger cats, like Maine Coons, giving further substantiation to the meme itself.  Although Bread Kittens sometimes feels a little lacking in gameplay, it makes up for this in presentation, humor, and of course, major adorableness.

Slender: The Eight Pages

Based on: Slenderman

One of the few non-humorous memes to make it to internet stardom, Slenderman is “creepypasta” royalty, having inspired dozens of games and even the “Enderman” in Minecraft.  The tall, faceless, and possibly-imagined Slenderman began as a disarming bystander Photoshopped into otherwise normal pictures, turning them into conspiracy cover-up spoofs.  Slenderman’s unknowable visage and constant hovering between existence and imagination made him an excellent candidate for a survival horror game creature.  Slender: The Eight Pages utilizes Slenderman and his folklore superbly, as players wander around a dark forest collecting pages containing warnings such as “Don’t look or it takes you.”  Each page collected causes the distant Slenderman to spawn closer to the player, threatening death if he gets too close or you stare at him too long.  The simplicity of the game, its goal, and Slenderman’s quietly terrifying presence combine to create an experience that’s very easy to lose yourself in, and a monster that’s hard to forget.

Cowbell Hero

Based on: “Needs more cowbell” from SNL’s Blue ?yster Cult sketch

If we handed out awards for most delayed meme-to-game transitions, Cowbell Hero would sweep the event.  Luckily, like Bread Kittens, it goes far beyond its aged meme to deliver a surprisingly high-quality experience.  Playing similar to most Guitar Hero-inspired music games, you tap and hold notes as they stream from the top of the screen in time to the tune.  This time, however, you’ll be playing the cowbell part in songs that prominently feature it—including, of course, “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”  Beyond the cowbell-heavy 16 main and 10 bonus tracks (including one Dubstep remix, wubwubwub), Cowbell Hero puts significant focus on story mode, and its hero’s dream of becoming a music legend and taking the cowbell with him to the top.  A meme that’s significant enough to be recognizable 12 years after its inception deserves a serious game, and Cowbell Hero delivers that and more…cowbell.

Gangnam Dance School

Based on: “Gangnam Style” by PSY

Back in October, there were no Gangnam games available: apparently because they were all fighting their way through Apple’s approval process simultaneously.  Now there are hundreds, and the speed at which they appeared should be indicative enough of their overall quality: meh.  Some, like 8-Bit Gangnam Style, are charming yet ruined by terrible controls; most others feature Psy in some capacity but not even a breath of the song that defines the meme.  Ultimately, a Gangnam game needs two things: decent gameplay and some recognizable version of the song “Gangnam Style.”  Gangnam Dance School actually has both of these: you’ll run Psy through a haunted forest, leaping over werewolves, diving under bats, and maneuvering between trees towards the 700 meter end goal while a non-vocal version of “Gangnam Style” plays in the background.  Gangnam Dance School’s biggest deterrent at the moment—besides the totally nonsensical Halloween setting—is its obtrusive ads that cannot be removed.  The good news is you can hide ads for each run simply by pausing and then un-pausing the game.  Even with this trick, Gangnam Dance School is admittedly the weakest entry on this list, but sometimes you just need your oppan Gangnam fix.

Honorable Mentions

I Took an Arrow in the Knee

Based on: Skyrim’s “I took an arrow in the knee”

Although everyone was tired of “Arrow in the knee” after one week, that didn’t prevent the infamous Skyrim phrase from landing on t-shirts, television shows, and meme-based games.  I Took an Arrow in the Knee didn’t make this list due to twitchy controls and lack of variation, but this arrow-shooting game deserves a mention if only for the hilariously creepy backstory it provides to every Skyrim guard’s complaint.

The Honey Badger Don’t Care

Based on: Honey Badger

You know a meme game is dedicated to its source material when it gets the original meme creator to provide narration.  The Honey Badger Don’t Care is actually a surprisingly polished game with colorful cartoon visuals and tons of honey badger commentary from Randall himself, including “Look, he’s digging and eating, digging and eating” and “Woah, honey badger has got to chill.”  Unfortunately, sloppy controls and consistent lag make The Honey Badger Don’t Care more frustrating than filling.

Annoying Orange: Kitchen Carnage

Based on: The Annoying Orange

This one admittedly lost points before ever being played simply because the Annoying Orange gives me the creeps, but it earned some back by not being a Fruit Ninja clone.  Instead of slashing fruit, you toss them various distances while aiming for blenders, chopping blocks, and a Christmas stocking.  With different sizes and difficulties of fruit, three types of levels (popping balloons with star fruit is quite entertaining), and plenty of commentary from the Annoying Orange himself, Annoying Orange: Kitchen Carnage is a decent little diversion—for anyone who doesn’t mind fruit with weird faces.(source:gamezebo)