The best and worst of April Fool’s past

April Fools is upon us, and as much as I enjoy seeing people get excited or scared about something that isn’t real (MyGaming had its own bit of fun – SA digital downloads get new customs tax and Win a powerful gaming laptop with MyGaming), there are those April fool jokes that just suck, especially in gaming.

So here are the best and the worst of the April Fools gaming jokes from past years.

The Best

Journey – Rocket Death Match DLC

One of the greatest titles to ever release on PS3 was going to get rocket shooting DLC! This was to add firefights to the game, allowing you to soar through the air and kill fellow cape wearing trekkers that happen to be shooting rockets at you too. I could see how this could work.

The Legend of Zelda the Movie

Even though this is probably the cheapest trailer I have ever seen, the idea behind it was great. The trailer showed Zelda and Gannon in all their glory, some pretty looking CG, and it was topped off with some terrible acting.

IGN reveals the Apple iPlay

Seriously people, will Apple ever give another company the right to reveal their “amazing” new gaming console without an extremely overhyped lead up with a live stream? I think not! Although reeking of fake, this April fool’s joke was executed extremely well, besides the terrible acting of course.

8-bit Google Maps

Google showed off their 8-bit styled Google Maps back in 2012 with a great video. It was not only really clever but also as cliché as they get. This is one of my all-time favourite April fool jokes – I mean, look at that Blue Dragon inspired box art.

Blizzard Announces the Zergotchi Authenticator

Another cleverly executed April fool’s joke, I really wish this was real. Blizzard revealed a Tamagotchi inspired authenticator, with different models housing your favourite gaming characters. You would play with them and even clean up their mess, this cute little invention looked great and would be awesome if they were real.

Blizzard Zergotchi

The Worst

The WiiHelm

Online retailer ThinkGeek thought it was so realistic to reveal a WiiHelm, a Wii controller for the lazy Wii players. According to the video it attaches to your head allowing for your hands and arms to be freed from physical gaming strains. I can see some really stiff necks in the morning!

Pandaren Express

Back in 2005 Blizzard revealed their own fast food delivery service, the Pandaren Express. This Chinese cliché fast food service would cater to WoW fans all over the world and feed them whilst they played the game – pretty unnecessary right?

Pandaren Express

Gear of War PS3 Collection

I really cannot stand Cliff Blenszinski, so this is a bad one for me. Last year this guy decided to tweet that the Gears of War franchise will be coming to the PS3 as a collection. This was not true obviously and it was a few days early anyway.

Cliff Bleszinski Gears of War on PS3 tweet

Assassin’s Creed in Metal Gear Solid

I really believe that an April Fool’s joke should be somewhat believable to some extent, but then you get this terrible idea that Assassin’s Creed will be in Metal Gear Solid. Okay then, enough said.