Bad Day L.A.

Lore & Background

Bad Day L.A. was first announced for the Xbox and PC by Hong Kong developer Enlight Software on April 28, 2005. Inspiration for the game came from American McGee being in traffic seeing a Sunset Boulevard billboard from the Department of Homeland Security about preparations for biochemical terrorism. Calling it 'the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back', McGee decided to make a video game as a way to inject the message of having nothing to fear but fear itself. To offset the violent events happening in Bad Day L.A., the art duo Kozyndan was hired to make the art style have a humorous nature. The Xbox version was planned to be distributed by the London-based Supersonic Group, but was never released. A graphic novel based on the game and other American McGee games American McGee's Alice and American McGee's Grimm was planned.

Reader's Guide

The game was released to mostly negative reviews, with reviewers criticizing its gameplay, visuals, voice acting, characters, offensive and crass humor, and poor attempts at satire. The game received 'unfavorable' reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. GameSpot gave it a 3 out of 10, and called it 'an abject failure' and a 'spectacular failure in almost every facet of its execution'. IGN gave it a 2.7, saying that 'it's terrible'. G4's X-Play gave it their lowest rating, a 1 out of 5, and also gave it a 'Golden Mullet Award' for the year of 2006. PC Gamer gave it a 20%, saying it was 'so tasteless that I wanted to scrub myself with Lysol after getting up from the computer' and 'being a bad Postal clone'. GameSpy 'awarded' the title the 'Coaster of the Year' award for 2006. GamesRadar awarded it the 'collateral damage' award for the Anti-Game of the Year, claiming that it seemed to be 'designed to end up on this list. If so... congratulations, guys, you did it!' But the game lost the award to Sonic the Hedgehog as that was apparently 'the most disappointing' rather than 'the absolute worst game of the year.' Ben Croshaw of Zero Punctuation briefly described it as 'fondly remembered alongside botched prostate surgery.' GamesRadar ranked it as the 25th worst game ever made. Rolling Stones Glixel also called it one of the worst games ever made. Mikel Reparaz from GamesRadar placed it on his list of 'unfunny games', noting the comedic timing being off, poorly direct visual gags, and overall horrible voice acting.

Did You Know?

• The game first saw the light of day as part of the 9/2006 issue (released at the end of August 2006) of the Polish video game magazine CD-Action, though its world release was set for September 6, 2006.
• A demo for the game was available from MTV's website.
• The game was shown at E3 2005.
• Originally planned for an early 2006 release, on August 22, 2006, Aspyr Media announced that the game had gone gold and would be released on August 28.

Concept & Satirical Ambition

Bad Day L.A. is a 2006 third-person action title created by American McGee, placing players in the shoes of Anthony Willams, a once-successful Hollywood agent who has fallen on hard times and now struggles as a homeless man in Los Angeles. The city itself is under siege from a cascade of both natural catastrophes and man-made disasters, creating a chaotic backdrop for the player's journey. At its core, Anthony is a self-interested character who simply wants to survive, yet the narrative gradually transforms him into a reluctant savior for those around him. The game's stated tonal goal was political satire aimed at every point on the political spectrum, attempting to mock all sides rather than taking a single partisan stance. To balance the game's violent and apocalyptic content, the art duo Kozyndan was brought on board to infuse the visual presentation with a comedic, cartoonish sensibility. Despite these ambitious intentions, the execution would prove deeply divisive, with critics finding the humor offensive, the satire clumsy, and the overall experience a missed opportunity for the kind of sharp social commentary the project clearly aspired to deliver.

Origins & Development Timeline

The project first surfaced on April 28, 2005, when Hong Kong-based developer Enlight Software announced it for Xbox and PC. American McGee has described the spark as a moment of personal frustration: while stuck in traffic, he noticed a Department of Homeland Security billboard on Sunset Boulevard warning the public about biochemical terrorism. He called it the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, and resolved to build a game that would push back against the message of perpetual dread, injecting the idea that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. The title was showcased at E3 2005, and an Xbox edition was slated for distribution by London-based Supersonic Group, though that version never materialized. A graphic novel adapting the game alongside McGee's other properties, American McGee's Alice and American McGee's Grimm, was also in the planning stages. After an initial target of early 2006 slipped, Aspyr Media confirmed on August 22, 2006, that the game had gone gold, with a launch date of August 28. A playable demo was made available through MTV's website, and the title's very first public appearance came in the September 2006 issue of Poland's CD-Action magazine, which hit shelves at the end of August.

A Consensus of Criticism

The critical response to Bad Day L.A. was overwhelmingly negative, with Metacritic aggregating the reviews into an unfavorable verdict. GameSpot scored it a 3 out of 10, branding it an abject and spectacular failure across nearly every facet of execution. IGN was equally blunt with a 2.7, simply declaring the game terrible. G4's X-Play gave it their absolute lowest possible rating of 1 out of 5 and presented it with their Golden Mullet Award for 2006. PC Gamer awarded a mere 20 percent, with one reviewer admitting the experience was so tasteless they wanted to scrub themselves with Lysol afterward, and dismissing it as a poorly executed Postal clone. GameSpy handed out their Coaster of the Year award, while GamesRadar nominated it for their Anti-Game of the Year collateral damage prize, though it ultimately lost that distinction to Sonic the Hedgehog. Ben Croshaw of Zero Punctuation memorably compared the game to a fondly remembered botched prostate surgery. GamesRadar later ranked it the 25th worst game ever made, and Rolling Stone's Glixel echoed that sentiment. Mikel Reparaz specifically flagged the game's failure as comedy, citing off timing, poorly directed visual gags, and abysmal voice acting.

Unfinished Ambitions & Lasting Notoriety

Beyond its failed launch, Bad Day L.A. carries the weight of several unrealized plans that add a layer of what-ifs to its legacy. The Xbox edition, which was to be handled by the London-based Supersonic Group, was never actually released, meaning a significant portion of the intended audience never got a chance to form their own opinion. A graphic novel that would have expanded the Bad Day L.A. universe alongside American McGee's Alice and American McGee's Grimm was also announced but never saw publication. What remains is a game that has become a cautionary reference point in gaming culture. It is cited on worst-games-ever lists by outlets like GamesRadar and Rolling Stone's Glixel, and its various satirical awards—Golden Mullet, Coaster of the Year, the near-miss Anti-Game nomination—have cemented its reputation as a project that aspired to be a bold political statement but landed as a widely panned misfire. The game's notoriety is now almost entirely defined by how badly it was received, with its original satirical ambitions largely forgotten in favor of its status as a perennial example of what can go wrong when tone, execution, and ambition fail to align.