The 5 Funniest Game Bugs of 2014

Nothing is more frustrating than a bug that prevents you from playing a game as its developers intended. However, some bugs can be kind of enjoyable too.

Glitches can turn out to be a source of unexpected comedy. Some of the darkest, most violent games on the market turn into slapstick thanks to screwy A.I. or a wonky physics engine. Here are some of the funniest bugs of this past year.

The Tiniest Linebacker

NFL linebacker Christian Kirksey is 6'2" in real life. However, in Madden 15, he stood at a mere 1 foot, 5 inches. The football was as large as he was but that didn't stop him. He tackled opposing players by running full speed at their toes and tried to knock down passes flying impossibly out of reach. EA, to their credit, was able to laugh about the bug. They actually featured mini-Kirksey in a weekly challenge for Madden Ultimate Team mode.

Bird Surfing

In the battle between counter-terrorists and terrorists in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the terrorists had an unexpected ally: pigeons. Players on that team found that they could hop on the pigeons near their spawn on map de_train. When the pigeons began to fly, the terrorists on their back would get a free ride through the air. This allowed them to reach otherwise inaccessible places on the map and snipe the unsuspecting enemies below. While it was funny to see a heavily-armed commando surfing on the back of a tiny pigeon, Valve removed it in a recent patch. They did, however, add a sign to the map that asks players not to step on birds.

Basketball Players With Melted Faces

One of NBA 2K15's biggest innovations turned out to be its biggest fail. The basketball game allowed players to scan their own faces with PS4 or Xbox One's camera and use them on an in-game character. Unfortunately, the scans could be distorted from simple things like poor lighting or bad angles. These messed-up scans were, in a word, horrifying. Players' faces were imported into the game with misshapen, discolored heads. They looked more like orcs or reject dolls than humans. This glitch would easily make it onto a list of the scariest bugs of 2014 as well.

The Ultimate Rodeo

Titanfall players can hop onto the back of enemy mechs and shoot them in an access panel for added damage. Due to a bug, however, players could occasionally ride on enemy infantry as well. The player "riding" his opponent floats a few feet above him and is pulled in whatever direction his enemy moves. This allowed the rider to get an easy kill. Unfortunately for them, they stayed stuck to their enemy's corpse and were easy pickings for any other opponents in the area.

The Faceless Ones

Assassin's Creed Unity launched with a lot of bugs that made the game run poorly or not at all. There was one bright spot, though: the aptly named "no face" bug. Due to a texture issue, characters' faces wouldn't show up during cutscenes. All the player would see were their eyes, mouth, hair and an empty space in-between. Like the NBA 2K15 face scans, this bug skirted the line between funny and horrifying. However, this glitch provided some much-needed levity as players dealt with the myriad of other frustrating issues in AC Unity.