Games like Stalin vs. Martians make people wonder if self-parody is truly possible in videogames. Occasionally it's funny, but usually works only when expressed through dialogue, most often in adventure games. Sometimes it isn't parody at all; BioShock tackled its own medium in a very serious manner, exploring the conventions and contrivances of game design through its structure, pacing and narrative. What BioShock never did, however, was parody its medium with gameplay. BioShock was a strong and serious FPS/RPG the whole way through. It was fun. Stalin vs. Martians is taking a decidedly different route. It parodies its medium and its genre through gameplay as well as narrative. It never takes itself seriously, which is likely in large part why it isn't any good.
