Tanukitsune Posted January 9, 2011 I don't know how many of you visit or even know of Blistered Thumbs (which sounds like Idle Thumbs' arch nemesis), but they have there a "weird" game reviewer.... He has reviewed one or two legitamely werid games, but... Altered Beast? Moonwalker? Seriously? Almost every game before the dark n' gritty era is "weird", Mario gets bigs with shrooms and flowers make him a fire wizard of sorts? Sonic has a flying fox for a friend and rings keep him alive? Guybrush fights with insults? A purple tentacle is trying to take over the world? Isn't normalcy weird for games to begin with? I know every game today is burly men killing burly men, but before that games could have a ballerina badger fighting gangster penguins and that wouldn't face us at all... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted January 9, 2011 I remember renting a game for the SNES back in the day where a "rodent" of unspecified species used different hair products to power up his 'do with various abilities. I particularly remember the boomerang mohawk and the 80's new-wave-thingy hair whip. It was awesome, and I didn't bat an eye. Actually, it was probably terrible, but I was 5. I believe it was called Rocky Rodent. Something about a blonde lady getting kidnapped by gangsters and Rocky (who was like a scuzzier Sonic) having to kill them all with his hair. Weirdness, yeah! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted January 9, 2011 normalness in games is weird Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted January 10, 2011 It's almost impossible to single out weird games, like you say, Tanukitsune. I get the feeling that this guy is going off his audience which is probably preteens and teenagers, so they wouldn't know what he's reviewing in the first place or really have any idea of the context beyond what he gives them, just going by the comments of people who don't seem to have any idea what games he's naming. Almost every game from every country on the globe from the 80s up to the mid 90s had a majority of strange ideas and random concepts put together to form a whole were commonplace. Then somewhere along the way everyone wanted to use cliche film tropes and genre specifics to line their games. I mean if he's going to pick standards from two decades ago like Puyo Pop, Altered Beast, or Moonwalker, he may as well include everything from Nintendo at that time as well. Err... I should probably stop talking because I'm not going to watch his videos to care even further. I hate the retro video craze with angry young men reviewers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted January 10, 2011 Yeah, it's really starting to get ridiculous how many there are. My description of Rocky Rodent above made me kind of nostalgic for it, so I looked it up on youtube. Only videos I could find were of some jerk getting unnecessarily angry about the plot and trying to be funny about it. Man is that shit played out. I just wanted to watch the first level to reminisce... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted January 10, 2011 It's almost impossible to single out weird games, like you say, Tanukitsune.I get the feeling that this guy is going off his audience which is probably preteens and teenagers, so they wouldn't know what he's reviewing in the first place or really have any idea of the context beyond what he gives them, just going by the comments of people who don't seem to have any idea what games he's naming. Almost every game from every country on the globe from the 80s up to the mid 90s had a majority of strange ideas and random concepts put together to form a whole were commonplace. Then somewhere along the way everyone wanted to use cliche film tropes and genre specifics to line their games. I mean if he's going to pick standards from two decades ago like Puyo Pop, Altered Beast, or Moonwalker, he may as well include everything from Nintendo at that time as well. Err... I should probably stop talking because I'm not going to watch his videos to care even further. I hate the retro video craze with angry young men reviewers He seems to be old enough to be from the 80's era and he gives games a weirdness rating... he gave Altered Beast a 5/10.... wouldn't that make it normal? He didn't have a weirdness rating before, maybe he added it because people complained... He seems to be a retro gamer that makes fun of the games he should love just to entertain some "whippersnappers", or maybe he really is a whippersnapper that just showing interest in retro games to get material and he doesn't know what he's doing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted January 10, 2011 Haha, I think to make an angry review is more about the reviewer thinking they are purveyor's of great comedy rather than any of them having much of an audience. I stumbled across this the other day looking for a gameplay video of some of the special missions from Metal Gear Solid for Game Boy Color (there weren't any): I guess it's insanely funny to be sarcastic about a perfectly okay title screen or to purposefully not learn the controls? I have no clue. It's about the usual formula. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted January 10, 2011 I wouldn't call it an angry review, but he is being overly harsh... But this video... Is he troll baiting or something? He doesn't seem to know what he's doing... Maybe he's a "neo retro" gamer and hasn't played any of the older games before? I watch a lots of video reviews and let's play and the never go blind into a game... they at least look up how to play the game! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lu Posted January 10, 2011 Weird Video Game Review Review: 3/10 I stumbled across this the other day looking for a gameplay video of some of the special missions from Metal Gear Solid for Game Boy Color (there weren't any): At least he provided an apt description for his video commentary. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted January 10, 2011 I remember thinking that Moonwalker on the Megadrive was pretty damn weird at the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted January 10, 2011 At least he provided an apt description for his video commentary. I did realize what I was in for but I didn't get that far into the video. It's like changing the radio station in your car briefly to some autotuned rap, turning up the volume, and bobbing your head in mockery for the laughs only to searching for something good to listen to (or silence). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrobbs Posted January 10, 2011 Speaking of which, is Yahtzee still peddling? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted January 10, 2011 Speaking of which, is Yahtzee still peddling? bingo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted January 10, 2011 What? Are you guys implying Yahtzee is as bad as this guy? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted January 10, 2011 In some ways, yes. Yahtzee became pointless long ago, in my opinion. Edit: He's still at it... and my god is he bad. I couldn't watch it all the way through... http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/2519-Assassins-Creed-Brotherhood Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nappi Posted January 10, 2011 He sounds fed up with these videos. I bet he did so 200 episodes earlier as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CaptainFish Posted January 10, 2011 I stopped watching Zero Punctuation for two reasons. 1. I got bored of the constant negativity. I understand that's the schtick, and it's for comedy, but it seems more useful to have an outlet to actually compliment great games, rather than bash bad ones. 2. He usually has a part where he talks about the plot of the games, and I always had to remember to avoid that for spoilers on games I was actually going to play. That said, I did enjoy stuff like his limerick episode, his top whatever lists (I think he had some lists, I can't really remember) and positive reviews. I don't know if he's done anything outside of the norm since though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted January 10, 2011 Well, he's definitely not my favorite thing on the Escapist ever since Loading Ready Run came to the site, but I wouldn't go as far as calling him terrible... The weird review guy is terrible, Yatzhee might not be as funny as it used to be, but it's far from being THAT bad! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) Well, he's definitely not my favorite thing on the Escapist ever since Loading Ready Run came to the site, but I wouldn't go as far as calling him terrible...The weird review guy is terrible, Yatzhee might not be as funny as it used to be, but it's far from being THAT bad! Did you watch the review I linked to? Quote: "If my daughter brought a multiplayer game home I'd rinse out her vagina with baking soda." Gee, how "edgy" of you, Mr Yahtzee. He's not even making points anymore, he's just trying to cram as many "hilarious" offensive comments as he can. Edit: To be fair, his Top 5/Bottom 5 of 2010 did make me chuckle a couple of times. Edited January 11, 2011 by ThunderPeel2001 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thompson Posted January 11, 2011 Personally, I think Yahtzee is hilarious. Sure, he might be slightly messed up in the head, but I am too so it's all good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted January 11, 2011 Did you watch the review I linked to?Quote: "If my daughter brought a multiplayer game home I'd rinse out her vagina with baking soda." Gee, how "edgy" of you, Mr Yahtzee. He's not even making points anymore, he's just trying to cram as many "hilarious" offensive comments as he can. Edit: To be fair, his Top 5/Bottom 5 of 2010 did make me chuckle a couple of times. Isn't that most "angry reviewers" do? AVGN, Nostalgia Critic... AVGN takes fake dumps on video games, how is this SO MUCH worse? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miffy495 Posted January 11, 2011 Can't they both be terrible? I personally find AVGN worse than Yahtzee, but given the choice would watch neither. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrobbs Posted January 11, 2011 I think the only person to carry it off long term, should he choose, would be Charlie Brooker. Yahtzee was good initially, but became a victim of his own success to some extent, and became dull. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tanukitsune Posted January 11, 2011 I had to look this guy up... he has nothing to do with this topic? What does a BBC comedy journalist have to do with nerds doing angry video reviews? So is there anything you guys do like? Do you hate everybody at That Guy With The Glasses too? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
